Publication Date: 10th March 2025
Genre: Drama, Pulp Horror
3.5 Stars
One Liner: Fast-paced!
Ramakrishna, a humble teacher, marries his feisty student Nazm. However, their love story is doomed when Nazm is murdered on their wedding night. A desperate Ramakrishna partners with someone called the Coffee Man, whose ruthless methods seem to create more trouble. Can Ramakrishna find justice for Nazm, or will this association with the Coffee Man destroy his soul?
The story comes in the first-person POV of different characters.
My Thoughts:
I’ve read the author’s previous book and knew what to expect in terms of gore. I’d say this one probably has less graphic content, but don’t take my word for it. I could be wrong.
The best part of the book is its pacing. After the initial setup (the first two chapters), the book steadily gains momentum and keeps going. I read it in one sitting since I didn’t want to break the flow. It’s easy enough since the book has fewer than 210 pages.
Things get squeamish from the very beginning. You can identify your tolerance level after the first chapter. It’ll only get more graphic from there on.
Since it has multiple first-person POVs, I’d recommend using the chapter titles as clues. I’m sure they were intended to be the same since they worked perfectly as trackers.
A disadvantage of fast-paced narration is the lack of proper character development or emotional connection. Things happen way too soon for the readers to get used to the idea. This distances us from the events. I’d have preferred for the central ‘love track’ to be explored in detail since everything sort of hinges on it. Given the nature of the relationship, it could have benefited from some space to unfurl a little more organically.
That said, the book still explores the dark side of humans. It presents how a person can slip and spiral into the abyss and what it does to them and the people around them. This aligns with the characters’ voices and their justifications as they move beyond any chance of redemption.
You can guess how the plot will go after the first reveal. That’s exactly what happens. This may not work for some readers since it dampens the excitement. However, I prefer things to follow a pattern (and I like being right), rather than have random twists for the sake of it.
The book is mainly set in two cities, with a couple of scenes in a village. The settings are used just right. They create a good feel of the local culture and vibe without distracting from the plot.
And yes, Berserk is a more suitable title for the story than ‘We’. The goldfish on the cover smartly represents the characters.
To summarize, Berserk is a fast-paced pulp horror drama about the dangerous side of humans and what it could do if unleashed without restraint. Despite the flaws, the book is entertaining, that is, if you are squeamish about blood.
It always makes me happy when the acknowledgement section names my friends!
My thanks to the author for a complimentary copy of the book. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinions.