Husk

Husk by J. Kent Messum
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rhodes is the type of man that even other men would begrudgingly admit is good looking. He seemingly has it all with money, friends, and a girl he wants to make his own. He even has a lucrative yet abnormal job, Rhodes is a Husk. Husk's for an expensive fee provide their bodies to be used by very special clients. These clients are the wealthy dead who've had their brains digitized. They wear Rhodes like a tux to the prom and everyone is happy until the visions and nightmares start. Rhodes can't let the images go and insists on learning if these nightmares are actually memories.

Husk was one unexpected ride from the very beginning. I thought I knew what I was getting myself into, but the prologue quickly disabused me of that notion. Getting a glimpse of what life looks like for Husk's after their rental time has ended was shocking. It's a crazy notion looking into the eyes of a person you've been intimate with and having no recollection of them. Because while your body was there, your mind was not. This would be well and good if the rich treated this individual well, but it can be a horror if they did not.

The writing was excellent and kept me compelled from start to finish. The world was similar, but had enough nuance to make it into something uniquely intriguing. The characters were strong enough to provide a real sense of them as individuals, especially Rhodes as the story is told from his perspective. Rhodes isn't a great man by any extent, he's a jaded man doing his best to take care of himself. Despite his flaws I found myself caring about what would happen to Rhodes as the story went on.

Though I enjoyed the story immensely, it did have one weak spot. I wasn't entirely satisfied with the way the story ended. The reason being was the ending opened up an additional nagging question that's unlikely to be answered, but one in which seems particularly valid in my mind because of the lead up events. I can't give any other information without giving too much away, but the story was still a good one.

Husk is a strong story perfectly suited for anyone who enjoys horror with a science fiction twist.

4 out of 5 stars

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

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