Patient K. by Barbie Wilde
Reviewed by Morgan K. Tanner
Karla is a one-eyed wonder. After losing her eye in a childhood accident she has gone through life with a real complex about it, as I’m sure anyone would. Life has been tough to say the least.
Now in her twenties, she is offered the chance to receive a state-of-the-art false eye that ‘looks’ (ahem) just like the real thing. But of course, this all seems too good to be true.
There’s something a little off about the handsome young doctor who offers her this treatment. When Karla attends for the procedure her Spidey Sense begins to tingle like never before. This doctor’s practice is certainly lacking in professionalism, and that’s putting it extremely mildly. What a bastard!
Once the operation is done, things start to change for Karla. This new eye isn’t supposed to ‘see’ things, but alas, she begins to observe strange things through it.
Convinced that this ‘magic’ eye is the evil work of her operator, she seeks her revenge.
And then things change.
This story’s set up was great, and the doctor’s behaviour was very sick and possibly upsetting for some readers. But once Karla, or Patient K, decides to give doc a piece of his own medicine, things rapidly descend into the world of bizzaro.
And this really threw me off. I enjoy my bizzaro fiction very much, but that’s usually because I expect the bizarre when I head in. You suspend your disbelief just knowing that things are going to turn out weird, and then get weirder. But here it just seemed a bit too weird, too suddenly, if that makes sense.
The way Karla exacts her revenge was pretty gruesome, but didn’t come across all that terrifying. When we learn about exactly what happened with her new eye, and the doctor’s past, it all seems a bit kind of ‘yeah, OK then,’ instead of ‘Woooaaah!! Really?’
This sounds very nit-picky I know, but a little foreshadowing would have made this one really enjoyable. Perhaps it was there and I never saw it, I suppose I should read it again.
But saying all that, this short tale was enjoyable and had me glued to the pages throughout, so it can’t be all that bad.
I suppose, after the story’s beginning, I was just expecting and hoping for a different kind of ending. But what do I know? You’ll probably love it!
Fans of bizzaro will dig this, just expect bizarre from the word ‘go’ and you’ll be fine.
Available Now on Paperback and Kindle.
-MKT
About Morgan K. Tanner
Morgan K Tanner is a writer, drummer, and golfist currently residing in the English countryside. The idyllic surroundings make it an ideal place to write, drum, and hide the bodies. The busy sound of the typewriter is perfect to drown out the hum of the antiquated torture equipment.
When he’s not writing or inflicting pain and suffering on his numerous victims, he indulges himself in all things horror and metal.
You can praise or indeed abuse him by visiting www.morganktanner.com or find him on Twitter @morgantanner666.
His novella, An Army of Skin, short story collection, The Mind’s Plague and Other Bites of Brutality, and Short Sharp Shocks, The Unbeliever and the Intruder, are available now.
