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The Houngan
Fearing for the safety of his young son, Cerf allowed himself to be a pawn in a company's black game, until a New Year's Eve ceremony threatened to draw him and those he loved forever into the dark world of...the Houngan.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
98 people want to read
About the author
J.N. Williamson
98 books54 followersGerald Neal Williamson (April 17, 1932 - December 8, 2005) wrote and edited horror stories under the name J. N. Williamson. He also wrote under the name Julian Shock.
Born in Indianapolis, IN he graduated from Shortridge High School. He studied journalism at Butler University. He published his first novel in 1979 and went on to publish more than 40 novels and 150 short stories. In 2003 he received a lifetime achievement award from the Horror Writers of America. He edited the critically acclaimed How to Write Tales of Horror, Fantasy & Science Fiction (1987) which covered the themes of such writing and cited the writings of such writers as Robert Bloch, Lee Prosser, Richard Matheson, Ray Bradbury, H. P. Lovecraft, August Derleth, William F. Nolan, and Stephen King. Many important writers in the genre contributed to the book. Williamson edited the popular anthology series, Masques. Some of his novels include The Ritual (1979), Playmates (1982), Noonspell (1991), The Haunt (1999), among others.
He was also a well known Sherlockian and received his investiture (The Illustrious Client) in the Baker Street Irregulars in 1950.
Source: Wikipedia
Born in Indianapolis, IN he graduated from Shortridge High School. He studied journalism at Butler University. He published his first novel in 1979 and went on to publish more than 40 novels and 150 short stories. In 2003 he received a lifetime achievement award from the Horror Writers of America. He edited the critically acclaimed How to Write Tales of Horror, Fantasy & Science Fiction (1987) which covered the themes of such writing and cited the writings of such writers as Robert Bloch, Lee Prosser, Richard Matheson, Ray Bradbury, H. P. Lovecraft, August Derleth, William F. Nolan, and Stephen King. Many important writers in the genre contributed to the book. Williamson edited the popular anthology series, Masques. Some of his novels include The Ritual (1979), Playmates (1982), Noonspell (1991), The Haunt (1999), among others.
He was also a well known Sherlockian and received his investiture (The Illustrious Client) in the Baker Street Irregulars in 1950.
Source: Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 21, 2015
A houngan is a male Voodoo priest. Van Cerf is a divorced father of a twelve-year old boy and unemployed. Van is an advertising writer who has struggled finding satisfaction in his work environment from the various employers he's had through the years. As a result, he finds himself with bills mounting and his confidence at ever finding a job that's fulfilling, emotionally and financially, dwindling. In a last ditch effort, Van calls upon an ex co-worker, who has taken a job with the DeSilvier Corporation, and discovers that she loves working there, but she tells him that they have so little turnover that they rarely ever are hiring. Undeterred, he drops in an attempt at securing an interview. In what seems to be a twist of fate, he's able to meet with one of the Vice Presidents, Doyle Munro. After answering some unorthodox questions, Van is hired. He soon learns that the president of the corporation is Horace DeSilvier, a charismatic houngan that prides himself that his company has so little turnover due to their employee-friendly "family" environment. The question is, is that really why the turnover is low or is there something more sinister involved? Is voodoo the peaceful religion that DeSilvier portrays and has introduced to Van or is there more than meets the eye?
Williamson's writing is very reminiscent of Charles L. Grant, another prolific writer from the 1980s. The Houngan is a slow burn for the first 2/3 of the story as it sets everything in place for the final 1/3. The character development is solid and you're invested in Van's plight as he attempts to discover what is really going on at DeSilvier. The ending is just ok. But, The Houngan is a solid read.
3 1/2 out of 5 stars
.You can also follow my reviews at the following links:
https://kenmckinley.wordpress.com
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/A2J1...
TWITTER - @KenMcKinley5
Williamson's writing is very reminiscent of Charles L. Grant, another prolific writer from the 1980s. The Houngan is a slow burn for the first 2/3 of the story as it sets everything in place for the final 1/3. The character development is solid and you're invested in Van's plight as he attempts to discover what is really going on at DeSilvier. The ending is just ok. But, The Houngan is a solid read.
3 1/2 out of 5 stars
.You can also follow my reviews at the following links:
https://kenmckinley.wordpress.com
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/A2J1...
TWITTER - @KenMcKinley5
August 2, 2019
This is the third horror novel by J.N. Williamson I've read this year (2019) after discovering the author in Paperbacks from Hell and one of the things that really stands out is the diversity in storytelling. Much like The Longest Night, and The Tulpa, The Houngan is completely unique, using different concepts and creative ways to scare.
This time 'round the reader is exposed to the Haitian priest of Voodoo known as a Houngan, who, in this book, also runs a prestigious and highly profitable perfume company (raises eyebrows doesn't it?). Using some supernatural strings to pull in a down-and-out tech-writer recently fired from his job, the Houngan subtly starts his manipulation of sair tech-writer and his young son to satisfy his nefarious means.
The concept of this book is pretty fun and would largely stack up with modern horror, however the author's social commentary and tendency to ramble on for chapters at a time disrupts the flow of the narrative. That said, the core cast of characters carry the story, even those which require the reader to suspend belief (there's some super cheesy dialogue and scenes which I can't imagine real people saying/acting out) to counteract those parts of the book which do little to progress the story.
My rating: 3/5 stars. If you're new to J.N. Williamson I'd suggest starting with The Tupla first and then make your way to the spiritual scares in The Houngan.
