Yaccub’s Curse by Wrath James White

Reviewed for MonsterLibrarian.com

Necro Publication, 2009

ISBN: 9781889186849

Available: New

Wrath James White is known for a hardcore horror style that includes blatant gore and violence and is sure to make readers cringe. But in Yaccub’s Curse the cringing is more likely to happen in the space between gang violence and cold-hearted murders. This biography-style book follows Malik, a poor black man who grows up neck-deep in gang warfare and ends up working for the worst of them all—a drug lord named Scratch who might truly be the devil. Malik is very intelligent, deeply philosophical, and yet never hesitates to make the choices that mimic the black stereotype. This is one of the most horrifying elements of the whole book, as readers can only watch Malik make one brutal choice after another, barely thinking past his surface actions.
And if that wasn’t bad enough (or uncomfortable enough for readers to experience with Malik, because make no mistake you will be wrenched along with him) Scratch, the white drug lord Malik works for, believes he truly is the devil, a creature created out of racial hate and vengeance millions of years ago solely to tear apart the races. Overwhelmed by guilt and pressure, Malik wonders if it might be true, until Scratch gives him the command to kill a crack baby who he claims is the next coming of Jesus.
Yaccub’s Curse is a very rough read, well written and near poetic. It also is very hard on itself and takes the reader to places of horror far beyond serial killers and monster attacks. Here the monster is a person’s very genetics, a frightening suggestion that also makes Yaccub’s Curse a highly recommended, must read for horror fans and an essential part of modern horror collections.
Contains: Rape, violence, gore, foul and racial language

Review by Michele Lee