Shane Ryan Staley The Cleansing

First published in 2005, Shane Ryan Staley's novella 'The Cleansing' was his most accomplished publication to date. Staley had previously seen the publication of six of his short story collections between 2001 and 2005. Staley is also the founder and editor-in-chief for Delirium Books.

The tale sets off on a somewhat sombre and downbeat note as it introduces the novellas principal character, Chris Tyler, as he attempts to comfort his dying father on his death bed. From here on in, the storyline maintains a constant eerie undertone, as Tyler's life is thrown into a dark and twisted turn of events.

After waking from a vivid nightmare whereby Tyler glimpses the face of his dead father, hidden underneath the private cabin he frequented on numerous occasions during his life, Tyler decides that the dream in an omen, and so goes in search of answers to the death of his father at the location of the desolate campground.

Tyler meets up with some of his fathers old friends, who disclose the horrifying truth as to the real reason behind the death of his father. They relay the events of a 'cleansing' ritual that his father and his friends performed many years ago to rid them of the horrors they witnessed during their time fighting at Vietnam. However, there turned out to be severe consequences for each one of them for playing with gods formula, later on in each one of their lives.

Staley's 138 page novella creeps up on the reader with its mounting horror, as the plotline is carefully laid out. With an underlying uneasy feeling running through the events taking place for Tyler, the novella takes on a truly disturbing route.

Staley delves deep into his dark imagination, bringing back with him a collection of grotesque and haunting ideas that bring the principal ideas behind the tale to life. With an unashamed corruption of religious principals, Staley almost backhandedly redefines the basics of the popular beliefs shared by many, stating that god is both good and evil, as is all of humankind.

The tale soon takes on a new twist that brings with it recollections of Jack Sholder's 1987 movie 'The Hidden'. With similar ideas behind the nature of the plot, Staley craftily mixes in his clever take on redefining the principals behind the Christian belief. Staley forgoes getting too immersed within the fundamentals of his ideas, but instead ties the story together extremely well with his thought provoking play on the principals behind Christianity.

As the tale draws closer and closer to its conclusion, a far more apocalyptic reality takes form, transforming the tale even further with the impact of Staley's controversial idea. For a book of so few pages, Staley has managed to produce a story that reaches out to almost epic proportions. His fast paced approach to the tale, crams in a number of suggestive beginnings for the underlying crux to the tale.

Some moments have somewhat predictable outcomes to a point, but where other authors may merely stop there, Staley continues further, pursuing a deeper meaning to the events.

Characterization remains relatively light and simplistic, which is mostly down to the short length of the novella. However, the few main characters are given their own personalities that are given hints towards a further depth within them. For the short length of the tale, this level of characterization is very successful.

The book also includes a five page introduction by the author Jeffrey Thomas, whose praise for Staley's 'The Cleansing' is well written, insightful and wholly justified. The novella runs for a total of 138 pages and was published by Bloodletting Press. The book also includes a very suiting illustration for the cover artwork done by Mike Bohatch.