Rating: 
Summary: A Horror Novel with a Realistic Pagan Twist
Review: "Wither's Rain" is the second book in the Wendy Ward saga which began with "Wither". As the story opens, we find Wiccan college student Wendy dealing with the traumatic aftermath of her good versus evil battle against the creature-witch Elizabeth Wither and her coven. Wendy thinks the ancient evil has been laid to rest, and now it is time to pick up the pieces of the shattered lives Wither left in her wake. But soon Wendy begins to suspect that all is not well in Windale, Massachusetts. Has Wither managed to cheat death again and returned to rain havoc upon those who survived her earlier rampage? Has a new force of darkness moved to town? Or is it merely Wendy's overactive imagination and lingering guilt revolving around the amount of damage Wither managed to inflict before Wendy found a way to stop her? Wendy must reclaim her wavering faith in herself and expand her magical talents to find the answer to that all important question before time runs out. "Wither" was one of the very few novels that I've ever found so engrossing that I literally could not put it down; "Wither's Rain" follows in what will hopefully be a long tradition of excellent horror writing. Wendy is a realistic and decidedly human heroine, with all of the foibles and flaws that come entangled in flesh and blood. Her Wiccan practices are realistic to a great extent, with some dramatic flair mixed in to make the story exciting. Her opponent is a witch of a different color and character, leading to interesting contrasts and comparisons between the two. And the tension generated will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page. A definite must-read for any horror or pagan fiction fan. I also recommend Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series, M.R. Sellar's Rowan Gant series, and Mercedes Lackey's Diana Tregarde series.
Rating:
Summary: A Superior Sequel!!!
Review: A credit to Mr. Passarella's considerable talents is the tight control he retains over his characters and the progression of events. His protagonist could easily have grown into super-human implausibility and, as with many poor novels, failed to cost the good characters (or the reader) any grief whatsoever. All of Wither's Rain's characters are authentic, and even sympathetic -- right down to the demonic villain herself. Wendy Ward is so delightfully three-dimensional that the racy love scenes are unusually stirring for such a pure-of-heart heroine, and her up-hill struggle to defeat Wither once and for all is not clean or surgical by any means, but replete with human error and bloody tragedy. At the risk of rehashing a thoroughly tired comparison, John Passarella shows promise of filling the void-to-be in horror fiction left by Stephen King. As one tertiary character states in the course of this novel, "Hey, don't kill the messenger!"
Rating:
Summary: one of the best horror books of the last few years
Review: Every century Wither and her coven come back on the anniversary of their death to commit murder and mayhem on the Massachusetts town of Windale. In 1999, Wither needed a new vessel and tried to take over the body of Wiccan witch Wendy Ward but as untested as the teenage was, she still was able to defeat the evil witch. Wendy thought that she destroyed her but will soon learn that the essence of Wither lives on in the body of eighteen year-old Gina Thorne. Gradually, Wither's essence spreads throughout Gina's body, allowing the teen to access the witch's powers. She plans to start a new coven but knows that to succeed, she must destroy Wendy. Thanks to the Crone, Wendy realizes that she will battle Wither once again and this time she must learn how to control and use her powers if she wants to destroy her adversary permanently. WITHER'S RAIN is one of the best horror books of the new millennium. John Passarella has an uncanny knack of tapping into our hidden fears on the pages of his books, especially this one. His talent is on a par with Stephen King, Dean Koontz and Bentley Little. Gina/Wither is the epitome of evil and the allies she converts to her cause makes her even more dangerous to the heroine who like in High Noon needs to fight by herself. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Wendy's Back!!!!
Review: First of all let me start out by saying that the first book of this series, Wither, was just phenomenal. One of those books that were really hard to put down and one that I couldn't wait to get home to read after work or doing whatever it was that had to be done. Wither was such a welcomed novel after reading a few dismal books that hardly kept my attention and would dare never warrant a second reading. Wither on the other hand, grabbed my attention from the start, and never let go. Mr. Passarella has a sharp sense of what it's like to be Wendy Ward, protagonist of Wither and Wither's Rain. He makes this character seem so alive and someone you might have known personally. With this being said, I would just like you to know how jazzed I was to read that a Wither series would be starting and the announcement of a second book to come out. With a devilish grin from ear to ear, I couldn't wait to devour this new one up. He's reprised the role of Wendy Ward, a very strong character that is smart, funny and great to read about. Picking up where Wither left off, Wendy's hometown of Windale, Massachusetts is in trouble again. That wicked witch Wither is stirring up some bad blood yet again, and it's great to be a reader and be along for the ride! Wendy thought that she had taken care of Wither, but she was very wrong and now Wither has a new "host." She has taken up with Gina Thorne, who was once a caring and nice girl, but now has an unwieldy streak of evil running through her cold veins. Now Wendy (with the help of a cosmic friend) must do battle with Wither yet again. Wither's Rain is just as good as Wither and I highly recommend reading both as soon as possible. Mr. Passarella is breathing much needed new life into this genre and it's exciting to be reading great things from him, and I suspect we'll be reading many more in the years to come!
