The Devil's Auction

Every generation, a dread auction is held at a secret place that only those especially invited may reach. It is always held by the same man, simply known as Ashmedai. For centuries, countless witches and warlocks have vied in vicious bidding wars with one another to attain the auction's mysterious prize. No one knows what this prize is, only that it contains immeasurable power and thus is worthy of bloody contention. Rumors whisper of unfathomable danger and death and a fate worse than death - that, of those who choose to participate in this auction, no one ever ever returns... Valerie Lancaster goes looking for help from history professor Alex Warner, who was a friend much held in esteem by her father. Valerie's father was recently murdered and the daughter wants certain questions answered and seeks a redressing. But things get even more muddled. Jake Lancaster, Valerie's dad, was a capable true mage and was brutally slain in order to obtain an object he had received - an Invitation to a legendary auction, whose location can only be determined in the presence of said Invitation. It seems the only way to uncover Jake Lancaster's murderer is to go to the auction. Alex Warner, along with Valerie (who herself is a nonpracticing sorceress), is sucked into the sinister world of the occult, where magic is terrifyingly real. Their journey to find the whereabouts of Ashmedai is unendingly fraught with attacks by werewolves, golems and powerful black sorcery. But, as it turns out, getting to Ashmedai's auction is the easy part. Alex and Valerie will undergo ultimate peril when they at last come face to face with the true nature of the auction's prize... The Devil's Auction is definitely somewhere in my top twenty all-time favorite books. Robert Weinberg weaves a harrowing tale of horror, fantasy, and exhilarating high adventure. There are hairbreath escapes, old-fashioned romance, heroic derrings-do (mostly perpetrated by the intrepid Alex Warner, who seems to be an updated version of Indiana Jones) and nasty supernatural creatures, all of whom are intent on causing irreparable, not-covered-by-insurance damage unto our duo. Weinberg has lots of sadistic fun here, constantly throwing his two leads into dire jeopardy after jeopardy. The result is a wild, adrenalin-rushed occult thriller, a story that rarely pauses to take in oxygen. Man alive, I just love this book. From start to finish, there isn't a word, sentence or passage that rings false. You sink into the pages (to quote Rakim) like you were ink. The closing pages offer up a very nice reveal, providing a nice dessert to what has been a sumptuous feast of a novel. If I could, I'd give this horror story more than five stars. I highly, highly recommend it. And, fellow reader, once you've inhaled The Devil's Auction, do yourself a favor and go get the sequel The Armageddon Box, to see what else Weinberg can do to torture his characters, all the while in good, clean fun, I'm sure.

Full of death, magic, and romance, Robert Weinberg made a masterpeice when he wrote this novel. I kept finding myself caught up in this book, having to force myself to put it down. Mr. Weinberg must have done his research when he wrote this book, there is just enough fact to make the fiction seem almost real. And with a twist ending, this book keeps you guessing to the very last sentence.

I hagve to admit, I was skeptical at first about how good this book would be. I was greatly surprized when I couldn't put it down. Throughout the book you are given hints to the Auction's purpose, but not until the last page are you told who is offering the untold talisman. An excelent addition to any library!

Weinbergs "The Devils Auction" is one of the best fantasy novels I've ever read. Excellent, logical and breath taking adventure. The idea of Auction itself is very interesting, not to mention the Devils one (Witches and Warlocks included). I even like the cover. Go for it.

I read this book while on a ship during Desert Storm. I could not put this book down. I read the whole thing in 18 hours, and it was not that I was not going anywhere either. The outcome is not what you expected.