Carolina Dean

Book Reviews

Movie Reviews 

 The Witches of Eastwick

The Widows of Eastwick

Queer Fear 2: Gay Horror Fiction

The Only Astrology Book You'll Ever Need

Conjure Wife

Beneath a Mountain Moon

Murder at Witch's Bluff

Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic

Practical Magic

The Alchemist 

Water Witch 

Like Water for Chocolate

The Probable Future

Swan Song

Anansi Boys

 Angelique's Descent

 The Salem Branch

Doktor Snake's Voodoo Spellbook

Rosemary's Baby

Forthcoming.............

American Gods

Good Omens

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

Son of a Witch  

 Son of Rosemary 

By John Updike (1984)

· Paperback: 320 pages

· Publisher: Ballantine Books (August 27, 1996)

· Language: English

· ISBN-10: 0449912108

· ISBN-13: 978-0449912102

· Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches

 The Witches of Eastwick is another example of a great book being turned into a less than stellar movie. If you’re familiar with the movie, there’s a lot in this book that you’ll find familiar as well. Unlike the movie which was set in the late 1980’s, the book takes place in the fictional town of Eastwick, Rhode Island at the time of the Vietnam War. The story mainly concerns Alexandra, an artist; Jane, a cellist; and Sukie, a columnist. They are in the primes of their lives, each having either left, or been left by, their respective husbands.

Following the void left by their husbands, the women find an inner power they each posses…the power of witchcraft. These witches, however, are a far cry from the an it harm none variety with which many modern readers in the know are familiar. No, these witches are promiscuous, spiteful, vindictive, and they’re not above putting a hex on their enemies.

Enter Daryl Van Horn. Summoned to town not by the witches magic, by rather by a desire to escape a past life and possibly numerous creditors; Daryl promptly takes possession of and begins remodeling Lenox Manor. One by one, the witches are seduced by Daryl who each takes him as their lover. In the mean time, the witches have conjured a cookie jar in such as way as to cause their enemy (and most outspoken opponent) Felecia Gabriel to vomit all manner of feathers, dirt, pins, etc…which ultimately leads to her murder by Felecia’s husband, who goes on to commit suicide.

Following the death of Felecia and Clyde Gabriel, their children Chris and Jenny return to Eastwick to settle their parent’s affairs. Finding the girl to be sweet, innocent, and accommodating and perhaps even out of a sense of guilt, the witches invite Jenny to participate in their activities with Daryl. However, Jenny proves to be too accommodating and accepts Daryl’s proposal for marriage. It is then that the witches conspire to punish the girl they believe stole their shared lover for herself.

The remainder of the story examines the lives of all those involved as the witch’s curse takes its toll and we are able to also see the consequences of the magic they invoked. In the end, it seems that everyone’s relationship suffers. Will the witches be able to undo the damage they have done? Will they be able to heal the rift that has come between them? Will anything ever be the same?

Prudish types may find the frank and sometimes descriptive depictions of the witches sexual encounters unsavory. I personally did not like the slurs the witches use when referring to men they suspect to be gay. However, as a gay man myself I am not unaccustomed to such prejudice and I chalked it up to the women’s generation.

I really enjoyed the depictions of the witches flavor of witchcraft and found their use of common household items in their spells an excellent example of Kitchen Witchery. At roughly 300 pages Witches isn’t a quick read, as it is filled with a great deal of detail that the author is famous for. Some may feel that the story branches off from it’s self in a few places but it only adds to the overall story, as Witches isn’t just about three women, it’s a story about an entire town and the effects of gossip, scandal, and magic run wild.

·Written by John Updike

  Hardcover: 320 pages

· Publisher: Knopf (October 21, 2008)

· Language: English

· ISBN-10: 0307269604

· ISBN-13: 978-0307269607

It’s been 30 years since the comely coven of Alexandra, Jane, and Sukie left Eastwick behind for separate lives with newly conjured husbands, Alexandra to an artist in New Mexico; Jane to a well-to-do financial consultant in New England; and Sukie to a nouveau-riche entrepreneur in Connecticut. Who’s to say if they left Eastwick for a second chance at love and happiness or was it to escape the shame and guilt of having killed one of their own? Perhaps they left to avoid the ire of their numerous enemies, who coveted their beauty, power, and sexual freedom?

Suffice it to say, gone are the days of meeting together to raise the cone of power. No more maleficia. No more orgiastic sabbats with their shared lover Daryl Van Horne. No more feasting upon fine delicacies in the grand rooms of Lenox Manor. Alexandra fills her days devoted to her husband and his craft, somehow finding the time to nurture her own. Whereas Jane somewhat enjoys the leisurely pace of the idle rich, and Sukie expresses her creativity by writing romance novels just this side of pornography.

Having settled into the routine of their lives, the women suddenly find themselves widowed with the death of their respective husbands. The witches now face the grim reality of their own death and seek to renew the friendships of the past. After having had little contact in the past thirty years, the women initially reconnect through letters and phone calls. These calls first lead to Alexandra and Jane taking a trip to Egypt together, and the following year, Sukie joins them for a trip to China.

After having to persuade Alexandra a bit, the women decide to return to the “scene of their primes” as one of the witches describes Eastwick. Interestingly, they end up renting Lenox Manor (now divided into several condos and renamed to reflect the fact) for the months of August and September. Though many years have passed, they begrudgingly look forward to their return trip to Eastwick, which they attribute to both a sense of curiosity as well as a sense of guilt for their part in the demise of Jenny Gabriel, the wife of Daryl Van Horne.

The return of the witches to Eastwick shocks its citizens, and Jane in particular gets a peculiar shock in return, or rather a series of shocks. Alexandra un-expectantly meets the wife of one of her past lovers who attributes her daughter’s inability to conceive to the coven’s black magic. Sukie meets with a former lover, eleven years her junior, only to find that fantasy has given away to reality and her former boy-toy is now an old man. Not only has his six-pack grown into a keg, but his hand has become deformed due to an accident which occurred aboard the ship on which he used to work.

About the same time Jane suffers a health scare, she realizes that Christopher Gabriel, the brother of the girl they murdered, is also in town. The women come to believe that Darryl has shared some of his power with the man they describe as his ‘disciple’ and that he is the cause of Jane’s problems. The witches decide to flex their magical muscles once again and raise the cone of power. However, this time they decide to attempt to right the wrongs of the past. Jane seeks a healing, while Alexandra prays to the Goddess to allow her old enemy’s daughter to conceive, and Sukie makes her wish for her former lover to be made whole again.

They barely raised the cone of power before the unthinkable happens. Their enemy claims his first victim from among their number and the two witches left behind must counteract his spell or be taken next.

It would be a mistake to say that I read this book, but rather I devoured it; as once I started reading it, I could not put Widows down until I had digested the whole story. I very much enjoyed the author’s descriptions of the many places the witches visited during their travels as well as their philosophical banter which was quite interesting. I found the women’s attempts to understand and actually utilize today’s technology (cell phones, hybrid cars, etc…) both amusing and realistic.

I especially liked the description of the witches’ ritual to raise the cone of power and was delighted that the author actually attempted to somewhat update their practices. The fact that the witches used terms such as chakras, athame, and Wicca hinted that at least one of them had continued her studies on some level. I would have loved to have gotten the elderly witches observations on how the craft has come to the forefront of society’s consciousness. How the practice of magic and witchcraft isn’t as hidden as it was in their day. What might these witches have thought of Buffy or The Charmed Ones?

There were a few instances where I was slightly offended such as Alexandra’s reaction when it dawned upon her that one of the men in her tour group was gay; or not so much disgusted but disturbed as when Sukie (a sixty-something year old woman, mind you) got a facial after orally pleasuring one of her lovers. However, I chalked up Alexandra’s reaction to her personal prejudice due to her age as well as having been betrayed by Daryl, who had left the women so long ago for the bed of another man.

