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The Price of Meat
Johanna Oakley will do anything to save her beloved Arabella from the cruelty of Mr. Fogg’s madhouse—but ‘anything’ turns out to be more than she bargained for when she finds herself working for a man suspected of worse than murder.
As Johanna is plunged from the horror of Sawney Reynard’s barber shop into the foul, lawless labyrinth at the heart of London, will she—or anyone—get out alive?
A 15,000-word story, first published as part of the anthology All In Fear.
As Johanna is plunged from the horror of Sawney Reynard’s barber shop into the foul, lawless labyrinth at the heart of London, will she—or anyone—get out alive?
A 15,000-word story, first published as part of the anthology All In Fear.
73 pages, ebook
First published December 1, 2017
About the author
K.J. Charles
63 books10.5k followersKJ is a writer of romance, mostly m/m, historical or fantasy or both. She blogs about writing and editing at http://kjcharleswriter.com.
She lives in London, UK, with her husband, two kids, and a cat of absolute night.
Bluesky @kj_charleswriter.com
Join the lively Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/13876...
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She lives in London, UK, with her husband, two kids, and a cat of absolute night.
Bluesky @kj_charleswriter.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
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September 9, 2017A standalone short horror novella (15K words) that I wrote for the All In Fear: A Collection of Six Horror Tales anthology. It's still available in that along with five other great queer horror stories, but if all you're after is this one, it'll be out with a fantastically pulpy cover by Sandra Schwab on 1 Dec.
This is very definitely horror, not romance (though there are romantic elements because me). It's my take on the classic penny dreadful, using elements of the original story of Sweeney Todd (The String of Pearls: The Original Tale of Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street), plus the weird history of London's Alsatia where the law didn't apply, to create an alt-London where the barbers are lethal, the police are helpless, and the pies are definitely best avoided.
Enjoy!
This is very definitely horror, not romance (though there are romantic elements because me). It's my take on the classic penny dreadful, using elements of the original story of Sweeney Todd (The String of Pearls: The Original Tale of Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street), plus the weird history of London's Alsatia where the law didn't apply, to create an alt-London where the barbers are lethal, the police are helpless, and the pies are definitely best avoided.
Enjoy!
September 9, 2019
This was a rather good story. The world Ms Charles constructed was honest in its horror and vile deeds perpetuated by people trying to survive. In the center are two couples: enterprising Johanna who is willing to do anything to save her beloved Arabella from a madhouse and certain death and Colonel Elias Jeffery who has lost someone he loved. They are complete strangers, and yet a common goal puts them together in the path of a sadistic murderer Sawney Reynard and all the dreadful secrets that Alsatia, the land of lawlessness and fear, holds.
The story is told from dual POV that of Johanna and Jeffery, and is fast-paced, sometimes foul and totally ingenious with its plot twists. I loved Johanna and her spirited nature. She was a no nonsense young lady who was smart and courageous enough to live through and escape the revolting world that is "liberty" and bring all its secrets to the surface. I really liked her.
There were just subtle hints at romance that is and that was with a possibility of a second chance for Colonel Jeffery and one Mark Ingestrie who survived through hell himself. Who knows what future holds for both couples, but it can't be anything worse than what they left behind the locked doors leading to Alsatia, the land of death, depravity and "freedom".
The story is told from dual POV that of Johanna and Jeffery, and is fast-paced, sometimes foul and totally ingenious with its plot twists. I loved Johanna and her spirited nature. She was a no nonsense young lady who was smart and courageous enough to live through and escape the revolting world that is "liberty" and bring all its secrets to the surface. I really liked her.
There were just subtle hints at romance that is and that was with a possibility of a second chance for Colonel Jeffery and one Mark Ingestrie who survived through hell himself. Who knows what future holds for both couples, but it can't be anything worse than what they left behind the locked doors leading to Alsatia, the land of death, depravity and "freedom".
December 4, 2017
Further proof I will read anything this woman writes, even a penny dreadful style horror novella set in an alternate London where the bad guys have managed to build themselves a society where the laws don't apply. This was actually surprisingly horrifying for such a short story. There was SO much gross stuff in there! There was also a bit of romance there (this time, both a lesbian and a gay couple), but the focus was the horror stuff. Which was. Let's say interesting (sounds so much better than revolting, doesn't it?). I just wish in the end, things had been tied up a bit more. I would've loved to see more of the two couples after the events. Also, it sounds like there's more to come? Which I would be totally on board with :)
December 3, 2017
This was so good. It's a historical horror story about the terrible (made up) things that are going on in Alsatia (actual real place). It was super entertaining. I would actually love some full length books about these characters.
November 13, 2021
Коротенька вікторіанська страхалочка від Кей Джей. Ну, я кажу "вікторіанська", хоча історія відбувається в альтернативному світі, де на троні сидить вигаданий король Віктор ІІ. Маловідомі історичні цікавинки, відсилки до відомого сюжету і ніжні романтичні стосунки додаються. Для мене це було наче поглянути крізь замкову щілину на великий і продуманий світ з безліччю власних історій, бо виразно помітно, що і в дівчат є історія, і в виснаженого поліцейського, і в злочинця, який ховається від правосуддя. Ця книжечка не зовсім те, за що авторку знають тепер, але відчувається, що вона могла б і у такому напрямку працювати, якби захотіла. І це було б ідеальне гелловінське чтиво, треба буде наступного року перечитати.
September 10, 2024
It's important to note that I will read anything KJ Charles writes even this- horror with extremely light romantic elements.
Despite her clear pen and admiration for how she's been influenced in the writing of this, it is quite simply, not my bag.
Despite her clear pen and admiration for how she's been influenced in the writing of this, it is quite simply, not my bag.
January 29, 2018
For some reason, this story is rendered in my head in black and white, with a bit of the flickering of old silent movies. It must be because it's a penny dreadful, so it's a bit theatrical - but by god, it's a good penny dreadful.
In an alternate-universe London, in which Victor II and not Victoria is on the throne of England, and the British Empire is falling to pieces, a young woman is trying to save her lover from being murdered for her inheritance. For that, she needs to discover the secrets of the demon barber who is providing meat for those who seek refuge from the law in the most lawless place in the heart of the city.
Gore, horror, a creepy London, and all the thrill that goes with them.
In an alternate-universe London, in which Victor II and not Victoria is on the throne of England, and the British Empire is falling to pieces, a young woman is trying to save her lover from being murdered for her inheritance. For that, she needs to discover the secrets of the demon barber who is providing meat for those who seek refuge from the law in the most lawless place in the heart of the city.
Gore, horror, a creepy London, and all the thrill that goes with them.
September 24, 2023
for such a short novella this was one hell of a visceral and disgusting ride
September 12, 2020
“We’ll teach you hunger in the liberty, Miss Oakley. We’ll make you eat everything you’re served.”
Awful in the best way possible. Johanna is determined to rescue her beloved Arabella from the madhouse, and takes on a duty that pits her against some of the worst that humanity and London have to offer. She has a stalwart magistrate on her side, a truly just man, but will that be enough? Really well-written, as all of Charles' books are, and does a great job of immersing you in the history and the setting, describing the terror and the horror, and giving you a great sense of the characters. We have a great little cast of queer heroes and anti-heroes, and it didn't take long for me to start rooting for them. I love Johanna so much; what a great heroine. This is one of those rare novellas where I'm almost perfectly satisfied with its length. (Though I wouldn't have quibbled if it'd been a teensy bit longer.)
I don't often like horror, but I did like this, and I'm trying to pin down why. I do enjoy body horror and gross descriptions (well... "enjoy"; they can be horrible and fascinating in great ways when used properly) and this definitely had those. The scary bits weren't jump scares, just a horrible sense of foreboding and terror and situational grossness. A lot of the time I has unnerved rather than scared, but that was just as good.
Always great to read another K.J. Charles. Here's to hoping there's more f/f in her future. 4.5 stars.
Content warnings:
Awful in the best way possible. Johanna is determined to rescue her beloved Arabella from the madhouse, and takes on a duty that pits her against some of the worst that humanity and London have to offer. She has a stalwart magistrate on her side, a truly just man, but will that be enough? Really well-written, as all of Charles' books are, and does a great job of immersing you in the history and the setting, describing the terror and the horror, and giving you a great sense of the characters. We have a great little cast of queer heroes and anti-heroes, and it didn't take long for me to start rooting for them. I love Johanna so much; what a great heroine. This is one of those rare novellas where I'm almost perfectly satisfied with its length. (Though I wouldn't have quibbled if it'd been a teensy bit longer.)
