Title: Pedo Island Bloodbath

Author: Duncan Ralston

Release date: September 15th, 2023

Ah… Duncan Ralston.

Look, the reality is, with the way the online, social media world operates, you’re going to fall into one of three categories. Category One – I like Duncan’s work and I like Duncan. Category Two – I like Duncan’s work, but I don’t care for what he posts/don’t interact with him online. Or Category Three – I have him blocked and refuse to read him.

It’s a shame that this is where we’re at, but even Duncan will agree that’s where we sit. And the truly shameful part of that is, those who don’t read his work are missing out on one of the most cerebral authors currently putting out high quality books. Much like Matthew Stokoe has achieved with COWS and High Life, Duncan has accomplished with the one-two punch of WOOM and Gross Out. Both of those works are escapism, psychological thrillers, masquerading as Splatterpunk/Extreme horror. Yes, the content is extreme, but so is life when you’re not living in a four bedroom, two bathroom home with a mortgage payment and two cars. Three point five kids, a white picket fence and a border collie that loves everyone.

Duncan’s work is always a multi-layered conversation on world events, timely, topical moments and often times has a deeper metaphorical aspect to things big and far. Take Gross Out and its conversation on the often-cited cliques that exist within the writing community at large. Ghostland examined the rising role of AI, technology and mankind’s continued desire to push things too far and then apologize after everything goes crazy. And I’ll add in Wildfire, a story about someone living off the grid, trying to keep themselves safer from the ever-changing insanity that is world events, while also discussing themes of domestic violence.

His work is more than what is shown on the surface, more than what you see when you read a title, see a cover, or spend a few minutes reading one star reviews of his work from folks who aren’t willing to dive deeper into the narratives shared.

With this newest one, Duncan has decided to add to his growing repertoire of global issues by frankly discussing human trafficking and the horrible reality of how many kids get gobbled up by the rich and famous with no repercussions. Now, I will say here, that I’m not a full on conspiracy theorist regarding many things, but when it comes to child sex trafficking, the stats are there and when you start to read more and more about just how prevalent it is, its soul crushing.

Saying all of that, I did go in with trepidation, simply because I knew this was a vampire story at its heart and I struggle with vampire stuff. I always give each story the benefit of the doubt and go in wanting to love it, so with this one, I put my trust in Duncan’s hands and let the tide take me away.

What I liked: The story follows a few different characters whose paths eventually merge. We have Sven, a journalist who has made a name for himself with in-depth features over the years. He’s gotten an invitation from the ultra rich, Emory. He has invited a whose who of super wealthy on his massive yacht, to travel to a strange, exclusive island. Sven knows something’s up and wants to expose what it is. Even odder, is Emory’s wife, Tess, an enigmatic figure who stays in the shadows. Then we have Clarissa, a young woman searching for her sister who was kidnapped when their parents were brutally murdered. She knows a monster did it and wants to find the truth. She meets Gabe, a young man working on the ship and connects with him, as well as a strange, but friendly, older man, who has a history that’s hard to believe.

With that as the setting, Duncan races along in this gripping, mystery-thriller that has a ton of squirm-worthy moments, extreme scenes and grisly gore. In his afterword, he mentions this starting as a Splatterpunk work and morphing into a mainstream novel with extreme aspects and I think that’s accurate. I fear though, that this title will prevent many of those specific fans from taking the plunge and enjoying this brutal romp.

The novel turns things up another notch, when we get to the island, meet The Duke and the mansion/manor comes into play. It’s a great set piece itself and I’ll hold out hope that Duncan might do a special/exclusive/limited hardcover type release with a map of the island and a blueprint of the abode.

The ending was spot on – BUT – much like his most recent work Puzzle House, does end on a cliffhanger and at the moment, we have no idea if there will be more entries into this world.

What I didn’t like:  As I said, if you, like me, struggle with vampire based stuff, this one does have a very straight up vampire storyline. Saying that, Duncan does do a lot with the mythology/folklore behind it and our old man character was a blast, reminding me of a character from the TV Show, The Strain.

Additionally, this one does have a lot of dark moments, extreme scenes and if you feel fuzzy at the first signs of gore, you’ll want to stay clear of this.

Why you should buy this: I mean, at this point, I don’t really need to try to convince fans of Duncan’s to read any of Duncan’s works. He’s a GOLD BANNER machine and someone who has built a massive fanbase through hard work, exceptional writing and some of the best books released in the last decade.

So, for those who’ve not read his work yet and are hesitant, I’ll say this – give it a try. Take this one for a spin, or Salvage, or Ghostland, or The Midwives, or Wildfire, or Puzzle House. Give one a shot and you’ll see what I’m talking about. A phenomenal writer creating phenomenal works of fiction.

As for this one, if you’re looking for a very solid vampire story, wrapped in a child trafficking yarn, told through the lens of an extreme horror conspiracy theory, look no further.

4/5