Finally, I found the author’s attempt to explain magic in scientific terms somewhat boring as well as Chris explanation as to how he attempted to duplicate the witch’s maleficia by manipulating electrons too clinical albeit not impossible. I felt that any attempt to dissect the process of magic detracts from the mystery of the power and removes any sense of the enjoyment of reading.

I found Widows to be a fast, interesting, and delightful read, save for a few inconsistencies and aforementioned detractions. The author did an excellent job of maintaining the characterizations he created with the first novel, with just enough changed to show that the women had matured, or rather had grown. I had hoped for an appearance of Daryl Van Horne, but perhaps his time has passed. At the young age of seventy-something, lets hope that this chapter in the witches lives isn’t their epilogue and that they have just enough life in them for one more story—if only we didn’t have to wait another 28 years.

By Michael Rowe

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Arsenal Pulp Press (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1551521229
• ISBN-13: 978-1551521220

For many years the genre of horror fiction has been almost exclusively written by heterosexuals for heterosexuals. These stories, typically involve a female victim and a male antagonist. However in this new millennium, when the line that separates gay from straight has become more and more ambiguous, art had begun to imitate life as we are now presented with an anthology of horror stories in which the protagonists as well as the victims are very clearly homosexual.

I first read Queer Fear (2000) in early 2001 after coming across it in a Bookstore I frequented. I read it from cover to cover a number of times, until I had portions of it committed to memory. So, I was extremely excited when I discovered that a second anthology had been compiled into Queer Fear II.

Queer Fear II gets off to a great start with its first story, Bugcrush. It concerns a subject that anyone, gay or straight, can easily identify with, one's first crush. I instantly sympathized with Ben the high school student as he agonized over his own desire for Grant, the object of his crush. When Grant invites Ben over to his house one day, it seems that Ben's dream is about to come true only to have that dream descend into a nightmare of date rape and murder in a most gruesome manner.

David Coffey's On Being a Fetish, gives us a glimpse of the afterlife for Chuck, who died 20 years prior and wanders his hometown as a lonely spirit. A young man described as an Eminem wannabe draws Chuck's attention and interest after an erotic episode with a ouija board. The two begin an unlikely relationship using the ouija board in a most unusual way. The relationship goes to new levels as Chuck basically becomes a voyeur to a willing Eminem's nightly "bedtime" ritual. Other than invoking a sense of fear, the purpose of this story seems to be to disgust the reader with it's description of necrophilia; however, it also serves as a reminder that the need for love follows us even past the grave itself, and that (at least for Chuck)that search is no more easier in death than it is in life.

Other stories such as Gay Town by Robert Boyckuk, make little if any sense at all. Rather than a horror story, the author seems to be making a statement against remaining in the closet rather than living one's life openly. In the end the central mystery goes unexplained, and the reader is left without any sense of closure. Although a good story in and of itself Poppy Z. Brite's Bayou de la Mere, in no way can be considered horror by any definition of the word. Perhaps it's inclusion in Queer Fear II was meant to increase sales by drawing in the authors fans. Bayou de la Mere would likely be more comfortable in a book of gay erotica.

I really wanted to like this book, I really did. However, like many things in life, it simply does not stand up to the original. While it has a few exceptional stories, the mediocre/bad ones are more numerous. In the end, it simply is not worth the time, effort, or expense to weed through the drivel in order to get to the stories worthy of one's attention and interest.

Written by Joanna Martine Woolfolk

In print for nearly two decades, The Only Astrology Book You'll Ever Need truly stands up to its title. However, should you plan to make a career as an astrologer you will, of course, need further study. Beginning with the Sun signs and moving on through the remaining planets, as well as more obscure influences such as the Ascendant, Moon signs, Decanates and Cusps of each sign, the book is well thought out and the information presented in a logical and orderly manner In addition the author explains the steps necessary to erect a chart in simple terms.

Without including any un-necessary information Woolfolk includes everything that you need to get a decent idea of what each element in your chart means and provides an accurate method of putting all this information together in an easy to understand format. In addition, she describes a method of comparing one's chart to that of another, called Synastry, in order to determine their level of compatibility with one another.

Had the author stopped at this point, the book would still be an invaluable tool in and of its self; however Woolfolk has also included a plethora of miscellaneous information not found in other books on astrology including a detailed analysis of the amorous nature of each sign by gender, as well as advice on seducing an individual based on his or her Sun Sign. There's an entire chapter devoted to maintaining good health, with advice regarding a proper diet and a few words about each sign's erogenous zones.

For those who enjoy a little science to balance their magic, the book contains detailed astronomical information regarding each of the planets, as well as their mythological history and correspondences. In addition, the author has included the legend behind each of the signs of the zodiac, as well as a brief history of astrology and a comprehensive dictionary of terms. The charts in the back of the book which indicate in which sign each of the planets are in the zodiac through to the year 2025 also doubles as an almanac, an invaluable tool for Wiccans and Pagans who observe astrological hours in the timing of the spells and rituals.

Over all, The Only Astrology Book You'll Ever Need is a very good introduction to the topic of Astrology and contains all the basics needed to familiarize yourself with the principles of Astrology and get you started on erecting your own chart and understanding exactly what it means. That being said, should you decide to advance in your studies the book does not address the principles behind The Nodes of the Moon, The Part of Fortune, The Asteroids, or Retrogrades. However, it is an excellent reference for the casual reader and the serious student alike.

Written by Frietz Lieber

Considered a modern horror story for it's time, Conjure Wife reinvents the 'witch' as well educated women far removed from the green-skinned, hag of our collective imagination and allows her story to unfold on a modern university campus. The action begins fairly early in the book when Norman Saylor, a professor of ethnology, discovers his wife Tansy has put his research into "Negro Conjure Magic" into practice for the sake of protecting him from other spell casting faculty wives who wish to further their own husbands careers and with that their own social standing.

Being a rational man of science Norman has only an academic interest in the subject of magic and superstition and he forces Tansy to cease all her workings and to burn all her charms which mostly take the form of mojo bags (called hands in the book)--with the exception of her diary which contains her formulas for How to Make Wishes Work, How To Get and Guard, to Spell and to Hex. No sooner does Norman burn the last charm hidden in his pocket watch, which Tansy either purposely or accidentally forgot was there, do things start to fall apart. A former student accuses Norman of railroading him into failing out of school and threatens him with a gun, his student-secretary accuses him of having seduced her, and he is passed over for a promotion that had seemed guaranteed.

Norman then begins to have more than his fair share of small accidents such as cutting himself while shaving, stepping on carpet tacks, cutting his hand with a letter opener, etc... and he begins to imagine that he senses a dark presence which exploits his fear of trucks. A bad situation becomes even worse when Tansy takes his curse upon herself and he is forced to put aside his disbelief and use witchcraft to save not only his wife's soul, but her body as well in an delightfully unexpected twist reminiscent of The Skeleton Key (2005).

Although Conjure Wife is a horror novel, it's subject matter is treated seriously. The witches are portrayed as 'normal' women with clearly understandable motivations. The witchcraft portrayed in the novel is derived from Southern Folk Magic (Hoodoo). Very early in the book Norman discovers Tansy's boxes of silver dimes, lodestones, and several bottles of graveyard dirt, and squares of flannel for making her 'hands'. The practices portrayed in this work are authentic, however the author did little to describe the actual use of these items within the story, save for a few workings. Most of the action is internal as Norman attempts to convince himself that the events occurring around him are coincidental as slowly begins to believe that magic is real and all women are witches!

The book has spawned three movie adaptations Burn, Witch Burn (1962); Weird Woman (1944); and Witch's Brew(1980). Although each movie is based on this novel, each one has changed it's portrayal how witchcraft (not Wicca) is practiced. None of the movies portrays witchcraft as it is actually practiced, however neither does all the practices in Conjure Wife reflect actual practices.

Overall I found it a very enjoyable read that was over too quickly.

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications; 1st edition (July 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567187226

Published more than ten years ago when Silver Ravenwolf was one of Llewellyn’s most successful authors and before the backlash that her non-fiction works brought down on her, Beneath a Mountain Moon was Ravenwolf’s first foray into the genre of magickal realism. It tells the story of Elizabethya Belladonna, a fam-trad witch, who has sporadically come to the town of Whiskey Springs, Pennsylvania over the previous two years to investigate the death of her grandmother and her grandmother’s estranged sister.

