Review of "Unleashed" by Wesley Robert Lowe

 

 

So, I'm doing my first review on this blog of the 10,000 word prequel for the Shaolin Darkness series. I will say right off the bat, this short novella is better suited for those who have already read or plan to read Shaolin Darkness. It was very clear throughout, due to its style of story-telling and the things that happened, that it is meant as a companion book rather than a stand-a-lone. I really wish I would have read Tiger first.

That being said, the little novella did sufficiently get me interested in reading Tiger. Though the storytelling was rigid (it was very much, "this happened, then this happened," etc), the end reflected the more action-packed, dialogue driven style that I saw in the first chapter of Tiger (included in the back of Unleashed). The characters seem fairly well done, the villain particularly. This seems like a cool, action-packed series, and I'm intrigued to see what's going to happen next.

I still stick to my first bit of advice though: start with Tiger, read the series, then come back to the prequel. I think you'll have ten times more appreciation for it!

 

My Rating:

 

4 STARS

 

 

Description 

 

The making of a monster. Evil is no accident.

From China's ancient spiritual center, the rogue monk Chin arises to redefine Shaolin Kung Fu as a battle plan for his lust for criminal power. Cruelty, murder, and torture are this monk's hallmarks.

How did Chin become like this? More importantly, as he builds his global criminal syndicate, will no one stop this errant true believer?

Can anyone stop Chin and his criminal army? Do they even have the guts to try?