Thirteen Ways To Kill Lulabelle Rock by Maud Woolf Review

Title: Thirteen Ways To Kill Lulabelle Rock

Author: Maud Woolf

Genre: Dystopian/ Sci-Fi Thriller

Publisher: Angry Robot Books

Pages: 400

Release Date: 9 January 2024

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Hello fellow booklovers! Today I'm sharing my review for Thirteen Ways To Kill Lulabelle Rock by Maud Woolf— The Black Mirror-esque love child of Orphan Black, The Island and The Terminator. A cleverly written and Satirical Sci-Fi debut that I found deliciously compulsive from start to finish!

Synopsis

Set in a world of the near future, the celebrity elite have access to a technology that allows them to make perfect copies of themselves, known as Portraits. These Portraits exist to fulfil all the various duties that come as the price of fame.

Our protagonist is the thirteenth copy made of the actress known as Lulabelle Rock. Her purpose is very to track down and eliminate her predecessors.

While initially easy, her task is made difficult by the labyrinthine confusion of Bubble City and the unfortunate stirrings of a developing conscience. When she makes the mistake of falling in love with one of her targets, the would-be assassin faces the ultimate question; when you don’t want to kill yourself, what’s the alternative?

Review

I absolutely loved this! The world building was lavishly detailed (capturing both the glitzy decadence and gritty decay associated with urban settings) and our protagonist incredibly endearing; becoming more layered and emotionally complex as the narrative unfolds.

Amateur sleuths with adore the noir-esque mystery surrounding the original Lulabelle (and her motivations) which I found incredibly intriguing— she’s the version we spend the least amount of time with, but the one we’re desperate to know the most about!

And thankfully, through the memories of our Portrait protagonist and the info she slowly manages to piece together, we do get those answers. Whilst simultaneously building up a nuanced and intricate picture of Lulabelle that, by the end, will have you thoroughly (and emotionally) invested in almost every version of the actress.

Personally, 13 (who refers to herself as death, like the Tarot card) is my favourite incarnation (with Artist Lulabelle a firm second). Her journey to self awareness was skillfully subtle, slowly sneaking up on us as we explore her interactions with the world/ people around her, and learning to understand one of life’s most elusive secrets—what it means to be “human”.

Like I said previously, the concept did remind me of the 2005 dystopian sci-fi movie, The Island merged with Orphan Black and The Terminator. But, it’s this Black Mirror-esque nuance and understanding of human nature that really makes this such a compelling premise.

As we’ve seen with the recent spate of industry strikes linked to AI use, it’s not such a huge leap to imagine clones being made (or exploited) for profit; especially in an industry as valuable (and commercialised) as Hollywood.

I don’t want to say too much else for fear of spoiling anything important (especially THAT rather fabulous ending) but if you even remotely enjoy fast paced or darkly satirical sci-fi and enjoy novels that explore themes of identity, ethics or self awareness —then you should definitely consider adding this to your TBRs!

Also, a huge thank you to Caroline over at Angry Robot Books for the stunning (and very pink) proof.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

About The Author 

Maud Woolf is a Scottish speculative writer with a particular focus on horror and science fiction. While completing an MLitt in Creative Writing at the University of Glasgow, her unpublished novel was shortlisted for the North Lit Agency Prize. Her work has appeared in a variety of online magazines, including Metaphorosis Magazine where her short story ‘The Stranding’ was selected to appear in the Best of Metaphorosis 2020. Thirteen Ways To Kill Lulabelle Rock is her debut novel.

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