By Guy N. Smith
1993 Sheridan (1988 Arrow)
Paperback, 208 pages
The real master serves up
another dandy one with this book. Set in the Scottish Highlands, this entry is
filled with cruelty, obsession and good old evil entities. And a very
fast-moving story it is.
Hurst College is a private
school for the very rich, for underachieving kids who are dragging their
parents down. Drop ‘em off with Headmaster Lazenby and hope for the best. The
Master is rough on the teens, both boys and girls, to achieve perfection, both
in body and mind. I mean like Nazi-tough. He wants to turn his charges into
supermen. And he rides them rough to get them there.
New art teacher Ann, who thought
she’d have no chance of getting the job at such an exclusive school, is taken
aback when she sees the discipline that is dished out. Punishing exercise
schedules, blood sports (I winced at a foxhunt… Smith pulled no punches) and
strict diets. It’s a place that would have killed me, personally. And it can do
just that if you’re a fairly weak newbie. You see, Lazenby isn’t the only
Master. There is also his Master and Lazenby has plans on bringing his
crusty old evil ass back to life.
So, there you go. A little
Satanic ritual, some sacrifices, a couple of dead kids, doomed virgins, and the
inevitable cover-up. Lazenby is a right bastard and as a character, he is so
easy to hate. His comparison to Hitler is just and his brain-washed kids
blindly follow along. Most of them, anyway. GNS, as usual, makes the setting an
integral part of the story, making the cadets’ struggle to please their Master
(and his) more difficult because of their isolation. The dank crypt where their
ceremonies are held is a great, atmospheric dungeon; Smith lays it on thick and
dark.
A highly recommended work from
the master himself, Guy N. Smith. The Arrow and Sheridan editions are adorned
with a wonderful Terry Oakes cover painting, making this one a must for your
shelf.
Originally
published in GNS2: A Guy N. Smith Fanzine by Chris Elphick
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