Rating: 
Summary: Psychological thriller lacks action
Review: "Incubus" was an incredibly well-written novel. However, I never identified completely with the characters, and I felt that the book ended just as I was coming to understand the plot. The idea of demons practicing their human forms is unsettling, if not completely original. I think that the book would have benefited from more direct action.
Rating: 
Summary: At least photo on the cover was pretty....
Review: An amazingly boring book. I did read it through entirely, but only because I'm an eternal optimist and kept thinking, "This just HAS to get better!" The plot was boring and the characters so poorly developed I didn't understand them and wished they'd all just sink into the big black beyond. For being a minister's wife, Cora is incredibly faith-less, unfriendly (all her friends in town she admits were only of convenience!), and self-absorbed (she doesn't do any of the social work usually required of a minister's spouse); very irksome qualities, especially since I've known so many ministers' wives, and they are the polar opposite of Cora.Cora proclaims to be a food writer, but her references to food are sporadic and uneven, so that aspect of her character fails miserably in its attempt to be believable. I would have thrown the book across the room when I was done (I hate wasting time reading drivel!), but I was afraid the hardcover book would damage something worthwhile in my home. BUT THE COVER PHOTO IS VERY PRETTY! I think I'll cut it out, maybe have it enlarged, and frame it for my office wall. It reminds me of the churches in the area I grew up in Pennsylvania.
Rating:
Summary: Pretentious, ennui-inducing claptrap.
Review: Arensberg commits the worst of all author's sins: she's boring! This empty tale of an invisible demon is as deadly dull as the drought affecting the town of Dry Falls, ME. Her characters were empty and unappealing, especially Hannah who deserved a good boot in the behind along with her interminably suffering mother Emily. Arensberg's tale is a rip-off of a bad 1983 movie called The Entity (at least there were some visuals to help the film!), and the totally predictable climax is stolen from The Exorcist. Give me a break! To favorably compare her to Stephen King is an insult to the man. How on earth this was published by a prestigious house like Knopf and chosen by BOMC is beyond me.
Rating: 
Summary: A well crafted novel, not a "horror" book
Review: As opposed to the reviews given to a book I bought at the same time ("Wither" by Passarella)which claim that book as a "masterpiece" (and I think the average reviewer must be 16 years old), this book comes poorly reviewed in its wake. This, from the very first lines is an anguish inducing, very haunting novel. Its only problem (in the eyes of the readers, I think) is that it lacks blood and gore and though it has an erotic undercurrent it also lacks sex, which is what most people associate with horror. Cora's pilgrimage (so to speak) is actually a horrifying experience. Her life will NEVER be the same and that is what horror stands for: the utter, abrupt and irreversible change in our lives against our wills is what we fear the most. Ms. Arensberg creates a palpably (if slow-paced) atmospheric story, that uncoils in utter horror. Nowadays a "good" horror novel must deal with vampires and/or killers, with lots of gore and smut... this on the other hand is a novel, and it is a supernatural horror odyssey too well crafted. Pity for those who couldn't get the point at all. It's like never knowing the difference between champagne and cheap fizz.
Rating:
Summary: A well crafted novel, not a "horror" book
Review: As opposed to the reviews given to a book I bought at the same time ("Wither" by Passarella)which claim that book as a "masterpiece" (and I think the average reviewer must be 16 years old), this book comes poorly reviewed in its wake. This, from the very first lines is an anguish inducing, very haunting novel. Its only problem (in the eyes of the readers, I think) is that it lacks blood and gore and though it has an erotic undercurrent it also lacks sex, which is what most people associate with horror. Cora's pilgrimage (so to speak) is actually a horrifying experience. Her life will NEVER be the same and that is what horror stands for: the utter, abrupt and irreversible change in our lives against our wills is what we fear the most. Ms. Arensberg creates a palpably (if slow-paced) atmospheric story, that uncoils in utter horror. Nowadays a "good" horror novel must deal with vampires and/or killers, with lots of gore and smut... this on the other hand is a novel, and it is a supernatural horror odyssey too well crafted. Pity for those who couldn't get the point at all. It's like never knowing the difference between champagne and cheap fizz.
Rating:
Summary: A soul-chilling/sole-chilling tale
Review: Cora Whitman, the narrator of this tale, helps us through bizarre and disturbing material through her erudite use of denial, humor and distraction. These devices are as much for the protection of the narrator as they are for us, as she is as fully prepared to deny the existence of some pretty kinky supernatural events as we are. Throughout most of the book she objectively describes the goings on and makes it clear that she is having none of it, all the while tempting her readers with interesting menus, recipes and (really good) gardening tips. Given the mastery of this author, such distractions alone make for a delightful page-turner. Yet, while the underlying horror of what's really happening is far beyond the narrator's understanding -- and ours, the author builds a story from which there is no escape -- either from the mounting fear and tension in the plot or from her brilliant writing. The fact that she always leads us away from the horrible truth while nagging us with its in-your-face evidence, is what is so compelling about this book. This reader found herself grateful for Cora's denial and was far happier comtemplating the smell of fresh gingerbread than the miasmic substances hovering over people's beds. Alas, despite her denial, the sinister corruption prevails until Cora and her readers can no longer resist consideration of a parallel universe. If you can't deal with such possibilities, don't read this book. Be warned, however, that if you don't, you'll miss an awesome piece of literature!
Rating: 
Summary: Too mundane for horror genre
Review: Cora's endless details of her mundane life drag this story down. The interesting scenes are buried in and amongst the chit-chatty monologues about her mother's garden, (...), her cooking, and the weather. I tried my best to get into this book but after 200 hundred pages, the horror bits were just too far and few between. There was too much local gossip. I think the author was trying to write in the style of Lovecraft but she kept getting bogged down in too much detail.
Rating:
Summary: THE BOOK-OF-THE-MONTH CLUB LIKED THIS?!?!
Review: I can't in any way believe that this had the well-written style to be a BOMC Main Selection. I was so, so misled by the description of this slow moving sleeper. In fact, I qiut after about 100 pages. The plot went nowhere and there was too much description. I hope BOMC comes up with better books for their Main Selections, cuz this sure wasn't worthy of being one!
Rating:
Summary: Incubus Fails to Sustain
Review: I couldn't wait to start reading this book. Incubus stories are usually filled with sensual feelings and pleasures of the imagination. However, having this entire story told by a minister's wife and involving church members who would never even think what I would have liked to hear was a total disappointment. I returned the book to the bookstore after finishing it. I was forcing myself to hang on to the story hoping it would come alive. It never did.
Rating:
Summary: silly, very silly
Review: I don't get it. Others seem to love this book--and I thought it trite and sentimental, almost to the point of making me sick. So much treacle. Yes, there were some nice sentences. But I felt the author was trying so hard to justify her "love will save us" message in the face of such horror, that I sometimes believed she would better have used her talents in the greeting card industry. Yes, I like the bravado of taking on Stephen King. Kudos to her for that. But she didn't do much except rehash an old myth, using sexual and gender stereotypes that defied my imagination. I felt we were headed straight to film. Maybe a screenplay would have been a better choice in the first place.
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