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Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite
The Business of Apartment H, written by Rene David Rivero, is the story of Briggs, a young, naive, and ambitious student who finds the move from university in Indiana to the hallowed halls of Columbia University somewhat daunting. He puts on a good show during the lectures and chatting with the professors in the hallway, but lacks the substance and confidence to bridge the divide between student and faculty. Briggs also feels out of place in the dormitory and finds housing off-campus in an old, run-down building. There's only one occupied apartment on his floor, Apartment H. Lurking therein is also the promise of academic success -- success that does not come without a price to be paid.
The Business of Apartment H is a big story in a little package, but oh, what a grand one it is. I knew Rene David Rivero's short story was both different and special as I tripped and struggled to keep up with the old man's stream of consciousness as he disarms and disables his victim in the opening pages. This is a dark work, blending hard science fiction, metaphysics, ethics, horror, and morality, and my mind kept conjuring up images from old Frankenstein movies. Briggs is a modern-day Faust, tempted by the data and theories of a discredited former Columbia professor whose brilliant work and theories led to the disappearance, death, or madness of his subjects. When his professor recommends Briggs look into the work of the discredited Dr. West, little does he realize that his student would embark on a horrific journey of discovery and corruption.
The Business of Apartment H is brutal and stark, merging old-style horror with modern academic research, with undertones of Marlowe's Faust and Lovecraft's adventurers thrown in. It's thought-provoking and chilling, and highly recommended.
