A Bewitching Book (sorry about the pun) (Wither: A novel - J.G. Parsarella)

Member Name: vodkaboy

Product:	Wither: A novel - J.G. Parsarella
Date:	12/12/00 (9 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A captivating and exciting read

Disadvantages: Could be a bit longer (its around 300 pages)

Wither is the debut novel from J.G. Passarella, and if the quality of his work remains this high, I hope he has a long and successful career ahead of him.

The plot of Wither concerns bizarre happenings in a small American town called Windale, which has a history rooted in superstition and black magic. The town has a legend concerning three women who were put to death for murder and suspected witchcraft. Now, three hundred years later, a teacher, a student and a child are experiencing dark nightmares as the witches threaten to return and feed on the unsuspecting townsfolk...

Wither carves a perfect niche for itself between the camps of blood 'n guts visceral horror and long drawn-out psychological thrillers. It creates an excellent atmosphere filled with rich imagery and a well thought out Salem-like history, with the narrative moving between the past and the present showing how the original three witches have become less than human...in fact they've become eight-foot tall carnivorous monsters.

Its both scary and funny, with witty dialogue, plenty of grisly deaths, chase scenes, romance, possession, magical rituals and characters that are believable, likeable and interesting without requiring the hundreds of pages of deep development you tend to find in a Stephen King novel. The story mainly revolves around Wendy who is one of those experiencing the nightmares, and also happens to be a student of Wicca. Can she stop the dark force invading her town, and still find time to go out with a guy?

Overall I thought the book was superb, literally "un-put-downable" - I read it cover-to-cover in two days. If you like books that deal with the classic good versus evil struggle but with a pinch of Beverley Hills 90210, then you should love this. Its magic in more ways than one (again I'm sorry for the puns). Go and get it now!

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