I don't often like horror, but I did like this, and I'm trying to pin down why. I do enjoy body horror and gross descriptions (well... "enjoy"; they can be horrible and fascinating in great ways when used properly) and this definitely had those. The scary bits weren't jump scares, just a horrible sense of foreboding and terror and situational grossness. A lot of the time I has unnerved rather than scared, but that was just as good.
Always great to read another K.J. Charles. Here's to hoping there's more f/f in her future. 4.5 stars.
Content warnings:
February 13, 2024
KJC Backslist Read part 30
Between this and The Henchmen of Zenda, it appears KJC had a bit of a fanfic era, and I am here for it. What I am not here for, personally, is most iterations of the horror genre, but I am also a completionist, so I read this! It is not the author's fault that I do not like horror, it is also not the author's fault that the name "Johanna" in the context of a Sweeney Todd retelling is a recipe for an earworm that just won't quit. It is therefore, nobody's fault but my own that I did not have a great time reading this. There were hints of romance, and I wanted to follow them to their logical conclusion, except following anyone and anything in this world seems like it would get you turned into dinner.
Favorite line: The thought gave him a pang of guilt, which had no more impact on him than one single violin string in an orchestra: It merely contributed its sound to the whole.
Between this and The Henchmen of Zenda, it appears KJC had a bit of a fanfic era, and I am here for it. What I am not here for, personally, is most iterations of the horror genre, but I am also a completionist, so I read this! It is not the author's fault that I do not like horror, it is also not the author's fault that the name "Johanna" in the context of a Sweeney Todd retelling is a recipe for an earworm that just won't quit. It is therefore, nobody's fault but my own that I did not have a great time reading this. There were hints of romance, and I wanted to follow them to their logical conclusion, except following anyone and anything in this world seems like it would get you turned into dinner.
Favorite line: The thought gave him a pang of guilt, which had no more impact on him than one single violin string in an orchestra: It merely contributed its sound to the whole.
December 7, 2017
Charles creates a Victorian AU with a touch of Sweeney Todd, an insane asylum and a rotting warren of land called a "liberty" - an area "in which the laws don’t hold and the King’s writ doesn’t run." Add one heroic inspector, a brave young woman and a search for the horrible truth hidden amidst the lawless liberty. A somewhat horrifying read that I couldn't put down. 4 stars!
September 9, 2024
A sapphic heroine infiltrates the business of an evil barber in the vein of Sweeney Todd. Excellent characters and action for a quick novella, though the unpleasant content might not appeal to all KJ Charles fans.
Sapphic September seemed like the perfect time to try KJ Charles’ sapphic novella, as a fan of her MM mystery and adventure books! Sapphic September Categories: Historical, quick read, less than 1000 reviews.
Sapphic September seemed like the perfect time to try KJ Charles’ sapphic novella, as a fan of her MM mystery and adventure books! Sapphic September Categories: Historical, quick read, less than 1000 reviews.
October 11, 2022
“We’ll teach you hunger in the liberty, Miss Oakley. We’ll make you eat everything you’re served.”
This was an amazing horror novella and I finished it in one sitting. I will be honest, I expected more romance and less horror and gore but I was more than pleasantly surprised to find it more on the creepy side.
It just goes to show that KJ Charles is unable to write something that I will not love.
This was an amazing horror novella and I finished it in one sitting. I will be honest, I expected more romance and less horror and gore but I was more than pleasantly surprised to find it more on the creepy side.
It just goes to show that KJ Charles is unable to write something that I will not love.
April 7, 2023
Reread. KJ Charles meets The Purge. Is it too dark to call it bite-sized fun?
September 3, 2020
MLM and Sapphics working together to take down some cannibals. I love to see it.