Carolina Dean

Links

Beneath a Mountain Moon at Amazon
Read an Excerpt at Google Books

Written by Silver Ravenwolf

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications; 1st edition (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1567187277
• ISBN-13: 978-1567187274

True to its title, Murder at Witch's Bluff has it all, murder, mystery, magick, and even a little romance. As someone who once enjoyed Silver Ravenwolf's non-fictional material as well as her previous book Beneath a Mountain Moon, I was very interested in reading more of her fiction that wasn't geared specifically towards the teenage market.

In this book, Silver has defiantly captured the feel of small town America with all its vices and virtues. The characters, for the most part, are well thought out with a few exceptions. The central character, Siren McKay, is portrayed as a very strong willed woman even in the face of the terrible violence that she was exposed to, and the victim of, in a relatively short amount of time. I absolutely loved the character of Nana Loretta, and the descriptions of her magickal practices were an added bonus. I also felt that Tanner's struggle with attempting to find if magick and witchcraft had a place in his life is also one that many of us have also struggled with ourselves. I also liked that fact that this book portrayed a gay character (Lexi) who wasn't too stereotypical. Although her part was relatively small, Gemma was completely psychotic as any murderous villain. Though he starts out as a very unsympathetic character, Uncle Jess become more endearing as the author peels back the layers to reveal the man behind all the gruff. Other than Siren herself, I felt as though Serato, was one of the most interesting of characters in the book. At times it almost felt as if he was a narrator, as his observations of the other characters in the book were so accurate and greatly helped to move the story along.

I failed to comprehend the exact purpose for the character of Rachael in the story. It seems that the author either had planned to do more with her and decided not to do so, or that she was always intended to be a throw-away character for the purpose of adding to the list of suspects. I also would have liked at least one scene depicting Siren applying her trade as a hypnotherapist.

Overall the plot was well conceived if not original, although I have to admit that the story did not unfold in the direction that I had previously thought it would. Although there were a few continuity errors and more than a few typos, it did not detract from the over all story itself in my opinion. The mysterious in this novel are numerous, although some will not be as mysterious as others to the observant reader. The pacing is fast throughout the book with virtually no slow spots. Fellow crafters will enjoy the inclusion of descriptions of actual spells and ritual, as well as the inclusion of actual Wiccan poetry that has been found in non-fiction works.

I was a bit disappointed with the fact that the author chose not to include a scene in which the characters who were either absent or unconscious at the book's climax were told the truth about the novel's central mystery and how they dealt with this information; instead the reader is left to infer for himself how they reacted. Although the final scene wraps up all but a few loose ends, they seemed to be inconsequential in the face of what actually transpired.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I felt that the bad far outweighed the good and would recommend Murder at Witch's Bluff to anyone interested in magickal fiction, or just anyone who loves a good story!

 The Salem Branch at Amazon.com
Read an excerpt at google books

Written by Alice Hoffman

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade (August 5, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425190374
• ISBN-13: 978-0425190371

If you saw the film that this book inspired in 1998 and think you know all about the Owens women who “for more than two hundred years…have been blamed for everything that went wrong in their Massachusetts town,” then think again. Like most books that make the jump to the silver screen certain changes were made that affected the story as a whole. Some subplots were abandoned while others were expanded.

After the untimely death of their parents in a fire, two sisters Sally and Gillian are taken in by their eccentric Aunts. Due to their family’s reputation for being witches, Sally and Gillian are harassed and ostracized by their peers and so have no one to turn to but each other. The two sisters couldn’t be more unlike one another. Sally, the eldest sibling, copes by being the perfect child. She cooks nutritional dinners, washes and hangs the laundry and always goes to bed on time. Gillian, however, dreams of being free from the house, the Aunts, the taunting and teasing of the boys who fear her.

However, the sisters have one thing in common. They spend many nights in the shadows of the landing above the stairs in their house listening to their Aunts ply their trade as witches who specialize in affairs of the heart. They listen to the women who come to their Aunts desperate to gain love. The sisters see the toll that unrequited love takes on a woman and are disgusted at the lengths these desperate women will go to in order to obtain the one they desire. Consequently, both of the girls are afraid to love.

In an expanded subplot from the movie, as the story unfolds we actually get to see the long-term results of the love spell performed on behalf of one of the Aunts clients and the consequences of the magic invoked one night with little forethought and much desperation.

Gillian escapes the house on Magnolia Street by running off with a boy in the middle of the night after having spiked their Aunts soup so she wouldn’t be caught. She finds herself unable to settle on any one guy, not for very long. However that doesn’t stop her from getting married three times. Sally, on the other hand, stays with the Aunts and fills her days working in the garden, doing household chores, and shopping at the hardware store for cleaning supplies.

Sally finally meets a man named Michael at the hardware store. They fall in love, get married and have two daughters Antonia and Kylie. For a time, she is happy. Nonetheless, the death-watch beetle begins to mark off Michael’s time on earth and he is doomed to die. At first Sally doesn’t believe her Aunts when they tell her, until she slowly begins to believe their warnings and Sally goes to the Aunts for help. Having already secretly done everything they were able, the Aunts could offer no advice but to accept the inevitable.

After Michael’s death, Sally goes into a deep depression which last for exactly one year. During that time the Aunts become Antonia and Kyle’s main caregivers. When Sally comes out of her depression, she witnesses that her daughters are now being subjected to the same harassment that she and her sisters suffered through so many years ago. She then decides to do just as her sister had done years before. She uses Michael’s insurance money and some of her own savings to move away from the Aunts and start a new life in New York. There she attempts to give her daughters something that she herself felt that she never had…a normal life.

Rather than opening her own business as in the movie, Sally takes a job as a school secretary so that she can be home when her daughters come home from school and the job has the added bonus of allowing her to have summers off. Just when it seems that Sally has achieved her goal of a normal life, Gillian shows up on her doorstep one hot summer night with Jimmy Hawkins, her dead boyfriend, in her car.

Gillian fears that she has murdered Jimmy because she had been slipping him nightshade every night to prevent him from getting drunk and consequently hurting her. It seems that though Jimmy has a long history of hurting, even murdering, the ones around him Gillian is compelled to love him and like many abused women, can’t seem to leave her abuser. Not even her magic seems strong enough to take away her love for him. This is in direct contrast with all her previous experiences with men, in that since the time she was a teenager men and boys fell in love with her at first sight. She often had them wrapped around her little finger and just when they thought their love was secure---she left the relationship. The sisters ultimately decide to bury Jimmy in the backyard and forget about the entire incident.

The book then begins to focus on the relationship between Sally’s daughters Antonia and Kylie. Being teenagers, the girls have a strained relationship. Like Sally and Gillian, they appear to be more unlike that alike in their outlook and attitudes. Antonia is more like her Aunt Gillian—beautiful, spoiled, wild, and carefree; whereas Kylie is more like her mother—responsible, introverted, and sensitive. It is only when Kylie’s beauty threatens to outshine her own that Antonia begins to contemplate her future and what she has to offer the world, rather than what the world has to offer her. As Kylie develops physically, she becomes surer of herself and more aware of her own beauty. It is only after she is almost sexually assaulted that Antonia and Kylie renew their sisterly bond.

Throughout these events, Gillian has formed a relationship with Kylie who looks to her Aunt as a role model for what she believes a woman should be. Thus further strains the relationship between Sally and Gillian as Sally feels that her daughters are still babies, and is not eager to see them grow up just yet. Jimmy’s ghostly influence uses their resentment for one another to further destroy Sally and Gillian’s sisterly bond and drive them apart forever. Jimmy’s spirit seems to take over the back yard where he is buried. The lilacs grow great lengths overnight and their scent draws the attention of the neighborhood women who come to the garden gate to look at them. It seems that the scent of the lilacs stir painful memories in these women, who uncontrollably weep when these memories resurface. Jimmy’s influence reaches into the house as well, as food begins to spoil overnight and dead creatures are found in the toilet and sink.

