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?

 

Interview with Wesley Robert Lowe, author of the Shaolin Darkness Series

Hello everyone! I am pleased to welcome today Wesley Robert Lowe, author of the Shaolin Darkness Series. He's here today to talk about the release of the prequel to his series, Unleashed. Don't miss the first book in his series, Tiger, which is discounted to 99 cents this Friday to Sunday!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Hello, and welcome to my blog! So what made you decide to take the plunge into the world of publishing?

 

There is a writer, William Goldman, who has a famous line, "Nobody knows anything," and I feel that applies to the gatekeepers in traditional publishing. I'm an indie filmmaker and wanting to keep my independence in writing, decided to take the self-publishing route.

 

 

2. Tell me about your book.

 

UNLEASHED is the prequel to the Shaolin Darkness series. There are two reasons I wrote it. 1. I'm a new author and many will not want to invest a lot of time trying to find out whether they want to read more of my work or not. This is 10,000 words so it would give people a sample of my writing style. 2. If you decide to read the series, the characters are self-contained and fully developed. Some people like to know how they came to be this way. Were they always bad guys or good guys? For example, a key character is a psychopath. He is definitely not a comic book character and there are very definite reasons for his behavior. So you might subtitle UNLEASHED as "The Making of a Monster" or as I use in the Amazon book description, "Evil is no accident."

 

 

3. I see you used to be involved in film. What would you say is the biggest difference between publishing a novel and working on a film?

 

Both are about storytelling. However in film, one has to be work with many other people on a project, camera, grip, lighting, makeup, continuity and on and on. On a novel, I work with very few people - story editors, cover artists and that's about it.

Budgets for realization are nonexistent in a novel. I can write "A MILLION GIRAFFES FLY INTO NEW YORK CITY," and everyone is going to freak as to cost and time. In a novel, I can make that TEN MILLION GIRAFFES and have them fly around the world and the cost is the same - zero.

 

 

4. What is the biggest influence on your writing?

 

Diversity. I'm an Asian American (Canadian) with deep roots in the Chinese community. Ability to work cross-culturally has brought me many opportunities with Canada's First Nations peoples, Russian, Ukrainian and Japanese. I'm a Christian but have many friends and colleagues of other faiths whom I regularly dialogue with or whose places of worship I visit.

 

 

5. You have several novels out. Which one would you say was your favorite to write?

 

Someone once asked Picasso, "Which is your favorite painting?" Picasso's reply was, "You are obviously not an artist." The person asked, "How did you know that?" Picasso replied, "Because if you were, you'd know that every one of my paintings is a child of mine. And I love every one of them, warts and all." (paraphrased.) Not that I'm Picasso, but I love every one of my kids.

 

 

6. What do you do when your not writing or doing film music?

 

I roast my own coffee and play on my 1908 Steinway grand piano.

 

 

7. Any advice for all the beginning writers out there?

 

Seat of the pants to the seat of the chair. If someone doesn't like your work, don't take it personally - but be willing to accept constructive criticism. And remember next time some nitwit criticizes you - Nobody knows anything.

 

Off-beat questions

 

 

 

1. Your first series deals with the supernatural. Have you ever experienced the supernatural yourself?

 

For many of us of Asian heritage, the supernatural is as natural as breathing. Spirits inhabit the temples and homes. I visit my father's gravesite and know he is listening when I talk to him. On another plane, as a Christian, can you get any more supernatural than God?

 

 

2. Are there any horror novel cliches that you just can't stand?

About the only thing I don't like is something done gratuitously or if I get the feeling the writer/filmmaker/artist has put something in because of purely commercial reasons. Otherwise, I'm pretty cool with almost anything,

Contact Info:

info@wesleylowemedia.com
www.wesleylowemedia.com