The Spell

by Ed Kelleher, Harriette Vidal

Handsome and popular, Christopher Simpson knew he'd soon get the break that would make him a hot, new star. Then he met Cora. Charming, beautiful, mystical, she became his all-consuming obsession. He was determined to make the strangely aloof Cora his--even if he had to use The Spell.

Genres: Horror

312 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1990

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read, but one that left too many loose ends for my liking. The Spell starts with a prologue where a husband-battered young women is fleeing to her grandma's place to escape. Grandma is a witch, but a 'white' one; nonetheless, she is in the process of casting a spell when the asshole hubby burns the place down, leaving the spell incomplete. The wife gives birth to Cora, who features in the main tale, but shortly dies after giving birth. What is the significance of this? At the end I was still unsure.

Meanwhile, the tale kicks off following several character arcs. Cora growing up, being a holy terror to her step parents and teachers alike; she is a rare beauty but seems to lack any morality. A struggling actor Chris in NYC, who works as a bartender on the side, becomes our main protagonist. Cora comes to the bar one day and Chris is smitten, even though he has a steady. Chris has a BFF named Kyle who knows a witch in NYC who they hope can cast a love spell on Cora for Chris. So, which spell is the title for? Not really sure, but it could be either or both 🤷‍♂️

That stated, this is an entertaining romp through NYC circa the late 80s, with many cultural references those that survived the 80s will recognize. Chris and his friends are good characters, albeit not terribly original. If The Spell had a good editor, a better ending and fewer plot holes, this could have been knocked up to 3.5 or even 4 stars. As it stands-- 2.5 wishy washy stars, rounding up for nostalgia.

[Bandit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite its cheesy cover, tagline and premise, this actually turned out to be a surprisingly decent read. One of those fatal attraction stories with the main moral being beware of what you wish for, but pretty well written and with interesting enough characters. Very quick read and an entertaining way to pass a few hours.

[Leona · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned absolutely nothing from this book. Something to read to pass the time.

[Kilgallen · Rating 2 out of 5]

An intresting read that was going along fairly well......until the end. The last quarter of the book seemed to be very rushed.

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

That lady was so crazy, but I loved it

[HeshTilDeath · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 stars for the book, bonus star for one of the greatest pieces of artwork on a 90s horror novel.

Very competent, compelling page-turner with some genuinely unsettling passages of prose. I wish it was woven a little more with the lore it went to pains to carve in the prologue (the longest chapter in the book).

Still, it eschews the rather too common of it's ilk police narrative, opting for a rather tight back and forth between the main characters. The end is terrific, resolving darkly without resorting to grand world saving heroics. The contortions the authors achieve in assuring you that this is WHITE witchcraft are impressive, and the character responsible for the titular incantation gets a little blowback, cool to watch from the sidelines as it lowkey begins to obsess her.

Come for the art, stay for a fun and quick story. Recommended to read this in public, perhaps on the Beach where people can walk by and glimpse the cover, knowing they just past someone with impeccable taste, a true literati.

[Stephanie Davies · Rating 2 out of 5]

It wasn't as good (bad) as The School which was a shame. Just bad.