Sacrifice

Compelling, believable characters, woven into a mini-epic, a story that feels ancient yet transposed into the present day. The main character is likeable and complex, yet ultimately evil. His writing most resembles that of Roger Zelazny in its economy and suggestive weight - in other words, craft, something sorely lacking in these days of 1000-page "novels".

I have read quite a few John Farris books, and all are brilliant. However, this one and Son of the Endless Night are my two favorites. I must say, if the LA Times review(on the back flap) says their sanity was in tatters long before they finished the book, that's a book I want to read. A lot of the other big name horror writers have great things to say about him also (King, Straub, Bloch, Koontz). He's very different from anyone out there. I would recommend his older works, they're so outlandish, and SCARY and they read very contemporary even though they've been out there for a while.

John Farris has suspense down to an art in this early novel. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, BAM!, I'm in the jungles of Central America about a million miles from where I thought the plot was headed. He's a master of dialogue and moving the plot along at a breakneck pace. For all you Farris fans out there, this one is worth going back and reading if you haven't already done so.

Greg Walker (so aptly named) seems like the most typical of Americans, hard-working, devoted husband and father, member of the local Chamber of Commerce. Then a series of seemingly random events causes him to act out of character. Or so we think. His wife of 18 years and their beautiful 17-year-old daughter are worried about Greg, but they have no idea who he really is. Farris manages to let the reader know exactly what is going to happen throughout the novel, while keeping us in suspense by not telling us how those events are going to play out. The characters are richly developed with realistic dialogue and action. Farris also weaves brilliant psychology in with the suspense and terror. No character is all good or all bad; these are complex people facing complex situations. Underlying all this are cultural messages regarding emerging sexuality, fears about aging, and the obsession with youth. Freud would say "I told you so" if he read some of these passages about conflicting father/daughter emotions! This is such a good book, and it is quite unique in the sea of slasher horror that seems to overrun the stands. There is some gore, but overall this is a more subtle form of horror with terrific writing and a wonderful sense of plot and climax.

The suspense of this book is created by dramatic irony rather than the reader not knowing what will happen next. We know what will happen next, but we want to know how it will happen. The ending is not really a climax - as we know already what will happen - but a surprise ending in the sense that we do not know how the main characters will survive or endure it. A superb book. A horror novel "comme il faut"!