The Sub : A Study in Witchcraft

Rating:
Summary: Middle of the road
Review: "The Sub" was an average horror read. It has some titillating sexual moments and some interesting gory parts, but all of the characters lacks depth and the story itself lacks a cohesive theme. The subjects of witchcraft and shamanism were used solely as a plot device; many of the elements that make these traditions exciting to read about were left out. We're given some astral projection and transfiguration, but very little spirituality. The magic in the story was empty of meaning, devoid of true belief or passion. I usually enjoy stories that involve someone exploring new powers, but there was no journey of discovery in this story and no real sympathy generated for the main character. I actually had difficulty forming sympathetic feelings for anyone in the story, which I chalk up to generally poor characterization. The story itself could have been very good had it been populated with actual people instead of the half-drawn figures that move with little motivation through this tale. Still, if you're just looking for something to read to pass the time, this might fit the bill. Just don't expect to be swept away.

Rating:
Summary: A disappointment
Review: After The Businessman, The MD, and The Priest, I couldn't wait to read Disch's latest entry into his "supernatural Minnesota" series. Unfortunately, this book is not as enjoyable as the previous three. The usual dark humor and assorted characters are there, but things just don't gel like they do in his author books. Part of the quirky charm of Disch is how far his stories will go: major characters die bizarre deaths, coincidence is heaped upon coincidence, the supernatural tends to have a wry sense of humor. In this book though, there seems to be too much unexplained by the end. And the main character, the sub herself, is a rather unsympathetic character from the beginning. Even the Priest allowed one have some level of sympathy for the character, even though we were well aware that his crimes were an abomination, and he did deserve punishment. One doesn't feel that here. Indeed, we never get to the root of the tale exactly, and by the time we are done, there is still too much left in our minds. Disch often does this but again this time, it doesn't work. It's too bad, I came to this book with a high off of "The Priest" and could not wait to read his latest. Why two stars? Because Disch himself is so talented, and has such a wonderful way of writing that to only reward him one or no stars would ignore the fact that the man can write.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but not very pleasant
Review: This is one of Disch's horror novels and - although stand-alone - is a companion novel to The MD, The Businessman and The Priest (the last of which I have not read). As with his other horror novels, Disch breaks away from normal conventions; no one would confuse his work with Stephen King in either content or tone.

This story follows the descent into evil of a woman as she becomes infected with the malignant spirit of her father. With her change in character come new and nasty powers.

The main flaw with this story is its general air of unpleasantness. There are few appealing characters and the book often has the feel of a rural soap opera. Nonetheless, this is a well-written book and for horror fans, it is a nice change-of-pace story.