Plague of the Manitou: A ‘Manitou’ Horror Novel

As an expert of viruses of all kinds, Anna Grey thought she’d seen it all, until the day a patient is rolled past her on a gurney, screaming and vomiting up blood. As she examines the man’s body after his death, she swears she can hear him whisper “Get it out of me”. But there’s no way the man can speak – he’s dead. Is Anna just overworked and overtired, or is she staring to lose her grip on reality? When a second dead bleeder whispers “Please help me”, Anna is terrified. Anna may not believe in the supernatural but fortune teller harry Erskine does. He’s seen more things in his time than he might like to admit, but this is the worst he’s ever encountered and it’s enough to get him to leave home in Miami and make his way towards Anna. The only question is, will he get there in time?

Masterton writes the most believable horror in the genre. His protagonists are real life people dealing with otherworldly experiences in the best way they know how. He hooks me every time

REVIEW:  PLAGUE OF THE MANITOU by Graham Masterton

Another excellent book from a most prolific and genre-crossing author, PLAGUE OF THE MANITOU returns delightful series character Harry Erskine. A "fortune-teller" who insists he has no psychic abilities, Harry exudes charm and irony. Once upon a time, he roundly defeated Native American "wonder-worker" [shaman] Misquimacus, and so is not only an unsung hero to the unknowing human populace, but acknowledged by the long-deceased indigenous shamans. Living in Miami, Harry is now tasked by a triple threat, united in determination of revenge and genocidal extermination.

I absolutely LOVED this book, I as gripped from the start and I loved it as the story progressed.  I won't give away the plot but I was literally left itching for more at the end!  This is probably one of the best horror/thriller books I have read in months.  I read it in one sitting and couldn't wait to see how it ended.  It was a brilliant read.  I cannot thank the publishers enough for letting me have access to an advance review copy - I would highly recommend this book to all.

Very creepy stuff.

'You have to remember that every tree and every rock and every river from one side of the country to the other harbors a Native American manitou. This is still their land, spiritually, even if we took it away from them. It’s like a haunted house. You may own the deeds, but the house itself still belongs to the ghosts.'
  Graham Masterton's debut as a horror author began with The Manitou in 1976. A harrowing story of the reincarnation of an Indian Medicine Man in modern day New York seeking retribution against the white man for what they did to his people. The book features the first appearance of the rogue fortune teller, Harry Erskine, who, with the help of medicine man, Singing Rock enters into battle against the shaman, Misquamacus.  The Manitou became an instant bestseller and was filmed with Tony Curtis, Susan Strasberg and Burgess Meredith.
  The Plague of the Manitou is the seventh book in the Harry Erskine series and revisits the origins of the Manitou and the re-incarnation of an evil from centuries ago.
  A man is wheeled past virus expert Anna Grey's lab violently convulsing as if wired to the mains, vomiting arterial blood and by the looks, in a seriously bad way. In death muscles relax but the sheer look of terror on his face after he'd passed was more than disturbing.

'He’s deceased, but to look at him, you’d think that he still has the Devil breathing down his neck.'
  When she's alone examining the body, a voice whispers 'save me' and just like an ice cold fingertip traveling down her spine, her unease intensifies. Then another body, same MO and she is unwittingly thrust into a supernatural nightmare that will see her join forces with the now tarot card reader Harry Erskine.
  Harry is just about to be kicked out of Miami after accepting a gift from an old lady that he really should have refused point blank. His tarot cards are changing of their own accord, death being the dominant theme and to top it off there's a scary looking nun in his bedroom. Things don't get much better from here on out for our friendly fortune teller, in fact they get decidedly worse in a life threatening fashion. As two supernatural entities combine to bring Hell to the people of America.
  There's the usual enjoyably disturbing sexual encounters, a tag team of bad guys that have formed an unlikely partnership with the primary goal of revenge and death. The reincarnation of evil is where it all begins, magic rituals carried out to revisit future life and wreak havoc. To rid America of its people and reclaim it for those most deserved. How they do it, well it's horror all the way and two things are prevalent. One, you've probably never even considered the humble bed bug as a destructive malevolent force, well you will now and two, this reinforces the point that nuns are bloody creepy.
  The Plague of the Manitou was my first read in the Harry Erskine series and while you can appreciate there's a lot of history I've missed out on, it's easily readable as a stand-alone. Well-paced, engaging characters a story that flows relentlessly toward an apocalypse of biblical proportions and I shall definitely go back to the origins of the Manitou. If I had any complaints it would be the ending, the old 'I'll distract him while you sneak up behind him' philosophy just doesn't work as well in writing compared to the screen and it felt like taking the quickest and cheapest way out. That said if you've invested in this series before then you'll enjoy this one.

