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Rating: 
Summary: Accolades to Imagination
Review: From the outset, this novel captivates and spins the imagination, bringing the reader to a supernatural world reminiscent of Sir Algernon Blackwood and other spirited 19th century litterateurs. Weaving between scintillating descriptions, authentic dialogue and psychoanalytical debate I was compelled to speedily read on, wishing to discern what fate was in store for the characters and all the while relishing the lush, articulate devices the author chose to magnificently craft this monumental work for me to appreciate. Were I to liken this novel to film, I'd envision it heavily seeped with Britain's Hammer Film Studio influence along with flourishes of Mario Bava. Nay! I don't give this novel a mere 5 star rating. Make it a 10!!!
Rating:
Summary: Accolades to Imagination
Review: I too have to confess that this novel immediately reminded me of my youth in the 1960s -watching the old Hammer Studio Films (originating from London). Yes, the Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Herbert Lom dark and gothic pictures of some 35 to 40 years ago. And like those films, this book certainly kept me clued and certainly got in the way of a good night sleep. Expectedly it's dark, it's intriguing, and it's horror, but not at all overdone in questionable detail. Mr. Covino's vivid imagination shows he's a pro at keeping the audience interested and always thinking without paralleling the overdone horror of other novels. At certain points in this story, I was also slightly reminded of Frank Sinatra's 1960's film, "The Detective", where part of that subject matter somewhat overlapped with this one. However, the sophistication of Mr. Covino's thoughts, his characters, and plot development far out weigh the screenplays of many in this genre, particularly the 1960s. Above all, this well-constructed novel is fortunately unlike the many predictable and boilerplate tales so common today (whether in print or on screen). It has imagination. So look out Edgar - this is definitely more than poe for the course.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty tedious
Review: If ever someone asks you if having an interest in Edgar Allen Poe, a working knowledge of hypnosis and strong feelings about GLBT folks is enough to write a story about, say 'no'. I wish I could have liked this book, but I found it long-winded and tedious. Large sections of the book are done in 'interview' format, and involve the same thoughts being repeated time after time. The action of the book consists of a way to represent every work of Poe in one story, with little else in the way of discernable plot. The characters were shaky at best, and little was done in the way of making the story consistent. For example, the 'hypnotist' started off by completely and utterly taking over a man's senses in the middle of a bridge without any set up, and then began to work harder and harder to deepen the man's hypnotic state. Fine, except that his results got less impressive each time, but the story was built to make it seem like he was doing better and better. (...).
Rating:
Summary: "Author" Writes His Own Review
Review: Ignore expressions of sour grapes by anonymous cravens who never read the book--as yet undistributed in Missouri or San Francisco! This richly creative novel purports to be solely a gay allegory with a gay liberationist slant. Don't wait but read the novel's chapter excerpt at the Xlibris bookstore to judge for yourself whether it's poorly constructed. All misrepresentations aside this novel was never rejected in its present form because it was never submitted to any publishers but was, indeed, published at the outset by the New Humanity(small)Press in cooperation with Xlibris as a publishing service. Editorial distortion was in fact itself rejected as undesirable. Besides, many a so-called great writer has been self-published by vanity press before ever making it legit--an irrelevant complaint. Consider above all else the source of any review exhibiting nothing of critical literary value except petty envy and jealousy. Thought this site(by its review "guidelines")would not post either "spiteful remarks" or comments on other reviews visible on the same page? And by the way, I haven't been stuck in a "day job" for well over a DECADE now! HA! HA!
Rating:
Summary: Don't bother
Review: This book is just dreadful. It purports to be one of the first horror books written from a gay point of view. Wait for the next one. Poorly constructed sentences, stock characters, and a ridiculous plot makes it clear why this book was rejected by "real" publishers. Xlibris is essentially a vanity publisher. No editor has touched this, or would want to. There is much better gay fiction available, and much better horror fiction available.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty tedious
Review: This is a extraordinary book. It starts off slow and builds to a climax as shocking and horrendous as any in literature. A great read for mystery and horror buffs!
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Read
Review: This is a extraordinary book. It starts off slow and builds to a climax as shocking and horrendous as any in literature. A great read for mystery and horror buffs!
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