Have you ever finished a book, put it down, and then asked yourself, what in the hell did I just read? Granted, you usually don’t wait until the end of a book to ask yourself some variation of that question, and that was certainly my case in, Martuk…The Holy: Proseuche, but I was still stunned and confused enough to ask it again when I finished it.
Martuk…The Holy: Proseuche, is a story about a man, Martuk, who becomes immortal. We meet this man in the present day after he kills a young Catholic priest, and then soon after when he becomes infatuated with one of the nuns at the priest’s church. The nun is suspicious of Martuk, but after a few conversations she agrees to listen to his story. Martuk begins his story and the young nun finds it so unbelievable she thinks Markuk is unbalanced, maybe even dangerous. The only way she will agree to learn the rest of his tale is if he writes it down, and then she can read it alone in her apartment. Martuk agrees to write his life story down for her, and we discover that it is one hell of a bizarre tale.
Martuk’s life story begins before the dawn of Christianity, when Rome was all powerful and its soldiers had no problem using those powers to kill and maim it citizens. There were witches then, and magic was practiced. Martuk was made immortal by one of these witches. He was also possessed by a darkness, a demon who, when released, was even more deadly than any Roman soldier. Martuk’s incredible story takes up the first and last third of the novel, but it’s not the high point of the novel. Instead, a familiar God takes center stage and his story manages to blow us away.
Ever wonder whatever happened to Jesus Christ after he was resurrected? The author, as he imagines it, has no problem filling us in. Let’s just say that his Jesus Christ, post resurrection, leads one hell of a surreal, bloody, and guilt laden life.
Martuk…The Holy: Proseuche is a hallucinogen trip from start to finish. It is convoluted, busy, and frustratingly repetitive at times. But it is also engaging, smart, and thought provoking. I admit that there were moments when I wanted to put the book down or skip over passages that just seem to go on and on. The first person narrative often bogs down with minutia or a ‘tell- don’t show’ structure that had my eyes glazing over. But then, the author would pull me back with some amazing plot points or action scenes that made my hair stand up on end.
If asked, I would say that the good in Martuk…The Holy: Proseuche readily outweighs any weaknesses it has. The plot is compelling, the writing is strong, and the imagery is often mind blowing. For the most part, it’s not a quick read, but when the author turns it on, you don’t want it to be. Highly recommended for horror fans that are looking for something beyond the ordinary.
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