Salem Kapsaski - Nazi Sniper 5/5









     I received Salem's debut novella in exchange for an honest review and it's unfortunate this will get a lot of one star reviews on Amazon with simple one word descriptions. Ugg, Ewww!, and too violent. Those people are exactly the kind of reviews that really bother me because these people fail to read the blurb that's on the back of the book. These are the kinds of people that get butt hurt when they see or read anything that they find offensive. They then post meaningless drivel that does nothing for the author. The fact is that Nazi Sniper is a dark, often violent novella, but, the thing is that we need this kind of horror. Is it senseless? Is it written to shock you so much that you curl up in a ball and recite the Lord's Prayer? Dig a little deeper and you'll see that Salem has a message here. It's quite simple really and it has a variety of meanings that others will more than likely tap into.



    Salem is a film maker and a writer and it shows. He has a great eye for detail and as a writer he has created a dark and shocking novella that grabs you by the throat and pulls you in kicking and screaming. He pulls no punches and as I read Nazi Sniper I almost identified with Ludwig. This is a guy who is a former Nazi that never let go of his mission. It's no different that anyone who clings tightly onto their beliefs and shows no quarter in upholding them. This is a man that has murdered countless innocents and in the process has warped his son's view of the world and even himself. Ludwig wasn't born evil, and sometimes evil is a product of our environment.



    As the novella progresses we see Ludwig begin to unravel and here we see Salem hitting his stride. He guides toward the novella's conclusion effortlessly and for a debut this is doesn't feel like a debut It moves quickly and without the usual clunkiness that we often see in debuts. As a horror novel it gives us something that we haven't seen before. Sometimes the monsters we fear are flesh and blood and Salem creates the ultimate monster in Ludwig. The fact is that this isn't one for the squeamish or the easily offended. I love novellas that invade the senses and make you think a little. The dark is a scary place but it seems as if Salem has found a home there and if you have the guts you'll venture down there with him.

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