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"The Lek"
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“This is your last stop on the route toward full reproductive rights with an Undesirable female mate.”
A dozen men from various sectors of a dystopian landscape gather at the foot of Mount Testos. There a competition will be held in a monolithic tower known as “The Lek”. For X and the other lucky competitors chosen for the event, this is a chance to battle it out for an opportunity to live free in paradise at the city in the sky (a.k.a. Haven), and breed with the coveted Queen Bee. Little do they know that the titular Queen Bee, Jezschwick Klump, is an unwilling participant who plans to launch a revolution to bring down the whole competition despite all the coercive means going on behind the scenes to break her spirit and make the bitch behave. However, the show must go on, and the media as well as the Elites can’t get enough.
A dozen men from various sectors of a dystopian landscape gather at the foot of Mount Testos. There a competition will be held in a monolithic tower known as “The Lek”. For X and the other lucky competitors chosen for the event, this is a chance to battle it out for an opportunity to live free in paradise at the city in the sky (a.k.a. Haven), and breed with the coveted Queen Bee. Little do they know that the titular Queen Bee, Jezschwick Klump, is an unwilling participant who plans to launch a revolution to bring down the whole competition despite all the coercive means going on behind the scenes to break her spirit and make the bitch behave. However, the show must go on, and the media as well as the Elites can’t get enough.
Readability
“The Lek” by Dean Brooks is meant to be a dystopian satire that pokes fun at the high concept clichés from the genre. The narrative tone is an irreverent mix of blue comedy, melodrama, and absurdity. Just when I thought the book was starting to take itself too seriously, something wacky took place to remind me of what I was reading. The content is definitely meant for adults, but it’s not exactly erotic in a titillating sense as much as it’s just taking the piss out of it. The vulgarity is certainly meant to rock the boat at times, but the author also seems to know where to draw the line and also recognize when it’s a good time to move it along. The author tends to lean more into the action/adventure aspects of the story than he does the satirical/comedic elements. With the exception of some overt tropes, silly names, and wacky scenarios, the story is fairly straightforward and doesn’t seem to be making much of a statement beyond face value (for shits and giggles).
The narrative unfolds from the third-person perspective and has several interlaced character threads that form a consistent A/B storyline throughout the novel. The beginning is heavy in exposition, but once the competition kicks off the story builds momentum. Many of the chapters are broken into scenes that bounce between the two storylines and the author makes great use of segue to seamlessly stitch them together.
If it weren’t for some developmental issues with the plot, and the piss-poor conclusion that felt abrupt, this book would have easily scored four stars. It was clear the author lost focus of the overall narrative after blowing his creative load playing grab ass with all the characters and poking fun at all the clichés, because once it was all said and done, he didn’t know how to land the plane and tie the knot (so to speak). The whole Happily-Ever-After was not something I expected nor did it really make any sense given the context of what the characters had been through.
Creativity
So what is the “Lek”? According to my Google search, lek is a Swedish word that refers to an area where the “matrimonial affairs” of animals take place. Essentially it’s a term to describe a location where males meet to perform mating rituals in an effort to attract the females of their species.
In this story the mating “ritual” takes the shape of a competition in which twelve men from various “sectors” of this dystopian setting are granted an opportunity to prove themselves to the “Queen Bee”. The rules of “The Lek” are pretty straightforward; the men must face twelve unique rounds that will challenge them mentally, physically, and/or socially. Each round, one man is eliminated (killed) until the remaining contestants reach level ten, at which point a runner-up can exercise the option to bow out of the competition and select an “Undesirable” woman. There are also esoteric rules that not many individuals are aware of, and one in particular that just so happens to allow the main character to remain in the competition after bowing out (conveniently).
Despite the whole idea of death tournaments being a dystopian cliché at this point, it’s still a pretty damn effective way to burn through pages just to see what will happen next. In one challenge there’s essentially an American Ninja Warrior obstacle course with death traps. There’s also an impromptu talent show that must be performed for the Elites that show up during the competition to test the men’s charisma (or as the kids say today, Rizz).