On Kylie’s 13^th birthday, she develops the ability to see auras and other mystical phenomena. It is her that eventually causes Sally and Gillian to realize that Jimmy’s spirit is attacking not only the house, but Sally and Gillian themselves. After Sally cuts down the lilacs, things seem to improve. Antonia’s biology teacher, Ben Frye, falls in love with Gillian and begins to peruse a relationship with her, although she is adamant that she will be “single forever.” Sally too is challenged by love when Gary Hallet, an investigator from Arizona looking into Jimmy’s disappearance, arrives at her doorstep drawn by a letter Sally sent to Gillian some months prior. With no where else to turn, Sally and Gillian call the Aunts for help in ridding themselves of Jimmy’s ghostly influence.

On the whole, the beginning and ending of the book is somewhat similar to the movie. Although Jimmy’s spiritual death is not as dramatic as it was in the movie and no one becomes possessed, however, this is in keeping with the magical realism genre. The middle part of the book focuses more on Sally’s daughters as they grow from teenagers to young adults and draws a parallel between them and the generations of Owens women who have come before.

Thankfully the absolutely absurd scene from the movie where the witches jump off their roof with umbrellas is absent from the book. I loved the inclusion of actual spells that are so descriptive of the Aunt’s old-world flavor of witchcraft. Although we do get some background information on the Aunts, I think it would be wonderful for Hoffman to write a prequel featuring these wonderful characters.

Practical Magic is a book that I will return to again and again. The author’s descriptive prose and attention to detail brings a greater depth to the story. It is rich in imagination, ripe with characterization, and possessed of a wisdom that will not be lost on the attentive reader.

Written by Paulo Coelho

· Paperback: 176 pages

· Publisher: Harper San Francisco (May 10, 1995)

· Language: English

· ISBN-10: 0062502182

· ISBN-13: 978-0062502186

“Where your heart is, there shall your treasure be also”

-----Luke 12:34

This parable centers on a young man named Santiago. Though his family wishes him to become a priest, he dreams of traveling and so with his father’s reluctant blessings he becomes a shepherd. Santiago spends a great deal of time with his sheep, learning the art of animal husbandry and believes that he has learned all that he needs to know from his close relationship with nature. Though he lives a mainly solitary life, he dreams of marrying a merchant’s daughter.

One night he has a powerful dream in which a child instructs him to seek out a treasure which is buried near the Egyptian Pyramids. Santiago attempts to forget about his dream, but finds that he cannot. He consults a Gypsy woman known for her ability to interpret dreams. The un-named Gypsy listens to his dream and instructs him to go to Egypt and find the treasure. She expects no immediate payment from him, but asks for one tenth of his treasure in return for the services she provided.

Santiago agrees to the arrangement, but is still unsure about what action he should take if any. He is conflicted between the known and the unknown. On one hand he is secure in the life of the shepherd, he knows what to expect each day and things rarely change. On the other hand, his dream compels him to find a treasure which promises to afford him all the things that he desires in his life…wealth, the ability to travel, and to marry.

Finally, Santiago meets a man who claims to be the King of Salem who encourages him to follow his dream and offers him an ancient tool that will enable him to listen to the Soul of the World, the secret language with which all things communicate with one another. Santiago strikes a bargain with the King, who purchases one tenth of Santiago’s herd and which helps him to begin to finance his journey to the pyramids.

Santiago sets about his journey to find the treasure promised of in his dream. Along the way he meets several characters who cause him to both question his choices as well as to confirm his personal destiny. Through his experiences with both friends and enemies he learns more about himself, the world, nature, and the importance of following one’s dreams.

Though he struggles with his decisions Santiago continually finds omens that he believes lead him in the direction he wishes to go. Moving ever forward Santiago finally arrives in Egypt where his treasure awaits him, however, not in the form or even the place that he had expected. The ending provides an ironic twist that the reader doesn’t see coming but which reminds one of the importance of the journey over the destination.

I really liked this story and at only about 170 pages I was able to finish it in one sitting. However, some may find the fact that The Alchemist draws upon the religious mythology of both Christian and Muslim spirituality distasteful. However, for me, it didn’t detract from the central theme of the story which is to follow one’s dreams.

While some have criticized The Alchemist for presenting universal truths in a superficial manner, I prefer to read the story as a whole for its message. Though this book was originally published in 1988 (years before The Secret) there are hints to the Law of Attraction that has come to the forefront of society’s consciousness in the past several years.

In short, I believe that nearly everyone can learn something from The Alchemist; and even if you don’t like the book, no one but the most die hard pessimist can deny there are worse things in life you can do than to follow your dream.

 Written by Deborah LeBlanc

· Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages

· Publisher: Leisure (September 30, 2008)

· Language: English

· ISBN-10: 0843960396

· ISBN-13: 978-0843960396

Water Witch is the story of Dunny, an ordinary woman with an extraordinary gift. She has the power to find things that are lost or hidden….car keys, water, wallets, as well as missing people and animals. The only drawback is that her ability is tied to an extra digit on her left hand, which she feels compelled to keep hidden with the use of gloves. That, and the fact that there are numerous people who ostracize her for her gift or wish to use it for their own gain, like finding oil on their property.

For these very reasons Dunny has hidden herself away in her ancestral home in Texas where she is blessed to work as a freelance writer. The job doesn’t pay much but she enjoys what she is doing and is able to live off the interest of a somewhat sizeable account left to her by her grandparents who squirreled away their fortune after having discovered oil on their land, thanks to Dunny, a few years before their deaths.

Having given up on the hope for love, a husband, and a family of her own, Dunny has consigned herself to devoting time to her writing and caring for, in her own way, a strange dog that wanders in and out of her life from time to time. The peculiar thing is that each time Fritter wanders into her life something bad happens. The first time she met him, she discovered a brushfire near her home, the second time she was in a minor car accident. With Fritter’s latest appearance, Dunny gets an urgent phone call from her sister, Angelle.

Angelle resides in a small town in Louisiana with her husband, Travis, and earns a living as a school teacher. Not only one, but two of Angelle’s students have disappeared and it seems that only Dunny’s power of dowsing can bring them back, that is, if it isn’t already too late. Dunny’s become comfortable with her life and fears being ostracized in yet another town and so she’s reluctant to come to her sister’s aid. However, she senses that there is more to Angelle’s story, and there is, than what she is saying. Eventually, against her and Fritter’s better judgment, she goes to Louisiana to attempt to find the children.

What follows is a supernatural tale of good versus evil with not only the lives, but also the souls, of two precious children hanging in the balance. With the support of her sister and insight of Poochie, who has more power than even she knows, Dunny must overcome her own fears and insecurities in order to embrace her special gifts to combat a madman who is perverting the sacred rituals of his ancestors for his own gain and bring those children home safely.

At just under 300 pages, Water Witch is a quick read. The author’s easy style makes the story seem to jump off the page. Though we are not privy to a great deal of backstory or history of the characters, they felt like real people to me, their thought processes and actions didn’t seem contrived just to move the story along. Leblanc does an excellent job of allowing the reader to think that he or she has discovered the villain’s true identity, only to surprise us with an unexpected twist. I especially like the character of Poochie and her interactions with the other characters as the plot unfolds. However, sensitive readers may find the liberal use of the “F” word unsavory, as well as her quoting one of Demi Moore’s most famous line from the motion picture GI Jane. Nonetheless, given the circumstances the characters find themselves in you can’t fault them for a few profanities. I also found the author’s inclusion of folk beliefs native to Louisiana delightful, the feux fo lais for example.

There were a few plot points that I found puzzling such as what happened to the shoes in Poochie’s prayer-tree and who exactly were the shadowy beings haunting the villain? Even with these questions somewhat unexplained, it didn’t detract from the story and I found myself wanting the story to continue. I would love to have seen Dunny explore the full extent of her powers. Did they begin and end at dowsing, or did she have the potential to be a “witch” in every sense of the word? Given what occurs at the end of the book concerning the source of Dunny’s powers, as well as a budding romance, I wonder if a sequel will be forthcoming. If so, I would gladly escape into Dunny’s world for a few more hours and would invite you to come along……

A Novel in Monthly Installments with Recipes, Romances, and Home Remedies

By Laura Esquirrel

·  Paperback: 256 pages

·  Publisher: Anchor (October 1, 1995)

·  Language: English

·  ISBN-10: 038542017X

·  ISBN-13: 978-0385420174

I first became aware of Like Water for Chocolate when the movie became a selection on my cable company’s free movie menu. The description of the movie seemed interesting and I watched it, even though it was Spanish with English subtitles.

Like Water for Chocolate takes place on a large ranch during the Mexican Revolution (think Pancho Villa) and concerns the life of Tita De La Garza, the youngest daughter of the clan. Due to the shock of hearing that her husband has died, Mama Elena (the matriarch of the De La Garza family) gives birth to Tita prematurely. However, Mama Elena is unable to breastfeed Tita and so she falls under the care of Nacha, the ranch cook, who nourishes her with teas and broths in lieu of milk, and teaches her the lessons of life in a way only the kitchen can.

The fact that Mama Elena is unable to care for her daughter is ironic in that as the youngest daughter, Tita is bound by family tradition to never marry or have children in order for her to take care of her mother until the day Mama Elena dies. Mama Elena firmly believes in her family’s traditions and takes a special delight in ensuring that both recipes and the rules of proper society are followed to the letter. She rules her family with an iron fist and frequently abuses her disobedient daughter both verbally and physically.

When Pedro comes to ask for Tita’s hand in marriage, Mama Elena refuses citing the harsh family tradition. In order to remain close to Tita, Pedro decides to marry Tita’s older sister Rosaura instead.  Forbidden from being near the man that she loves, Tita expresses her desires and pleases him in the only way that she can…through her recipes.

The story takes on an almost surreal quality as Tita’s thoughts and emotions while preparing meals seem to imbue the food with magic that has a profound effect on the hearts and minds of those who consume her dishes. In one instance, Tita is forced to prepare all the food for her sister’s wedding banquet. Mama Elena tells her that she must do this and show no emotion,” not one tear.” However the wise and sympathetic Nacha allows her to cry, knowing that Tita must release her pain over her lost love. Unfortunately, Tita’s tears fall into the cake batter and when the guests take their first bite of the cake they become overwhelmed by the memories and heartaches of their own lost loves. In addition, they also become violently ill leading Mama Elena to believe that Tita put an emetic in the cake to purposefully make everyone sick out of spite. Mama Elena beats Tita so badly that she has to stay in bed for a week to recover.

In another incidence, Pedro gives Tita a bouquet of roses the petals of which she uses to make a sauce for roasted quail. Tita’s passion and desire for Pedro pours into the sauce and when it is consumed by her eldest sister Gertrudis she becomes enflamed with passion. So much so that when she attempts to cool her passions in the outdoor shower the water evaporates before it touches her skin, and the wooden shower itself burst into flames. Ultimately, Gertrudis runs naked from the shower and is swept away by a revolutionary drawn by the powerful scent of roses emanating from her.

Throughout the story Mama Elena does everything that she can to keep Tita and Pedro apart. Similar to her own birth, Tita becomes the primary caregiver for her sister’s son, Roberto, after her sister is unable to care for him to due to a difficult birth and Rosaura’s inability to breastfeed. Sensing that Roberto is drawing Pedro and Tita closer, Mama Elena sends Pedro, Rosaura and Roberto away to live with distant relatives. Unfortunately, Roberto dies and Tita blames Mama Elena.

Tita becomes even more rebellious and locks herself away in the dovecote and refuses to come down or even speak. Mama Elena, believing her daughter has gone insane, arranges for a doctor to come to the ranch and take Tita to a mental hospital. The doctor, John Brown, takes Tita to his own home instead where he allows Tita to heal in her own time and in her own way. During her recovery, Tita is visited by the spirit of Dr. Brown’s grandmother, Kikapu, a wise Indian herbalist, who offers her a delicious tea and establishes non-verbal communication with her. It is here that Tita gets her first taste of freedom and finally gets the opportunity to decide for herself what she wants to do with her own life.

Dr. Brown falls in love with Tita and then she must decide if she loves him enough to marry him, if her heart still belongs to Pedro, or if her destiny is to deny herself love all together in order to take care of her mother. Along the way the spirit of both Nacha and Kikapu is there to guide and support her.

As the title states, Like Water for Chocolate includes recipes, romances, and remedies. Each chapter begins with a recipe as Tita expertly prepares the dish in question. Some of the recipes explore the traditions behind the meals. In addition, the healing power of soups, teas, and even barks are discussed and even a little bit of science and medicine is included. At only 256 pages, Like Water for Chocolate is a quick read and can be completed in only a few hours, however it is a story that stays with you long after the last page is read, the book is closed, and returned to the shelf.

By Alice Hoffman

 ·  Paperback: 352 pages

·  Publisher: Ballantine Books (June 1, 2004)

·  Language: English

·  ISBN-10: 0345455916

The Probable Future is the story of the Sparrow women, each of whom discovers their own unique ability on their 13^th birthday. Though many Sparrow women are mentioned, the story mainly concerns the three latest generations. Elinor, the current matriarch, can discern liars; Jenny, the mother, dreams other people’s dreams; and Stella, the daughter can see the manner in which people will die. Along the way we learn a little about their infamous ancestor, Rebecca Sparrow, who was blessed (or cursed) with the inability to feel pain which lead to her demise at the hands of a suspicious mob.

Their unique gifts and long history in the town of Unity make the Sparrow women both a source of pride as well as the subject of rumor and assumptions. Desperate to escape the burden of her heritage and an un-loving mother, Jenny runs away with Will Avery an attractive young man who could charm anyone, with the exception of Elinor Sparrow who knew him to be a liar and a cheat the second she laid eyes upon him.

Jenny sacrifices her education in order to ensure that Will receives his, only to have Will squander his opportunity at Harvard University, which pretty much sets up a cycle which the couple repeats in various forms through the years. Eventually, Jenny and Will have a daughter. It is a difficult birth, but both the child and the mother survive. Jenny swears that her daughter will never learn of her heritage, and strives to be the kind of mother that she herself never had. Jenny’s efforts serve only to drive her daughter further away. Their relationship is further strained by the fact that Jenny has left Will, and he has moved out, since Stella practically worships her father.

Stella’s 13^th birthday coincides with the onset of menstruation, and she begins to have graphic visions indicating a person’s manner of death. She sees a large fish trapped in her math teacher’s throat, a pea sized sphere in the brain of a cab driver, etc… Not understanding what she is seeing, Stella confides in the only person she feels that she can trust, her father.

When Stella predicts the murder of a woman in the restaurant he takes her to celebrate her birthday Stella urges Will to warn her of impending death. When the woman fails to take the vision seriously, Stella forces her father to do more in order to prevent the death. Will goes to the police to make a report, but the police don’t take him seriously either. When the murder occurs, Will becomes the prime suspect and the media descend on him and his family to get the story.

Jenny is forced to send her daughter to live with her grandmother in her ancestral home. When Jenny loses her job due to the scandal, she returns to her home as well to make a new start. With three generations of Sparrow women under one roof and the threat of the real murderer lurking in the darkness the women are forced to deal with their issues, lost loves, and the powers that they cannot deny.

I really enjoyed The Probable Future, I felt that it could very well be the story of distant cousins of the Owens women in Hoffman’s Practical Magic as the two novels bear a few striking similarities. Both stories concern the most recent in a long line of magical women, a very unique house, and the struggle to find and accept love.

Although the word witch appears only once in the whole book, there are hints that the women are witches, or have some knowledge of witchcraft. Rebecca Sparrow wanders out of the woods with only a bell, a compass, and wearing a silver star around her neck. Elinor Sparrow is accused of cursing people by sticking an onion with black headed pins, or driving chicken feathers through a knotted length of thread.

