Halloween just occurred here in the States. It’s one of my favorite “hallmark holidays” because when else can you get away with dressing up as someone else in public, taking part in a Zombie parade or watching movie marathons of classic horror films like Nightmare on Elm Street. Of course, let’s not forget the writers that have composed works perfect for this time of year.
A few years ago I decided to see what Anne Rice had to offer in the spooky category. As a high school student I had loved her vampire books, but had been wooed away from her works by that of Stephen King and Dean Koontz – both of whom have works that can be described as creepy and scary. I found a series she wrote in the early 90’s about the Mayfair witches and decided to give it a try by reading The Witching Hour.
This is our first introduction to the Mayfair witches. Though the story is set in modern times, it dives into the past centuries before the main characters where even thought of to the origin of the Mayfair witches. A pagan Scottish healer called on an unknown entity to give her the power to heal those who came to her. When she was eventually executed for witchcraft, the entity then moved to her daughter and on down the line. The entity was a first simple, but as it learned about human wants and desires it used its influence on the witches to produce a stronger and stronger heir with unnatural powers of their own to take on ownership after its master perished.
In San Francisco, CA, a contractor named Michael is saved from a life or death situation and is given the power to view the lives of those who have had contact with objects he touches. He can’t even hold a fork without recalling the last time his mother polished the piece. When a young doctor named Rowan Mayfair becomes heir to the Mayfair entity, he is brought to her side, first as a protector and then as a partner as their relationship evolves.
As Michael begins to renovate the house that Rowan has inherited from her catatonic mother, he begins to piece together the history of the Mayfair witches and their entity, Lasher. But will he uncover the plot of Lasher in time to understand that he has been brought into this dark world of witchcraft for a specific purpose?
This is a great story and great opener for a series that is sure to have me hanging on every word. I can’t wait to see what is next in the series to see where the story of Lasher goes. And those of you familiar with Anne Rice, don’t worry, Rowan and Michael may start in San Francisco but end up in Anne’s beloved New Orleans before the story is half way through.
If you want a story that is sure to haunt you for a while after reading it, this series is a great pick.
What kind of books do you like to read during this time of year?
