The Axe Remembers: A Redwood Ripper Story by Marcus Hawk
Hawke Haus Books (July 2024)
Reviewed by Chandra Claypool (Instagram) (TikTok)
Welcome to Vancouver Island, where the crew of a timber mill gathers. Unbeknownst to them, the urban legend of The Redwood Ripper is all too real and they’re about to get the sharp end of the axe. The legend is that this vengeful spirit “haunts the wild and hunts those that take more from it than they give.” The trees remember, and so does The Redwood Ripper’s axe.
At under 100 pages, this is a quick read and perfect for spooky season or, for people like me, all year long. The lore of the spirit was fun to learn about. Nature will take its vengeance! The entire crew were annoying and I was giddy to read about how they were going to be killed. They didn’t need further character development because they were what they were. Doing their jobs, yes. But also, deserving to be ripped. In Hawke’s fashion, it’s bloody and absolutely delicious. I could smell the coppery scent of the blood emanating from the pages.
There’s more to the story than just slasher fun. It’s a look into how we are treating the planet. Taking and scrounging for our own selfish needs and never giving anything back. It’s not surprising this planet is going down the drain when you think about it overall.
A fun slasher eco horror story mixed with urban legend and lots of blood. A winner for sure.