This time 'round the reader is exposed to the Haitian priest of Voodoo known as a Houngan, who, in this book, also runs a prestigious and highly profitable perfume company (raises eyebrows doesn't it?). Using some supernatural strings to pull in a down-and-out tech-writer recently fired from his job, the Houngan subtly starts his manipulation of sair tech-writer and his young son to satisfy his nefarious means.
The concept of this book is pretty fun and would largely stack up with modern horror, however the author's social commentary and tendency to ramble on for chapters at a time disrupts the flow of the narrative. That said, the core cast of characters carry the story, even those which require the reader to suspend belief (there's some super cheesy dialogue and scenes which I can't imagine real people saying/acting out) to counteract those parts of the book which do little to progress the story.
My rating: 3/5 stars. If you're new to J.N. Williamson I'd suggest starting with The Tupla first and then make your way to the spiritual scares in The Houngan.
April 2, 2016
"The company wanted more than forty hours a week. It wanted his soul."
Really enjoyable occult mystery thriller about an unemployed writer who gets hired by a mysterious corporation and soon learns about its involvement with Voodoo and why it has such a low turnover amongst its employees.
Had never heard of the book or its author before so was pleasantly surprised as to how much I enjoyed it. Despite the fact that the Leisure, the publisher, does not appear to have had an editor available (hardly ever come across a professionally published book with that many spelling mistakes), it didn't take away from my over entertainment. Some of the plot twists are pretty standard for this genre and some of the character reactions to what's happening around them begs belief but where the author excels is in his depiction of the creativity and (pardon the pun) soul destroying effects of corporate life on the individual. There are large sections when one cannot help but feel that this is more a corporate satire than an occult horror novel.
Really enjoyable occult mystery thriller about an unemployed writer who gets hired by a mysterious corporation and soon learns about its involvement with Voodoo and why it has such a low turnover amongst its employees.
Had never heard of the book or its author before so was pleasantly surprised as to how much I enjoyed it. Despite the fact that the Leisure, the publisher, does not appear to have had an editor available (hardly ever come across a professionally published book with that many spelling mistakes), it didn't take away from my over entertainment. Some of the plot twists are pretty standard for this genre and some of the character reactions to what's happening around them begs belief but where the author excels is in his depiction of the creativity and (pardon the pun) soul destroying effects of corporate life on the individual. There are large sections when one cannot help but feel that this is more a corporate satire than an occult horror novel.
July 8, 2016
I'd seen this book listed on a few "scariest books" lists, and had wanted to read it for awhile - if only because books where "Voodoo" is the big bad are few and far between.
I found the book to be "just okay". Van Cerf, the protagonist, is not the most likable of characters - equal parts self-righteous and self-deluding, who is prone to SUDDEN REALIZATIONS. His two romantic interests in particular make one scratch their head - his first is all passion and really, really wanting to write the naughty parts, but dancing around them for some reason. The latter sees Van become almost puritanical in his affairs, with a massive sense of propriety that leaps out of nowhere. Dandy, his son (whose name is unfortunately forever linked in my mind to American Horror Story) is the most likable character in the book, though the depiction of how old he actually is seems to fluctuate throughout the book. The CEO of DeSilvier, Horace, is easily the best character in the book, though even he is seemingly able to achieve his ends with zero resistance from Cerf.
The book really takes its time before anything of note happens, which could be seen as the plot waiting until he is too far immersed in his new company's religion and financial comforts to get out, but a few more jolts interspersed throughout would not have gone amiss.
Williamson's writing style is accessible, but his editors should have been held to account (years ago - this is not a recent book) as the copy editing is atrocious, and the errors are frequent enough to be distracting.
I'd recommend this book as a curiosity and, like me, an exposure to a new niche of the horror genre. I paid $1 for this at a used book store. I got about $3 worth of enjoyment.
I found the book to be "just okay". Van Cerf, the protagonist, is not the most likable of characters - equal parts self-righteous and self-deluding, who is prone to SUDDEN REALIZATIONS. His two romantic interests in particular make one scratch their head - his first is all passion and really, really wanting to write the naughty parts, but dancing around them for some reason. The latter sees Van become almost puritanical in his affairs, with a massive sense of propriety that leaps out of nowhere. Dandy, his son (whose name is unfortunately forever linked in my mind to American Horror Story) is the most likable character in the book, though the depiction of how old he actually is seems to fluctuate throughout the book. The CEO of DeSilvier, Horace, is easily the best character in the book, though even he is seemingly able to achieve his ends with zero resistance from Cerf.
The book really takes its time before anything of note happens, which could be seen as the plot waiting until he is too far immersed in his new company's religion and financial comforts to get out, but a few more jolts interspersed throughout would not have gone amiss.
Williamson's writing style is accessible, but his editors should have been held to account (years ago - this is not a recent book) as the copy editing is atrocious, and the errors are frequent enough to be distracting.
I'd recommend this book as a curiosity and, like me, an exposure to a new niche of the horror genre. I paid $1 for this at a used book store. I got about $3 worth of enjoyment.
August 3, 2012
This was a tale into the depths of voodoo. The main character Van Cerf had a very good character and was quite amusing. The story did tend to drag in certain parts and the ending I felt should have been more eventful. Overall it was a better read then I have had in a few months but sadly wasn't good enough for me to keep ahold of. If interested my copy is for sale on eBay.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews