- ASIN: B0BR4KH86J
- Publisher: Gatekeeper Press (December 25, 2022)
- Publication date: December 25, 2022
- Language: English
- Print length: 227 pages
- Genre: Suspense Action Fiction
The BookViral Review:
With its uniquely structured narrative, ‘Bonanzaville’ takes us from the humdrum of existence to an ever increasingly bizarre and disturbing world someway between real life and T.V fantasy.
Frederick John Bonaduce, affectionately known as ‘Red’ is born in strange circumstances to a Father who is seldom present. After the tragic death of his Mother, followed by years in foster care, Red is now 30 and frustrated with life. A letter from his Father offers the disenchanted young man adventure and maybe even some answers.
From this point, with unflinching brutality, Archie Ryan propels his reader into a twisted world of criminality and macabre gameplay, where contestants exist at the mercy of their gameshow-addicted host, Cartwright, an almost animalistic man, devoid of empathy. The vicious clinical nature of the games juxtaposes with the larger-than-life showman approach of Cartwright as he unashamedly and enthusiastically enjoys the spectacle he has created.
Reminiscent of Hwang Dong-hyuk’s ‘Squid game’, and with the same gut-churning defiance, ‘Bonanzaville’ pits one against another, but with a twist-the ultimate winner is decreed by Cartwright. Thrown headlong into a terrifying world of hardened criminals, Red must fight for his parentage, his sanity, and ultimately his life.
Ryan crafts his characters competently, from the worn-down Marla to the chilling Cartwright, and this compliments his well-rounded plot. Maintaining fluidity as he moves between settings, Ryan sets each scene with competency, as he draws his readers into the footsteps of his protagonist, where the morbid fascination for his toe-curling experiences holds the reader in a suspension of dread, before fully immersing them in a spiral of horror.
Complete with an edge-of-your-seat, nail-biting crescendo, Ryan pushes the emotional stakes higher, as Red pushes himself to the brink in search of answers. Recommended for dark thrill seekers and those with a strong stomach!
