Also by this author: In Hell, 11:34In the future, personal computers are integrated into the bodies of most first-world citizens, sex-bots are the norm, and brothels are as common as restaurants. In this world, Tad Barlow is an introverted virgin in search of a genuine sexual experience, and Symphony Rains is a long-term brothel girl desperate to remain relevant in the profession she believes in.
This is not a love story.
Here, romance takes a backseat to torn flesh and severed souls, and death is a merciful alternative to certain paths less traveled.
Welcome to the House of Allure.
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Normally, I can’t stand anything too science-y. I’m not good with technology, and the science of things just bores me half to death. Or it confuses me. One of the two happens almost every time. House of Allure is one of the only science/technology types of books I didn’t completely lose interest in within the first 2 minutes of reading.
Set in the future, which is also something I normally avoid reading about, there are a lot of things we don’t have now (or do we?). People are their own computers. I don’t know how to explain it, but people can buy upgrades to make themselves better in different ways. There are brothels everywhere and people even have and use sexbots.
It’s very hard for me to explain anything about this story because I know I won’t get it right. So essentially, it’s well written and unusual. James does a great job of breaking things down to a level that even I can understand and find interesting. The characters are likable while also being individuals. The most basic of human traits are still found among these futuristic citizens. Greed, jealousy, self-doubt etc are all there. It shows that though things may change drastically in the future, at the core of things, people are still screwing things up just like they always have. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot. I would recommend it to anyone who likes easily understood technologically advanced, futuristic stories that have some interesting twists and turns. There’s just enough gore to make my black little heart happy, which is a total bonus in my opinion.
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About L. Marshall James
L. Marshall James hails from northwest rural Pennsylvania, where he ran around barefoot and played 8-bit Nintendo when he wasn't playing with tar in the middle of the road. After a subpar high school performance, he obtained an associate's degree in information technology before realizing a powerful disdain for office jobs. Nonetheless, he worked in the IT field for over six years before calling it quits and joining his girlfriend in Southeast Asia for a traveling foray that lasted almost two years. He returned home just in time for Thanksgiving. Surprisingly enough, his family still loved him. At the time of publication, L. Marshall James is essentially a bum with no job and no permanent home. He would like to have both, but the wheres and hows of either are uncertain, as is much of his future.
