The Devil's Churn

Oregon Coast / Seavy Village

by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Fifty years after a young man dies in Devil's Churn, a tourist attraction that is credited with being the most evil place in the sea, the man returns, alive and well, and looking no older than the day he disappeared. Original.

Genres: Horror, Fiction

320 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 1, 1996

About the author

Kristine Kathryn Rusch is an award-winning mystery, romance, science fiction, and fantasy writer. She has written many novels under various names, including Kristine Grayson for romance, and Kris Nelscott for mystery. Her novels have made the bestseller lists –even in London– and have been published in 14 countries and 13 different languages.

Her awards range from the Ellery Queen Readers Choice Award to the John W. Campbell Award. In the past year, she has been nominated for the Hugo, the Shamus, and the Anthony Award. She is the only person in the history of the science fiction field to have won a Hugo award for editing and a Hugo award for fiction.

In addition, she's written a number of nonfiction articles over the years, with her latest being the book "A Freelancer's Survival Guide".

She has also published as:
Sandy Schofield (collaborations with husband Dean Wesley Smith)
Kristine Grayson - romances
Kathryn Wesley (collaborations with husband Dean Wesley Smith)
Kris Nelscott - mysteries
Kris Rusch - historical fiction
Kris DeLake - romances

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like Rusch's writing style. It's direct yet evocative, and manages to convey some hefty themes and emotions along with a decent story. None of her books have hit me with the kind of power to make me think, "I need to read ALL of her books!" (and lordy, does she have a lot of them), but whenever I read one of her books, I enjoy it.

The Devil's Churn started out being a three-star book for those reasons, but the ending was a big disappointment. Rusch creates themes of family and relationships and love, but by the end of the book, they were all so big and complicated that I didn't feel like it ever came together. Characters felt inconsistent, and there was one connection at the very end of the book that I either misunderstood, or missed completely. Plus, there was the whole supernatural element that worked so well throughout the book, and then became a SyFy Movie of the Week trope when it came time to resolve everything.

There's some good stuff here in the book, but in the end, it didn't hang together well enough to make it a memorable read. I'm still looking for that one Rusch book that will say, "THIS is what you're missing!"

[Milady133 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the twisty and complex characters in the novel, it's kind of a mistery with a bit of paranormal, riding between the two genres.

[Christy J-Furem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rusch's ability to flesh out a fictional character is incredible. Her understanding of the intricacies and dynamics within a family, between a mother and a daughter, the childhood moments that shape and shift who we become, is a rare thing to find in an author. She is a pleasure to read and collect, no matter which genre she's writing.

[K.A. Wiggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series. Something about dark magic in the PNW is very specifically for me. Really liked the tension and ambiguity in how the characters and their relationships are revealed. Smart, immersive and deliciously eerie.