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Manitou #3
Duch zagłady
Z ręki Misquamacusa, najzłośliwszego i najbardziej okrutnego demona Indian giną w USA tysiące ludzi w Chicago, Las Vegas, Nowym Jorku. Misquamacus pojawia się we współczesnym świecie w najprzeróżniejszych wcieleniach, a walka z nim wydaje się beznadziejna zawodzą wszelkie znane metody obrony. Grupa śmiałków jasnowidz Hawry Erskine i jego ukochana Karne, kilku uczonych, indiański szaman Śpiewająca Skała staje do śmiertelnej rozgrywki z Misquamacusem. Stawka w grze jest zagłada całej Ameryki. Determinację Harry'ego wzmaga fakt, że wkrótce również i Karne pada ofiarą demona...
397 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
29 people are currently reading
529 people want to read
About the author
Graham Masterton
422 books1,966 followersGraham Masterton was born in Edinburgh in 1946. His grandfather was Thomas Thorne Baker, the eminent scientist who invented DayGlo and was the first man to transmit news photographs by wireless. After training as a newspaper reporter, Graham went on to edit the new British men's magazine Mayfair, where he encouraged William Burroughs to develop a series of scientific and philosophical articles which eventually became Burroughs' novel The Wild Boys.
At the age of 24, Graham was appointed executive editor of both Penthouse and Penthouse Forum magazines. At this time he started to write a bestselling series of sex 'how-to' books including How To Drive Your Man Wild In Bed which has sold over 3 million copies worldwide. His latest, Wild Sex For New Lovers is published by Penguin Putnam in January, 2001. He is a regular contributor to Cosmopolitan, Men's Health, Woman, Woman's Own and other mass-market self-improvement magazines.
Graham Masterton's debut as a horror author began with The Manitou in 1976, a chilling tale of a Native American medicine man reborn in the present day to exact his revenge on the white man. It became an instant bestseller and was filmed with Tony Curtis, Susan Strasberg, Burgess Meredith, Michael Ansara, Stella Stevens and Ann Sothern.
Altogether Graham has written more than a hundred novels ranging from thrillers (The Sweetman Curve, Ikon) to disaster novels (Plague, Famine) to historical sagas (Rich and Maiden Voyage - both appeared in the New York Times bestseller list). He has published four collections of short stories, Fortnight of Fear, Flights of Fear, Faces of Fear and Feelings of Fear.
He has also written horror novels for children (House of Bones, Hair-Raiser) and has just finished the fifth volume in a very popular series for young adults, Rook, based on the adventures of an idiosyncratic remedial English teacher in a Los Angeles community college who has the facility to see ghosts.
Since then Graham has published more than 35 horror novels, including Charnel House, which was awarded a Special Edgar by Mystery Writers of America; Mirror, which was awarded a Silver Medal by West Coast Review of Books; and Family Portrait, an update of Oscar Wilde's tale, The Picture of Dorian Gray, which was the only non-French winner of the prestigious Prix Julia Verlanger in France.
He and his wife Wiescka live in a Gothic Victorian mansion high above the River Lee in Cork, Ireland.
At the age of 24, Graham was appointed executive editor of both Penthouse and Penthouse Forum magazines. At this time he started to write a bestselling series of sex 'how-to' books including How To Drive Your Man Wild In Bed which has sold over 3 million copies worldwide. His latest, Wild Sex For New Lovers is published by Penguin Putnam in January, 2001. He is a regular contributor to Cosmopolitan, Men's Health, Woman, Woman's Own and other mass-market self-improvement magazines.
Graham Masterton's debut as a horror author began with The Manitou in 1976, a chilling tale of a Native American medicine man reborn in the present day to exact his revenge on the white man. It became an instant bestseller and was filmed with Tony Curtis, Susan Strasberg, Burgess Meredith, Michael Ansara, Stella Stevens and Ann Sothern.
Altogether Graham has written more than a hundred novels ranging from thrillers (The Sweetman Curve, Ikon) to disaster novels (Plague, Famine) to historical sagas (Rich and Maiden Voyage - both appeared in the New York Times bestseller list). He has published four collections of short stories, Fortnight of Fear, Flights of Fear, Faces of Fear and Feelings of Fear.
He has also written horror novels for children (House of Bones, Hair-Raiser) and has just finished the fifth volume in a very popular series for young adults, Rook, based on the adventures of an idiosyncratic remedial English teacher in a Los Angeles community college who has the facility to see ghosts.
Since then Graham has published more than 35 horror novels, including Charnel House, which was awarded a Special Edgar by Mystery Writers of America; Mirror, which was awarded a Silver Medal by West Coast Review of Books; and Family Portrait, an update of Oscar Wilde's tale, The Picture of Dorian Gray, which was the only non-French winner of the prestigious Prix Julia Verlanger in France.
He and his wife Wiescka live in a Gothic Victorian mansion high above the River Lee in Cork, Ireland.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
July 5, 2025
Misquamacus powraca!
