Banquet For The Damned by Adam L.G. Nevill
01/08/2004 . Source: Donna Jones 

pub: PS Publishing. 494 page book. Deluxe Hardback: Price: £60.00 (UK), $90.00 (US). ISBN: 1-902-880-91-9. Hardback: Price: £35.00 (UK), $50.00 (US). ISBN: 1-902-880-92-7.

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All the darkest roads lead to Professor Eliot Coldwell, disgraced author of 'Banquet For The Damned', infamous magician and now a potential link to an ancient evil. Along side his possible involvement has to be noted the disturbing character of Beth, a beautiful seductress who seems to be closest to the old darkness drawing in.

Dante, one of two remaining members of the unheard-of rock band Sister Morphine, is making a break from Birmingham to do a concept album in homage to his hero and author of his inspiration, Eliot Coldwell.

Simultaneously, Hart Miller, an American anthropologist, has come to St Andrews to continue his international research into night terrors. After meeting some of the students who are suffering and realising they are disappearing before he can get a second interview from them, Hart concludes that all is not what it seems and something disastrous may well be gaining strength for an apocalyptic finale.

Adam Nevill has written seven titles as Lindsey Gordan writing erotic novels published by Nexus. 'Banquet For The Damned' is one of the few novel length titles that PS Publishing has started to produce.

Nevill writes his characters as easily accessible individuals - a little idiosyncratic at times but subtly done. Even the ones that are only involved with the story for a very short period of time stick out in my mind. For example, the golfer with the heart condition made an impression, not letting the ball that got away, get away with it!

The horror is very much like classic British horror. Building the pressure cooker up and up until at the end the only way to wrap up the whole thing is in an apocalyptical manner. I was a little let down by the ending. Baptism by fire seems to be an over-used and tired way of finishing off the nasties. Maybe it was me, but I kind of liked the possessed women witches. Especially their strong liking for dealing out retribution to adulterous husbands and sometimes vile student pond-life.

The overall idea of the book is an old one. The Brown Man and all his witch followers stealing peaceful sleep and rendering their victims vulnerable to attack worked horrifically well. We all fear that something or someone will attack us in our sleep - it plays on every human being.

It's quite a long book, but Nevill never really gives you a chance to breathe, dangling carrots and then giving payoffs to keep you interested. In this way the storytelling worked well, but at times the information was either repeated or merely elaborated on with more embellishment.

The weird relationship between Coldwell and his research student Beth works very well. Taking the eerie to new heights and totally freaking you out when she interacts with Dante - who generally gets pasted by her!

Dante's mate, who has accompanied him to Scotland, seemed a little neglected by the storyteller, to a point that you couldn't honestly say that his involvement was necessary.

The conversations between them in the old 1969 Landrover on the journey from Birmingham to St Andrews were inspired though.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys horror. It has a haunting majesty that flows throughout the book, this comes more from the place in which it is set than any other element. Granted this book is above the normal price of one you could pick up at your bookshop, but it's well worth it if only to buy an Adam Nevill book under his own name!

Donna Jones