#maud woolf

Thirteen Ways to Kill Lulabelle Rock Review: Born Deadly Yesterday

Sometimes, sometimes, I get so focused in on one goal that it makes me kind of smartn’t. That’s what happened with the review this week. I got really focused in on the other book that I’d planned on reviewing and completely forgot my plans to use this one if I couldn’t get that one finished. This one is courtesy of netGalley. Here’s Maud Woolf’s Thirteen Ways to Kill Lulabelle Rock.…

Lulabelle Rock, une star du cinéma, décante un treizième clone d’elle-même avec pour mission d’aller supprimer les douze précédents, toutes plus ou moins occupées à prendre en charge des taches que l’original n’a ni le temps, ni l’envie d’assumer.

I am so grateful to the lovely people at Angry Robot for sending me this beautiful ARC of a unique sci-fi thriller that I couldn't put down.

In the near future, the rich and famous have the money to create clones or Portraits of themselves and acting legend Lulabelle Rock has just created her 13th. The 13th Portrait of Lulabelle Rock has one purpose -to kill the other 12 Portraits. It seems simple but can the pitfalls of the human world such as love and morals?

Lulabelle has legitimate reasons for creating her Portraits and if I had the money and the means, I'm sure I'd do the same! Our protagonist provided a really unique perspective to read from and I adored watching her grow throughout the narrative.

Our heroine is only allowed to kill other Portraits, so this prevents her from having an evil or ruthless streak. She is programmed purely to kill specific people, which means that she is a killer who is easy to relate to and love. I thought it was interesting that despite the Portraits all leading very human-like lives, they're clearly not considered to be humans by their creator. It really made me think about how the lines between what is a human and what is a machine are perhaps becoming more blurred every year.

There is some subtle humour as our heroine begins to learn how to get by in the human world. It means that it starts off as a kind of journey of self-discovery and this gradually evolves as the book goes along. I would have liked to have seen more slip-ups from her as I think this would have made some funny scenes and perhaps made her even more endearing.

The protagonist falls in love with one of her targets and I really loved their scenes together. I wasn't expecting it but it's this aspect of the book that highlights how easy it is for machines to feel human emotions. It lends another dimension that really raised the stakes and kept the pages turning.

Thirteen Ways To Kill Lulabelle Rock is a fast-paced, refreshing read that makes you think. The ending was really satisfying too and there were points where I was worried it wouldn't be. I would have liked a bit more world-building, which another 50-100 pages or so could have solved but it was still a very entertaining, clever book that I raced through.

It came from Maud Woolf, @WoolfWolf

Maud Woolf’s story “The Stranding” was published in Metaphorosis on Friday, 18 June 2021. I grew up in a small Scottish coastal village, much like the one in “The Stranding”. While it was a bustling tourist spot in summer, in winter the place became bleak and abandoned. The only bus to town came infrequently and my friends and I spent most of our time rambling around by the beach and in the…

New story! The Stranding - Maud Woolf, @WoolfWolf

June 2021 There’s a sparrow lying on the crust of the snow, beak open, one wing folded. George watches it from a wary distance, gritting his teeth to keep them from chattering, hands shoved tightly up under his armpits. There’s something strangely perfect about it, no blood or scattered feathers. But nothing living could be that still. It looks like someone’s glove, dropped and forgotten. It must…

A question for Maud Woolf, @WoolfWolf

Q: What would your animal totem be? A: I don’t know if I would call them an animal totem, but I’ve always felt a strong affinity with magpies. I remember my grandmother teaching me to use them as omens (one for sorrow, two for joy) and even now, when I see them, I start counting. They may be known as thieves, but to me to me the act of writing often feels like thievery. Shiny objects are like…

About Maud Woolf, @WoolfWolf

Maud Woolf is Scottish writer with a particular interest in speculative fiction. Currently working towards an MLitt in Creative Writing at the University of Glasgow, most of her free time is spent either writing in the library or searching for a way into the city’s abandoned network of underground tunnels. @WoolfWolf Maud Woolf’s story “The Stranding”in Metaphorosis Friday, 18 June…