Kiedy jasnowidz Harry Erskine był pewien, że walka z szalonym indiańskim szamanem to okrutna przeszłość, los kolejny raz postanowił wystawić go na próbę. Do jego drzwi puka Karen Tandy, ta sama dziewczyna, w której ciele zły duch próbował odrodzić się wiele lat temu. Tym razem nie chodzi o nią, ale o jej znajomych, w których domu doszło do dziwnych i przerażających zjawisk. Na nieszczęście Harry’ego, Karen nie zna nikogo innego, kto mógłby pomóc w sprawach nadprzyrodzonych. Jasnowidz zgadza się pomóc, w końcu nie chodzi o Misquamacusa. Bo nie chodzi, prawda?
No jasne, że chodzi! I tym razem demon planuje zniszczyć całą Amerykę, i to z rozmachem! „Duch zagłady” podobał mi się nawet bardziej niż poprzednie odsłony serii. Historia jest bardziej rozbudowana, dużo więcej się dzieje, a nawet trochę krwawej jatki się znajdzie. Chociaż zakończenie nadal nie wgniata w fotel. Widelce, naprawdę? :)
Kiedy jasnowidz Harry Erskine był pewien, że walka z szalonym indiańskim szamanem to okrutna przeszłość, los kolejny raz postanowił wystawić go na próbę. Do jego drzwi puka Karen Tandy, ta sama dziewczyna, w której ciele zły duch próbował odrodzić się wiele lat temu. Tym razem nie chodzi o nią, ale o jej znajomych, w których domu doszło do dziwnych i przerażających zjawisk. Na nieszczęście Harry’ego, Karen nie zna nikogo innego, kto mógłby pomóc w sprawach nadprzyrodzonych. Jasnowidz zgadza się pomóc, w końcu nie chodzi o Misquamacusa. Bo nie chodzi, prawda?
No jasne, że chodzi! I tym razem demon planuje zniszczyć całą Amerykę, i to z rozmachem! „Duch zagłady” podobał mi się nawet bardziej niż poprzednie odsłony serii. Historia jest bardziej rozbudowana, dużo więcej się dzieje, a nawet trochę krwawej jatki się znajdzie. Chociaż zakończenie nadal nie wgniata w fotel. Widelce, naprawdę? :)
April 4, 2017
Vast horror book with rich mythology and nauseating gore - a tad too long, I might say, but the finale was truly epic!
Review in Bulgarian:
http://citadelata.com/burial-the-mani...
Review in Bulgarian:
http://citadelata.com/burial-the-mani...
April 17, 2008
I used to read a lot of Masterton's books but he had rather fallen off my radar for a few years. I heard about 'Burial' from a fellow member of my book group and realising that it was a third in his 'Manitou' sequence thought I'd give it a go.
The homages to Lovecraft are quite obvious and as always he delivers a very visceral type of horror that gets under your skin.
This work combines material on the Native American myths as well as the 19th century Ghost Dance movement along with voodoo practices.
October 9, 2024
Spooktober 2024 Book 6
In “Burual” I guess three time’s the charm as Misquamacus once again makes his appearance in an attempt to avenge the slaughter of his Indian brethren at the hands of the white man. Only this time; he’s going full scorched earth, wrecking havoc on anyone or anything even remotely related to past massacres of innocent indigenous peoples. And once again, it’s the bumbling, charlatan-like. Harry Erskine who is stuck in the middle and has to risk everything to save the planet from utter destruction. As is the case with pretty much all of Masterton’s hefty bibliography, “Burial” is a mishmash of multiple aspects of horror, from folk, to extreme, to erotic, to paranormal/haunted. And, also, like most Masterton novels, most of what’s thrown together does work. The ideas are crazy, the gore is pretty grotesque and original, and the sex…well, Masterton was editor at Penthouse so you can imagine how that goes. Even the plot is fun, albeit repetitive…though it’s pretty obvious Masterton tried to inject this one with some literary steroids. And overall, this is a very good book…it’s just that it’s not ever truly “great”. Aside from continuity errors (dead characters from past books are suddenly alive again with no explanation…and even Masterton himself said he had forgotten who he’d killed off in the previous 2 books (this is also an issue he suffers in later series too, apparently)), there’s also a sense that Masterton was stretching this story and really trying to grasp at strings to make it fit within the other “Manitou” books. I’ll give him points for making the infamous Battle of Little Bighorn somehow fit into the story, and explaining the spirit world in a way that few authors can manage, yet “Burial” lacks a lot of what made the previous 2 books so much fun. And actually, I think that’s what knocks this book down a Star: a lack of fun. Oh there’s the familiar black and self deprecating humor in every page, but for some reason, the mean spirited moments in “Burial” make for a book that’s more dark and angry than I expected. And don’t even get me started on Masterton’s use of females as either sex toys or victims of some pretty heinous assault. Despite that, this is still a Masterton story, and does its job of keeping Indian folklore scary. Plus, even at 500 pages, it’s a relatively quick read as it’s never boring. And you can’t hate a book that’s not boring.