This little novella was an absolute delight. I cannot believe I waited so long to read it just because I was worried I wouldn’t like it. Not to be judgemental, but I’ve tried KJ Charles books twice before and I didn’t enjoy them. However, it seems third times the charm. I really enjoyed this and I would LOVE A SEQUEL. Maybe about a certain colonel and his ex/ murderous but kinda sweet/ lover??? Please.
Also I wouldn’t say no to even a direct sequel about Johanna and Arabelle because THEY WERE SO CUTE. The sapphics keep winning with all these wonderful f/f stories. Okay yes... this is a horror and contains gore, violence, and cannibals but it’s got some really sweet moments and it was so well written.
The only reason this four and not five stars, is because I wanted more of Johanna’s and Belle’s reunion at the end.
This little novella was an absolute delight. I cannot believe I waited so long to read it just because I was worried I wouldn’t like it. Not to be judgemental, but I’ve tried KJ Charles books twice before and I didn’t enjoy them. However, it seems third times the charm. I really enjoyed this and I would LOVE A SEQUEL. Maybe about a certain colonel and his ex/ murderous but kinda sweet/ lover??? Please.
Also I wouldn’t say no to even a direct sequel about Johanna and Arabelle because THEY WERE SO CUTE. The sapphics keep winning with all these wonderful f/f stories. Okay yes... this is a horror and contains gore, violence, and cannibals but it’s got some really sweet moments and it was so well written.
The only reason this four and not five stars, is because I wanted more of Johanna’s and Belle’s reunion at the end.
July 18, 2020
Maybe don’t read this over lunch like I did? By which I mean, it’s grisly horror, and it’s very good and effective, because KJ Charles. She can write anything from Georgette Heyer to penny dreadfuls and it’s worth the ink. I’d read more about all of these characters, especially Ingestrie, and he gets the least page time as any. Maybe not over lunch, though. Yeah, maybe not over lunch.
- - -
Edited to add: I collect good opening lines, and this one makes the cut:
- - -
Edited to add: I collect good opening lines, and this one makes the cut:
In the time of England’s steep decline, when Victor II sprawled on the throne and lost colonies as carelessly as a child loses toys, there stood a number of institutions that should never have been permitted to exist.
February 9, 2021
Really well done. Had a lot of creep factor. Really liked the cast, the main characters and the villains. Even with this being so short, felt invested in them. Perfect length.
December 7, 2023
What a weird little addition to KJC’s publication record! Characteristically readable, with hints of an angsty romance in the mix, but ultimately it’s weirdly paced and full of strange deadends.
October 16, 2017
3.5*
This was a nice (I use that term VERY loosely) short story for the season of haunting.
A historical work of fiction that is based around Sweeney Todd and Fleet St.
Of course this occurs after the cannibalistic barber, as there is a play on the name.
There are also some added features such as the free, lawless land of Alstasia (thats not so free) and a scientist working on "special" surgeries.
The story starts at the Asylum for the Weak Minded which I believe is a front to the Freemen of Alstasia.
One brave woman decides she'll do anything to save her beloved who is locked up in the Asylum. She takes the word of a "deranged" boy to the magistrate and from here takes matters into her own hands by going undercover in the peculiar barbershop.
No, there's no meat pies sold on the streets like in Sweeney Todd. This particular case is to control the so-called Free men in Alastria.
You have the food, you have the power. Either you eat their meat or you risk trying to go back into normal society.
It's all very creepy and thrilling. A non-stop read if you can stomach it!
This was a nice (I use that term VERY loosely) short story for the season of haunting.
A historical work of fiction that is based around Sweeney Todd and Fleet St.
Of course this occurs after the cannibalistic barber, as there is a play on the name.
There are also some added features such as the free, lawless land of Alstasia (thats not so free) and a scientist working on "special" surgeries.
The story starts at the Asylum for the Weak Minded which I believe is a front to the Freemen of Alstasia.
One brave woman decides she'll do anything to save her beloved who is locked up in the Asylum. She takes the word of a "deranged" boy to the magistrate and from here takes matters into her own hands by going undercover in the peculiar barbershop.
No, there's no meat pies sold on the streets like in Sweeney Todd. This particular case is to control the so-called Free men in Alastria.
You have the food, you have the power. Either you eat their meat or you risk trying to go back into normal society.
