Rating: 
Summary: A pretty good read!
Review: After reading Assumed Identity and Desperate Measures (which are fantastic novels) I expected more out of the Totem. It is good, but not Morrell's best. I expected more out of the conclusion which seemed dissapointing. If your looking for a thrilling read, try Assumed Identity or Desperate Measures.
Rating: 
Summary: A gripping, savage, intelligent action/horror book.
Review: Anyone who has read any of David Morrell's novels will certainly appreciate this one. The tale evolves as an intelligent, thriller and action story with a little pinch of horror thrown in. His imagery is some of the best in this genre. The only author, in my opinion, who even comes close is Trevanian. Picture an isolated valley that comes alive at night with bizarre happenings, that culminate in an amazing hunt for creatures with human like intelligence--you will not want to put it down! I read the book a long time ago, and to this day still have vivid recollections. Enjoy
Rating:
Summary: Horrible happenings...
Review: but not a true horror story, more like a medical thriller. Nice gory touches. Don't quite get the hippie commune tie-in though, that part was an unnecessary distraction. Otherwise a good, involving story. Great main characters.
Rating:
Summary: Horror fills a small town. I got into this book.
Review: Furry antlered monsters run rampant spreading their virus to people and animals. The only one who can stop it, a police officer named Slaughter, gets locked up by the town's major but manages to escape in time to save the town from an ambush. This book keeps your attention. I don't read a whole lot of books because I have a short attention span, but I had no difficulty following this book, and at no point did I lose interest.
Rating: 
Summary: May not be the worst book I ever read
Review: Hmmm . . . How can a complete unaltered version of a book originally published in 1979 contain references to events occurring in 1993? The only thing that made me believe that this book could have been originally written in 1979 or earlier was lack of use by the author of cut-n-paste technology, resulting in character development scattered in the strangest and most inappropriate places. I agree that it wasn't altered - and should have been. Why give it two stars? Because I saved one star in case I come across a book worse than this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Definetly worth reading
Review: I am one of Morrell's biggest fans. He is the only author I choose to read. This was the first horror book I have read. Much of the book is exciting, intriguing and hard to put down. But on the other hand, in the end I was left to assume the outcome of some things. For example, all of those hippies that he mentioned, I guess turned into the horrid rabbied beast creatures. Morrell never really says "all of those hippies have been diseased, and that is why there are so many of the diseased beasts." or anything like that. Also the reader never finds out if the hippies actually are living in the woods. But besides that the book is definetly worth reading! Many times I would read it just before I went to sleep and left fearful to turn off the lights! So in my opinion I reccommend reading this book and find out if you agree with my thoughts! Have fun.
Blake Boyd
Rating:
Summary: Makes time pass much quicker!
Review: I bought this book for the same reason you tend to buy a book at a train station or an airport: to pass time. I actually found myself unable to put it back down. Although the story line is pretty thin, the meat on the bone comes from the density of all characters, largely an effect of good human descriptions by the author. Also, Morrell is capable of diffusing a sense of fear in the reader's mind by cleverly opposing the beauty of pristine nature to this insanity that human beings are typically capable of displaying. Suspense and mystery have the reader "eat" one page after the other to get quicker to the conclusion of the story.On the negative side, the writing itself is littered with missing rational elements and sometimes contradictions that act pretty much as gaps and holes in the overall framework. Like this: how come that a sizeable group of human beings reverts back to such a wild, animal-like condition whereas still capable of speaking (the guy found wandering on the road) and living in a semi-orderly social organization? I saw this as a real contradiction. Where did the virus -or whatever rage-bringing factor- come from? Why wasn't Slaughter infected when cut across his cheek? Also, the conclusion of the book comes way too fast. The final "battle" runs through a mere couple of pages. But overall, this is a real, good, fast-paced horror book.
Rating:
Summary: Great mix of action and horror
Review: I have been a great fan of David Morrell for many years. The first two novels I read were The Fifth Profession and Brotherhood of the Rose. Obviously I enjoy his action works. I have never read horror novels before this so this book intrigued me. I found it excellent. Morrell combines his classic high adventure style with incredibly descriptive knowledge of the fear that can be produced by dark and lonely wilderness areas. As a hunter and outdoorsman, I know that tight feeling in your throat when camped in a strange forest and you hear movement and see shadows but just are not sure what made them. I found this novel very exciting. Just do not read it at night while camping.
Rating:
Summary: Reader Let Down
Review: I love David Morrell and have read just about all his books. I couldn't put this one down. He develops the characters, the setting, and the history for a wonderful story. I devoured each page, anxious to get to the next one... When I reached the ending I was greatly disappointed. There were so many questions left unanswered. It was like David Morrell wrote 99% of the book, then put it aside and some stranger picked it up and scribbled a quick end so he could get it to the publisher. I felt cheated out of a proper ending to this otherwise great read. David Morrell should have spent time writing a worthy ending instead of writing the new introduction at the beginning. I was disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Not what it appeared
Review: I picked up a used copy of The Totem recently thinking that it would be a standard horror novel. But after a promising start, this book became more of a medical thriller than horror novel. The character development was not particularly great and I found myself reading this to get through it rather than enjoying it. I know this is an early effort by Morrell and he has since moved into more the political intrigue genre but this book in my opinion is not worth the read.
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