The Rules of the Road: Book Review
Lately I have had the travel itch so bad. I have been thinking that even a small trip would be fun, maybe renting a cabin or something. Anything really would be nice.
And speaking of travelling, let's segue into my review! The author did send me a free copy in exchange for a review but, of course, my following review is completely my own honest opinion!
The Author
C.B. Jones is an author from somewhere in the middle of America. His work has appeared on The NoSleep Podcast and in Cosmic Horror Monthly. His debut novel, The Rules of the Road will be released in 2021.
- C.B. Jones' website
C.B Jones is a man of few words, as you can see from his biography above. Besides writing fiction (The Rules of the Road is his debut novel), he also blogs on his website.
The Novel
Do you ever wonder why it is you sometimes see a single shoe on the side of the road? What happens if you don’t hold your breath when you pass a cemetery? Why should you pay careful attention to that strange speed limit sign, the one that reads 67 MPH?
The Rules of the Road Amazon description
In The Rules of the Road, a nameless protagonist is driving along a lonely stretch of road when his radio picks up a strange broadcast, a radio program called "The Rules of the Road". Frightening and eerie, the protagonist follows the rule he is given but his curiosity also drives (bahdumtsh) him to try and find others who have heard this rules and to try and find the mysterious man behind the voice on the radio.
The Review
I truly enjoyed this book. Honestly, this book has to be one of my favourites that I've read in 2021.
The book starts off with the narrator explaining his experience with the radio program, then the subsequent chapters are stories sent in to the narrator from others who have heard the program and their experience with the particular rule given to them. Simply put, The Rules of the Road hooked me and didn't let go. The novel perfectly captures that lonely and sometimes creepy vibe one experiences when they are on a long, long drive in the nondescript areas of America.
The style the novel uses reminded me of the podcast "A Voice from Darkness", which I recommend if you haven't heard it. So while you're sucked into the protagonist's obsessive search for the radio program's host, you also hear the terrifying encounters others have had with the Rules.
C.B. Jones manages to ensure a uniqueness in each chapter narrator's voice and also spins a sinister twist to common urban legends. And then on top of that, the conclusion to the protagonist's journey to find the radio host is as chilling as it is unexpected.
And let's not forget the super cool cover.
8/10
x PLM