It's all very creepy and thrilling. A non-stop read if you can stomach it!
December 10, 2017
#readathon17 Ένα βιβλίο τρόμου
I generally avoid horror because I get scared easily, but I love KJ Charles and I'll read her shopping list if she ever cares to publish it. This is jampacked with suspense and gore, with an interesting alternate historical twist, queer characters and the lovely writing that I've come to enjoy greatly this past year. It only gets three stars because I don't like horror and because it's too short. I'd love to see more from these characters (prequels, sequels, anything).
I generally avoid horror because I get scared easily, but I love KJ Charles and I'll read her shopping list if she ever cares to publish it. This is jampacked with suspense and gore, with an interesting alternate historical twist, queer characters and the lovely writing that I've come to enjoy greatly this past year. It only gets three stars because I don't like horror and because it's too short. I'd love to see more from these characters (prequels, sequels, anything).
December 1, 2017
Well, this was quite a romp. It’s a delightful penny dreadful with over-the-top gore and horrors (from a dreary asylum to cannibalism as a nutrition plan), obscure historical facts (apparently sanctuary territories where the laws of the land did not apply were a thing, who’d have thought), and a nice stylized narrative voice. I’d read a sequel in a heartbeat.
January 11, 2019
What a ghastly story. I want to read more on the adventures of Johanna and Belle and Jeffery and Ingestrie.
There is a such a wealth of details for each character! I was not satisfied with just this short novella. I was left so curious about the pairs and frustrated for not knowing more. There has to be a sequel.
There is a such a wealth of details for each character! I was not satisfied with just this short novella. I was left so curious about the pairs and frustrated for not knowing more. There has to be a sequel.
December 18, 2017
Meat Cute (sorry, I had to!)
I have a long time love of horror, and this story reminds me of the pages on pages of Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock Presents anthologies I tore my way through, once upon a time.
Though brevity makes the story short on details, it’s the kind of story that’s better for knowing less and letting the imagination run wild, creating horrors greater and more horrible via the unknown. It’s also fascinating to see how Charles incorporates real history into the fantastical, a foundation from which the sparkly fiction can rise.
And then, as an adult who didn’t know what she was missing, I love the queering of my horror, the fortuitous meeting of these two very different gay couples, one just embarking on its great romance and the other possibly getting a second chance for one. I don’t know how likely it is she’ll write more about these characters, but as with pretty much everything Charles writes...I’d surely read more.
I have a long time love of horror, and this story reminds me of the pages on pages of Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock Presents anthologies I tore my way through, once upon a time.
Though brevity makes the story short on details, it’s the kind of story that’s better for knowing less and letting the imagination run wild, creating horrors greater and more horrible via the unknown. It’s also fascinating to see how Charles incorporates real history into the fantastical, a foundation from which the sparkly fiction can rise.
And then, as an adult who didn’t know what she was missing, I love the queering of my horror, the fortuitous meeting of these two very different gay couples, one just embarking on its great romance and the other possibly getting a second chance for one. I don’t know how likely it is she’ll write more about these characters, but as with pretty much everything Charles writes...I’d surely read more.
August 13, 2020
Gory, gruesome, and yet somehow truly delightful! This isn't exactly a romance, but there are two lovely couples, one who gets a HEA and the other a...hopefully-ever-after? As always, Charles has you laughing one moment, thinking the next, and if this story adds cringing to the mix, well, it just goes to show you she's a master of her craft no matter the genre.
January 18, 2023
4 stars. Dark but not extremely so. More of a moody and creepy vibe to it which I enjoyed. This is only the second story I’ve read by K.J. Charles and I really do like her writing style a lot. Atmospheric and twisted. I had a lot of fun reading this. It’s quick and eerie and very entertaining.
November 24, 2018
Tooooooooooo short! Need more!
May 2, 2023
Oof, this one is less my cup of tea than KJ Charles usually is. Very disturbing!
June 15, 2023
That was amazing and I want more stories from this alt-London!
Aside from the horror elements the vibe is similar to the Lilywhite boys universe and I’m so here for it.
Aside from the horror elements the vibe is similar to the Lilywhite boys universe and I’m so here for it.
