Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Fairy Tale Spotlight: Lady Killer [Short Story Review]

[Although the author is still active, I still spoil the story since it's a bit old. Avoid if you intend to look this one up.]

"Lady Killer" is a short story written by Donald C. White Jr. It was published in 2012. I know the guy who wrote this. He is a regular commenter on this blog (and he'll probably be replying to this one as well). That said, I won't be sugar coating anything in this review. I owe him that much.

The title of this story is appropriate. It's about a guy who murders women. This is plain and simple, and it is entirely from his perspective. But this perspective is presented in an almost comical manner. It comes across as childish at times, but at least he is consistent. The writing is good enough, but I found it hard not to giggle at some of his dramatic reactions to things. Just imagine a male killer who overdramatizes absolutely everything.

This was almost a reason not to like the story, but don't worry. It gets good and makes up for all of it. The real highlight of the story [and this is the big spoiler] is when you find out about the woman he murders. Well, that is to say... he didn't actually murder her. She was already dead... and a vampire. But wait; there's more!

She's apparently a vampire with a conscience. She only wants to feed on bad people. She's a killer hunter. She wanted him to try and murder her so she would have a clear conscience when she feeds on and murders him back! That is a very satisfying ending, and I totally took it seriously. Good stuff!

I do recommend "Lady Killer," although I can see why some people might have trouble getting past the silly drama that it opens up with. Absolutely forgivable once you get to the end. It actually makes all the perceptible bad writing seem good once you get to the end. I've read a few stories that were like that. It's kind of a rarity these days. Give this one a read if you're curious.

This blog was written on July 18, 2024.

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4 comments:

  1. I read this story. The melodramatic silliness is consistent with the perspective of the killer, which the author shows though as third person. Interestingly, this is a "revenge fantasy" made believable by its element of the unknown. We assume we know what is around us, though we seldom do. Sometimes, like in this story, this presumptuous ignorance prove fatal.

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  2. The killer did put on a bit of a performance. His actions show his arrogance, which leads to overconfidence. He is a predator who becomes the prey.

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