Aftermath

Rhys Wilcox

Average Rating 9/10 (1 Review)

Who is Luke Robinson?

Does the World really want to know the truth?

A month after Like Robinson saved the human race from utter annihilation from an Alien Invasion and he is charged with murder. A special hearing is put together to determine whether the World’s saviour can be tried for the crime. Is he above the law? Does society have the right to judge someone, without whom, there would be no society left to judge? Is he mentally and physically capable of standing trial? Ultimately, did he really save the World? And how?

Witnesses are called forward to tell the watching World who Luke Robinson used to be, who he is now and to speculate on the events that occurred in that week when everyone knew their life was over.

Aftermath is a hybrid of genres mixing the drama of a most unusual courtroom with Science Fiction and Action Adventure, then interspersed with Wilcox’s trademark graphic violence and humour.

Review by Nigel (290309) Rating (9/10)

Review by Nigel
As some of you may know I’ve read and reviewed Rhys Wilcox’s three previous works which have all been part of the Blood Lust series (Blood Lust, Blood Lust 2: The Carrion and Blood Lust 3: Revelations). It would be fair to say that these three novels are not what you would call mainstream but rather sit in the cult category; you will either love them or hate them. With Aftermath Rhys Wilcox has made a departure from the full on blood and gore of this series (although there is still plenty for the fan) and delves more into human nature and how we treat not only those around us but also the planet we live on; all in a darkly satirical way that is his trademark.

I’m not going to give too much of the plot away as it would really spoil an excellent tale that needs to unfold first hand to the reader. In a nutshell Aftermath is a story split into three parts; the main element is a courtroom drama while the other two are told in flashback as the proceedings unfold. The first of these has Luke Robinson saving the world while the second replays the events leading to the reason Luke is on trial, namely murder.

One of the main problems for any courtroom story is that it relies heavily on the dialogue between the parties. I’m happy to report that not only does Aftermath deal with this with aplomb it manages to succeed on all other levels as well. The dialogue in the courtroom is extremely clever and at times exceedingly funny, while the interlaced stories are as different as chalk and cheese; one is almost slapstick comedy as Luke struggles for survival (the sex shop scene is hilarious) whereas the murder offers a much darker social commentary.

This all may sound a bit odd but it all comes together brilliantly. If I had to compare I would say it is the illegitimate child of The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Wilt, High Society and A Few Good Men. An excellent novel that is seeing the author’s writing talent going from strength to strength.
Nigel (29th March 2009)