The Pull of Pride, Power, and Long-lasting Legacy
Culling of the House of Boars by Jack Finn is a horror novelette that drags you into the pits of darkness and leaves you with a thirst for blood. With Rome standing at the epicenter of the world, there’s only one clan that dared to stand against them, the Dacia. Failure refusing to be an option, they set out to create an army of unparalleled strength and need for vengeance. The Strigoi.
“You see, the Strigoi are an invasive species and have no natural predators. They are a locust in the wheat field of humanity.”
Strigoi are never born and are rarely made, unless it’s during the Culling. One month a year, six houses of ancient vampires gather to witness a brutal fight to the death where newly turned strigoi prove themselves worthy of a spot in the clan. Adaric, the Culling Master, oversees the inner workings of the gladiatoresque event where things quickly take a turn for the worse, causing him to choose between his pride or his life.
Within sixty seven pages, this horror novelette is masterfully written with a plot that leaves you satisfied but begging for more. For such a short read, Finn’s book is artfully crafted with imagery, world building, and even a romance that’s sure to leave its mark on the vampire genre. If you weren’t moved by the vampire resurgence before, then let the Culling of the House of Boars be your introduction to a world of bloodthirsty monsters.
“He who strikes too soon dies, he who waits too long kneels”
All Things Vampire
As a vampire lover myself, I must admit I am quite biased and very intrigued. The strigoi are a type of vampire I’ve come across once in my teen years during my Vampire Academy phase. But if you’re looking for a feel good teen romance, the Culling of The House of Boars is not the read for you.
With tension and action sitting at the forefront of this novelette, you’ll be swept up in Adaric’s quest for power and the preservation of his pride. My favorite thing about this novelette is the subtle foreshadowing sprinkled throughout the book. The intricate details of ornate jewels, seemingly minor character interactions, and continued mentions of the sun or the shadows are all pawns Finn uses to create a polished and impactful story.
In my attempt to avoid any spoilers I will only say, wish this book was longer. As a writer myself, I can admit it’s quite difficult to write a story so structurally sound in only sixty seven pages. And, the Culling of The House of Boars, is truly a well rounded story, but I felt a sense of disappointment when inching towards the end of the book. As if I was pulled from Adaric’s story far too soon. There is a small snippet at the end of the last chapter that mentions the future of the strigoi clans, this inclusion only makes me question whether we’ll get a second, longer, novel from Finn (I hope we do!). The potential to expand on Adaric’s story, without muddling it, is vast and regardless of Finn’s intention, he’s created a lifelong reader out of me.
The Culling of The House of Boars is sure to be the novelette that reshapes the world of vampires as we know it. Don’t let the vampires dissuade you from reading, Adaric is everything but a righteous and beautiful man. Fans of the Spartacus, Games of Thrones, and the Underworld film series are sure to feel right at home between the pages of the Culling of The House of Boars.
Read Culling of the House of Boars and Jack Finn’s other work on his website.
