Book Review: Murdergirl in the Valley of the Bones by Jonathan-David Jackson
Murder Girl in the Valley of the Bones caught me by surprise. The title struck me as unusual. I couldn't decide whether it was serious, whimsical, or perhaps an attempt at parody. It certainly stood out amongst the list of books I had available to review. I'm not saying I would have picked it up from a bookstore shelf, but the title was definitely attention-grabbing.
Humanity has been reduced to a few hundred survivors. All technology has been lost. In the Valley, the only law is survival.
A young woman known only as Murdergirl longs for a life beyond subjugation under the brutal warlord Hambone. A chance discovery of a motorcycle and shotgun from the long-lost past leads her to embrace the darkness within and embark upon a quest for humanity's freedom.
The post-apocalyptic vibes are evident throughout this book. Fans of films such as Waterworld and Mad Max will certainly enjoy the world-gone-wrong setting. The author does a fantastic job of building the grim reality of the Valley, where the last remnants of humanity struggle to survive. Although the characters never venture beyond the borders of their known world, there are hints that what lies beyond may be more of the same, or perhaps even worse. I hope the author explores more of this in future novels.
The action starts quickly, throwing the reader straight into the harsh realities of Murdergirl's world. The fast-paced opening immediately grabbed my attention, and I rapidly devoured the first few chapters. The pacing slows somewhat as our protagonist is injured and seeks refuge amongst a small band of survivors known as the Gardeners. However, it soon picks up again as Murdergirl fights to free the Valley's inhabitants from Hambone's tyranny.
The feeling that this might be a tongue-in-cheek homage to films such as Mad Max never entirely left me. At times I found myself questioning the feasibility of certain plot developments, but I ultimately accepted them as part of the story's style. Whether these moments were intentional nods to the genre or simply examples of the suspension of disbelief that fiction often requires, none of them spoiled my enjoyment of the story.
The main characters are well written and distinctive enough to remain memorable. The inner monologue of the protagonist is pitched at just the right level, providing introspection and character development without descending into lengthy exposition or self-indulgent reflection.
The story barrels along with only minor pacing issues, and it was engaging enough that I finished it in just a few days.
The prose is accessible and easy to read. The text flows naturally, allowing the story to take centre stage without forcing the reader to decipher hidden meanings or reach for a dictionary. There are themes of sexual violence early in the novel, along with plenty of violence and some strong language, so this is very much a book aimed at an adult audience, which is to be expected for a genre of this type.
Overall, there was a great deal to enjoy here. It was refreshing to read a self-published novel without struggling through awkward prose, excessive exposition, indulgent descriptions, or a lack of character development.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and will certainly be interested to see how the series progresses.
