Ellie Douglas’s, “Fear Inducer” takes readers by the throat at the very start and refuses to let go until the life leaves the body in the messiest way possible. Douglas’s ability to detail the gruesome so expertly will leave many a reader gagging while their toes curl. Ramping the gore up to maximum, Douglas ensures that readers are not only grossed out, but turning the pages out of fear, and out of addiction for what happens next as she strings us along like hooked fish and stuck flies in her web of created horror.
“Fear Inducer” follows the exploits of Dr. Felix Bloom, an intellectual with a penchant for bloodshed as he delves deep into his patients’ phobias. Douglas handsomely crafts the main character of Bloom providing just enough information about him that borders on “aww” moments of care and professionalism before shoving readers into a dark room with “omg” moments of terror. Bloom walks a fine line between the two and masterfully highlights the hard and soft sides of a person’s personality, their wants, desires, and how they present to others, especially when that person thinks they are unstoppable and smarter than every other person on the planet.
Focusing on phobias, Douglas displays Bloom’s inner and outer demons in the most disgusting ways of human depravity I have ever read, and I loved every minute of it. Her ability to detail some of the more common phobias we hear about, and some we don’t, will leave many a reader clutching their chests and turning on every light in the house. She knows what makes you afraid, what makes your stomach turn, and she doesn’t care. Reading “Fear Inducer”, neither will you, especially if you love gore, scares, and thrills.
The only issues with Douglas’s work are that it stays in fast mode the entire time and barely offers up a chance for readers to breathe before thrusting them into more splattering fleshy bits and arterial sprays. Fast-paced throughout with small increments dedicated to outside the office so to speak, it left little time to fully flesh out Bloom, and although there was enough information to fill in some gaps, I wanted more details, more flashback/memories, and more day to day on what and why this character acted like he did, or continued to act that way. He was portrayed as all-powerful and it would have been nice to see weaker moments throughout because after all he is still human. Adding to that were a couple editing mistakes and the missing parameter of a “yin” to Bloom’s “yang” character-wise that made the book more one-sided. The ending came out of nowhere and seemed to only hint at wrapping up the story. My only assumption is that Douglas intends a sequel, after reading through her first offering featuring Bloom, I hope that is the case.
Overall, the book is a great read if you like your gore and splatters. A great read if you like your crazy dipped in psychology with a sprinkling of professional demeanor. If you like horror, if you crave toe curling fun at the expense of people suffering from phobias, maybe even one of your own, you can not go wrong with Douglas’s, “Fear Inducer” just be mindful to wear plastic coverings on your shoes and don’t touch the walls, it’s messy in all the right places.
The Bearded Scribbler 