The challenges become less inspired as the story progresses. One challenge is literally just the contestants getting locked inside a giant freezer and the first one to die loses. Also, twelve rounds/competitors was a bit too much for the story. When the author couldn’t be bothered to come up with any more interesting challenges, I was getting bored with reading them. I just wanted the tournament to be done at that point.
Delivery
The drawn out character introductions at the beginning of the novel really slowed down the pace. “Mathias” (but actually known as “X”) literally went down the line and became acquainted with all the contestants one by one before the competition, which would make sense in a real life situation, but makes for a poor reading experience. I could have learned about these characters over the course of the story instead of frontloading the intros. For instance each challenge could have highlighted a specific trait from each character and thus prompt an introduction or allow the MC the opportunity to become acquainted with them.
Because of all the exposition at the beginning, about the Lek and the backgrounds of each character, I thought this story was mainly going to be concept fiction (like science fiction), but surprising turned out to be a good mix of character and plot.
X is a handicapped contestant with a bad foot, who leverages his knowledge and ability to read people to his advantage. He forms an alliance with a character referred to as Master Carpenter from Level 3, Sector D (and calls him “3D” for short). Over the course of the Lek, X and 3D form a bond along with some of the other guys, but this also draws envy and disdain from one opponent dubbed “McQ”. I think the names could have used some work.
While those guys are working their way through challenges to win over the Queen Bee, Jezschwick Klump is facing her own challenges. She refuses to become a baby factory for the elites and wishes to restore reproductive freedom like it was before the cataclysmic war. Her nemesis is The Hive Queen (Corinna Crumb), who will stop at nothing to keep her girls in check and make “BITCHES BEHAVE”. Corinna has her own motivations to make Jezschwick see things her way, so that she can impress the elites and earn a promotion.
The humor is pretty much what you would expect from such a low brow concept, but sometimes the obscenity hit the mark and made me giggle. There are a couple scenes where Jez is being guided by an old pervert who works for The Lek. He agrees to help Jez with her little revolution so long as she allows him to cop a feel while doing so. So for like two or three scenes, Krugly is walking behind Jez with his arms wrapped around her so one hand can cup a titty while the other is down her pants. Again, anytime there’s something sexual that happens on the page it’s usually hyperbolized and meant to be wacky. There’s a scene where Corinna gets fucked on a guillotine, because she’s kinky like that. There’s also a scene where some characters are exposed to a “weaponized aphrodisiac” in the form of a pink mist that makes them uncontrollably horny – so anyone affected is subject to sexual arousal and will indiscriminately seek out sexual intercourse with anyone within their immediate vicinity, whether it be M on F or F on F or M on M or FMF or MFM or FFF or MMM or FFF + MMM and so on, etc. (just insert whatever algebraic equations your perverted imagination can factor into the mix and go buck wild!)
Once the plot gets set in motion (The Lek is underway and The Queen Bee is being a pain in the ass behind the scenes) the story finds its groove and the narrative runs very smoothly up until one particular moment. The scene in which Jez and her small band of rebels (Tik Boshkin and a handful of fellow queen bees) find themselves in a giant terrarium of sorts with a genetic freak was a total letdown. While on the run from Corinna and looking for the Lek’s control room, Jez and the other radicals end up crossing paths with the men who just so happened to have reached that point in the gauntlet. Even though the men recognized the Queen Bee, they still end up continuing the gauntlet as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
It just threw me for a loop, like why didn’t Jez say anything to the guys and see if maybe they would join the revolution? They already proved that they were willing to put their lives on the line to score some pussy, so I’m pretty sure a whole group of attractive women would have been able to entice them to see things a different way. I mean for Pete’s sake, Jez looks directly into a camera that’s inside the same room as the guys, and broadcasts a short monologue about freedom and taking down the Lek, and somehow the competitors are still oblivious to what’s going on. They may have been a bit preoccupied with the spider monster, but still… I believe that moment in the plot altered the course of what was to come, and it was probably the reason why the ending came across so wishy-washy & half-cocked.