While the murder of a woman the author didn’t expend the effort to name moves the story along, the central plot of this book is the dynamic of the mother/daughter relationship. The Probable Future teaches us that the secret to a successful relationship is like one of the recipes in Rebecca Sparrow’s ancient cookbook. All the ingredients are there, we just have to add them in the right proportion. It takes a little sour to balance the sweet, a little heat can bring out flavor, but too much can burn the stew and leave a bitter taste in your mouth, and a dish left out in the cold overnight will often spoil……

By Robert McCammon

·  Mass Market Paperback: 960 pages

·  Publisher: Pocket (June 1, 1987)

·  Language: English

·  ISBN-10: 0671741039

I had never heard of Swan Song until it was recommended to me, by someone whose opinion I valued, due to its similarity to Stephen King’s The Stand. Indeed there are several similarities between these two novels, but there’s also enough differences to make them each unique.

Swan Song starts out with a nuclear holocaust, a fear even more relevant in our times than it was when Swan Song was written twenty years ago. Like his previous novels, McCammon introduces several characters in extraordinary circumstances. Among these characters are Sister Creep, a bag lady in New York City unable to release the pain of a personal tragedy; Colonel Macklin, a decorated war hero hired by a cadre of survivalist to teach them how to survive the coming apocalypse; Roland Croninger, Macklin’s protégé; Swan, a young girl from a broken home who holds the key to mankind’s survival; Josh Hutchins a seven foot tall wrestler known as Black Frankenstein entrusted to protect Swan; and finally the Man with the Scarlet eye, an incarnation of the Devil (comparable to King’s Randal Flagg).  

The novel introduces each character in an episodic structure along with other “minor” characters and as their stories progress they come together as both allies and enemies. My absolute favorite character (other than Sister Creep) was Leona Skelton, the old tarot reader who takes a special interest in Swan. However her part in the story last but a few chapters before she meets her demise.

Amidst the devastation Warlords amass barbaric armies all over the fractured country and rise up against one another to seize power and lay claim to their own territory. Fear and violence run rampant. With no authority to enforce order, rape, murder, molestation, and cannibalism are only a few of the horrors that become the order of the day.  In other areas of the country peaceful communities attempt to rebuild society and regain some semblance of order.

Mankind’s destruction seems inevitable, which please the Man with the Scarlet Eye; but when Swan’s ability to regenerate the Earth’s plant life, thereby allowing them to feed themselves, is discovered he makes it his mission to find and destroy her by any means necessary.

As the novel winds down the ultimate confrontation between Swan and The Man with the Scarlet Eye comes to a head. Just when it seems that the Devil’s victory is eminent only the intervention of God himself, who fell from heaven the same day nuclear war erupted in the skies, can pull us from the pits of despair and return hope to a lost nation.  

At 956 pages Swan Song isn’t a light read, however the chapters are broken up in short intervals which makes for easier reading. Believe me, once you pick up this book you won’t want to put it down. Swan Song is rich is mysticism, magic, action, atmosphere, characterization and depth. I highly recommend this fascinating story to anyone who loves a good story.

By Neil Gaiman

· Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages

· Publisher: HarperTorch (September 26, 2006)

· Language: English

· ISBN-10: 0060515198

If Shakespeare was correct that “all the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players” then Charlie Nancy would much rather be a passive viewer sitting in the dark corner of a back row in the theater of life. Charlie is so self-conscious and awkward to the point that everything and everyone (including himself) is a constant source of embarrassment to him. The main source of his embarrassment (other than himself) is his father, a man who loves (and is much loved by) women and who never seemed to hold down a job or had any visible means of income.

Mr. Nancy, Charlie’s father, gave him the nickname of ‘Fat’ Charlie at a very young age; and despite the fact that Charlie isn’t fat or even pudgy, that nickname has followed him throughout his life and everywhere he goes, even as far as England where he now lives and works. Despite his poor self-image and low self-esteem, Fat Charlie has managed to find gainful employment with the Graham Coates Accounting Agency and become engaged to Rosie Noah, who works for a charity.

As the story opens, Rosie has reluctantly convinced Charlie to invite his father to their wedding only to discover upon attempting to contact Mr. Nancy that his father has died. As his father’s only son, Fat Charlie travels to Florida to do right by his father and get his house in order. True to form, Fat Charlie is late to his father’s funeral and ends up causing a scene by giving a eulogy to his father at the wrong funeral!

Later, after the funeral, Charlie is visiting his old neighborhood and while talking with some of his father’s friends, four elderly black women, learns that his father was, quite literally, a God. At first Fat Charlie doesn’t believe the women and humors them, but they insist that Mr. Nancy was a God. In fact, he was Anansi, the Spider God, a trickster who owns all stories. Even Mrs. Dunwiddy, at 104 the eldest of the women, remembers Mr. Nancy being a man when she was but a little girl. In addition, Fat Charlie is surprised to learn that he once had a brother, who inherited his father’s god-like powers, but who was sent away by Mrs. Dunwiddy many years prior after he broke her garden gazing ball. Before leaving to return to England, Caroline Higgler (Mr. Nancy’s neighbor) tells Charlie that if he ever wishes to meet his brother, just tell a spider and that he will get the message.

On his first night back in England, Charlie’s girlfriend is startled by a spider in his bathtub and asks Charlie to take it outside. While removing the spider, Charlie remembers Mrs. Higgler’s instructions and asks the spider to pass a message along to his brother. Not long after, Spider Nancy shows up at Charlie’s door and Charlie must give Spider the bad news that their father has died. Spider promptly disappears through a photograph to verify his father’s passing for himself leaving Charlie to wonder if their meeting had actually occurred. When Spider returns, he takes Charlie out for a night on the town to mourn the death of their father and celebrate his life with ‘wine, women, and song.’

Charlie drinks too much and embarrasses himself at a karaoke bar, only to pass out and be taken home by Spider and Daisy (one of many women that Spider charmed into tagging along on their night out). The following day, Charlie oversleeps and wakes up in bed with Daisy. He learns that Spider has gone into his office pretending to be him, although Charlie doesn’t quite understand how every would believe that Spider is Charlie. Spider actually does a very good job impersonating Charlie, in fact his was too good at his job.

Spider discovers that Graham Coates, Charlie’s boss, has been embezzling funds from his client’s accounts and has been doing so for some time. When Graham Coates calls Spider (who he thinks is Charlie) into his office to terminate his employment, Spider reveals he knows all about Graham Coates’ embezzlement without making a direct accusation. Graham Coates then gives Charlie two weeks off with pay and a bonus, which he believes will get Charlie out of his way until he figures out how to deal with the situation. Graham decides that the best solution to his problem is to make Charlie the scapegoat for his crimes and sets about covering his tracks and planning his escape. Before he can complete his plan, Graham is forced to murder a client who has discovered his theft and confronted him with the evidence.

Spider begins to discover that he actually likes being Charlie, and so he slowly land deliberately begins to take over Charlie’s life and identity. However, it is when Charlie discovers that Spider has slept with his fiancé Rosie, he resolves to get rid of Spider. Charlie returns to Florida where he seeks the advice of the four elderly women whom he compares to the witches in Macbeth. He convinces the women to help him and they perform a ritual which sends him to the Beginning of the World, a magickal place inhabited by animal totems. Here, Charlie travels through a series of caves meeting with various human/animal hybrids seeking their assistance in getting rid of Spider.

Charlie strikes a bargain with Bird Woman offering her Anansi’s bloodline in return for her getting rid of Spider. At this point the action really begins to accelerate as Spider begins to be attacked by birds everywhere he goes and Rosie discovers Spider’s deception. She declares that she won’t have anything to do with either Spider or Charlie, who has been arrested for suspicion of embezzlement. In an effort to distance herself from Spider’s betrayal as well as to examine her feeling, Rosie goes on a cruise with her mother. Spider is captured by Bird Woman, stripped of most of his powers and left at the mercy of an old enemy; while Rosie and her mother are captured by Graham who wishes to take his revenge upon Charlie by killing them. With Spider unable to assist him and without Rosie’s support and encouragement, Charlie is forced to embrace his heritage and save the ones he loves.

