First published back in June of 2017, British author Matt Shaw and US author Wrath James White joined forces to co-write the extreme horror novella ‘Boys’ Night’.
DLS Synopsis:
Emily is a feminist. A strong, independent young woman who writes a blog about feminism entitled ‘The Radical Feminist’. It’s a blog that doesn’t hold back. On it she rants and raves about women’s continuous struggle for equal rights, the never-ending oppression of men, and the pervasive culture of rape.
Each day she receives rape and death threats because of her outspoken views. But she just ignores them. Puts the threats down to men once again wanting to prove their might. To try to belittle her. Silence her. Scare her.
But things hadn’t been going all that well for Emily of late. Her girlfriend, Sandra, had just walked out on her, and she was beginning to think it was because of her vocal attitude. The way she spoke to Sandra. The way she’d treated her. The way she couldn’t hold her tongue.
Nevertheless, Emily had a date sorted for that night. A guy named Bill she’d met on an internet dating site. Although before they’d even met she was beginning to get an idea of what sort of guy he’d be. Dropping her a message to say he was running late because he needed to close a big deal in work. It was almost definitely just a play to show-off. To let Emily know how important his job was. This, in Emily’s eyes, was men all over. Still, she’d get what she wanted from him. She always did.
Meanwhile, Big Mike, Stan, Tiny and his brother Paulo, were out on a Boys’ Night. They’d started off drinking and had already spotted a young woman who was clearly asking for it. After all, who would dress that way if they didn’t want men ogling at them? If they weren’t gagging for a bit of action?
They’d start the evening off with her. Have themselves a nice piece of ass. And then, maybe, pay that feminist blogger a visit. Big Mike already had her prepped and ready for their visit, having sent her pornographic pictures all of last week telling her she’s next. It was only a short drive to where she lived, and then they’d have their fun. Show her what real men were capable of. Whether she liked it or not.
That’s what male bonding’s all about. That’s what Boys’ Night’s all about…
DLS Review:
When extreme horror authors Wrath James White and Matt Shaw join forces, you know you’re in for one motherfucker of a brutal ride. Quite unsurprisingly, that’s exactly what you get here. An extreme horror novella that doesn’t hold back one bit with its uncompromising and utterly gut-churning depictions of graphic violence.
Rape and man’s oppression of women are at the heart of the tale. That’s not to say it’s particularly pro-feminism, or out on some sort of moral mission, or anything of that sort. It’s just the catalyst for unleashing all hell. It’s purposefully controversial and open to challenge on all sorts of levels. But that’s Shaw all over isn’t it. He’s not a man who tends to shy away from controversy. To back off a topic because it may offend.
Of course the novella doesn’t set out to purposefully offend. Indeed, in this reviewer’s opinion, you’ve got to want to be offend - to actively seek out shit to annoy you - in order to find anything in this particularly grim tale offensive. But then there’ll always be those that do. They seem to thrive on declaring their offence. So no doubt Shaw and Wrath will at some point find they’ve come under such fire. Although on the other hand you can see the moral strength the author’s underline in the tale. The support shown for women. The whole ‘I Spit On You Grave’ (1978) rape-and-revenge stance. Giving us a chance to enjoy the brutal comeuppance dished out to a bunch of grotesquely misogynistic fuckheads.
But that’s enough about that…back to the story itself. In a nutshell what you get with ‘Boys’ Night’ is a novella that throws down an almost unrelenting onslaught of rape and violence. From the outset we’re exposed to our first slice of this. The build-up to the assault is short but utterly horrific. The brutality of it floods your senses. The mentality of the four rapists, even the one who doesn’t really want to be involved, is so vile it physically sickens. Throughout the length of the tale Shaw and White change the perspective, leaping from behind the eyes of the victims to the rapists. But it’s when we’re inside the heads of the rapists, listening to their catcalls, taunts and jeering, exposed to their fucked up delusions which they use to convince themselves their actions aren’t all that atrocious, that’s when it’s the tale becomes the hardest to swallow. It messes with you good and proper. Makes you feel uncomfortable in your skin. As a male you feel repulsed to be of the same sex. From the same species as these bastards. Utterly sickening.
So as you’d expect there’s a fuck-tonne of violence against women in the book. But it’s far from just that. Shaw and White both know their game well. They’re writers. Damn good ones too. They know how to weave incredibly compelling tales. As such, ‘Boys’ Night’ incorporates a good, strong and solid storyline behind the brutality. It’s a storyline that churns away at one hell of a pace. And greasing the cogs we have a healthy handful of secondary substories woven in; tightening the screws and slicking the churn of vicious brutality.
But of course there’s a twist. There’s always a twist. Not everything’s quite as it may first appear. And oh yes, the twist is a good ‘un. I for one didn’t see it coming. When it hit, holy shit did it knock the air out of my lungs. Properly leaves you sitting there with your jaw gaping open, catching flies in the sudden shock of it. That my friends is a twist.
All in all what you get with ‘Boys’ Night’ is a read that’ll grab you by your balls and yank you right into the thick of the savagery. The pacing is fast and furious and as tense as freshmeat anus on D-Wing. For a relatively short read the novella crams in the violence. Barely a chapter goes by without it gearing up for another bout of extremity. But it’s the stuff behind all the brutality that keeps you engrossed. The characters pull you in. Their plight and inner-struggle keeps you fully engaged. There’s a lot at play here. Emotions are exaggerated to fuck. Everyone’s on edge. At the drop of a hat it feels that the whole fucking thing can explode in your face. And that’s pretty much what forces you to see the book through in one read. It’s nigh on impossible to find a spot where you can put it down. Because there’s absolutely no break in the tension. There’s always something worse just around the corner. And it keeps you gripped until the bitter end.
The novella runs for a total of 109 pages.
© DLS Reviews