April 15, 2020
This was.. well.. disturbing would be mild.. I have no words for the horrors in this story but besides these we have a GREAT suspense story with a very light sprinkle of romance one obvious, the other less so yet it was still there and it ended unlike a fairy tale but maybe hopeful if you are a romantic at heart.
The story starts with Johanna Oakley trying to free her friend and lover Arabella Wilmot from Mr Fogg's Asylum. On her way out she hears about a shop people come into and never return. Trying to do the right thing as well as maybe have the slightest leverage she goes to Colonel Elias Jeffrey for help. He doesn't offer anything comforting so she decides to offer HIM help and see where it gets her in releasing her lover.
Together and yet mostly Johanna on her own, she goes to look into the barber shop of Sawney Reynard. Turns out he has a very twisted side business of selling people or rather meat to feed the "free" men and women of Alsatia. Actually it's even more twisted than that.. Johanna and Elias have a plan, sort of, until they are betrayed by someone from Elias' side. Yet she finds help after all from Mark Ingestrie who will have a chance not only to help Joanna but finally try and escape himself from the hell of Alsatia.
There was something disturbing yet almost compelling in this horrible story. I can't say I enjoyed it, but I was glued to my seat reading it hoping for a happy ending and we did get that in two ways actually which I liked. But damn it, I should have eaten a salad for dinner.
More Reviews HERE
The story starts with Johanna Oakley trying to free her friend and lover Arabella Wilmot from Mr Fogg's Asylum. On her way out she hears about a shop people come into and never return. Trying to do the right thing as well as maybe have the slightest leverage she goes to Colonel Elias Jeffrey for help. He doesn't offer anything comforting so she decides to offer HIM help and see where it gets her in releasing her lover.
Together and yet mostly Johanna on her own, she goes to look into the barber shop of Sawney Reynard. Turns out he has a very twisted side business of selling people or rather meat to feed the "free" men and women of Alsatia. Actually it's even more twisted than that.. Johanna and Elias have a plan, sort of, until they are betrayed by someone from Elias' side. Yet she finds help after all from Mark Ingestrie who will have a chance not only to help Joanna but finally try and escape himself from the hell of Alsatia.
There was something disturbing yet almost compelling in this horrible story. I can't say I enjoyed it, but I was glued to my seat reading it hoping for a happy ending and we did get that in two ways actually which I liked. But damn it, I should have eaten a salad for dinner.
More Reviews HERE
January 14, 2019
I had to put this book away for a bit, because it really really scared the shit out of me.
I don't do scary books because I am a wuss.
I love reading Charles' books in general, but I particularly love the ones set in Victorian London. Her research is so thorough, I usually find out things I never knew before (not that I am a expert on my adopted city) and in this case is the existence of the liberty of Alasatia, and I would really recommend you to go down the Wikipedia rabbit hole that it's this bit of London's history.
As for the story, this is a short novella, not as developed or detailed as full novels. It has no explicit sex (bummer) and it's mainly about Joanna and her love Belle which has been committed to an asylum by her greedy family. This only serves to put Joanna in touch with Elias and launch the action in Alsatia and a barber shop the likes of Sweeney Todd. The novella mostly serves as a set up for Mark and Elias, other than scaring the shit out of me. Mark is only introduced at the end, but Elias has been definitely pinning for somebody and I would love to know more about their story.
A short set up novella, entertaining and scary.
I don't do scary books because I am a wuss.
I love reading Charles' books in general, but I particularly love the ones set in Victorian London. Her research is so thorough, I usually find out things I never knew before (not that I am a expert on my adopted city) and in this case is the existence of the liberty of Alasatia, and I would really recommend you to go down the Wikipedia rabbit hole that it's this bit of London's history.
As for the story, this is a short novella, not as developed or detailed as full novels. It has no explicit sex (bummer) and it's mainly about Joanna and her love Belle which has been committed to an asylum by her greedy family. This only serves to put Joanna in touch with Elias and launch the action in Alsatia and a barber shop the likes of Sweeney Todd. The novella mostly serves as a set up for Mark and Elias, other than scaring the shit out of me. Mark is only introduced at the end, but Elias has been definitely pinning for somebody and I would love to know more about their story.
A short set up novella, entertaining and scary.
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