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Violet Lagoon
When a quartet of co-eds decide to reenact The Blue Lagoon on an abandoned Florida Key, they find more than just sex and sand is on the agenda. Stings turn out to play a part in their weekend as well. Lots and lots of stings. But those were just the beginning of the pain...
"Violet Lagoon" was originally planned as the prologue to John Everson's seventh novel Violet Eyes. It was first published as a standalone novelette in the collection Creeptych in 2010. When the novel was completed, the version that appears there was shortened and separated into both a prologue and flashback chapters. This is the full, original version of the novelette. Beware the bite!
"Violet Lagoon" was originally planned as the prologue to John Everson's seventh novel Violet Eyes. It was first published as a standalone novelette in the collection Creeptych in 2010. When the novel was completed, the version that appears there was shortened and separated into both a prologue and flashback chapters. This is the full, original version of the novelette. Beware the bite!
- GenresHorrorShort Stories
ebook
First published September 21, 2013
3 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
John Everson
112 books535 followersJohn Everson is a former newspaper reporter who writes thrillers filled with erotic horror and supernatural suspense. He is the author of the Bram Stoker Award winner Covenant, and finalist NightWhere, which reviewers called "50 Shades Meets Hellraiser!" He is also the creator of the characters Danika and Mila Dubov, seen in the Netflix series V-Wars, based on the books created by Jonathan Maberry. Booklist said his recent New Orleans novel, Voodoo Heart, "is a solid blend of supernatural horror and hard-boiled detective fiction, and should appeal to horror devotees as well as mystery buffs” while Living Dead Magazine called him "the master of dark and sexy."
Follow John on the BookBub: John Everson page for information on book sales and new releases as well as on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For information on his fiction, art and music, visit John Everson: Dark Arts at www.johneverson.com.
Follow John on the BookBub: John Everson page for information on book sales and new releases as well as on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For information on his fiction, art and music, visit John Everson: Dark Arts at www.johneverson.com.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
September 22, 2022
Four young people make a boat trip to play Blue Lagoon on a remote island. They have a good start, there is some laughing and screwing. But soon paradise is half as nice. Creepy crawlies seem to be anywhere. Can they be seriously harmed by them? What about the mysterious hut in the woods? How is Billy involved in this? Will anyone of them survive? Entertaining fast paced Everson with some eerie insects and spooky moments. You don't want to get stranded on this island... really recommended!
November 24, 2020
This was a short "biting" romp into terror!
A small backstory without giving away spoilers:
Four friends (Billy, Mark, Jess, and Casey) decide they want to take the boat out to a private island and pretend they are the characters in the movie "The Blue Lagoon" as they just want to have some fun. As soon as they get to the island they start getting ready to set up camp, but right away one of them gets bit by a creepy purple spider.
The friends decide to explore the island a little more, but things go from bad to worse as the friends are attacked by flies that are the same color as the spiders. The friends find out that the island is infested with some kind of mutant bugs and that these bugs love human flesh!
What starts out as a "romp" on the island turns into a fight for survival and when the bugs are hungry they are going to attack to feed!
Even though this book was a short story, author, John Everson, crammed the pages with detailed "bug" action that is fast paced and gore filled "bug fun"! There is a second book called "Violet Eyes" which I will be reading next as it seems there are more victims lying in the path of the purple bugs and I want to see who is next on the
"bug buffet"!
Giving this book four "bug bite" stars!
A small backstory without giving away spoilers:
Four friends (Billy, Mark, Jess, and Casey) decide they want to take the boat out to a private island and pretend they are the characters in the movie "The Blue Lagoon" as they just want to have some fun. As soon as they get to the island they start getting ready to set up camp, but right away one of them gets bit by a creepy purple spider.
The friends decide to explore the island a little more, but things go from bad to worse as the friends are attacked by flies that are the same color as the spiders. The friends find out that the island is infested with some kind of mutant bugs and that these bugs love human flesh!
What starts out as a "romp" on the island turns into a fight for survival and when the bugs are hungry they are going to attack to feed!
Even though this book was a short story, author, John Everson, crammed the pages with detailed "bug" action that is fast paced and gore filled "bug fun"! There is a second book called "Violet Eyes" which I will be reading next as it seems there are more victims lying in the path of the purple bugs and I want to see who is next on the
"bug buffet"!
Giving this book four "bug bite" stars!
May 11, 2015
Two things, the first a Blue Lagoon love nest for two couples seeking romance in an exotic location and two, fucking spiders, millions of them. Time to fucking run.
'She shook it off her hand and began to stand. But at that moment, all of the spiders began to jump.'
Perfect read for people suffering from Arachnofuckingphobia, not.
Also posted at http://paulnelson.booklikes.com/post/...
'She shook it off her hand and began to stand. But at that moment, all of the spiders began to jump.'
Perfect read for people suffering from Arachnofuckingphobia, not.
Also posted at http://paulnelson.booklikes.com/post/...
March 4, 2018
Read this as a short introduction to the full-length novel Violet Eyes, and it wasn't bad. I would go with 3.5/5.0 stars. I liked the interesting take on where these spiders come from and how they spread. I'm looking forward to going on to the novel to see where this story goes.
November 29, 2018
Great little story about four friends who decide to play Blue Lagoon on a small island. Their weekend of sex and sunbathing is ruined as they come across some of the islands inhabitants.
This was a short, nasty little read with lots of gore and a plot line that would be an arachnophobes worst nightmare. You don't particularly care about any of the characters but as this story is a prequel to Violet Eyes it's all about showcasing the bugs.
This was a short, nasty little read with lots of gore and a plot line that would be an arachnophobes worst nightmare. You don't particularly care about any of the characters but as this story is a prequel to Violet Eyes it's all about showcasing the bugs.
July 21, 2015
Full credit to John Everson for writing the first story that made me, an absolute arachnophobe, shiver with horrified disgust as his spiders made themselves known in this novella that acts as an extended prologue to his novel, Violet Eyes. (I even shivered involuntarily as I wrote that sentence.)
Violet Lagoon could have been truly brilliant on that basis. However, I had numerous issues with the sheer stupidity of most of the four characters within this story, and really had to work hard to suspend my disbelief that anyone could be that dumb when it came to dealing with what was clearly a life or death situation.
That doesn't change the fact I've ordered my paperback copy of Violet Eyes though, and am looking forward to seeing what Everson can do with his nasty spider/flies when they're unleashed on the wider population ...
3.5 (Rounding up to 4) Clear and Apparent Death Wishes for Violet Lagoon.
Violet Lagoon could have been truly brilliant on that basis. However, I had numerous issues with the sheer stupidity of most of the four characters within this story, and really had to work hard to suspend my disbelief that anyone could be that dumb when it came to dealing with what was clearly a life or death situation.
That doesn't change the fact I've ordered my paperback copy of Violet Eyes though, and am looking forward to seeing what Everson can do with his nasty spider/flies when they're unleashed on the wider population ...
3.5 (Rounding up to 4) Clear and Apparent Death Wishes for Violet Lagoon.
October 2, 2013
A pair of friends set out to a remote island for a little getaway. Shortly after they arrive they realize they are not alone.
I can't say anymore without giving anything away.
I really enjoyed this story and will be buying Violet Eyes in just a minute.
Not to be read before bedtime :)
I can't say anymore without giving anything away.
I really enjoyed this story and will be buying Violet Eyes in just a minute.
Not to be read before bedtime :)
December 7, 2014
Fun and scary teaser about two college aged couples visiting a tiny island in the Keys, to party and have sex, but instead find a mysterious Quonset hut and clouds of buzzing and ravenous purple flies. But that isn't the worst of it. Written as a companion piece to his horror novel, Violet Eyes. If you haven't read Everson, you should.
October 8, 2013
I thought this book was a nice scary treat. For someone who is not much into creature features, I really enjoyed this. I was just dissapointed when it ended, but who isn't? Great first read from this author.
June 7, 2021
I was in the mood to be creeped out. Yeah, but not like THIS!….
We can now officially put beaches/secluded islands on the list of places I will never go to. Thanks, John Everson…and I mean this in the best possible way!
A group of four co-eds goes to a secluded island getaway to reenact scenes from the movie “The Blue Lagoon”, complete with skimpy costumes for both the men and women. What comes next? Romance, lust, sex, of course. One of the couples gets it on so well, that the girl keeps digging her foot into the sand. Her foot goes deeper and deeper into the sand until it touches something solid. A rock perhaps? Nope, it is a skull. After the skull incident, a spider appears, a purple one that has never been seen before, one of the girls freaks out, and the spider is crushed. The problem is that where there is one spider, there are more.
