This is the first work of Simon Wood's I've read, and I'll certainly be going back for more.

Wormwood Scrubs - a true and still used British prison - is here seen slightly in the future and slightly off kilter. An infamous sociopath, Jetta, is ensconsed in the North Wing, itself turned into a high security secret establishment for - no one knows and no one going in ever comes out, except for the Govenor, O'Keefe, as nasty a piece of work as the worst of the inmates. O'Keefe needs a volunteer, and up steps Keeler, a man carrying demons he hopes to exorcise. A word about wormwood, it's a main ingredient in Absinthe, a weed that creates madness even in the mad, and the prison is riddled with it from the foundations up.

This is a short novel and I would have enjoyed looking a little further into Keeler's mind and motivations, and experiencing more of the edgy street-wise traits that made him such a good bank robber, but that's a personal thing. The writing's sharp and as a entrant to Simon Wood's work I highly recommend it.

As this was the ebook, rather than the print copy, I got bonus material: the opening of "Road Rash" and the story "Acceptable Losses". This latter was worth 5* on its own. As I've said, I'll be looking at more of Simon Wood's writing. ( )

When Michael Keeler, inmate at the Wormwood Scrubs prison, volunteers for a special assignment, he isn't sure what he'll be expected to do. All he's focusing on is the promise of getting a full pardon in return for his cooperation. But because he's heard plenty of rumors about the experiments taking place in the North Wing, he knows that earning his reward won't be easy. What Keeler faces, however, is beyond anything that even he expected: he's asked to literally travel into the mind of a psychopathic killer and locate the murderer's next victim.

This book is creepy. Really creepy. In a way that really reminded me of the work of horror novelist Clive Barker, Wood creates a nightmare world and brings it to life. The novella isn't long, but it is action-packed and fraught with tension. Keeler, an unlikely hero given his past, is a sympathetic one, and Jeter, the villain, is as loathsome as they come. And the world that lives inside Jeter's mind is one that will haunt me for a while.

The only sour note in this book comes from a secondary character named Matt Cady. Without my giving too much away, Cady, a mild-mannered government employee who refers to himself as a 'pen pusher', suddenly turns into a kind of superhero at the end of the book, racking up more kills than Vin Diesel on a good day. It was a bit of stretch for me to believe that the bookish Cady could crack heads with such skill.

But, in the end, The Scrubs is a solidly scary read. Provided you're ready to lose a little sleep. ( )

The Scrubs by Simon Janus (Simon Wood) is a weirdly twisted ride though a prison experiment. James Jeter is a serial killer who happens to be the focus of the experiment that took place in the prison where he was sentenced. By hooking Jeter up to a feeding tube that contains the hallucinogen wormwood, Jeter is able to open up 'The Rift' which is an alternate world that houses all of his victim's souls. With hopes of being able to control 'The Rift' and make money, inmates are offered the chance to enter 'The Rift' in trade for early release. Of course 'The Rift' isn't puppies and rainbows since it is the mind of a psychotic serial killer and the inmates are subjected to horror with bizarre twists. Michael Keeler suffers from a tremendous amount of guilt after a robbery went horribly wrong. He accepts the offer to enter the weirdness that is 'The Rift' since he feels like he deserves whatever comes to him. While there he learned about Jeter's last victim, a young boy, who wasn't located before Jeter was sentenced to prison. Keeler made it his mission to find the boy's soul in 'The Rift' and bring him out safely. Does Keeler save the little boy or just create more problems? You will have to read this awesome and twisted tale to find out! Due to the graphic nature in this book, I'd suggest that it be read by only mature adult audiences. ( )

While horror is not usually my genre of choice, a book like THE SCRUBS could easily make me a convert.

The novella opens with prisoner Michael Keeler being led by guards to the mysterious North Wing of the Wormwood Scrubs penitentiary, where he's agreed to participate in a hush-hush project of some kind. One in which prisoners go in, but don't come back out.

Since he's serving time for a double homicide committed during a bank robbery (and since one of his victims was a child he killed by accident) Keeler feels he has little to live for or lose by signing up for the project. Little does he know what awaits him.

Inside the North Wing, deranged serial killer James Jeter has been hooked up to a bizarre contraption and force-fed hallucinogens, in order to create an alternate reality using Jeter's subconscious mind -- a place reachable via The Rift (a portal between worlds, also created by Jeter's mind).

Two other prisoners have entered The Rift and failed to return. Keeler's job is to find them and bring them back.

I will say no more about the plot, except to applaud Simon Wood (writing as Simon Janus) for his incredibly imaginative (if occasionally grotesque -- be aware that the book includes scenes that aren't for the faint of heart :)) imagery and deviously clever plot twists.

For the entire review, see: http://thebookgrrl.blogspot.com/2010/08/life-gets-bit-surreal-in-scrubs.html ( )