The Disallowed – The Humorous Tale of a Contemporary Vampire Family
The Disallowed
Review by Enrico Graffiti on Amazon
When you see the word ‘vampire’ in a book’s description, it is too easy, in this facile world of the archaic categorisation used by most publishers, to dismiss the work as yet another regurgitation of the popular teen-angst novels of late, or the titillating eroticism that claims to be an update of the original work by Stoker. Well that is a pity because that particular trap will only have you re-reading the same unoriginal works over and over again.
Writing is a creative activity, and with ‘The Disallowed’, author Owen Jones has presented readers with a gem of a tale which sparkles with originality whilst still bringing back a certain nostalgia to those of us old enough to recall the memes created by the Hammer Horror movies of the mid-fifties through to the seventies.
Jones’ take on the vampire story starts with a major break from ‘tradition’ in his setting of the tale. Instead of the tried and tested Transylvanian castle of yore, we have a small agricultural village in northern Thailand in the present day. There’s no Count creeping around dark passageways either. His counterpart is a simple goat-herder, Heng Lee, who, through circumstances never fully explained, experiences a traumatic change that leaves its mark not just on him but, initially, on his immediate family and subsequently on the society in which he lives.
The characters are wonderfully drawn, and Jones’ skill quickly has the reader sympathising with their plight. As Heng Lee overcomes his situation and ultimately turns it to his advantage, many subtle parables regarding the working of our World quickly become apparent. There is also a wicked vein of shrewd humour running through the tale that will provoke many a grin as the reader becomes engrossed in the trials and tribulations that await the protagonists.
‘The Disallowed’ comes highly recommended to those who dare to read something fresh and vibrant!
Owen Jones, Amazon Best-Selling Author from Barry, Wales, has lived in several countries and travelled in many more. While studying Russian in the USSR in the '70's, he hobnobbed with spies on a regular basis; in Suriname, he got caught up in the 1982 coup; and while a company director, he joined the crew of four as the galley slave to sail from Barry to Gibraltar a home-made concrete yacht, which was almost rammed by a Russian oil tanker and an American aircraft carrier.
“I am a Celt, and we are romantic”, he said when asked about his writing style, “and I firmly believe in reincarnation, Karma and Fate, so, sayings like 'Do unto another...', and 'What goes round comes around' are central to my life and reflected in my work. I write about what I see, or think I see, or dream... and, in the end it is all the same really”. He speaks seven languages and is learning Thai, since he lives in Thailand with his Thai wife of fifteen years.
His first novel, Daddy's Hobby is from the seven-part series 'Behind The Smile: The Story of Lek, a Bar Girl in Pattaya', but his largest collection is 'The Megan Series', twenty-three novelettes on the psychic development of a teenage girl, the subtitle of which, 'A Spirit Guide, A Ghost Tiger and One Scary Mother!' sums them up nicely. He has written fifty novels and novelettes, including: Dead Centre; Andropov's Cuckoo; Fate Twister; The Disallowed (a philosophical comedy); Tiger Lily of Bangkok; and A Night in Annwn (Annwn being the ancient Welsh word for Heaven). Many have been translated into foreign languages and narrated into audio books.
Owen Jones writes stories set in Wales, Spain and Thailand, where he now lives. He is a life-long Spiritualist, and this belief is interwoven, in a very realistic way, into many of his books and storylines. If you like a touch of the 'supernatural', try his books
He sums his life up thus: “Born in the Land of Song, Living in the Land of Smiles”.
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