Rating:
Summary: Make Room For Passarella Alongside Your Favorite Authors
Review: First of all, before I get into my long review, I am going to start with saying this is a great book that any horror or avid book fan for that matter, should enjoy. In only his fourth novel(3rd solo, he was co-author of Wither), John Passarella breathes fresh air into the horror genre that even the most jaded fan should enjoy. The story of Wither's Rain centers around Wendy Ward, a college student with a gift for magic. She thought she had taken care of Elizabeth Wither when she watched her get crushed under falling stone, but it would not be the last she would see of her. Wither's physical form may have been crushed, but her blood survived. Unknown to Wendy, Wither's blood has found a new host in Angelina Thorne, and this time Wither's power grows more quickly. Wendy is going to have to face the same evil that she has not been able to get out of her nightmares since that one Halloween Night. In order to face the evil, she will need the help of her friends, Abby a young girl with the new found ability to turn into a wolf, Hannah a baby with extremely accelerated growth, and a crone figure from the future. That is a real simple explanation of where the book begins. One important thing to mention is that Wither's Rain stands alone really well. Meaning that you didn't have to read Wither in order to understand what is going on. Passarella does a great job of leading you into the story, and offering the vital information you might have missed not reading the first. Though since Wither was so great, I would think that you would enjoy going back and reading it anyways. Wither's Rain is one of those books that grabs a hold of you and just doesn't let go. From the first page, it engulfs you, and you just can't stop flipping the page. I would pick up the book to read just a few pages before I go to bed, and next thing I know, I have read over thirty pages(which is a lot of pages when you read as slow as me) and still can't seem to stop. Passarella just does such a great job of setting situations up, that you continue to read just a few more pages to find out what happens. The suspense throughout Wither's Rain is of a cailiber rarely seen or even approached. Then there is Wendy Ward, who is a great main character to base a series around. She has that extra something that helps to put her in a catergory with some of the best leading characters of today, such as Buffy and Anita Blake. John Passarella is a great author, and is personally responsible for my new found interest in books. Wither's Rain is a completey enjoyable and satisfying experience. John Passarella continues to prove why he belongs to be mentioned with some of the great writers of today.
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Summary: WITHER RETURNS...WITH A VENGEANCE!
Review: For anyone who read and enjoyed WITHER, a suprise awaits you between the overs of..WITHER'S RAIN. Wendy Ward and the gang are back, but so is the wvil with Wither, and this time pure evil kicks into high gear!
Readers of Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series and J.D. Robb's ...IN DEATH searies featuring Eve Dallas will be thrilled to add Wendy Ward to their list of must read female detective lists! Randy Wiggins
Rating:
Summary: a headrush
Review: From the first page, Passarella does a fabulous job hooking the reader and dragging them into a nail-biting world of shape-shifters, Witches, and terror. Wendy Ward is a wonderful heroine, a beam of light in a dark story. It is easy to identify with her, and even to feel some sympathy for Gina Thorne, the antagonist. If I have one complaint, it's that the book simply wasn't long enough!
Rating:
Summary: a headrush
Review: From the first page, Passarella does a fabulous job hooking the reader and dragging them into a nail-biting world of shape-shifters, Witches, and terror. Wendy Ward is a wonderful heroine, a beam of light in a dark story. It is easy to identify with her, and even to feel some sympathy for Gina Thorne, the antagonist. If I have one complaint, it's that the book simply wasn't long enough!
Rating:
Summary: GREAT READ
Review: I actually picked this book up not knowing that it was a second in a trilogy. I love this book, it's a really great book for someone who is interested in books about witches and vampires and things like that (although there are no vampires!). Read the first book and then this one. Then on October 26, 2004, Wither's Legacy will be released. PLZ READ!
Rating: 
Summary: WITHERED RAIN
Review: I think "Wither" is one of the best horror novels to come out in years, and was highly excited when I saw Passarella (Now writing alone) had done a sequel. Unfortunately, this one is nowhere near the novel "Wither" was. And why is that? I think one of the reasons is that Passarella seems to be going more to charm his "Buffy" audiences, and in doing so, has resorted to gratuituous gore, crude sex scenes, and a lack in creating the true suspense he had done so well in the original. Wendy Ward, who is obviously going to be Wendy the Witch Slayer, is an alright heroine, but her character is not fleshed out enough to really get into what she's gone through. Her "Mirror" diary is so contrived, and even though it's used to let us know Wendy's thoughts, it's more a distraction than aid. Although her last entry is more to the point and seems more real. Not that I'm saying "Wither's Rain" is supposed to be "real", but within its framework, the diary loses its punch.
The addition of The Crone is okay until she starts philosophizing on this "time" thing, and for two or three pages, some weird doctrine on what time really is seems to come out of nowhere, makes little sense and the resolution of who the Crone really is, is downright implausible and ludicrous.
Also in this book, moreso in the first, Passarella seems outright cruel in the way he handles several of the deaths. Key characters are wiped out, and dealt with superficially.
And Gina? Well, she's so overblown, she never seems menacing; she merely acts as an actress chewing up the scenery, and her evil is so over the top, she doesn't create the terror Elizabeth Wither did in the original novel.
It's sad to see such a unique book obscured by this exercise in teenage angst. I think Passarella is a good writer, but I don't think I'll be following his Wendy Ward books. His lack of strong adult characters in useful roles (Sheriff Nottingham is basically ineffectual and Abby's turning into a wolf? Oh, puhleese!) will limit his audience to the market age of 16-18, or whatever.
Sorry, can't recommend this one. Read "Wither" or reread it.
It's a hundred times better!
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