In “Burual” I guess three time’s the charm as Misquamacus once again makes his appearance in an attempt to avenge the slaughter of his Indian brethren at the hands of the white man. Only this time; he’s going full scorched earth, wrecking havoc on anyone or anything even remotely related to past massacres of innocent indigenous peoples. And once again, it’s the bumbling, charlatan-like. Harry Erskine who is stuck in the middle and has to risk everything to save the planet from utter destruction. As is the case with pretty much all of Masterton’s hefty bibliography, “Burial” is a mishmash of multiple aspects of horror, from folk, to extreme, to erotic, to paranormal/haunted. And, also, like most Masterton novels, most of what’s thrown together does work. The ideas are crazy, the gore is pretty grotesque and original, and the sex…well, Masterton was editor at Penthouse so you can imagine how that goes. Even the plot is fun, albeit repetitive…though it’s pretty obvious Masterton tried to inject this one with some literary steroids. And overall, this is a very good book…it’s just that it’s not ever truly “great”. Aside from continuity errors (dead characters from past books are suddenly alive again with no explanation…and even Masterton himself said he had forgotten who he’d killed off in the previous 2 books (this is also an issue he suffers in later series too, apparently)), there’s also a sense that Masterton was stretching this story and really trying to grasp at strings to make it fit within the other “Manitou” books. I’ll give him points for making the infamous Battle of Little Bighorn somehow fit into the story, and explaining the spirit world in a way that few authors can manage, yet “Burial” lacks a lot of what made the previous 2 books so much fun. And actually, I think that’s what knocks this book down a Star: a lack of fun. Oh there’s the familiar black and self deprecating humor in every page, but for some reason, the mean spirited moments in “Burial” make for a book that’s more dark and angry than I expected. And don’t even get me started on Masterton’s use of females as either sex toys or victims of some pretty heinous assault. Despite that, this is still a Masterton story, and does its job of keeping Indian folklore scary. Plus, even at 500 pages, it’s a relatively quick read as it’s never boring. And you can’t hate a book that’s not boring.
December 23, 2018
Στην πραγματικότητα 3,5 τα αστεράκια για μια ιστορία ευχάριστη, όχι και τόσο τρομακτική για μένα, η οποία θεωρώ πως θα μπορούσε να είναι αρκετά πιο σύντομη. Διάβασα τον Ενταφιασμό του Μάστερτον χωρίς να έχω διαβάσει τα βιβλία που προηγούνταν αλλά αυτό πράγματι, δε με δυσκόλεψε καθόλου. Ομολογώ ότι τα παλιά του βιβλία, όπως αυτό, μου φαίνονται λίγο παλιομοδίτικα (πράγμα που δεν μου έχει συμβεί με τα βιβλία του Κινγκ- διαφορά κουλτούρας κι έκφρασης ενδεχομένως) Αν θα συνεχίζω με την ιστορία του Μισκουαμάκους ή θα αναζητήσω τα προηγούμενα; Μάλλον όχι, καθώς δεν ενθουσιάζομαι τόσο με τις ιστορίες για τους Ινδιάνους. Κι επειδή έμεινα κάπως πίσω, λέω να συνεχίσω αναζητώντας τις τελευταίες δουλειές του συγγραφέα
December 7, 2025
Dreaded DNF at page 78…😱
Nothing wrong with the book but after going back and reading the first book, well, first then a rough synopsis of the second book I started to see a very repetitive use of repetition in this book, it’s like almost the same layout, kinda? It also irked me as the main character has faced off with and overcome pretty major threats to be this uninterested and goofball about another potential threat…🤷🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️
Nothing wrong with the book but after going back and reading the first book, well, first then a rough synopsis of the second book I started to see a very repetitive use of repetition in this book, it’s like almost the same layout, kinda? It also irked me as the main character has faced off with and overcome pretty major threats to be this uninterested and goofball about another potential threat…🤷🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️
September 12, 2023
2.5 ✰
Ten ton ma sporo elementów, które mimo wszystko pchają mnie na przód i ciekawią, trzymają w napięciu, ale jeszcze więcej takich, przez które mam ochotę krzyczeć i rzucić to w cholerę. Po niesamowicie wciągającym drugim tomie spodziewałam się więcej, a niestety strasznie się wynudziłam i okropnie mi się to słuchanie ciągnęło. Kolejny na pewno przeczytam, ale potrzebuję przerwy.
Ten ton ma sporo elementów, które mimo wszystko pchają mnie na przód i ciekawią, trzymają w napięciu, ale jeszcze więcej takich, przez które mam ochotę krzyczeć i rzucić to w cholerę. Po niesamowicie wciągającym drugim tomie spodziewałam się więcej, a niestety strasznie się wynudziłam i okropnie mi się to słuchanie ciągnęło. Kolejny na pewno przeczytam, ale potrzebuję przerwy.