And they are hungry. VERY hungry.
So, if you are hinky about bugs in any way, this is not the book for you. I got some SERIOUS creeps. It is more than just spiders, it is also flies, gnats, and mosquitoes, and the common factor with these bugs is the color purple. When the biting started, I did not feel the bites, but I did feel itchy all over. The kind of itch that all of the lotion in the world will not take care of. The writing is sharp, on point, and there are absolutely no wasted words. He gets right to the point, over and over, and over again. I got stabbed by the point on multiple occasions, and I kept going back for more. He is that damn good!
This can be read in one sitting, just keep the lights on and the bug spray handy!
5 out of 5 bookmarks!!!!!
We can now officially put beaches/secluded islands on the list of places I will never go to. Thanks, John Everson…and I mean this in the best possible way!
A group of four co-eds goes to a secluded island getaway to reenact scenes from the movie “The Blue Lagoon”, complete with skimpy costumes for both the men and women. What comes next? Romance, lust, sex, of course. One of the couples gets it on so well, that the girl keeps digging her foot into the sand. Her foot goes deeper and deeper into the sand until it touches something solid. A rock perhaps? Nope, it is a skull. After the skull incident, a spider appears, a purple one that has never been seen before, one of the girls freaks out, and the spider is crushed. The problem is that where there is one spider, there are more.
And they are hungry. VERY hungry.
So, if you are hinky about bugs in any way, this is not the book for you. I got some SERIOUS creeps. It is more than just spiders, it is also flies, gnats, and mosquitoes, and the common factor with these bugs is the color purple. When the biting started, I did not feel the bites, but I did feel itchy all over. The kind of itch that all of the lotion in the world will not take care of. The writing is sharp, on point, and there are absolutely no wasted words. He gets right to the point, over and over, and over again. I got stabbed by the point on multiple occasions, and I kept going back for more. He is that damn good!
This can be read in one sitting, just keep the lights on and the bug spray handy!
5 out of 5 bookmarks!!!!!
January 31, 2023
I quite liked Violet Eyes. To date it is the creepiest "killer spider" book I've read. Hearing that there was a companion piece, I was excited to read it and spend another hour in that world.
For some reason, though, this one didn't hit me quite the same. I can't put my pedipalp on it, but it just didn't have the same venom to it. Maybe a little too much time spent setting up characters that still felt like the standard "young adults partying on a deserted island" that we've seen in so many slasher movies/books. Maybe a little too much time trying to build suspense about something that anyone who read "Violet Eyes" already knows.
Probably it's just that it's short and you can't expect a full meal out of an appetizer. Taken as a whole, it's not going to really add anything to the original story, but it also didn't really detract from it. I'm happy to have read it, but that's in large part because I enjoyed Violet Eyes so much. But, truth be told, if you haven't read Violet Eyes - that's where you need to go. If that's not enough, divert all your eyes to Violet Lagoon on your web as a late night snack.
For some reason, though, this one didn't hit me quite the same. I can't put my pedipalp on it, but it just didn't have the same venom to it. Maybe a little too much time spent setting up characters that still felt like the standard "young adults partying on a deserted island" that we've seen in so many slasher movies/books. Maybe a little too much time trying to build suspense about something that anyone who read "Violet Eyes" already knows.
Probably it's just that it's short and you can't expect a full meal out of an appetizer. Taken as a whole, it's not going to really add anything to the original story, but it also didn't really detract from it. I'm happy to have read it, but that's in large part because I enjoyed Violet Eyes so much. But, truth be told, if you haven't read Violet Eyes - that's where you need to go. If that's not enough, divert all your eyes to Violet Lagoon on your web as a late night snack.
February 14, 2022
VIOLET LAGOON is a Novella prequel to VIOLET EYES, and that is the order in which I read, but certainly one could read either first. These are in the delightful "Cryptid Horror" category, as I assure that, no matter the monumental number of Arachnid species on this planet (more than 45,000!), these are not included in Nature as we know it.
