ZINE
top
HOME  ABOUT  FICTION  POETRY  ART  SUBMIT  NEWS  ZINES  BEWARE  CONTACT  PLAGUE  FRIGHTS  BOOKS  FILMS
The Horror Zine Review

Sacrificing Virgins

by John Everson

Paperback: 280 pages
Publisher: Samhain Publishing (December 1, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 161923100X
ISBN-13: 978-1619231009

sacrificing

Sacrificing Virgins

by John Everson

Review by James Strauss

Sacrificing Virgins by John Everson is a wide-ranging collection of short stories that are long on imagination and originality. His style is the darkest of dark, erotic and delightfully sharp. Relentlessly opening musty corridors and horror-filled chambers, Everson’s writing is bold and disturbing.

Because this is a collection of stories, I cannot discuss them all, but I will describe my favorites.

The author begins with “She Found Spring,” a subtle, sensual tale of ghostly visitation with satisfying twist at the end. In “Memoryum” which follows, I found it to be a curiously crafted story of loss and discovery with the gravest of consequences…or maybe not. Then comes the title story, “Sacrificing Virgins,” which speaks of wildest dreams come true but the nightmares behind the door make the main character wish he had considered consequences before striking a devilish deal.

“Bad Day” is a tersely written understatement of the title. Give us giant vampire roaches or zombies, please, but not both in one story. In his next story, “Nailed,” our scribe brings you along slowly for both a warm yet coldly horrible erotic ride; this story is outstanding writing!

“The Eyes” is a story that might draw recoil even from the esteemed Joe Lansdale, before wishing he had written this story himself. “Whatever You Want,” a potent sadist ride, took me to a dark hell into which I felt helplessly thrust, and do not want to visit again. Trust me, this book is not for the faint of heart.

Sacrificing Virgins is a total of twenty-five tales of terror and torture and fright, from the mischievous, to the aching, to intense degradation; it’s all here. Everson always delivers a brilliantly twisted tale. His delivery will make you squirm.

Sacrificing Virgins will haunt your nights for a while, just as the author intended. It is a riveting read, but strong, strong stuff, including torture and eroticism. If you are bored with the more mainstream fiction, and have a strong stomach for the hard-core, then John’s tale-telling is for you. If you are looking for bunnies and puppies, look elsewhere…unless you intend to eat them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can buy the book HERE

About the Author

John Everson

John Everson

John Everson is the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Covenant, as well as the novels Sacrifice, The 13th, Siren and The Pumpkin Man, all originally in paperback from Dorchester/Leisure Books and now published by 47North. His sixth novel, NightWhere, an erotic horror descent into dark desire was released by Samhain in 2012 and was a Bram Stoker Award finalist. Since then, he has published three more books with Samhain (Violet EyesThe Family Tree and Sacrificing Virgins) and written novelettes for The Vampire Diaries and Jonathan Maberry’s V-Wars universe (Books 1 and 3). He has had several short fiction collections issued by independent presses, including Needles & Sins, Vigilantes of LoveCage of Bones & Other Deadly Obsessions and most recently, Sacrificing Virgins. Over the past 20 years, his short stories have appeared in more than 75 magazines and anthologies. 

For more on his obsession with jalapenos and 1970s European horror cinema, as well as information on his fiction, art and music, visit www.johneverson.com.

About the Reviewer

James Strauss

James Strauss

James Strauss is a retired blues guitarist and biochemist. He is the author of The Tide Clock, featured in The Horror Zine and their anthology A Feast of Frights. He lives in Earleville, Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay with his two treasures, his wife Kimberly and his dog Sadie.