KILLA

A retelling of Gaston Leroux’s The Phantom of the Opera (1910) that blends epic poetry, rap, and pop culture with a good old-fashioned slasher tale.

Readers will realize that they’re in for a wild ride from the opening lines of Moreno’s riotous narrative in verse: “Ayo, muse, gonna sing one for you— / gonna spit bars of truth, broadcasting from afar, / unmasking the view by spinning a playlist / dishing on the dawn when the monster was created, / and the villains, and the heroine, / and the broken night of the vengeance—.” In 1999 Miami, talented rapper Apocalypse is tired of standing in the shadow of his colleague King Heavy. But when he attempts to strike out on his own, Apocalypse suffers horrific (and bloody) consequences. Seventeen years later, Melody, nicknamed Mel, is working double shifts as a hotel maid to make ends meet since her grandmother died. When she hears about a rap contest at the haunted Deco nightclub hosted by her idol, King Heavy, she decides to attend: “The BREAK-BEAT baits her. / She nods, trying to catch a flow. / A KICK and a SNARE waiting for her to ride them….” As the competition progresses, the narrative features gory murders, a kidnapping, and a truly shocking plot twist. The story is told in rhyming beats that will likely have readers nodding their heads as they read, and chapter titles are cleverly listed as “Playlist” tracks, including “Scarlet Jackson Pollock” and “Pretty-Dope’s Destination (Interlude).” Profanity abounds, and music scenes mingle intimately with straightforward scenes of horror (“Strange GURGLING GROWLS, / as if from another world, / pierce / and rip / the damp silence”). The graphically described violence is not for those with weak stomachs. However, there are also echoes of classics, such as Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey (including a name-drop of Odysseus on the very first page), paired with numbered lines common to epics, which gives the book a wizened heft that belies its modern references.

A colorful and chaotic tale of success and betrayal that will likely appeal to hip-hop and horror fans.