Disciples of Dread

Hugh B. Cave crafted a scary, suspenceful novel when he wrote "Disciples of Dread." It is a deft combination of real-life horror and supernatural pehnomena set in the wilds of Jamaica. Mark Donner, would-be author, is asked to stand in for his psychically-talented twin brother Vincent, an agent of the US government. What neither Mark nor Vincent realize is that Mark is being set up. The government hopes to use Mark to distract from Vincent's mission for the government. This mission: to stop the Disciples of Dread. The Disciples are a ruthless terrorist organization whose members possess telepathy and the power of mind control. Using both these abilities and more traditional forms of terror, the Disciples carry out terrible atrocities. Their leader, Khargi, is ruthless, a man who will do anything to accomplish his goals. The one man he fears is Vincent. Khargi dispatches the Disciples to assassinate Vincent in Jamaica, little realizing that he has actually targeted Mark. Mark, oblivious to the danger he faces, befriends the deaf Eve, who becomes first his confident, and then his lover. The two of them slowly come to realize that the government has set Mark up to be the Disciples' stalking-horse. At the same time, Mark and Eve realize that someone else on the island has a grudge to bear with them; someone who is knowledgeable in the dark magic arts of Obeah. I found Cave's book to be one of the best horror novels I have read. He manages to build up suspense, slowly but surely drawing the reader into the novel. Additionally, Cave is quite effective in his depiction of the Disciples. He augments the real-life horror of terrorism with psychic abilities, making the Disciples an ominous, scary foe. The acts of terror they commit in the novel were enough to make me cringe, all the more so because I could see these things happening in real life if such powers did exist. It is apparent tha Cave has done his research for the setting. Jamaica and its people are depicted in accurate detail, enriching the narrative and giving it a regional atmosphere. Most importantly, Cave does a superb job of characterization. He develops Mark and Eve into realistic, believable individuals who, as the plot progresses, the reader begins to care for. An interesting, well-developed supporting cast rounds out the book. This guarantees that "Disciples of Dread" is not an easy book to put down, since the reader will be eager to learn what happens to the characters next. If there is one fault with this novel, it is that Cave sets up one or two plot threads that he never really goes anywhere with. That was a rather annoying aspect of this novel. Aside from that, though, I found Cave's book to be quite good. I definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys the horror genre with an inventive twist. If you can locate this novel, it is definitely worth reading. Benjamin Herman, reviewer-at-large