Sacrifice

by John Farris

Willing to go to any lengths to protect his seventeen-year-old daughter, Greg Walker is forced to confront a dark secret that stretches from his comfortable suburban life to the ancient jungles of Central America. Reprint.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Mystery

379 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

American writer and screenwriter of both adaptations of his own books (e.g. 'The Fury'), of the works of others (such as Alfred Bester's 'The Demolished Man') and original scripts. In 1973 he wrote and directed the film 'Dear Dead Delilah'. He has had several plays produced off-Broadway, and also paints and writes poetry. At various times he has made his home in New York, Southern California and Puerto Rico; he currently resides near Atlanta, Georgia. Early in his career he also wrote under the name Steve Brackeen.

Reviews

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really do love John Farris. He's just such an incredibly FUN read. Originality in concept and no small amount of technical skill combine to set him apart, whatever genre he's working in. But it is clear that his preferred medium is the horror/supernatural thriller novel. And boy, does he shine.

Like many of his novels, Sacrifice is a bit of a slow burn. Plenty of seemingly extraneous information and languid developments do slow down the first third of this book, but I never felt bored or burdened by the style. Quite the opposite, actually. I appreciate his tone and pacing and he's so much fun to read that I never really seem to care how long it takes for the action to start.

Sacrifice was slightly less dark than All Heads Turn, trading in the voodoo themes for those of Mayan blood sacrifice, but still keeping longevity and immortality as a core concept. Family betrayal and sacrifice play heavily into the theme of this book, as well, with the protagonist operating entirely exterior of the family unit, whereas he was quite integrated in All Heads Turn.

Still quite a few parallels between the two, though. In any event, I chewed through this book pretty quickly. Farris is almost impossible for me to put down once I get into the meat of the tale and Sacrifice was no different in this respect. Well-written and compelling characters, a unique theme with roots in archaic religion and mythology, and some effective (if occasionally slightly uneven) pacing earned a five star review from me. This one was squarely in my wheelhouse and I'll probably read it again further on down the road.

[Bob Box · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read in 1996. A terrifying and tragic look at the life of Greg Walker, who is compelled to visit an ancient Mayan temple every nineteen years in order to prolong his unnaturally long life. A thrilling and fun read. One of my favorites that year.

[Ryder Islington · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the beginning, the story was really slow. As I began to see what was going on with the main character, Greg Walker, and what was going to happen, I was pulled into the story, with a need to find out what was going to happen.
Family man Greg Walker has a 17 year old daughter whom he adores. But there is a dark secret in his past that could be the end of her. The story moves from Georgia to Guatemala where the terror begins. Throw in a little fantasy, and a dash of adventure. And some ugly surprises.


This is not the kind of book I'd recommend to the squeamish. But I would recommend it to those who love the search for the Fountain of Youth and for those who love to read about Mayan history.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very few writers are able to achieve the same level of suspense and terror. Farris has the ability to write a horror story that is both a page-turner and will leave you thinking about his characters and themes. Sacrifice is only the fourth book of his that I've read, but it grabbed me in a way similar to All Heads Turn as the Hunt Goes By, except that, here, he's using ancient Mayan rites rather than the voodoo of the previous novel.

Greg Walker appears to be the perfect husband and father. That is, until his abnormally quick recovery from a gunshot wound to the head. A seemingly crazy woman arrives from Canada, claiming to have been his wife in a former life, but if her dates are correct, Greg would have to be more than 70 years old! The story very gradually unfolds from there and a race against time is the ultimate result.

A great combination of ancient history (Farris obviously did his homework on this one), intriguing, realistic characters, and a story that is both horrifying, yet ultimately sad and heart-breaking make this one a real standout. Strongly recommended.

[Julai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow. John Farris wrote some crackin' good pulpy horror novels. Dirty! Scary! Like going on a ride at a traveling carnival where everything's slightly rusty. You might fall off the ferris wheel! You might need a tetanus shot! Or maybe it'll end in cotton candy!

I'm going to keep reading them until I have read them all or I get lockjaw.

[laurenpie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best antagonist's dilemma ever: the "sacrifice" he must choose to make in order to remain immortal.

A thrilling and fun read; great opening chapters, and remains a page-turner throughout. I find the antagonist's disparate attitude oddly appealing: he is truly and deeply affectionate, and yet ready in an instant to throw it all away for his own coldly-calculated survival.

I find myself torn between rooting for the protagonist and antagonist on this one: a first-rate reader's dilemma!

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neat idea behind the book, but it seemed like an over amount of filler detail that dragged things out. Seems like the book could have been about half as long, when it comes to going from point A to point B. Would have been better if there was some other things going on.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. The beginning of the book is interesting - slow, but interesting. But there comes a page where the author just shifts to another point of view and the real plot kicks in and once you've kind of read to that point, the story kind of goes exactly how you thought it would. Like, once the plot is revealed, the logical conclusion of that plot is literally exactly what happens.

I think the book was good, but it wasn't anything particularly groundbreaking. A nice spooky read for Halloween, but nothing really more than that.

[tam tam · Rating 3 out of 5]

maybe 3.5

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting tale of a father's love for his daughter, or is it?

[Eve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating read. Very interesting topic with a story that flows really well and is easy to read. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good author. Sort of like John Saul. Would read others by him. Not sure it I have read any in the past and forgot!

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Farris is so much fun to read.

[Dollie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book very quickly because I had a very hard time putting it down. It was a very scary mystery about a man who isn't really who everyone thinks he is.

[Rick · Rating 1 out of 5]

Glad when it was over.