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Lamia Zacharias
Death-Coach
While the town of Thessaly slept, the sound of hoofbeats echoed in the night, an eerie, ominous sound that spoke of foreboding evil & terror. And out of the darkness it appeared, an ancient, intricately carved cariage powered by four gigantic black steeds. Looming just above the carriage, silhouetted by the moon, was the vampire, Lamia Zacharius. Older than time, reeking of evil, tonight she took on the form of a bird. Spreading her wings wide to help; shadow the driver's hideous face, she accompanied him on his midnight journey, thirsty for the taste of fresh human blood --- seeking out then next innocent victim to be taken by the DEATH-COACH.
- GenresHorror
318 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1981
1 person is currently reading
149 people want to read
About the author
J.N. Williamson
98 books55 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
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 21, 2022
Mary Graham and her family (three kids) move to the small village of Thessaly. Barry, her deceased husband, has bought a home there. But what about the Greek community there? Why are they interested in Joey, her youngest kid? What about the talks about vampires, reincarnation and a mysterious death-coach threatening Mary at night? How is Pythagoras involved in all this? The author comes up with a colorful pulp horror tale covering ancient Greek myths, magic and mystery. The story isn't always logic or convincing but it has its uncanny moments. The content can't catch up with the superb cover but overall it's not a bad read for the horror fan. Loved all the historic characters like Pythagoras or Empedocles brought into a horror lore. You'll want to find out more about them and this is a positive side effect. Recommended!
March 8, 2022
Harvest Home by Thomas Tryon does everything right in regards to small-town folk horror. This book is its idiot cousin with no tact. Characters are illogical and come off sounding like over-the-top villains from day one, yet this lady refuses to take her kids and leave town. By the third act all the obvious tropes have been used up and the book takes a turn into insanity (sadly, not in a good way).
This is a book about a town of immortal Greeks, vampires, an ancient creature, and the absence of subtlety. It sucked.
This is a book about a town of immortal Greeks, vampires, an ancient creature, and the absence of subtlety. It sucked.
October 24, 2016
I started reading this book because it was next in my pile. I didn't even think about it looking appropriate to the coming Hallowe'en season.
I discovered the second book in this series in high school. The copy I read was missing the cover and the label on the spine, so I didn't have any memories of its title: Death-Angel. Using search techniques I am learning in my Masters of Library and Information Science (MLIS) program, I was finally, twenty-one years later, able to figure out what I had read. Then I found out it was the second in a series, so I ordered both it and this book.
For a series that purports to be about Lamia Zacharius, she is hardly in this book. Williamson has some interesting concepts that he puts into play here. He attempted to create an atmosphere where the main character would feel isolated and would give the reader some creepy feelings. I can't help but feeling that in the hands of a more skilled writer, I would have been frightened of the events described in this book. As it was, I read the words feeling detached from the happenings, unable to connect with the characters.
It was an OK read, and I was interested enough to finish the book. We'll see how well my memories of the second book compare to its actuality.
I discovered the second book in this series in high school. The copy I read was missing the cover and the label on the spine, so I didn't have any memories of its title: Death-Angel. Using search techniques I am learning in my Masters of Library and Information Science (MLIS) program, I was finally, twenty-one years later, able to figure out what I had read. Then I found out it was the second in a series, so I ordered both it and this book.
For a series that purports to be about Lamia Zacharius, she is hardly in this book. Williamson has some interesting concepts that he puts into play here. He attempted to create an atmosphere where the main character would feel isolated and would give the reader some creepy feelings. I can't help but feeling that in the hands of a more skilled writer, I would have been frightened of the events described in this book. As it was, I read the words feeling detached from the happenings, unable to connect with the characters.
It was an OK read, and I was interested enough to finish the book. We'll see how well my memories of the second book compare to its actuality.
September 28, 2020
Before reading this book, I thought the title was Death-Couch. I was very disappointed.
August 7, 2021
Even by 80s horror standards Williamson is a hack. His ideas are jumbled, characters confused, scares non-existent. Death-Coach is a fondue of ethnic secret societies and foreign vampires that’s not worth sharing.
February 26, 2022
purchased a copy from a thrift shop. regretted it a lot.
April 21, 2025
Part 1 and 2 were well written, but what happened to Part 3? It got worse and worse, and the ending was totally confusing.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews