The Rider, The Ride, The Rich Man's Wife

by Premee Mohamed

Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 115
Rating:

Synopsis:

Lucas is dismayed when his brother Kit is chosen to take part in the Hunt: a chase that takes place every seven years and acts as a sacrifice to the Rider and his Wife, ensuring a plentiful harvest, at least that year. Determined to save his brother, all he has left, Lucas hatches a plan to save Kit and accompany him in his struggle to survive—setting the scene for a race through a post-apocalyptic landscape filled with more danger than either boy could ever imagine. The Rider, The Ride, The Rich Man’s Wife is a thrilling, post-apocalyptic chase, marrying Fairy Tale, Western and Adventure. Hang on tight!

Premee Mohamed’s The Rider, The Ride, The Rich Man’s Wife is weird and atmospheric, like many of her novellas. I’ve enjoyed pretty much all of them, if not all, and this one’s gonna linger with me a bit as well, pondering its secrets. It’s basically a story about a kind of Wild Hunt, wrapped round with some rules (one victim, marked, anyone who interferes can also be killed, if the victim can survive until morning they’re safe) and spiced up with twins, where of course only one of them gets marked.

I loved Luke and Kit’s closeness, it felt really organic and grown out of the life they were living, and I loved the setting as well. Mohamed doesn’t tell us everything, sketching in the world and the boundaries of it, and that leaves plenty of scope for imagination. What exactly is going on in the other world they step into? Does the girl they meet escape? Will there be retribution for what Lucas and Kit do in order for Kit to escape? And why exactly is the hunt happening, anyway? And so many other questions.

It’s a fascinating novella that leaves lots of questions lingering, taking its power from that atmosphere and the bond between the two boys. I wasn’t even sure entirely what was happening at times, but… nonetheless, it got under my skin.

Rating: 4/5 (“really liked it”)