I had written at the beginning of the year that I wanted to read more Graham Masterton this year and I just have not been able to do that so far (although I read this book and am reading another now, so I guess I am getting there).  I had a chance to read Masterton’s upcoming “Plague of the Manitou” and could not pass up the chance to jump back into Masterton’s long-running horror series.

Anna Grey is one of the leading virus experts in the world and has seen many disturbing things over the years.  The sight of the sick man vomiting blood and convulsing violently was still enough to disturb her.  When the man’s corpse started speaking as she examined his dead body, she begins to question her sanity.  When the same thing happens with another corpse, that of her fiancée, a couple days later, she begins to question everything she believes in.  She is a woman of science.  There is not room for this type of thing in her world.  

Harry Erskine may appear to be just another fortune teller to many.  In fact, some think that he is nothing more than a con artist who tells the fortune of the wealthy elderly in order to get their money from them.  Erskine is much more than that.  He has faced the power magic of the Native Americans and the wendigo before.  When he is told by ancient spirits to warn the country that they are to leave or be destroyed, he knows that it is an impossible task and tries to run and hide.  Instead, he finds himself in the crosshairs of a powerful force that is unleashing a plague upon the country that is quickly killing thousands.  Harry and Anna must join together to battle this vengeful plague before the death toll rises and the world that they have known is destroyed.

Masterton first broke into horror with the “Manitou” series and “Plague of the Manitou” proves that the series is still running strong.  Masterton brings his blend of some shocking horror and a well-planned plot and superior writing to give the novel a raw and yet still crafted feel.  While some authors may turn to extreme horror in order to shock and cover an inferior plot, Masterton masterfully blends in the more extreme aspects of the story to emphasize the horror.  There are some truly shocking passages in this novel and yet they are never gratuitous.  All of the elements that make Masterton one of the best writers in the genre are present in this novel and it is easy to see why Masterton has been so successful for such a long time.

That is not to say that “Plague of the Manitou” is a great novel or that it is Masterton’s best novel.  It is neither great nor is it Masterton’s best.  “Plague of the Manitou” is a very good horror novel and it continues the series admirably.  While this is the 7th novel in the series, it is not necessary to have read the previous books in order to enjoy this one.  There is some of Harry Erskine’s backstory that adds to the novel for longtime Masterton fans but new readers will have no problem picking up the narrative.  Erskine remains a very good character and reluctant hero as his humanity plays off well against the inhumanity of the horror that surrounds him.  I thought that the book wound up a little too neatly and easily but that is more a quibble than anything.  Masterton fans will be with the latest installment of the series and the novel is good enough that new readers can jump on board and get a fresh sample of Masterton’s talent.  It is well worth the time to read this (and really any of Masterton’s) books and fans of horror should not hesitate in picking this novel up.

I would like to thank Severn House and NetGalley for this advance review copy.  “Plague of the Manitou” is scheduled for release in August.

The Pariah by Graham Masterton was the first adult book I read. I was about 14 years old and I loved it. I then went on to read more by this author and then migrated to a few other horror authors. I have recently also read and loved Mr Masterton's Katie Maguire series but I have to admit to not having read one of his new horrors for a fair while (I have recently re-read The Pariah and Family Portrait) so I was excited to see this on my new release radar! I have read a few of the Harry Erskine books (albeit a few years ago) so I kinda knew what I was letting myself in for when I started this.
And to say I wasn't disappointed would be an understatement. As well as exactly what I know and love, it also took me back to my youth when I read The Manitou and The Djinn amongst others. Having to hide the books from my mum cos "they are not suitable reading for young ladies"!!  In this book, we follow the story from two threads. One from renown virologist Anna Grey's perspective. She is currently battling a rather nasty bug affecting some school kids when she is embroiled into another all the more horrid disease which is made all the more personal when it affects someone close to her. The other thread follows the ups/downs and otherwise of Harry Erskine as he gets caught up in it all from a different angle.
The two voices are very distinct and are easy to follow. The characters as always are very well defined and come across as very real. As well as the two main characters, there are a whole host of secondary and bit-part players and each one is distinct with their own voice, personality and part in the story.
The demons are evil, the plague is horrid, the torture and suffering is right up there! This book is definitely not for the faint-hearted. I am now going to seek out more of Mr Masterton's work as I can't believe I have missed so much. It will definitely take me a fair while to catch up!

I received a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.