J.G Passarella: Wither

*In A Vincent Price type voice* 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 take revenge on the unsuspecting townsfolk...

Sounds good hmmm? Well it is. Wither is a book that sits comfortably between the camps of blood 'n' guts visceral horror and psychological thriller, blending together elements of both. It creates an excellent atmosphere filled with vivid 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, 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 it really is a bewitching book...yeah yeah, I probably deserve to be burned at the stake for that pun. If you're a horror fan go and read it now!