Hexes

Rating:
Summary: Excellent horror fiction
Review: This novel is a terrific occult thriller that is literate, passionate, and intelligent. Evocative to the max, Mr. Piccirilli writes highly chilling scenes and manages to do so with a sense of wonder throughout.

Rating:
Summary: Did not catch my interest very well.
Review: The story fails to develop any mystery or depth of character. I didn't even finish reading it.

Rating:
Summary: One of the better occult novels in recent times
Review: Tom Piccirilli has written an occult novel that is more focused on characters and story than the "special effects" of the magic and spells. Where some authors will go through great lengths to explain the workings behind the characters' magic, Piccirilli gives the reader enough to know what is going on and, when appropriate, for the reader to grasp the importance of it. The result is that the spells and such are almost second-nature to the characters, which is appropriate given their backgrounds.

Further, Piccirilli's narrative is very sleek and vivid, and immediately engaging to the reader. His characters, even supporting cast, are fleshed-out and very unique.

The initial plot development is a bit slow, but the payoff is well worth it in the end. The ending (even given the supernatural plotline) is realistic and satisfying without becoming predictable.

Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Hexes is a surrealistic thrill ride.
Review: Tom Piccirilli has gone back to the style of his earlier short works, leaving behind the mystery voice, successfully entertaining the reader with a horror tale that is absolutly original, and in some parts, terrifying, gross, and surreal. He adeptly takes all those components that could be used when constructing the horror novel, and weaves then into a quilt of images that tie together a story very worth reading about. It's not for the squemish, and not for the non-literary Koontz fan. This is what good writing is all about, and those whom shun Hexes have alot to learn when it comes to a well-written piece of fiction. Buy it, enjoy it, and share it with your friends. Tom is the next big thing. Remember that.

Rating:
Summary: A monumental breakthrough in horror fiction
Review: HEXES is Tom Piccirilli at his macabre best. The characters literally take on a life of their own and worm their way into your soul long after you've put the book down. Matthew Galen is a believable and all too human magus, similair to John Constantine.

Piccirilli doesn't write with pen and paper. He writes with blood and fire, the words burning themselves across the page and into your mind. HEXES is a monumental breakthrough in horror fiction. Piccirilli is sure to become a household name!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent novel, complex and disturbing.
Review: HEXES is one of Tom Piccirilli's finest novels yet, a dark and haunting mixture of guilt, passion and redemption. In its richness and depth, HEXES is more akin to Faulkner than King.

Rating:
Summary: Never mind the Bullocks! Here's Tom Piccirilli!
Review: That Piccirilli is on original there is no doubt. You would be hard-pressed to find someone writing today whose turns of phrase resonate quite like his. HEXES is full of them; his dark lyrical style bends and twists right along with the plot, and when the fan gets hit, it's too late--you CAN'T look away, you're already hooked. I'd encourage anyone to read HEXES--it's the occult novel of the year!

Rating:
Summary: I'll never get those hours back.
Review: If it wasn't for the glowing reviews others have heaped upon this book, I wouldn't have gotten past the first 50 pages. The characters, plot, and molasses-slow pace did not capture me at all, and the writing, while poetic to some, struck me as merely pretentious and turgid. _Hexes_ reminded me strongly of Anne Rice's Vampire books, which for me is not positive; consequently, it's taken me three times as long to read this as it's taken me to read books of similar size. Some books you can't put down, but this one, I hard a hard time picking back up.

Lying-back-cover-blurb alert: The "unspeakable crimes" are absolutely UNshocking, not even deserving of an "ew" let alone surprise, disgust, or terror. As a matter of fact, nothing in here frightened me in the slighest.

Verdict: If you are a fan of the occult, or enjoy heavily atmospheric, dramatic writing, you may enjoy this book. If you prefer more ACTION and dialogue, and less flowery language, don't bother with _Hexes_.

Rating:
Summary: Grips the reader and never lets go
Review: I'd never heard of Tom Pic before reading Hexes, and I've since gone back and gotten his other novels as well. This book just blew me away! The characters are so realistic, and sorrowful as they interact in the unfolding supernatural tragedy. They all have their secrets which are slowly revealed, and when they are, watch out! Ghosts, daemons, and guilt-stricken murderers abound. A top-notch read!

Rating:
Summary: A non-stop novel of powerful occult lore
Review: What the guy below missed was the fact that Piccirilli *makes fun of* Crowley throughout HEXES, balancing the carnival antics of Crowley and Anton La Vey against well-researched religious ceremony and real-life events concerning the witch trials. But besides being a genuinely intriguing read, HEXES is also a powerful action-packed novel of eerie elmeents that never stops rip-roaring from page one right to the terrific end.