Martyrs

by Edo Van Belkom

250 years ago, French Jesuits erected a mission deep in the uncharted Canadian wilderness, where they lived until they were brutally tortured and murdered by a band of Iroquois.

Or so the legends say.

Today Ste-Claire College stands near the legendary massacre site, the mission's memory now more folklore than fact. Then Ste-Claire professor, Karl Desbiens, a Regent in the Order of Jesus, and his band of students set off to locate the mission ruins. But after ten days of digging and searching, they find nothing...

Until an old world evil is uncovered and the true nightmare is unleashed.

With his own inner demons to struggle with, and his own crisis of faith to overcome, Karl Desbiens is an unlikely hero. Nevertheless, it's up to him to carry on the Jesuit tradition and fight the evil that has invaded Ste-Claire College before all of his students are dead.

Genres: Horror

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2001

About the author

Bram Stoker and Aurora Award-winner Edo van Belkom is the author of over 200 stories of horror, science fiction, fantasy, and mystery. As an editor, he has four anthologies to his credit that include two books for young adults, Be Afraid! (A Canadian Library Association Young Adult Book of the Year finalist) and Be Very Afraid! (An Aurora Award winner — Best Work in English). Born in Toronto, van Belkom graduated from York University, then worked as a daily newspaper sports and police reporter before becoming a full-time writer. Edo van Belkom lives in Brampton, Ontario, with his wife Roberta and son Luke.

Reviews

[Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice little horror book about a Jesuit priest in training that is at a crossroads in his life. Should he go through with becoming a priest? Or should he do something else with his life? He soon persuades the college he attends to go dig up an old mission site for artifacts from the Martyrs whom founded Ste-Claire College. They only thing they find are misery and death. One student finds, and is soon possessed by a demon intent on bringing hell on earth.

I was a little hesitant about reading this because I never read, or heard of Edo Van Belkom before. Also I'm not a big fan of 21st century horror novels. This one was a vert nice surprise. It had more of an eighties pulp horror slant to it. The characters and pacing was very well done. The ending was not to much of a shocker which I was hoping for. I will definitely look for more books by Mr. Von Belkom.

[Kilgallen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting horror story that focuses on a demon seeking to bring about the end of the world and the religious order that attempts to stop it. I appreciated that the author was abashedly Canadian in his writing. I love when an author is not only Canadian, but writes as one as well. The entire book takes place in Canada and is filled with iconic Canadian imagery. Even the narrator has a French Canadian accent. It is a little older and has some obviously dated references ( especially around tech ) and isn't politically correct. If misogynistic characters and historically accurate yet no longer accepted views of First Nations Peoples are a trigger for you, perhaps another book would be better suited for you. While I do not support either of these issues, they do make sense in the context of this story and are not done, in my opinion, to glorify or present these things as right....quite the opposite in fact. I would recommend this book to those who enjoy religious horror as a subgenre.

[Victoria · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible in every possible way.

[Brian Gaston · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of Van Belkom's last novels. It is a well written, fast paced story.