Whether it’s walking under a ladder, breaking a mirror, stepping on a crack on the pavement or a black cat crossing your path, the idea of bad luck is a captivating topic that intertwines with folklore, superstition, and psychology. While the concept of ‘bad luck’ is often seen as a series of unfortunate events, some view it as a mere coincidence, while others believe it’s a result of one’s actions or an imbalance in life’s harmony. Or in the case of the horror story, Bad Luck by Iain Rob Wright, a good old fashioned curse by an evil spirit.
As we make way from summer to autumn and head towards Halloween, it is a time when the veil between the ordinary and the extraordinary, the natural order of things and the supernatural, is at its thinnest. Halloween is a season ripe with tales of fate and fortune. It’s a period when stories of bad luck resonate with eerie significance, and Bad Luck is a chilling testament to this theme.
Iain Rob Wright is a horror author of more than 40 books. Bad Luck is the fourth instalment in The Cursed Manuscripts series, and it does not disappoint. Bad Luck is a story of racism, violence and a whole heap of cursed bad luck. A tale that is as compelling as it is terrifying, plunging the reader into a relentless cycle of dread and misfortune.
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The Cursed Manuscripts: on December 21, 2012, according to the Mayan Calendar, the world was supposed to end. It didn’t. But on that day, 113 mysterious manuscripts were discovered around the world, each one written in blood by an unknown author. After several dozen unexplained deaths befell the finders of said manuscripts, a decision was made to lock them up for good in a secret vault beneath the Vatican. It is said that anyone who reads the stories will die, and as such they are now referred to as ‘The Cursed Manuscripts.’
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The story follows Emily Carlton and her group of friends. She’s nothing special, in fact, she’s the epitome of every person who has felt stuck in the monotony of life, yearning for a change. Stuck in a job she hates she relies on her friendship group to break the monotony.
After another long, boring and hard week at work, the story starts with Emily looking forward to a night of fun with her friends on the beach, a break from her single, broke, and monotonous existence. But the night takes a horrific turn when they spot a group of men under the pier and events take a violent, racist outburst against the men, who are Syrian immigrants. This unleashes an old curse that brings the darkest misfortune imaginable to the group. A dark spirit is summoned and the group have been cursed with the worst of luck and only ends with their death!
Overall, I found Bad Luck to be a very engaging and absorbing page turner. The expert narrative is a joy to read, fast-paced that keeps the reader on edge. It is a horror story blended with the realism of immigration and racism in the UK, making it both relatable and terrifying. The setting of the beach at night provides a perfect backdrop for the unfolding terror, contrasting the beauty of nature with the ugliness of human actions and their consequences.
Taken as a purely a horror story, the tale is excellent – thrilling, chilling with a lot of imaginative killing. But it is more than just a horror story; it is a commentary on the consequences of hate and the inescapable nature of karma. The curse is a metaphor for the bad luck that follows bad decisions, and Wright does not shy away from exploring the depths of human cruelty and the randomness of fate. It is a thought-provoking exciting tale that gets your adrenaline pumping.
The story is well-crafted with great characters and plenty of fantastic twists and turns, just like a seaside rollercoaster.
Bad Luck is a must-read for fans of horror and psychological thrillers. A haunting reminder of the thin line between luck and misfortune. As Halloween approaches, there could be no better time to delve into this tale of cursed fate. A chilling read.
And remember: never tempt fate.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £7.99 (Paperback) / £2.49 (Kindle)
For more information, visit iainrobwright.com. Available to buy from Amazon here.