“The Lek” by Dean Brooks is meant to be a dystopian satire that pokes fun at the high concept clichés from the genre. The narrative tone is an irreverent mix of blue comedy, melodrama, and absurdity. Just when I thought the book was starting to take itself too seriously, something wacky took place to remind me of what I was reading. The content is definitely meant for adults, but it’s not exactly erotic in a titillating sense as much as it’s just taking the piss out of it. The vulgarity is certainly meant to rock the boat at times, but the author also seems to know where to draw the line and also recognize when it’s a good time to move it along. The author tends to lean more into the action/adventure aspects of the story than he does the satirical/comedic elements. With the exception of some overt tropes, silly names, and wacky scenarios, the story is fairly straightforward and doesn’t seem to be making much of a statement beyond face value (for shits and giggles).
The narrative unfolds from the third-person perspective and has several interlaced character threads that form a consistent A/B storyline throughout the novel. The beginning is heavy in exposition, but once the competition kicks off the story builds momentum. Many of the chapters are broken into scenes that bounce between the two storylines and the author makes great use of segue to seamlessly stitch them together.
If it weren’t for some developmental issues with the plot, and the piss-poor conclusion that felt abrupt, this book would have easily scored four stars. It was clear the author lost focus of the overall narrative after blowing his creative load playing grab ass with all the characters and poking fun at all the clichés, because once it was all said and done, he didn’t know how to land the plane and tie the knot (so to speak). The whole Happily-Ever-After was not something I expected nor did it really make any sense given the context of what the characters had been through.
Creativity
So what is the “Lek”? According to my Google search, lek is a Swedish word that refers to an area where the “matrimonial affairs” of animals take place. Essentially it’s a term to describe a location where males meet to perform mating rituals in an effort to attract the females of their species.
In this story the mating “ritual” takes the shape of a competition in which twelve men from various “sectors” of this dystopian setting are granted an opportunity to prove themselves to the “Queen Bee”. The rules of “The Lek” are pretty straightforward; the men must face twelve unique rounds that will challenge them mentally, physically, and/or socially. Each round, one man is eliminated (killed) until the remaining contestants reach level ten, at which point a runner-up can exercise the option to bow out of the competition and select an “Undesirable” woman. There are also esoteric rules that not many individuals are aware of, and one in particular that just so happens to allow the main character to remain in the competition after bowing out (conveniently).
Despite the whole idea of death tournaments being a dystopian cliché at this point, it’s still a pretty damn effective way to burn through pages just to see what will happen next. In one challenge there’s essentially an American Ninja Warrior obstacle course with death traps. There’s also an impromptu talent show that must be performed for the Elites that show up during the competition to test the men’s charisma (or as the kids say today, Rizz).
The challenges become less inspired as the story progresses. One challenge is literally just the contestants getting locked inside a giant freezer and the first one to die loses. Also, twelve rounds/competitors was a bit too much for the story. When the author couldn’t be bothered to come up with any more interesting challenges, I was getting bored with reading them. I just wanted the tournament to be done at that point.
Delivery
The drawn out character introductions at the beginning of the novel really slowed down the pace. “Mathias” (but actually known as “X”) literally went down the line and became acquainted with all the contestants one by one before the competition, which would make sense in a real life situation, but makes for a poor reading experience. I could have learned about these characters over the course of the story instead of frontloading the intros. For instance each challenge could have highlighted a specific trait from each character and thus prompt an introduction or allow the MC the opportunity to become acquainted with them.
Because of all the exposition at the beginning, about the Lek and the backgrounds of each character, I thought this story was mainly going to be concept fiction (like science fiction), but surprising turned out to be a good mix of character and plot.
