The Succubus

by Kenneth Rayner Johnson

Each night, as the young man lay asleep, he was visited in his dreams. By morning, when he awoke, spent, there was no trace of the beautiful girl who had stripped him and possessed him. Across London, in a luxurious private hospital, a wholesome American girl has been undergoing a major programme of psychiatric treatment. She had been placed there after conviction for kidnapping the young man and raping him. The salacious public interest in the case made her victim, Troy Valens, flee from the overpossessive church to which he belonged...

Genres: Horror

303 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really enjoying this supernatural erotic thriller right up to the end ... but it chose to have a the-monster-is-revealed moment as its ending, instead of actually resolve the situation, so unfortunately I'll never get to find out what happened. Some pretty good research went into the magical ritual part of the story, as well as the succubus accounts through history. I have no idea where the author came up with the numbers to associate with individual letters though for the gematria part; I might have to read up on that.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book starts with the trial of Candice Maltman at the Royal High Court in London. She has abducted and raped her boyfriend Troy. After the verdict, Candice is sent to an institution. Troy moves in with a friend of his when the bizarre night visits starts. A strange lascivious woman is screwing his brains out every evening. Who is she? How can he get rid of this nymphomaniac demon? An occultist tries to help Troy and his friends. Can they rescue Candice too? The story started slow but became quite intriguing after a while. You'll get many eerie details on the topic succubus and learn why it's all about numbers. Creepy horror with some very good explicit scenes. Also liked the confrontation with the demon (reminded me a bit on The Exorcist) and the ending. Highly recommended blast from the past!

[Ralph Carlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very entertaining read.

[Signor Mambrino · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable read but the ending fell flat.