When I sit down to read a book, I always try to find the influence behind the writer’s words and their story. Ideas are born from others’ stories, yet, unlike the film business where films are remade or rehashed, original ideas come from the new minds that were influenced by the old. This is the third of John Everson’s books that I have read, and all three books seem to dwell in the realm of demonology, Christian humanism mixed with medical research that some don’t quite consider moral. With all that Everson includes in this book, it makes me wonder if he is becoming the next Lovecraft.
The 13th, is a book that mixes demonology, demon worship and, of course, stem cell research of the unholy kind as one. Castle House Lodge has a long, bad history. It was once a peaceful resort that was closed due to a bizarre series of murders. Now, decades later, a doctor and his assistant have purchased the lodge for what they claim is an asylum for unfit pregnant women with mental problems. Cyclist David Shade joins his Aunt Elsie in the country to train for the Olympic trials. He meets a young girl at the local clam shack and befriends her. After a bad night of drinking, she simply disappears. Wondering what has happened to her, David searches the town in hopes of finding her. He meets officer Christy Sorensen who is sure that the disappearances have something to do with Dr. Barry Rockford’s turning Castle House Lodge into an asylum. David lands a job there as a ground keeper, while Christy is sure all the girls who have gone missing are a result of the doctor’s past. Together they will find that Dr. Rockford and his assistant, Amelia Spellman, are up to more than taking care of pregnant women. They are preparing for something much worse and far more sinister than anyone can comprehend.
I’m normally one who finds that too much mythos in a novel, if not done right, can be a very hard, boring read. With The 13th, the initial setup drags a bit, but after you get though the first sixty pages, all the action begins. The book is evenly paced, while it does dwell in the mythology of demons. The ritualistic practices and explanations are kept to a minimum and are oppressive with the characters explaining everything
Just as Everson did in Covenant and Sacrifice, The 13th is very character-driven. While David, Christy and Brenda are the heroes, we also get into the lives of the villains and many of the book’s smaller characters. I am a reader who thrives on good characters, and The 13th is full of very complex and interesting people, all of whom have unique lives.
This book is not for the faint at heart. There is a lot of graphic content including rape, kidnapping, nudity, the murder of babies, and pregnant women having their fetus ripped from their wombs. There is a lot of content that may offend the average reader. Everson pulls no punches. The 13th is also a book that brings forth the social and ethical issues of stem cell research. It does not dwell too much on the issue, but the hints of whether or not it is the right thing to do can be seen in the book’s subtext with the doctor’s background and why he is now hiding to do his research.
The 13th is a book for a reader like me. I normally like to be scared shitless by each book I read, or at the very least entertained. The 13th does both for me. It is very unpredictable, it hits you hard from chapter to chapter right until the very end. I always say that a good horror film is one that includes something that relates to society and explores the issue and the horrors behind it. Everson does so here using the issue of stem cell research.
Overall, this book, The 13th is a very good read. Everson is a writer who knows how to pack the punches and hit his readers hard with his horrific visions. His writing style and knowledge of the mythos makes him a modern day Lovecraft. He is a writer whose work echoes that of the master of horror that Lovecraft was and forever will be.
– 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