X is a handicapped contestant with a bad foot, who leverages his knowledge and ability to read people to his advantage. He forms an alliance with a character referred to as Master Carpenter from Level 3, Sector D (and calls him “3D” for short). Over the course of the Lek, X and 3D form a bond along with some of the other guys, but this also draws envy and disdain from one opponent dubbed “McQ”. I think the names could have used some work.
While those guys are working their way through challenges to win over the Queen Bee, Jezschwick Klump is facing her own challenges. She refuses to become a baby factory for the elites and wishes to restore reproductive freedom like it was before the cataclysmic war. Her nemesis is The Hive Queen (Corinna Crumb), who will stop at nothing to keep her girls in check and make “BITCHES BEHAVE”. Corinna has her own motivations to make Jezschwick see things her way, so that she can impress the elites and earn a promotion.
The humor is pretty much what you would expect from such a low brow concept, but sometimes the obscenity hit the mark and made me giggle. There are a couple scenes where Jez is being guided by an old pervert who works for The Lek. He agrees to help Jez with her little revolution so long as she allows him to cop a feel while doing so. So for like two or three scenes, Krugly is walking behind Jez with his arms wrapped around her so one hand can cup a titty while the other is down her pants. Again, anytime there’s something sexual that happens on the page it’s usually hyperbolized and meant to be wacky. There’s a scene where Corinna gets fucked on a guillotine, because she’s kinky like that. There’s also a scene where some characters are exposed to a “weaponized aphrodisiac” in the form of a pink mist that makes them uncontrollably horny – so anyone affected is subject to sexual arousal and will indiscriminately seek out sexual intercourse with anyone within their immediate vicinity, whether it be M on F or F on F or M on M or FMF or MFM or FFF or MMM or FFF + MMM and so on, etc. (just insert whatever algebraic equations your perverted imagination can factor into the mix and go buck wild!)
Once the plot gets set in motion (The Lek is underway and The Queen Bee is being a pain in the ass behind the scenes) the story finds its groove and the narrative runs very smoothly up until one particular moment. The scene in which Jez and her small band of rebels (Tik Boshkin and a handful of fellow queen bees) find themselves in a giant terrarium of sorts with a genetic freak was a total letdown. While on the run from Corinna and looking for the Lek’s control room, Jez and the other radicals end up crossing paths with the men who just so happened to have reached that point in the gauntlet. Even though the men recognized the Queen Bee, they still end up continuing the gauntlet as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
It just threw me for a loop, like why didn’t Jez say anything to the guys and see if maybe they would join the revolution? They already proved that they were willing to put their lives on the line to score some pussy, so I’m pretty sure a whole group of attractive women would have been able to entice them to see things a different way. I mean for Pete’s sake, Jez looks directly into a camera that’s inside the same room as the guys, and broadcasts a short monologue about freedom and taking down the Lek, and somehow the competitors are still oblivious to what’s going on. They may have been a bit preoccupied with the spider monster, but still… I believe that moment in the plot altered the course of what was to come, and it was probably the reason why the ending came across so wishy-washy & half-cocked.
#LFLR Indie Rating: 6/10
Overall I think “The Lek” works as a satire (or a parody of dystopian tropes), but also I think the work exhibits Dean Brooks’ potential as a compelling storyteller. He also has two other published novels: “Nemesis” – a psychological crime thriller involving family drama & trauma, but also “The Devil’s Throne” – which is described as both a modern gothic and a love story that revolves around a supernatural artifact that allegedly has the power to summon the devil.
Overall I think “The Lek” works as a satire (or a parody of dystopian tropes), but also I think the work exhibits Dean Brooks’ potential as a compelling storyteller. He also has two other published novels: “Nemesis” – a psychological crime thriller involving family drama & trauma, but also “The Devil’s Throne” – which is described as both a modern gothic and a love story that revolves around a supernatural artifact that allegedly has the power to summon the devil.
THIS BREAKDOWN IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE #LFLR NETWORK.