The characters in Anansi’s Boys are multi-dimensional, colorful, full of personality, humorous, flawed, and best of all human (even when they’re not). I really liked the inclusion of traditional tales and mythology concerning Anansi and the animal kingdom as well as the casual manner in which the elderly women in Florida discuss and practice magick. Neil Gaiman is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Gaiman’s love of writing and passion about his subject matter clearly shows in the details which make up his stories; which makes him a story-teller worthy of Anansi himself.

• Author: Lara Parker
• Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Harper Entertainment (December 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061057517



Written by the actress who played the evil witch Angelique on the daytime soap-opera Dark Shadows, Angelique’s Descent tells the story of how the woman became the witch we loved to hate.

* Hardcover: 128 pages
* Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (September 9, 2004)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0312265093

Doktor Snake's Voodoo Spellbook is a little grimoire that I have had my eye on since I first heard about the author in alt.lucky.w. (See Links Below) Considering the dubious nature of Doktor Snake's sources and the information given, I finally decided to purchase his book and form my own opinion.

The book itself measures roughly 8 X 8 inches and has been created in the style of a coffee-table book. Although mine came from the publisher brand new in its original packaging I was disappointed to see that it is in less than pristine condition given the burn mark (which faintly resembles a cigarette burn) on the back of the book. In addition the book comes with a Lucky Mojo Doll which can be seen here. There is no doubt in my mind that the name of the doll was either a slap in the face to the work of Cat Yronwode and an effort to capitalize on the success of the Lucky Mojo Curio Company.

Scattered throughout the book are various illustrations that lends the material given a sense of quaintness. However, I felt that they neither add nor detract from the text but merely increased the book's total number of pages.

Despite the book's misleading title, the subject of Doktor Snake's Voodoo Spellbook is not Voodoo but rather Hoodoo. The author purports to have been taught much of his knowledge by Earl Marlowe a Blues Musician from Trinidad with whom Doktor Snake played guitar in a band. According to Doktor Snake, Earle looked to be in his 60's but claimed to have been 127 years old. Earl had learned about Hoodoo in the Carribbean and the Southern United States where he had lived before coming to live in England. In addition, Doktor Snake goes on to quote other authors on the subject of Hoodoo such as Zora Neal Hurston and Roger Pinckney.

Whereas the author has been accused of outright plagiarism I myself cannot cite any specific passage that I have seen in another work in its entirety. In once instance, the author recalls a rather famous story concerning the High Sheriff J.E. McTeer (which can also be found in Pinckney's Blue Roots) going out to the home of a bedridden woman who believes herself to be cursed. The High Sheriff buries a root in her yard under cover of darkness only to return the following day and 'psychically' finds the root and destroys it thus curing the woman of her curse.

In Docktor Snake's version, the Sheriff is aided by Dr. Crow (another rootwoker). I am from South Carolina. I have lived in the city of Beaufort. I have heard many stories concerning the High Sheriff and I can say that I have never heard of the High Sheriff working with other root doctors. In fact, he often worked against them as a law enforcement officer and as a rootworker himself. While I admit that I can be wrong, I can find no source that states otherwise (other than a mention of a Dr. Crow in Blue Roots) and Doktor Snake does not cite his source for the story.

That being said I found Doktor Snake's book to be a decent general overview of the subject of Hoodoo intermixed with his personal anecdotes. I myself did not learn anything that I didn't already know from this book, however it may be useful to someone interested in following the Hoodoo Tradition. Nonetheless, I would caution anyone new to Hoodoo to avoid this book until they have read at least three books by more reputable authors.

Hardcover, 245 pages
Publisher: Random House ©1967
Language: English

Rosemary’s Baby centers on a young woman named Rosemary and her experiences living in an old Gothic New York apartment complex with Guy, her struggling actor husband. Before moving into the Bramford, as it is called, they are warned by Hutch (a family friend) about the strange history of the building which includes a high incidence of cannibalism, murder, and witchcraft.

Despite the disturbing history of the Bramford, the couple decides to move into the Bramford and are quickly befriended by their eccentric neighbors Roman and Minnie Castevet. Though Rosemary wants to have children, Guy would rather wait until he is more successful in his chosen career. Over the course of the story, Guy becomes increasingly attached to the Castevets whereas Rosemary finds their attention somewhat meddlesome and suffocating.

Guy’s career begins to take off after his rival for a small but important part in a play is struck blind and he agrees to conceive a child with Rosemary. Guy and Rosemary plan to attempt to conceive after a romantic dinner one night. However, Rosemary mysteriously passes out shortly after dinner and what follows is a surreal dream which causes Rosemary to question her reality. Shortly thereafter, Rosemary learns that she is pregnant.

Several weeks go by whereupon Guy becomes increasingly distant to Rosemary, while she becomes more and more isolated in her apartment with only the Castevets for support. Several weeks pass and Hutch pays Rosemary a visit while Guy is out. Hutch is noticeably alarmed at Rosemary’s change in appearance and through his conversation with her becomes suspicious of Roman and Minnie.

Rosemary receives a warning from Hutch before he falls strangely ill and later dies. She follows the clues left behind by Hutch and confirms her suspicions that the Castevets lead a coven of satanic witches and believes that they intend to sacrifice her child to the devil. What follows is Rosemary’s attempts to protect her child and convince the world that not only do witches exist and are in league with Satan, but they are also after her unborn child.

Truth being stranger than fiction, after the birth of her child, Rosemary discovers to her horror the coven’s true reason for desiring the baby. Though the book’s plot is rather infamous now, owning to the faithful adaptation of the movie and its success, the ending presents a twist of apocalyptic proportions.

At roughly 250 pages Rosemary’s Baby is a quick read. Some characters are more fleshed out than others, with only a minimal back story. The plot is simple and quite compact, albeit somewhat slow at times. Told from Rosemary’s point of view, the plot keeps you guessing as she attempts to unravel the central mystery and the reader often wonders if she has been driven mad by her raging hormones?

Supergirl (1984)

The Skeleton Key (2005)

Forthcoming.............

Stardust 

Elvira Mistress of the Dark 

Rosemary's Baby

The Wicker Man

The Craft

Constantine

The Gift

The Incredible Journey of Dr. Meg Laurel

Dr. Strange

The Mists of Avalon

Kull the Conqueror 

Live and Let Die 

• Actors: Faye Dunaway, Helen Slater, Peter O'Toole, Mia Farrow, Brenda Vaccaro
• Directors: Jeannot Szwarc
• Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, THX, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rating:
• Studio: Starz / Anchor Bay
• DVD Release Date: August 8, 2000
• Run Time: 262 minutes

Although Superman was long thought to be the only survivor of his doomed home world of Krypton many Kryptonians were able to survive its explosion and survive in 'inner-space.' Their survival was made possible due to a device known as the Omegahedron, which provides their city with energy to power their devices, and air to breathe, among other things. Argo City has blossomed into a utopian society where its inhabitants have become complacent. Zaltar, the city's founder and resident artist, expresses his desire to leave Argo City for parts unknown; however his plans are not to be. Having 'borrowed' the Omegahedron to bring his tree sculpture to life Zaltar attempts to hide his theft from Allura, Kara's mother, by secretly slipping the Omegahedron to Kara while discussing his plans for leaving inner space. Kara subsequently uses the Omegahedron on her own creation, an insect-like creature, that tears through one of the city's walls.

When the precious Omegahedron is sucked into space all hope seems lost, but Kara is determined to return it before the lights, and lives, of Argo City are extinguished forever. Kara follows the Omegahedron to Earth and, discovering her powers, becomes Supergirl.

