Rituals

by Ed Gorman

In a small New England town, several women have been targeted by a secret society of witch hunters. Inspired by generations of superstition, these witch hunters are convinced that witches are evil-and must be destroyed. But who is the real source of evil? The girls born with unique talents for healing as well as harm? Or the "normal" humans who murder them?

"Ed Gorman writes like a dream even when he's recounting nightmares. His fiction grips, entertains, and resonates in memory long after you close his books." (Dean Koontz)

Genres: Horror

352 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1, 2002

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

Edward Joseph Gorman Jr. was a prolific American author and anthologist, widely recognized for his contributions to crime, mystery, western, and horror fiction. Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Gorman spent much of his life in the Midwest, drawing on that experience to set many of his novels in small towns. After working over two decades in advertising, political speechwriting, and industrial filmmaking, he published his first novel, Rough Cut, in 1984 and soon transitioned to full-time writing. His fiction is often praised for its emotional depth, suspenseful storytelling, and nuanced characters. Gorman wrote under the pseudonyms Daniel Ransom and Robert David Chase, and contributed to publications such as Mystery Scene, Cemetery Dance, and Black Lizard. He co-founded Mystery Scene magazine and served as its editor and publisher until 2002, continuing his “Gormania” column thereafter. His works have been adapted for film and graphic novels, including The Poker Club and Cage of Night. In comics, he wrote for DC and Dark Horse. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2002, he continued writing despite his illness until his passing in 2016. Critics lauded him as one of the most original crime writers of his generation and a “poet of dark suspense.”

Reviews

[Mike Kazmierczak · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoyed this book, I wasn't quite as into it as I thought I would be. The premise is simple: witches exist and so do witch hunters. Witches have powers to heal, move things, and start fires; the witch hunters track down witches and kill them. Very much like the Salem Witch Trials but based on some aspect of reality rather than a hoax to get revenge on neighbors. The book was extremely solid with the story revealed in a straight forward but touching manner. It was almost sensitive, very different from THE POKER CLUB and much of his writing. The part that I had problem on though was the actions driving the story. Most of them are based on a fragile lie, especially for the witch hunters, and that lie had no real reason to stay held. Plus the witches all seem to exhibit great power once captured by the hunters but then in day-to-day life, they show nothing at all. And finally the ending seemed rushed and yet slow to arrive. None of these were enough to destroy the pleasure of the read but it is sort of like the book was edited down in size a wee bit too much.

[DJMikeG · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yet another good novel by the prolific and hugely talented Ed Gorman. This one isn't my favorite of his, but its still very enjoyable. He takes the story places you wouldn't expect and as always, his writing shines.

[Annette Vecellio]

Just could not get in to this.

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Re-read (accidentally) - January 2007