A King’s Ransom
When an ancient medieval wraith emerges from the shadows to demand a steep, long-overdue ransom, Westley’s world is upended. Faced with an agonizing ultimatum, he is forced to make an impossible choice: surrender his own life to the entity, or find a replacement to take his place in the dark. As the terrifying reality of his debt closes in, Westley must decide exactly how much of his own humanity he is willing to sacrifice to survive.
- Westley - Packaging engineer
- Gabby - Westley’s date
- The Emperor - Ancient medieval wraith following Westley
- Madam Vashon - Tarot card reader
- The Empress - Ancient medieval wraith following Gabby
- Westley is being followed by The Emperor, a medieval wraith.
- He goes on a date with Gabby intending to sacrifice her to The Emperor to save himself.
- After the date they go back to his house.
- Westley spikes Gabby’s coffee with a sedative and she passes out.
- Gabby wakes up bound to a chair, unable to move.
- Westley explains that Madam Vashon cursed him during a tarot card reading.
- The Emperor appeared the next day and demanded a blood sacrifice within ten days.
- Westley loses feeling in his arm from the paralytic Gabby put in his coffee earlier.
- The Emperor is stabbed and killed by The Empress.
- Gabby reveals that she visited Madam Vashon on the same day as Westley, was cursed in the same way and has been followed by The Empress ever since.
- Gabby kills Westley, saving her own life.
The premise for A King's Ransom hooked me right away, setting up what should have been a tense, atmospheric experience. With short chapters and a quick pace, this 60-page book has all the makings of a great bite-sized read. Unfortunately, a fantastic concept gets buried under some baffling narrative choices.
The story aims for an eerie, unsettling vibe, but the main antagonist ruins any built-up tension. Instead of a foreboding creature of certain doom, the wraith comes off as unintentionally funny, acting more like an impatient child throwing a tantrum. To make matters worse, the author actually name-drops himself in the text, a cringe-inducing move that pulled me right out of the story. You can sometimes forgive missteps in a fast-paced read if the ending delivers, but the big twist felt just as silly as the monster.
- Death
- Involuntary sedation
ASIN: B0GTXDBSHQ
Publication Date: June 1, 2026
Note: Details are for the original edition. Other formats, editions, and audiobook versions may be available.
