Like Robert Jordan (Conan) or David Gemmell (White Knight, Black Swan), writers are often writing for other authors or for other genres they are less known for – after all, they have a living to make. Whilst not producing quantities at the levels of the old pulp writers, admittedly, when writing a book a day was not uncommon, it still happens. There are a few fantasy, horror and SF writers I know of out there who have written under pseudonyms in other genres.
The latest one I’ve found in print is from AJ Ryan. Not a name you may immediately recognise, although genre writers will probably know AJ Ryan as Anthony Ryan, the writer of the Raven’s Shadow series and the Covenant of Steel series. (The name change isn’t that difficult to accept.) Here he has a go at a more conventional thriller. It’s more Jason Bourne than Vaelin Al Sorna.
The story begins with a bang, and perhaps a nod to Jason Bourne in style. In the first chapter our hero wakes up on a boat with no memory of who he is, or where he is. He finds a name of an author tattooed on his arm and a scar on his head where clearly some sort of brain surgery has taken place. Furthermore, the person we now call Huxley finds himself next to a dead body and on a boat in the middle of the sea, with six other passengers. Each of the passengers – the dead Conrad, Golding Dickinson, Plath, Rhys and Pynchon, like Huxley, have had surgery and have no memory of where they were previously.
The story then becomes a bit like Mission Impossible. The boat issues instructions, and persuades our mystery crew, each of whom appear to have particular skills, to follow them out. The reasons for this are initially unclear, but eventually we discover that they have an important mission, which will involve them sailing up the River Thames. What appeared to be a thriller actually becomes a post-apocalyptic mutated zombie story – anyone with an aversion to body horror is recommended to stay away from this novel.
Of recent genre novels, the book reminds me most of Mike Carey ‘s The Girl with All the Gifts, which I really liked, or perhaps Jeff Vandermeer’s Southern Reach Trilogy.
Anthony also has lots of little nods to other stories we could mention throughout his story. As well as a character’s name, some literary readers may notice a touch of Conrad’s Heart of Darkness as our crew sail up the River Thames into an unknown nightmare. (More recent filmwatchers might prefer a connection to the movie Apocalypse Now, also influenced by Conrad.)
It is interesting that the book is dedicated to Nigel Kneale, originator of the character who became a TV series and a film, Quatermass. The ending of Red River Seven may be recognised by fans of Kneale’s work, especially Quatermass and the Pit, but also perhaps Quatermass IV (The Quatermass Conclusion.) It’s not essential to know this, but it’s a nice touch. Fans of shoot-em-up games will appreciate the action sequences written here, which are fast and gory.
The emphasis here is on the action rather than the characterisation, although there are details along the way. We discover that the team have had their memories removed for a good reason, which means that the characters themselves are pretty mysterious, although it’s not long before their real traits become clearer. It is a book that you are best reading without knowing too much about before reading – much of the fun is because you don’t know what will happen next, and Anthony does a good job of keeping you guessing here.
Tension is created along the way by a number of time-targets, where our crew have a limited time to complete the tasks they have undertaken. This does keep the pages turning until the end. The emphasis here is on pace rather than complex detail, which is a little different to those big fantasy stories you may know.
All in all, Red River Seven is a solidly written thriller with horrific elements which is fast-paced and easily readable. It is an interesting variation on what readers may think of as Anthony’s usual writing, and is worth a look at, just for that reason.
RED RIVER SEVEN by A. J. Ryan
Published by Orbit, October 2023
ISBN: 978 0 356 52005 6
282 pages
Review by Mark Yon