April 25, 2020
Great fun that carries on The Manitou saga, but in a more adventure yarn than the horror of the first two novels.
May 9, 2025
By far my fave of the Manitou series so far and I loved the first 2. This one was exciting and completely immersive, brutal too! It'll turn your stomach inside out, literally!!
Even more horrific than the first 2 and utterly gripping. One might even say it was "Extra!" 😉
It was a lot gorier too. So much blood and guts spilled within these pages!
And what a brilliantly powerful and emotional ending. 🖤
Even more horrific than the first 2 and utterly gripping. One might even say it was "Extra!" 😉
It was a lot gorier too. So much blood and guts spilled within these pages!
And what a brilliantly powerful and emotional ending. 🖤
March 6, 2019
DNF This just was not for me. I'm not finding Harry sympathetic at all and some of the gore is just too OTT for even for me. Maybe I've just come to prefer more cerebral horror these days!
October 15, 2018
Well this was a long read:)
The third book in the Manitou series is a much different book then the first two. Theres much much more lore about the various ghosts,demons etc within the Native American culture. That was the really interesting part. The gore factor was increased a lot in comparison to the eariler books. I was going to give it 3 stars but the second half really picked up pace for me so i decided on 4. I will be giving this series a rest for a time though. 4 stars from me:)
The third book in the Manitou series is a much different book then the first two. Theres much much more lore about the various ghosts,demons etc within the Native American culture. That was the really interesting part. The gore factor was increased a lot in comparison to the eariler books. I was going to give it 3 stars but the second half really picked up pace for me so i decided on 4. I will be giving this series a rest for a time though. 4 stars from me:)
January 19, 2016
I've been reading a lot of Graham Masterton novels, and have found them to be occasionally brilliant, but always gory, and sometimes not so good but still entertaining.
"Burial" is the third in the "Manitou" series, the first of which I found silly, the second of which I thought was quite good (although I think most Masterton fans prefer the first; I disagree).
So how do you approach this novel when reviewing it? As part of the series, or as a stand-alone novel on its own merits? Either way, this book fails.
It fails as part of the series because Masterton made a huge error, which he has recognized in interviews and on his web site. Two characters who died in the first book are alive in this one. Apparently he forgot that they had died because they did not die in the movie version. That's just plain sloppy.
It fails as a stand-alone, as well. The plot is just plain absurd, and the effects of the magic are inconsistent. It makes no sense that no one but the main characters are able to resist to some degree the forces that are driving cities underground, and the characters' use of magic to fake some sort of death so they can visit the Happy Hunting Ground (or whatever) does not prevent them from coming back as they please to make phone calls and stay at hotels.
And, finally, here's the deal: If you are going to read Masterton, you are going to have to put up with gore. If you can't handle gore, don't read Masterton. But even I think he went overboard here. Lots of hanging intestines, guts, limbs . . . just too much of it. I understand that gore can be part of horror, but there's way more gore than there are chills. And if you read this, prepare yourself for something gruesome being done to one woman's vagina (Masterton seems to have a thing for genital mutilation), that really is not necessary to move the plot along.
I am giving this book two stars because it's not completely unentertaining (that's the best I can say).
"Burial" is the third in the "Manitou" series, the first of which I found silly, the second of which I thought was quite good (although I think most Masterton fans prefer the first; I disagree).
So how do you approach this novel when reviewing it? As part of the series, or as a stand-alone novel on its own merits? Either way, this book fails.
It fails as part of the series because Masterton made a huge error, which he has recognized in interviews and on his web site. Two characters who died in the first book are alive in this one. Apparently he forgot that they had died because they did not die in the movie version. That's just plain sloppy.
It fails as a stand-alone, as well. The plot is just plain absurd, and the effects of the magic are inconsistent. It makes no sense that no one but the main characters are able to resist to some degree the forces that are driving cities underground, and the characters' use of magic to fake some sort of death so they can visit the Happy Hunting Ground (or whatever) does not prevent them from coming back as they please to make phone calls and stay at hotels.
And, finally, here's the deal: If you are going to read Masterton, you are going to have to put up with gore. If you can't handle gore, don't read Masterton. But even I think he went overboard here. Lots of hanging intestines, guts, limbs . . . just too much of it. I understand that gore can be part of horror, but there's way more gore than there are chills. And if you read this, prepare yourself for something gruesome being done to one woman's vagina (Masterton seems to have a thing for genital mutilation), that really is not necessary to move the plot along.
I am giving this book two stars because it's not completely unentertaining (that's the best I can say).
October 28, 2018
This was my very first Graham Masterton book and I was instantly a fan when I finished reading it. So well written and the detail of the horror scenes is phenomenally good. I’ve now read Burial 5 times and I’ve loved it each time
November 12, 2010
This is a great part three, for one thing it's much larger of a book than it's predecessors, so you get more Manitou awesomeness.
July 15, 2016
Good book, well written, great build. Looking forward to the next one.
April 4, 2023
Straszne rozczarowanie. W trzeciej części cyklu "Manitou" nie zostało praktycznie nic z tego co było najlepsze w tomach poprzednich. Dokładnie opisane makabryczne sceny, które wcześniej budowały świetny, horrorowy klimat, tutaj są zbyt groteskowe, żeby wzbudzić jakiekolwiek emocje. Główny bohater nadal jest mniej więcej taki sam jak w tomie pierwszym, mimo że w ramach serii minęło już sporo czasu i powinien być znacznie bardziej kompetentny w sprawach magii i indiańskich mitów (z postaciami drugoplanowymi też nie jest lepiej). Najgorsza jest jednak fabuła, która, mimo że delikatnie mówiąc, nie jest bardziej rozbudowana niż w częściach poprzednich, została zupełnie niepotrzebnie rozciągnięta aż na 500 stron, co sprawia, że czytanie niemiłosiernie się dłuży.
Pozostaje mieć nadzieję, że tomy, które są jeszcze przede mną, będą nawiązywać swoim stylem do początku serii, bo charakterystyka "Ducha zagłady" nie jest czymś, co warto kontynuować.
Pozostaje mieć nadzieję, że tomy, które są jeszcze przede mną, będą nawiązywać swoim stylem do początku serii, bo charakterystyka "Ducha zagłady" nie jest czymś, co warto kontynuować.
October 31, 2025
Κατά κάποιον τρόπο είναι καλύτερο από τα δύο πρώτα.
Εδώ ο Μάστερτον είναι πολύ πιο ώριμος σαν συγγραφέας και δίνει δεκάδες ανατριχιαστικές στιγμές και χαρακτήρες λίγο πιο ζωντανούς από όσο συνηθίζει.
Επίσης το gore σκάει με το τσουβάλι και κουβάδες αίμα και εντόσθια ξεχύνονται.
Το μείον είναι κλασικά η πλοκή. Όχι ότι είναι κακή, θα έλεγα ότι είναι αρκετά πολύπλοκη και οργανωμένη αλλά το βιβλίο είναι 540 σελίδες και όσο να είναι με κούρασε λίγο.
Εδώ ο Μάστερτον είναι πολύ πιο ώριμος σαν συγγραφέας και δίνει δεκάδες ανατριχιαστικές στιγμές και χαρακτήρες λίγο πιο ζωντανούς από όσο συνηθίζει.
Επίσης το gore σκάει με το τσουβάλι και κουβάδες αίμα και εντόσθια ξεχύνονται.
Το μείον είναι κλασικά η πλοκή. Όχι ότι είναι κακή, θα έλεγα ότι είναι αρκετά πολύπλοκη και οργανωμένη αλλά το βιβλίο είναι 540 σελίδες και όσο να είναι με κούρασε λίγο.
July 11, 2016
Inconsistencies are distracting, but still a great read
The author seems to have forgotten a few things since the original Manitou book. Harry refers to his office, but originally worked out of his apartment, which he also does in this book. Okay, maybe he changed. Harry remembers Singing Rock as an insurance salesman, but the first book said he looked like he could be one, but later states he runs an investment business. Forgivable, but this book mentions the character of Macarthur and features the character of Amelia, both of whom died in the original. Well, they did not die in the movie, and perhaps they were resurrected later, but that should have been mentioned somewhere in this book. Other than that, I have no complaints. A very compelling and enjoyable book, if you like supernatural thrillers
The author seems to have forgotten a few things since the original Manitou book. Harry refers to his office, but originally worked out of his apartment, which he also does in this book. Okay, maybe he changed. Harry remembers Singing Rock as an insurance salesman, but the first book said he looked like he could be one, but later states he runs an investment business. Forgivable, but this book mentions the character of Macarthur and features the character of Amelia, both of whom died in the original. Well, they did not die in the movie, and perhaps they were resurrected later, but that should have been mentioned somewhere in this book. Other than that, I have no complaints. A very compelling and enjoyable book, if you like supernatural thrillers
April 20, 2020
The third in the Manitou series and arguably the best, Burial, sees Harry Erskine once more investigating a seemingly ordinary case of the paranormal, only to discover that the medicine man, Misquamacus, is back and even more powerful than ever.
As the Native American spirit starts taking down whole cities, it is down to Erskine once again to try and stop him...and the stakes have never been higher!!
This was a great book, thoroughly nasty, and definitely one of Masterton’s all time greats. It is definitely one of the best I have read by him and there are some truly sick and gut wrenching moments, so this is not for the squeamish.
If you only ever read one Graham Masterton novel it should probably be this one!!
As the Native American spirit starts taking down whole cities, it is down to Erskine once again to try and stop him...and the stakes have never been higher!!
This was a great book, thoroughly nasty, and definitely one of Masterton’s all time greats. It is definitely one of the best I have read by him and there are some truly sick and gut wrenching moments, so this is not for the squeamish.
If you only ever read one Graham Masterton novel it should probably be this one!!
December 11, 2012
I loved this book, I read it not knowing about the first two but still really enjoyed it, I could tell there was more to the story as the characters refer to before when they dealt with Misquamacus in the hospital. I found it easy to follow and it freaked me out of me in a few parts lol but I couldn't put it down. I like th build up and the way the characters an story comes together for the climax of the story. If u like Mastertons other novels I'd say defo give this a read it's brilliant an by far one of my faves :)
August 17, 2013
I can't decide if I want to give this book 2 or 3 stars. It starts out pretty interesting but about a third of the way through I could figure out what was going to happen when the bad indian showed up. Its pretty graphic at times with both violence and sex. I'm glad I kept reading because it did get a little better. the ending was very abrupt. such a huge build up and when there are only 10 pages or so left it ends. kind of like the author was getting tired of writing and just wanted the story to end.
February 17, 2009
Ah, the return of Misquamacus, the evil violent Indian Medicine Man...More importantly, the return of Harry Erskine! Harry is the inept, psychically useless "psychic" from the earlier book, THE MANITOU. He spends much of the time complaining about his lack of psychic power, yet he is a psychic by trade. This is like having Miss Cleo from those late night commercials standing between you and the hounds of hell! Hysterical!
September 19, 2024
Out of the four Harry Erskine books I've read this was my favorite. Each book gets both longer and more bonkers and I felt that this one balanced the gore and story better than the previous books.
December 7, 2024
Ten tom wchodzi na wyższy poziom. Akcji jest więcej i obejmuje nagle cały świat. Sposób jej opisania też jest inny. Mamy kilka opisów wydarzeń z różnych miejsc, które na pierwszy rzut oka mają mało ze sobą wspólnego. Dostajemy też więcej bohaterów i ich perspektyw na sytuację. Mija trochę czasu, zanim bohaterowie łączą wszystko w jedną całość i rozszyfrowują plan naszego złego ducha. Który wygląda, że naprawdę wykorzystał czas by przemyśleć wszystko po dwóch nieudanych próbach. Na początku nie byłam zadowolona z tego przeskoku czasowego, bo ogólnie fanką tego nie jestem, ale przestało mi to przeszkadzać.
Jedynie Erskine mógłby się trochę ogarnąć, za bardzo próbuje sobie wmówić, że to się wcale nie dzieje.
Książka dobra dla tych, co lubią filmy katastroficzne, bo ten styl akcji jest tu dobrze widoczny.
Jedynie Erskine mógłby się trochę ogarnąć, za bardzo próbuje sobie wmówić, że to się wcale nie dzieje.
Książka dobra dla tych, co lubią filmy katastroficzne, bo ten styl akcji jest tu dobrze widoczny.
January 29, 2021
Another great Manitou sequel that ratcheted up the fright and mesmerized me with gripping, lovable characters. This series demands you stick with it ‘til the end. What a great protagonist, the anti-hero—but the one who cares—Harry Erskine! What is scarier than the brutal death we deserve for butchering thousands of Indians and stealing away the red man’s country?
The editing could’ve been better. Typos abounded in this one, but it didn’t get in the way of my being rapt with joy and fascination. Scalps you like a Native American hatchet, this book a reaper of blood, an arrow in the eye, and another into your heart. Now onto Manitou Blood!
The editing could’ve been better. Typos abounded in this one, but it didn’t get in the way of my being rapt with joy and fascination. Scalps you like a Native American hatchet, this book a reaper of blood, an arrow in the eye, and another into your heart. Now onto Manitou Blood!
July 28, 2025
A completely unnecessary, poorly conceived, unserious, and forcefully written continuation of the cycle about the malevolent Native American shaman Misquamacus, scheming the annihilation of “white invaders.” Ihaaaa...
+
Years have passed, and Harry Erskine—the phony spiritualist known from previous books—still makes a living off the gullibility of elderly ladies, pretending to contact their deceased relatives. One day, however, Harry, now a “supernatural expert”, gets pulled into a genuinely unsettling case.
In Mrs. Greenberg’s New York apartment, following a bizarre manifestation of demonic powers, all the furniture has been magnetically dragged to one side of the room, and a séance has plunged the woman into a semi-catatonic stupor. Her worried husband needs professional help.
Well—"professional". After an initial visit, Harry quickly realizes he’s in over his head and that his fake powers are useless here. He seeks advice from a real spiritual medium—Martin Vaizey. And the first ghost to appear during Vaizey’s ritual? The spirit of Singing Rock (the shaman from previous Manitou books), who warns that the strange events in the cursed apartment are the work of none other than Misquamacus!
But this time, the vengeful shaman isn’t interested in small-scale terror. Sure, he murders the Greenbergs using Vaizey’s possessed body—but the New York showdown is just a minor skirmish. This time, the angry Indian literally plans to uproot all (!) white people from American soil.
Calling upon the hellish powers of an unpronounceable dark tribal deity, he unleashes catastrophic climate events across the USA—insane “earthquakes” that cause entire million-strong metropolises (like Chicago!) to vanish from the face of the earth. No prisoners this time...
The only one who can stop him is, of course, Harry Erskine, who sets out to stop Misquamacus and to clear poor Vaizey’s name, since the police arrested him for the Greenbergs' murders (technically... they’re not wrong). In doing so, Harry uncovers the terrifying plan of the vengeful sorcerer...
+
Jesus, it’s just awful…
Masterton is, generally, a good, reliable writer—and the early 1990s were one of his stronger creative periods. The Lovecraftian "Prey", "Spirit", "The House That Jack Built"—all solid, well-written hits. So it’s hard to tell why he even returned to "The Manitou" at all.
Well, maybe it’s not that hard to guess—the previous books were popular, plenty of readers bought them, so why not write another sequel? Especially since it requires less effort: every new installment reuses the same tricks and operates in the same “universe,” so it probably gets written on autopilot. And there are always fans willing to lap up more of the same…
But, as my case shows, not all fans.
I genuinely like the original "The Manitou"—a golden-age classic full of action and jump scares, with fun characters, an interesting idea, and a touch of dark humor. Even its many absurd plot points and cheesy ending work perfectly within the campy aesthetics of the era.
But "Burial" —the third book in the saga—is a whole different story…
I can’t stand the nonsensical, poorly thought-out central plot idea, which culminates in a banal, overused final battle that follows the familiar “enter the monster’s realm” trope.
As the story shifts in tone, the book drifts away from pure horror into the territory of a generic disaster novel—like one of those old-school blockbusters, *The Towering Inferno* or *Earthquake*. Worse, the plot lacks even basic narrative consistency. Half of the U.S. is obliterated, hundreds of thousands die, Chicago and Las Vegas are wiped off the map—and yet people are still watching “league games” in bars? C'mon...
Masterton himself clearly doesn’t believe in this story, and, funnier still, neither do his characters! For half the book, Erskine—repeatedly confronted with supernatural manifestations—keeps trying to deny Misquamacus's existence, even though he’s personally fought him twice before! Facing literal doomsday, he cracks jokes about defeating Misquamacus with his “onion breath.” Hahaha…
This black “humor” kills whatever remnants of quality the novel might have had. Bombastic stories like *The Manitou* can only work if the reader suspends disbelief and gets swept up in the narrative. Here, the author openly disrespects his own tale, feeding the reader stale dad jokes.
You can’t be scared. You can’t laugh. You just cringe in embarrassment.
And Harry Erskine himself? He’s like Masterton’s James Bond—immune to the passage of time. Even though the story takes place 20 years after *The Manitou*, Harry is still the same guy: an oily, unlikeable con man in his late thirties, scamming old women and hitting on every woman he sees. At first, Masterton seems to acknowledge the timeline—Harry is introduced as an older man (he’d have to be around 60)—but as the pages turn, he suddenly de-ages, Dracula-style, and starts behaving like it’s the 1970s again, flirting with every woman in sight.
And those incel-style comments about women’s looks when he finally gets rejected? Cringe to the max.
On the plus side: the gore and horror scenes tied to the typhoons and storms summoned by Misquamacus, and the gruesome body horror massacre in the Greenbergs’ apartment. But that’s not nearly enough.
The story lacks sense, the entire Erskine character (especially his “romances”) is deeply embarrassing (that bedroom scene with Karen! Yikes), and to top it all off, the humor is dry and unfunny.
For me, it’s Masterton’s big failure of 1992 (and this was the year of the excellent "The House That Jack Built"!).
+
Years have passed, and Harry Erskine—the phony spiritualist known from previous books—still makes a living off the gullibility of elderly ladies, pretending to contact their deceased relatives. One day, however, Harry, now a “supernatural expert”, gets pulled into a genuinely unsettling case.
In Mrs. Greenberg’s New York apartment, following a bizarre manifestation of demonic powers, all the furniture has been magnetically dragged to one side of the room, and a séance has plunged the woman into a semi-catatonic stupor. Her worried husband needs professional help.
Well—"professional". After an initial visit, Harry quickly realizes he’s in over his head and that his fake powers are useless here. He seeks advice from a real spiritual medium—Martin Vaizey. And the first ghost to appear during Vaizey’s ritual? The spirit of Singing Rock (the shaman from previous Manitou books), who warns that the strange events in the cursed apartment are the work of none other than Misquamacus!
But this time, the vengeful shaman isn’t interested in small-scale terror. Sure, he murders the Greenbergs using Vaizey’s possessed body—but the New York showdown is just a minor skirmish. This time, the angry Indian literally plans to uproot all (!) white people from American soil.
Calling upon the hellish powers of an unpronounceable dark tribal deity, he unleashes catastrophic climate events across the USA—insane “earthquakes” that cause entire million-strong metropolises (like Chicago!) to vanish from the face of the earth. No prisoners this time...
The only one who can stop him is, of course, Harry Erskine, who sets out to stop Misquamacus and to clear poor Vaizey’s name, since the police arrested him for the Greenbergs' murders (technically... they’re not wrong). In doing so, Harry uncovers the terrifying plan of the vengeful sorcerer...
+
Jesus, it’s just awful…
Masterton is, generally, a good, reliable writer—and the early 1990s were one of his stronger creative periods. The Lovecraftian "Prey", "Spirit", "The House That Jack Built"—all solid, well-written hits. So it’s hard to tell why he even returned to "The Manitou" at all.
Well, maybe it’s not that hard to guess—the previous books were popular, plenty of readers bought them, so why not write another sequel? Especially since it requires less effort: every new installment reuses the same tricks and operates in the same “universe,” so it probably gets written on autopilot. And there are always fans willing to lap up more of the same…
But, as my case shows, not all fans.
I genuinely like the original "The Manitou"—a golden-age classic full of action and jump scares, with fun characters, an interesting idea, and a touch of dark humor. Even its many absurd plot points and cheesy ending work perfectly within the campy aesthetics of the era.
But "Burial" —the third book in the saga—is a whole different story…
I can’t stand the nonsensical, poorly thought-out central plot idea, which culminates in a banal, overused final battle that follows the familiar “enter the monster’s realm” trope.
As the story shifts in tone, the book drifts away from pure horror into the territory of a generic disaster novel—like one of those old-school blockbusters, *The Towering Inferno* or *Earthquake*. Worse, the plot lacks even basic narrative consistency. Half of the U.S. is obliterated, hundreds of thousands die, Chicago and Las Vegas are wiped off the map—and yet people are still watching “league games” in bars? C'mon...
Masterton himself clearly doesn’t believe in this story, and, funnier still, neither do his characters! For half the book, Erskine—repeatedly confronted with supernatural manifestations—keeps trying to deny Misquamacus's existence, even though he’s personally fought him twice before! Facing literal doomsday, he cracks jokes about defeating Misquamacus with his “onion breath.” Hahaha…
This black “humor” kills whatever remnants of quality the novel might have had. Bombastic stories like *The Manitou* can only work if the reader suspends disbelief and gets swept up in the narrative. Here, the author openly disrespects his own tale, feeding the reader stale dad jokes.
You can’t be scared. You can’t laugh. You just cringe in embarrassment.
And Harry Erskine himself? He’s like Masterton’s James Bond—immune to the passage of time. Even though the story takes place 20 years after *The Manitou*, Harry is still the same guy: an oily, unlikeable con man in his late thirties, scamming old women and hitting on every woman he sees. At first, Masterton seems to acknowledge the timeline—Harry is introduced as an older man (he’d have to be around 60)—but as the pages turn, he suddenly de-ages, Dracula-style, and starts behaving like it’s the 1970s again, flirting with every woman in sight.
And those incel-style comments about women’s looks when he finally gets rejected? Cringe to the max.
On the plus side: the gore and horror scenes tied to the typhoons and storms summoned by Misquamacus, and the gruesome body horror massacre in the Greenbergs’ apartment. But that’s not nearly enough.
The story lacks sense, the entire Erskine character (especially his “romances”) is deeply embarrassing (that bedroom scene with Karen! Yikes), and to top it all off, the humor is dry and unfunny.
For me, it’s Masterton’s big failure of 1992 (and this was the year of the excellent "The House That Jack Built"!).
August 30, 2021
My first ever Horror Read, and the reason I probably still Read books . Made a massive impact and to my surprise joining this group I found out its the 3rd book of a series , I don't know why but I've never felt the urge to read the Manitou but will have to now . THE BURIAL is and will always be in my top 10 .
December 23, 2018
Nie ma co się łudzić, że jest to literatura wysokich lotów, z pewnością jednak doskonale spełnia rolę lekkiej rozrywki.
Cała opinia:
http://www.kacikzksiazka.pl/2018/08/d...
Cała opinia:
http://www.kacikzksiazka.pl/2018/08/d...
August 18, 2020
Not so fantastic, too long meanwhile too disappointing. I really liked person of Dude S.N, it's a great character. Gets three stars, but Masterton's style of writing is very interesting, so guess I will read next parts of the Manitou Series.
May 31, 2023
Another Awesome Read!
In this book which once again grabs you by the throat and never lets up until the end, Harry, Karen, Amelia and new characters Papago Joe, E.C. Dude and Martin Vaizey take on Misquamacus while hundreds of thousands lose their lives.
In this book which once again grabs you by the throat and never lets up until the end, Harry, Karen, Amelia and new characters Papago Joe, E.C. Dude and Martin Vaizey take on Misquamacus while hundreds of thousands lose their lives.
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