Guided by a bracelet whose gem is linked to the Omegahedron, Supergirl follows the signal to Midvale, Illinois and assuming the alter ego of Linda Lee enrolls in an all girl college to provide herself with a cover story for her time on Earth. Meanwhile, the Omegahedron finds its way into the hands of a 'wicked sorceress' named Selena who harnesses its power to amplify her black magic. After experimenting on a chicken with her new found powers, Selena sets her eyes on winning the affections of Ethan, a handsome, if aloof, gardener. Selena's ambitions then reach new heights and she declares her desire to rule the world.

Supergirl struggles to acclimate to Earth culture, as she fights mundane forces in the form of Myra and Muffy, two female bullies at her school; and magical ones in the form of the dark forces Selena repeatedly sends in an attempt to destroy her. Failing in her attempts to destroy Supergirl and claim Ethan as her consort, Selena enlists the help of her erstwhile mentor, Nigel, into helping her fully control the Omegahedron and, upon success, abruptly turns on him in true villainous fashion. Now, having mastered the powers of the Omegahedron, Selena successfully sends Supergirl to the Phantom Zone, where she is powerless, and promptly turns Midvale into a police state. Here, Supergirl is reunited with Zaltar who has been imprisoned for losing the Omegahedron. Zaltar ultimately sacrifices himself in order to lead Supergirl out of the Phantom Zone and back to Earth where she engages Selena in an all out battle of might versus magic for possession of the ultimate power.

Considered a major failure for many years, Supergirl attempted to do what didn't occur until the release of Superman Returns in 2006, which was to revive a dying franchise. Critics panned the film for its camp, bad acting, poor use of actors, and sub par script. However, the popularity of Supergirl has grown over the years into a cult classic on par with The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Harold and Maude, and Reefer Madness to name a few.

Although there are plot holes, there are not as many as have been claimed. One such plot hole which is often brought up is the question of where Supergirl gets her costume upon emerging from the lake following the Omegahedron. This question can be easily answered if you look closely when Kara enters the sphere which transports her to Earth you can clearly see that she sits on a clear package about the size of a throw pillow containing a suit in the familiar yellow, red, and blue. Other plot-holes such as the question regarding how Selena had knowledge of the Phantom Zone aren't so easily answered.

Despite its plot holes and occasional over-acting, Supergirl is not without merit. The 'flying ballet' sequence, as it has been called, captures the beauty and joy of a naïve young girl coming into her own power. The musical score brings an added dimension to the actions occurring in the film. Blink and you will miss Matt Frewer of Max Headroom fame as a trucker looking for a good time. While some have criticized Peter O'toole as lacking any emotional depth in his performance, I see him as a world-weary artist bored with his own existence and hungry for new adventures. Faye Dunaway is at her best as the evil sorceress Selena, although some would argue that Joan Crawford (Dunaway's character in Mommy Dearest) would beat Selena with a wire hanger given half the chance. Brenda Vaccaro as Bianca seems to be for this film what Otis (Ned Beatty) was for Superman The Movie (and it's sequel) comic relief--although her attempts at humor often fall flat and many of her lines are largely un-necessary. Finally, Helen Slater in her movie debut as Supergirl stands her own against the many veteran actors in whose company she finds herself. She certainly looks the part and plays her dual role to perfection.

Overall, this is a very enjoyable, family-oriented film that doesn't require you to think too much. If you love deadly bumper cars, invisible monsters, run-away tractors, flying ballets, ghost trains, world domination, pseudo-magic, demon storms, teenagers dangling in cages, and the sky raining coconuts with pin point accuracy--then this movie is for you and for two hours you will believe... a girl can fly!

Links:

Maid of Might

·  Actors: Kate Hudson, Peter Sarsgaard, Joy Bryant, Gena Rowlands, John Hurt

·  Directors: Iain Softley

·  Writers: Ehren Kruger

·  Language: English, French

·  Subtitles: English, Spanish, French

·  Region: Region 1

·  Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

·  Number of discs: 1

·  Rating:

·  Studio: Universal Studios

·  DVD Release Date: November 15, 2005

·  Run Time: 104 minutes

The story begins as Caroline Ellis, a hospice worker in New Orleans, is reading Treasure Island to one of her patients only to discover that he has died while she was reading to him. It seems that even before the man’s body is cold, Caroline is asked to discard his personal effects in a dumpster since the man’s family didn’t want anything to do with him. Disillusioned with her job and seeking a more satisfying vocation, Caroline resigns from her job to take a position as a private caregiver to Ben, a stroke victim not expected to live very long, on a remote plantation deep in the bayou.

Caroline’s first meeting with Violet, Ben’s wife, does not go well. Violet seems to resists Caroline’s presence, but acknowledges the pressing need to have someone there to assists her in taking care of her husband, or so it seems. Violet’s estate-lawyer, Luke, talks her into accepting Caroline’s application. On her first day, Caroline is given a skeleton key by Violet and told that it opens every door in the house. When Caroline gets a brief chance to explore the old plantation house, she discovers that not only are there no mirrors in the house but that Violet’s statement isn’t exactly true. It seems there is one door in the attic that the key will not open.

Caroline learns that Violet forbids mirrors in the house, but senses that her reasons are suspect. When Caroline asks Violet about the room in the attic, Violet expresses ignorance stating that she’s never been able to get into that room. Discerning that Violet is not telling her the whole truth Caroline investigates the door further and is able to find her way inside the room. Here, she finds a strange assortment of magical artifacts including murky jars, twisted dolls, a receipt book (an old term for a book of spells), and an assortment of magical instruments.

Caroline questions Violet about the history of the house and learns of its dark past. According to local history, the room belonged to Papa Justify and Mama Cecile, two servants who worked at the house during the 1920’s. In their day, they were feared and renowned as Hoodoo doctors, which Caroline learns is different from Voodoo and is a type of folk magic. Despite their reputations as Two-Headed Doctors, Justify and Cecile where lynched during a party one night after catching them practicing a bizarre ritual with the children of the house owners.

It is then that Violet confesses that the reason there are no mirrors in the house is because she has seen the ghosts of the dead servants in them and that perhaps Ben saw them too, owing to his present state. Caroline, being from New Jersey and not familiar with the power of Hoodoo, dismisses Violet’s fears and resolves to help Ben come out of his virtual catatonic state. Caroline tries to reach out to Ben, even letting him look into her compact, the only mirror that Violet allows her to possess. Ben has a somewhat violent reaction to the mirror, but not for the reasons we are lead to believe.

Coming to believe that Violet is working black magic on Ben, and that his symptoms are simply a manifestation of his own beliefs in Hoodoo, Caroline visits a Root Doctor in a neighboring town and learns a healing ritual which she believes will cure Ben, or at the very least improve his condition. Later, Ben gathers enough strength to write a very brief plea for help in mud on his sheets, which later disappears.

Fearing that Violet will kill Ben before he is able to recover, Caroline goes to Luke Marshall, the estate lawyer who took part in her interview.  While there Caroline uncovers evidence that Luke is working with Violet. However, before she can get away, Luke knocks her unconscious and takes her back to the manor.

The action in the movie picks up pace as Caroline is held captive and struggles against Violet and Luke in order to save not only her self but also Ben. With no car or telephone to reach out for help, Caroline is forced to summon the power of Hoodoo to protect herself. Will her belief be strong enough to save her, or will her belief in the power of Hoodoo be the lynchpin in her undoing?

The Skeleton Key is a movie rich in both imagery and atmosphere, capturing the magical feel of New Orleans. It is well thought out and acted. Kudos goes to John Hurt who had absolutely no lines in the movie but who gives one of the most powerful performances in his career. The director went to great lengths to give the flavor of magic presented in this film as much authenticity as possible while still telling the story that he wanted.

Most people are now aware of the twist ending, which I will not speak of here, but which will come as a major shock to viewers who’ve never seen the movie.  The realization of the movie’s twist and the consequences thereof will haunt you days later and many will be compelled to return for second and even third viewings.

Links

The Skeleton Key Movie Website

Find one positive/accurate portrayal of magick, wicca, witchcraft, or paganism in the media (books, plays, television, or movies)  and write a letter to the person responsible for that portrayal (author, writer, actor, etc...) thanking them for their efforts.