Caution: Arachnophobics, avoid. Also those who are phobic about species such as gnats and mosquitoes, or are phobic of evolutionary mutations and genetic species anomalies resulting from meddlesome human intervention.
However, if your gig is Cryptid Horror, just follow along...let author John Everson introduce you to an isolated, almost undiscovered, unpopulated, isle in the Florida Keys. That is, no human population...at the moment; only some very hungry mutant species desperate to Feed...
Caution: Arachnophobics, avoid. Also those who are phobic about species such as gnats and mosquitoes, or are phobic of evolutionary mutations and genetic species anomalies resulting from meddlesome human intervention.
However, if your gig is Cryptid Horror, just follow along...let author John Everson introduce you to an isolated, almost undiscovered, unpopulated, isle in the Florida Keys. That is, no human population...at the moment; only some very hungry mutant species desperate to Feed...
March 12, 2018
This is the full version of the Violet Eyes story which explains how this occurred but leaves you wondering if the story has ended yet. Don't read this if you haven't cleaned up those little spider webs up in the corners of the room.
January 6, 2020
Prequel to Violet Lagoon
April 10, 2018
I bought this out of curiosity before reading “Violet Eyes.” I desperately hope that book is better since I already bought it.
The characters in this story are mind numbingly stupid (My girlfriend was just killed by the spiders that attacked us yesterday so, rather than getting on the boat and leaving, we’re going to stop and collect the tents and all our gear even though that’s where the spiders attacked us yesterday, and then after nothing happens there, we’re going to go back and collect here mostly eaten corpse to bring back with us).
The swarms don’t behave anything like a real swarm would (e.g. dividing and attacking two of three people while leaving the third completely untouched, completely departing a body they started feeding on with half of the body still uneaten and food clearly scarce on the island).
I'm all for suspension of disbelief but this story was so ludicrous I found that impossible.
The story was frustrating to read, with all characters (including non-humans) behaving solely to fulfill a trope in the story rather than in any, even remotely realistic way. The only reason I was able to finish reading it is because it was so short.
The characters in this story are mind numbingly stupid (My girlfriend was just killed by the spiders that attacked us yesterday so, rather than getting on the boat and leaving, we’re going to stop and collect the tents and all our gear even though that’s where the spiders attacked us yesterday, and then after nothing happens there, we’re going to go back and collect here mostly eaten corpse to bring back with us).
The swarms don’t behave anything like a real swarm would (e.g. dividing and attacking two of three people while leaving the third completely untouched, completely departing a body they started feeding on with half of the body still uneaten and food clearly scarce on the island).
I'm all for suspension of disbelief but this story was so ludicrous I found that impossible.
The story was frustrating to read, with all characters (including non-humans) behaving solely to fulfill a trope in the story rather than in any, even remotely realistic way. The only reason I was able to finish reading it is because it was so short.
January 19, 2015
VIOLET LAGOON is a great little "novelette", to use author John Everson's description of it. Everything I've read from Everson has been smart, satisfying and entertaining, and that holds true here. It's a pretty traditional horror story, characters visit a deserted island on which they have planned teenage debauchery, but hings go wrong quick and drastically. What unfolds is part creature horror, part body horror and is genuinely creepy, especially if the reader isn't fond of spiders. Yes, there are spiders and they're nasty even for spiders. The story also hints at possible mad science, a personal affinity, and a large-scale horror of what the characters here experience only on a personal level. This story was written three years before VIOLET EYES, Everson's novel expanding on the events of VIOLET LAGOON, and serves as something of a prelude to EYES. It's certainly good enough to move VIOLET EYES to the top of my next-to-read list.
February 2, 2014
A nice prequel
John Everson does it again! I have already read Violet Eyes and loved it, so it was nice to return to that world again. Very short but equally nasty, Violet Lagoon was a nice back story to what really happened on that deserted island. Scary and gory, with a touch of sex, Everson is still the new master of the horror genre! This is a must for any fan
John Everson does it again! I have already read Violet Eyes and loved it, so it was nice to return to that world again. Very short but equally nasty, Violet Lagoon was a nice back story to what really happened on that deserted island. Scary and gory, with a touch of sex, Everson is still the new master of the horror genre! This is a must for any fan
June 18, 2014
prelude to Violet Eyes, with more detail
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews