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Death Song
Billie Lee Kidd was the new queen of country music, but the little gal from New Mexico had picked the wrong song to sing. Because all around her, people were dying hideously, destroyed by voices that sang fiendish tunes of dark, dreaded terror. A chorus of doom was ushering in the reign of evil on earth, and unless Billie Lee could find a way to drown out the demonic sound, the minions of darkness would tighten their stranglehold, plunging the world into a maelstrom of violence and hell. But Billie Lee kept singing, knowing full well that nothing in this world or beyond could save her and all humanity if she hit one wrong note.
- GenresHorror
287 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 3, 1989
135 people want to read
About the author
Douglas Borton
10 books15 followersAka Michael Prescott and Brian Harper.
Douglas Child Borton, Jr. grew up in New Jersey and attended Wesleyan University, then moved to Los Angeles and pursued a career as a screenwriter. After working with several independent producers, he eventually switched to writing novels, a much less stressful occupation. He has published eight thrillers, from Comes the Dark (1999) to Mortal Faults (2006), and currently is at work on a new book. Today he divides his time between the Arizona desert and the Jersey shore.
Douglas Child Borton, Jr. grew up in New Jersey and attended Wesleyan University, then moved to Los Angeles and pursued a career as a screenwriter. After working with several independent producers, he eventually switched to writing novels, a much less stressful occupation. He has published eight thrillers, from Comes the Dark (1999) to Mortal Faults (2006), and currently is at work on a new book. Today he divides his time between the Arizona desert and the Jersey shore.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 20, 2023
Can Billie Lee Kidd (a country singer) prevent the dark Gods of Antaros from coming back into the world of the living to wipe it out? What about Kuruk, an evil magician, and his brotherhood? Set in Hollywood this novel with Lovecraftian elements (the dark Gods) evolves in a spectacular way. The members of the cult can kill with a song (from now on you will think different about the song Killing me Softly with This Song, LOL) and Billie brings the world to the brink of extinction by singing the Deathsong. This is more than Stranger Thing, this is the Strangest Thing and one of the best horror novels from the past I read in quite a while. Full of sinister moments, ugly details, evil cultists and dark Gods you're really afraid of. Blew me away. This is the real stuff if you want to read 80s horror at its very best. Would be ideal for a TV show. It will give you the creeps. Highly recommended.
December 6, 2022
Deathsong was a blast. Honky-tonk horror encompassing "the ultimate battle of good vs. evil," gleefully devolving into gut-bursting body horror musical showdowns between a country superstar and a several thousand year old high priest serving ancient eldritch gods. High silliness, at-times alarming stakes, with the added bonus of semi-frequent gross-out moments.
July 17, 2015
Well, that was a hell of a ride. Way over the top. Ancient death cults, ocular obliteration, cosmic horror, songs that melt bone, death by instantaneous reverse evolution, a surplus of unlikely explosions, and many more wonders await.
That said it is a tense read and the tone is mostly dark and dingy, but there are a bunch of those moments that have you simultaneously disgusted and cackling with glee. The pacing is spot on, too, considering it takes place over a day. Fun times.
That said it is a tense read and the tone is mostly dark and dingy, but there are a bunch of those moments that have you simultaneously disgusted and cackling with glee. The pacing is spot on, too, considering it takes place over a day. Fun times.
May 16, 2023
4.5 stars rounded down for GR! This is exactly the kind of fun vintage gem you hope to find when you randomly begin reading "Paperbacks from Hell." This story was so zany - I had a great time reading it!
January 5, 2013
3.5 stars:
I kind of had low expectations for this book. I loved the first two books I'd read by Borton, but the last book (Dreamhouse) was just a little bit disappointing. Still enjoyable and fun, but not up to par with the other two. Since Deathsong's plot even sounded cheesy, my hopes were low. To be honest, I even put it off for a while, expecting to be let down.
And...I wasn't. This was probably as good as Shadow Dance. Lots of great tension, good imagery and possibly his most Lovecraftian book, Deathsong did not disappoint. I may be the only Borton fan in Seattle, but I really enjoy his stuff. Not amazing, but good, fun horror.
I kind of had low expectations for this book. I loved the first two books I'd read by Borton, but the last book (Dreamhouse) was just a little bit disappointing. Still enjoyable and fun, but not up to par with the other two. Since Deathsong's plot even sounded cheesy, my hopes were low. To be honest, I even put it off for a while, expecting to be let down.
And...I wasn't. This was probably as good as Shadow Dance. Lots of great tension, good imagery and possibly his most Lovecraftian book, Deathsong did not disappoint. I may be the only Borton fan in Seattle, but I really enjoy his stuff. Not amazing, but good, fun horror.
November 26, 2014
More pulpy horror mayhem from Douglas Borton. I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as the other books I've read by him, "Kane" and "Manstopper", but I was very much impressed by the ridiculous lengths this book goes to wow you. Its non-stop insanity from front to back, wayyyyy over the top, but Borton gets kudos for how well he sells the madness. Ultra violent, gross beyond description and out of its friggin head, this is a book for a particular type of reader. If you like Edward Lee's works, you just may get a kick out this. Its nuts, I warned you, but its pretty good, as well.
November 12, 2023
I was expecting it to be cheesy, but damn this book went HARD! Full-tilt, full-throttle, lots of gore and exploding viscera and body horror. Great if you're into that sort of thing (which I am). The pace never slacks; it reads like it was written to be adapted into a movie, and I wasn't surprised to learn the author is/was a screenwriter.
The only weak point I found was that
The whole concept behind the bracelets begs some questions. So, The Brotherhood has existed for thousands of years and in the present day it has several hundred members just in the Los Angeles area alone. Members of The Brotherhood exist from all levels of government down to average Joes. They've influenced every major geopolitical event throughout history. All members wear a bracelet - a fine metallic chain with a stone - on their left wrist that can NEVER be removed or else the wearer will instantly suffer a horrific form of death that David Cronenberg would probably love to bring to the screen.
I have so many questions about the practicality of this. Has nobody throughout human history ever noticed that all these men wear the same bracelet? Have none of them ever been asked about it? Been asked to remove it to go through a metal detector? One member of The Brotherhood wants to be a Hollywood actor. I guess he'd have to sing one of their Special Songs to hypnotize the directors into allowing him to wear it for every role. What about if their left hand or arm is injured and paramedics need to take the bracelet off to do surgery or put on a cast? The death that ensues when the bracelet is removed is unforgettable to witness. Surely SOMEONE must have seen this happen at some point in history. Do these men ever panic if their bracelet gets snagged on something?
I am likely putting WAY much more thought into this than the author did. Still, overall I enjoyed the book.
My only other nitpick is that Woody Guthrie didn't sing City of New Orleans. That was his son, Arlo.
The only weak point I found was that
The whole concept behind the bracelets begs some questions. So, The Brotherhood has existed for thousands of years and in the present day it has several hundred members just in the Los Angeles area alone. Members of The Brotherhood exist from all levels of government down to average Joes. They've influenced every major geopolitical event throughout history. All members wear a bracelet - a fine metallic chain with a stone - on their left wrist that can NEVER be removed or else the wearer will instantly suffer a horrific form of death that David Cronenberg would probably love to bring to the screen.
I have so many questions about the practicality of this. Has nobody throughout human history ever noticed that all these men wear the same bracelet? Have none of them ever been asked about it? Been asked to remove it to go through a metal detector? One member of The Brotherhood wants to be a Hollywood actor. I guess he'd have to sing one of their Special Songs to hypnotize the directors into allowing him to wear it for every role. What about if their left hand or arm is injured and paramedics need to take the bracelet off to do surgery or put on a cast? The death that ensues when the bracelet is removed is unforgettable to witness. Surely SOMEONE must have seen this happen at some point in history. Do these men ever panic if their bracelet gets snagged on something?
I am likely putting WAY much more thought into this than the author did. Still, overall I enjoyed the book.
My only other nitpick is that Woody Guthrie didn't sing City of New Orleans. That was his son, Arlo.
June 25, 2025
Un culto milenario diabólico planea despertar a los dioses primogenios y acabar con nuestra civilización. Nuestra única esperanza? una cantante de rock de los 80. Historia corta pero jodidamente entretenida. Hija de su época, tenemos sexo explícito, tripas, sangre, semen, sudor, de todo. Las muertes son deliciosas, sin spoilear mucho, diré que uno muere deevolucionando hasta convertirse en un ser unicelular... brillante!!! Lo dicho, una novela corta, producto de tiempos mejores sin tantos complejos y con más pelotas. El autor tiene varios libros más del mismo estilo.
December 18, 2023
Billy Lee shot out of obscurity and became an overnight success in the country music scene. She will sing a new song which came to her in a dream and have an out of body experience. She will open a door to a darkness, Dark God's are waiting to enter and destroy the world. On stage a family man will try to stab her, she will use her guitar to protect her before he is taken away. Billy Lee's one night stand will have his body pumped with bullets as he sleeps, grey matter oozing, his dick destroyed, a lump of meat. A Brotherhood which is the oldest continuing religious movement on Earth, members on every corner want Billy Lee dead because she knows the death song. Loads of songs sung which turn people into killers. Not as good as Kane or Manstopper.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews