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Mesmer
Rick's girlfriend from years ago was dead.
Murdered. Buried.
Or was she? Who was the girl he'd seen at the motorway services? Why was he so sure he knew her? And who had started calling him in the night ... whispering his dead girlfriend's name?
In the world of the Mesmer, "alive" and "dead" are ambiguous ... the only certainty is pain. And when Rick enters that world he must confront everything he has ever held true, all those comfortable and naive beliefs, if he wants to gets out alive.
(Description from back cover of trade paperback edition)
Murdered. Buried.
Or was she? Who was the girl he'd seen at the motorway services? Why was he so sure he knew her? And who had started calling him in the night ... whispering his dead girlfriend's name?
In the world of the Mesmer, "alive" and "dead" are ambiguous ... the only certainty is pain. And when Rick enters that world he must confront everything he has ever held true, all those comfortable and naive beliefs, if he wants to gets out alive.
(Description from back cover of trade paperback edition)
- GenresHorror
167 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1981
About the author
Tim Lebbon
297 books1,560 followersI love writing, reading, triathlon, real ale, chocolate, good movies, occasional bad movies, and cake.
I was born in London in 1969, lived in Devon until I was eight, and the next twenty years were spent in Newport. My wife Tracey and I then did a Good Thing and moved back to the country, and we now live in the little village of Goytre in Monmouthshire with our kids Ellie and Daniel. And our dog, Blu, who is the size of a donkey.
I love the countryside ... I do a lot of running and cycling, and live in the best part of the world for that.
I've had loads of books published in the UK, USA, and around the world, including novels, novellas, and collections. I write horror, fantasy, and now thrillers, and I've been writing as a living for over 8 years. I've won quite a few awards for my original fiction, and I've also written tie-in projects for Star Wars, Alien, Hellboy, The Cabin in the Woods, and 30 Days of Night.
A movie's just been made of my short story Pay the Ghost, starring Nicolas Cage and Sarah Wayne Callies. There are other projects in development, too.
I'd love to hear from you!
I was born in London in 1969, lived in Devon until I was eight, and the next twenty years were spent in Newport. My wife Tracey and I then did a Good Thing and moved back to the country, and we now live in the little village of Goytre in Monmouthshire with our kids Ellie and Daniel. And our dog, Blu, who is the size of a donkey.
I love the countryside ... I do a lot of running and cycling, and live in the best part of the world for that.
I've had loads of books published in the UK, USA, and around the world, including novels, novellas, and collections. I write horror, fantasy, and now thrillers, and I've been writing as a living for over 8 years. I've won quite a few awards for my original fiction, and I've also written tie-in projects for Star Wars, Alien, Hellboy, The Cabin in the Woods, and 30 Days of Night.
A movie's just been made of my short story Pay the Ghost, starring Nicolas Cage and Sarah Wayne Callies. There are other projects in development, too.
I'd love to hear from you!
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 10, 2019
Though the storytelling quality can be uneven at times, MESMER makes for an impressive debut. Tim Lebbon is obviously channeling Clive Barker to a large extent, but the horror elements of MESMER's plot, while soul-crushingly bleak, are more hinted at than thrown in your face. There's also a lot of heart in this story compared to something like HELLRAISER.
Many interesting concepts get tossed around, but the novel is too short to explore its underlying mythology in any real depth. At the same time, certain sections feel a bit padded, resulting in pacing issues. Even though Lebbon's solid prose commands your attention, there are too many unnecessary POV shifts away from the main character, and the story would have benefited from being streamlined into a novella or expanded into an epic.
Many interesting concepts get tossed around, but the novel is too short to explore its underlying mythology in any real depth. At the same time, certain sections feel a bit padded, resulting in pacing issues. Even though Lebbon's solid prose commands your attention, there are too many unnecessary POV shifts away from the main character, and the story would have benefited from being streamlined into a novella or expanded into an epic.
December 13, 2012
3.5 stars:
This was Lebbon's first novel. It has a very strange plot, strange pacing, and strange story-telling style. I think Lebbon was still finding his voice here, but the very odd nature of the writing made it more memorable for me. I've heard great things about his 2nd solo novel, The Nature of Balance, so I'm not sure whether the strangeness was intentional or not.
This is one of those cases I love where, in the act of typing up my review, I remember more details about the book. There were some very cool scenes involving people not just locked in a basement, but kept there in very interesting ways. There's also a King-like sense of Fate to this book that reminded me of Lebbon's "Noreela" novels.
Another thing that's nice is that there's a bit of a retrospective on it -- the original printing was in '97, so when it was republished in 2003 Lebbon added an intro that talked about his ideas for the novel. That's not something I've seen from this author, and it was cool to read.
So, not the story I'd use to introduce someone to Lebbon, but I'm glad it graces my bookshelf. :)
This was Lebbon's first novel. It has a very strange plot, strange pacing, and strange story-telling style. I think Lebbon was still finding his voice here, but the very odd nature of the writing made it more memorable for me. I've heard great things about his 2nd solo novel, The Nature of Balance, so I'm not sure whether the strangeness was intentional or not.
This is one of those cases I love where, in the act of typing up my review, I remember more details about the book. There were some very cool scenes involving people not just locked in a basement, but kept there in very interesting ways. There's also a King-like sense of Fate to this book that reminded me of Lebbon's "Noreela" novels.
Another thing that's nice is that there's a bit of a retrospective on it -- the original printing was in '97, so when it was republished in 2003 Lebbon added an intro that talked about his ideas for the novel. That's not something I've seen from this author, and it was cool to read.
So, not the story I'd use to introduce someone to Lebbon, but I'm glad it graces my bookshelf. :)
July 22, 2012
The old conundrum of what to do when you see your ex-lover in a motorway service station - eight years after she was brutally murdered and left to rot in a ditch....a short, unpleasant story but worth reading one warm, sunny afternoon
October 7, 2017
As Rick struggled to find out the truth of what truly happened to his dead ex girlfriend Penny from nine years ago, it'll take everything he has left to find out the truth. From going against the Mesmer to nearly losing his correct wife Liz, there's nothing he would stop at to find the truth.
October 27, 2009
A good story, well told with some nice locations and atmosphere and decent set pieces but let down badly by editing/proofing problems that continually pulled me out of the story.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews