This story of a chupacabra on the run from his hungry past strikes a great tone early on, combining a sick kind of humor with the potential for horribly painful death. We enter the mind of a chupacabra who works at a barbeque joint, day dreaming about how close these glutonous humans dare to get to the fire pit and what they would look like falling in. Ricardo doesn’t want them to fall in, he just doesn’t like conflict. He’s a very careful monster, which makes him being cursed to be one a strong source of empathy as well as being almost funny. This guy who has monstrous powers and a hunger he obliges on stray goats has chosen to work as a cashier at a place that serves hot meat. I chuckle just thinking about that life choice.
Blending with this innocent and demented humor is the tension that Ricardo’s life could be in danger at any moment–yes, somehow Platt and Truant have written a story about a monster we fear for. Great job. Ricardo has to stay one step ahead of a father who has been hunting him since his last weak moment of indulgence. This makes him paranoid, which fuels some of his humorous thoughts. In spite of this moment of weakness, he has a good heart. We all have our demons and moments when we’re ashamed to have indulged them. Ricardo is a good illustration of that aspect of life. His character also fits well in his cynicism. Life has been hard for him to live for centuries alone, having to choose between that or falling in love only to have his loved one grow old and die in his youth.
Add to this empathy for Ricardo’s character is the vampiric powers he has that are unlike any I’ve seen or read. I won’t give away what he can do, but it’s worth the read to find out. They are powerful and yet partially accidental, creating opportunity for laughs as well as shocked horror. He’s almost like a kid living in a candy store with a loaded pistols for hands. It will be funny to watch him try and get the candy in his mouth, but it may also be scary once people show up.
I really liked Ricardo’s dance between being a monster cursed to feed and his efforts to stay out of trouble and live a normal, happy, in-love life. In this episode, he is faced with a bad-luck circumstance that forces him to decide between keeping his secret from the girl he loves or unleashing the monster within to protect her.
In this story, Platt and Truant have woven a nice blend between humorous narrative, tension and action worthy of fans of exciting horror, and a character that has quite a hill to climb to reach happiness. With a title like, Cursed, though, my hunch is things won’t end well for Ricardo. A perfect touch to get me to find out though. Every time I go to my local Tasty Tacos, a place I instantly connected to while reading Cursed, I can’t help but wonder what Ricardo will do next.
*Note, Platt and Truant have made this first part in their serialization free. It is also only part one, so read understanding that the story will not be completed by the end. News from their subscription email says that they will be compiling the first four parts into a bundle soon, as well as offering the first part in audio. Visit their website, www.RealmAndSands.com for information on this series and more, as well as how to score a free book. I also recommend their podcast, the Self Publishing Podcast, for advice on writing and making it a career.
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Timothy C. Ward
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