In Greek mythology, Sirens were known as dangerous bird women. They seduced sailors on ships by singing to them and luring them in. They would make love to them, sink their ships and feed on them, much like a black widow. In later folklore, they were envisioned as mermaid-like and any male that came close to where they lived, whether on land or in the sea, would also suffer the same fate.
In John Everson’s new novel, Siren, the sea witch is a beautiful mermaid-like creature who can transform herself into anything she wants in order to attract her male or female prey. In the book, it is mainly men that she seeks out, kills and eats, except in one case where the lead character, Evan, has been chosen by her to survive his first encounter. Still grieving the death of his son, Evan is trying his best to put his life back together. His relationship with his wife has been tarnished by their son’s death, for which Evan himself takes the blame. A year has passed and Evan still can’t find it within himself to move on. Every night, he heads down to the shore to the spot where his son drowned. Evan is aquaphobic. He had watched his son drown, his fear of the water overtaking him. After his nightly visit, he then goes to the local watering hole to pick up his drunken wife. However, one night, while on his daily walk to the beach, he meets a mysterious naked woman, one who knows his name and treats him like a man. She helps him with all his doubts and fears, and pleases him in ways he never thought any woman could. Unfortunately, she is not all that she seems, and Evan soon finds out that this is no ordinary woman. She has chosen him as her lover, but she is more evil than he ever can have imagined.
John Everson is one of those writers who came roaring onto the scene when Leisure released his first two novels Covenant and its sequel Sacrifice. The two novels won me over as did his third book, The 13th. Siren is his forth book released by Leisure, and while I do think it is his weakest book of the four, it still stands on its own merit. If you have read all four of these books, you probably agree with me. Those first three are damn near perfect pieces of fiction.
Siren is a book in which Everson brings another known demon of mythology into the world of today. It is a page-turner, and a really easy read. Everson does a great job taking the reader on a rollercoaster ride where you don’t know where the twists and turns will take you. I found myself trying to think ahead of the story, wondering what was going on with the character of Evan; was the Siren all in his head or was she real? Everson uses a psychological balance in the book that makes the reader wonder what is really going on with the character of Evan. The character is very well written, as well as the rest of them in the book. The book also flashes back to the late eighteen hundreds aboard a ship, gisguised as a fisshing vessel, smuggles booze into the United States. The captain has taken the Siren aboard as his sex slave, and we learn about how she came to call the small costal California town home. It’s a book that ties together in the end, yet I did find the end to be predictable once all the cards were laid out on the table.
Overall, if you have read any of John Everson’s books, you know that he is one of the best horror writers that is out there and has a Stoker Award to prove it. Siren may not be his best, but it is still a great book. This is a book that will make any man who lives in or near the coast of any ocean feel uneasy about the beach and the water. Never trust a naked singing woman on the beach. All she wants is to screw you then eat you. That’s the moral of the story, and only Everson can tell it in such an uneasy, scary way.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
