Die Opferung

by Graham Masterton

David Williams hat das nicht ganz unbegründete Gefühl, vom Pech verfolgt zu sein: Seine Frau hat ihn wegen eines anderen Mannes verlassen, sein Geschäft ist pleite und er muss sich allein um seinen 7-jährigen Sohn kümmern. Aus blanker Not hat er den Auftrag angenommen, im kleinen Dorf Bonchurch auf der Isle of Wight das Fortyfoot-Haus zu renovieren, eine Villa aus dem 19. Jahrhundert. Doch bereits in der ersten Nacht werden er und sein Sohn Danny von merkwürdigen Geräuschen geweckt. Auf dem Dachboden scheint sich irgendjemand -- oder irgendetwas -- zu bewegen.

Bald sieht David sich in eine Kette unheimlicher Ereignisse verwickelt. Wer ist die betörende Frau, deren Bild in der verfallenen Kapelle des benachbarten Friedhofs an die Wand gemalt wurde? Wer ist der altmodisch gekleidete Mann, den David durch das Fenster der Kapelle im Garten des Fortyfoot-Hauses beobachtet? Und was verbirgt sich hinter der zugemauerten Dachschräge zwischen seinem Schlafzimmer und dem Dachboden? David ist vom Eigenleben des Gebäudes gleichermaßen abgestoßen und fasziniert. Denn noch ahnt er nicht, dass diese Mauern ein Geheimnis hüten, das älter ist als die Menschheit und dessen Schrecken seine Vorstellungskraft um ein Vielfaches übersteigt.

Die Opferung ist in Anlehnung an die Novelle The Dreams in the Witch-House von H.P. Lovecraft entstanden und kann ohne Übertreibung als eigenständiger und substanzieller Beitrag zum Cthulhu-Mythos bezeichnet werden. Natürlich gehört Masterton einer moderneren Autorengeneration an als Lovecraft und seine Figuren sind eher mit denjenigen Stephen Kings vergleichbar. Er versteht es allerdings meisterhaft, jenes schwer greifbare "kosmische Grauen" heraufzubeschwören, das eine gute Cthulhu-Geschichte auszeichnet.

Einmal mehr ist es Herausgeber Frank Festa gelungen, dem deutschsprachigen Publikum einen in vieler Hinsicht außergewöhnlichen Roman zu präsentieren. In den USA zählt Graham Masterton seit The Manitou zu den Stars der Horrorszene. Die Opferung zeigt, warum. --Felix Darwin

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Mystery, Lovecraftian, Audiobook, Cthulhu Mythos, Time Travel

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Graham Masterton was born in Edinburgh in 1946. His grandfather was Thomas Thorne Baker, the eminent scientist who invented DayGlo and was the first man to transmit news photographs by wireless. After training as a newspaper reporter, Graham went on to edit the new British men's magazine Mayfair, where he encouraged William Burroughs to develop a series of scientific and philosophical articles which eventually became Burroughs' novel The Wild Boys.

At the age of 24, Graham was appointed executive editor of both Penthouse and Penthouse Forum magazines. At this time he started to write a bestselling series of sex 'how-to' books including How To Drive Your Man Wild In Bed which has sold over 3 million copies worldwide. His latest, Wild Sex For New Lovers is published by Penguin Putnam in January, 2001. He is a regular contributor to Cosmopolitan, Men's Health, Woman, Woman's Own and other mass-market self-improvement magazines.

Graham Masterton's debut as a horror author began with The Manitou in 1976, a chilling tale of a Native American medicine man reborn in the present day to exact his revenge on the white man. It became an instant bestseller and was filmed with Tony Curtis, Susan Strasberg, Burgess Meredith, Michael Ansara, Stella Stevens and Ann Sothern.

Altogether Graham has written more than a hundred novels ranging from thrillers (The Sweetman Curve, Ikon) to disaster novels (Plague, Famine) to historical sagas (Rich and Maiden Voyage - both appeared in the New York Times bestseller list). He has published four collections of short stories, Fortnight of Fear, Flights of Fear, Faces of Fear and Feelings of Fear.

He has also written horror novels for children (House of Bones, Hair-Raiser) and has just finished the fifth volume in a very popular series for young adults, Rook, based on the adventures of an idiosyncratic remedial English teacher in a Los Angeles community college who has the facility to see ghosts.

Since then Graham has published more than 35 horror novels, including Charnel House, which was awarded a Special Edgar by Mystery Writers of America; Mirror, which was awarded a Silver Medal by West Coast Review of Books; and Family Portrait, an update of Oscar Wilde's tale, The Picture of Dorian Gray, which was the only non-French winner of the prestigious Prix Julia Verlanger in France.

He and his wife Wiescka live in a Gothic Victorian mansion high above the River Lee in Cork, Ireland.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best horror novels I came across for a very long time. David Williams just has split up with his wife. He takes a new job, the refurbishment of Fortyfoot House on the Isle of Wight and moves there with his young son Danny. But the house is something very special. It was a former orphenage where a big number of childrenchildren died of a mysterious disease. There is talk about witchcraft in the small village and that the house is being haunted. What has the strange wife of young Mr Billings, Kezia Mason, to do with all this? How are The Old Ones (brilliant integration of Lovecraft fiction here) involved in the whole story (Graham Masterton referes to Lovecraft's "Dreams In A Witchhouse)? Who or better said what is Kezia Mason (think of Sethoth) and the rat like creature Brown Jenkin? How can David prevent the Old Ones to return and build a reign of terror on earth? The story is extremely compelling and pageturning. With Liz David also finds a new love (you'll get some real good sex scenes here). But things get complicated when Liz changes... to cut it short. This is a brilliant, extremely readable horror novel that has it all: Haunted House, Lovecraft's Old Ones, excellent plotting and high voltage. A Masterton masterpiece. Absolutely recommended!

[Tracy P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is hard to believe that Graham Masterton's 'Prey' is almost 600 pages. The excitement literally started on page one didn't slow down one iota until I closed my kindle after reading the last heart-pounding page.
The book starts out with newly separated, David Williams and young son, Danny, arriving at a falling-down 19th century orphanage (called FortyFoot House) where David has been paid in advance by the owners to repair so they can sell ASAP. Almost immediately, David notices things are not quite right. When he looks up from the gardens he could swear the house (orphanage) seems to be changing shapes. His concern is heightened when he and Danny explore the graveyard in the back of the house and notice every single gravestone is marked with the birth and death of a child - there is not one single adult marker to be found... His concern is even more heightened when, almost at once, he and Danny see a man in a stovetop hat exiting their kitchen door. When the man runs away after David shouts out, he ends up chasing after him.. During his pursuit, David runs into a young woman named Liz, who thought the house was empty and was hoping to squat there. After conversing with her for a bit, he decides to invite her to join them with the idea that having a female figure around will be good for both of them. Later, during their first night sleeping in the residence, David hears scratching coming from the attic and decides to climb up and further explore in the morning - only to be run down by what appears to be a huge rat...
What ensues is very reminiscent of an H.P. Lovecraft novel - there are many references to him and his novels throughout - as David travels back and forth between 1886 and 1992 trying to figure out what is and what is not real, and all the while questioning his sanity.
There are many incredibly descriptive and horrendously gruesome scenes throughout, the action is unrelenting, and I was chilled to the bone for the duration. Love, love, loved this novel, and I will definitely be picking up Masterton's work much more in the future. This gets my highest of accolades and I heartily recommend to all fans of horror and the macabre.

[mark monday · Rating 2 out of 5]

the first half or so of the novel is excellent...well-written, expertly drawn depiction of an island community, loads of atmosphere, and several genuinely foreboding and shivery moments. even better, the novel's ideas start with 'unsettling-thing-in-the-attic' and proceed to slowly build on that canvas, eventually encompassing possession, time travel, the end of the world, other-dimensional invasions, and - most interesting of all - the cthulhu mythos.

unfortunately, as the ideas widen, the writing plummets. dialogue and character motivation become almost unbearably eye-rolling and any sense of reality or depth to the characters or their relationships are quickly eliminated. supporting characters are brought in, fleshed out to a very thin two dimensions, and then abruptly discarded... and most disappointly of all, the basic question of WHY THE HELL DOES THE NARRATOR STAY IN THIS HAUNTED HOUSE is never satisfyingly addressed, let alone answered.

[Nick Borrelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recently reread this after 15 years or so. Just as good as I remembered back when I was a bookseller at Borders and used to shelf/maintain the Horror and Fantasy sections. I was initially attracted by the premise on the back cover all those years ago and this book went on to make me a Graham Masterton fan for life. A creepy story about a guy who moves into a new home and starts to realize that there's something living in his attic. That something is not human and obviously of some other-worldly origin. Without saying too much, this is one of the most entertaining horror books that I've ever read. Definitely worth checking out. It still ranks as one of my favorites by him.

[Vickie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a little weird. Not my cup of tea, but I liked it okay.

[Ck78 · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you just really want to get invested into a hair raising scenario right from the start, try this one. Prey automatically goes from 0-100. I was biting my fingernails, and was in need of a cigarette to calm down, and no, I don’t smoke, but holy hell.

Masterton is like Richard Laymon for me, fun and directly to the razor tipped point. Give this dread induced H.P. Lovecraft (Dreams In The Witch House) inspired novel a go, you won’t regret it. Rat people 🐀, graveyards, goo, death, a crazy haunted house, and cosmic beasts abound, what is there not to love, really? One of the greatest ever in the horror genre, Graham Masterton is a living legend.

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

I believe this is the first book by Masterton that I have read set in the UK rather than the US and that is a plus for sure. Masterton decided to try out some Lovecraftian themes here as evidenced from the content and the opening quote from 'The Dreams in the Witch-House'. On the other hand, this is a really unique 'haunted house' story, a trope Masterton is very familiar with for sure. Basically, we have our main protagonist David Williams, recently separated from his wife and his young son being offered a job to rehab and old mansion on an island off the South English coast.

Of course, the locals think the mansion, the so-called 'Fortyfoot House', is haunted, namely by some rat/human creature named Brown Jenkin who has been around since the 1800s when the place was built. We learn in dribs and drabs that the builder of the Mansion set it up as an orphanage for lost waifs in hard parts of London. We also quickly learn that in 1886 or thereabouts, all the children died and the owner killed himself shortly thereafter. Since then, nobody really stays for long in the place and strange lights and noises torment those who have a go at the place...

The first half of this feels like a 'classic' haunted house story, with a fair amount of Masterton's dark humor pulling the story along. The second half devolves the story straight into Lovecraft territory, replete with possible parallel universes and of course the 'old ones'. I liked it to a degree, but you really have to suspend your belief system for a lot of it, plus, Masterton has some logical problems really unresolved via time paradoxes. The story flows, but gets more and more bizarre and the ending? Meh. Not his best work, but not his worst. 3 spooky stars!

[Tressa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I thought I had read this book years ago, but I didn't and I would certainly remember it if I had. It is much better than I thought it would be when I started it. The title is misleading and doesn't advertise all the great things in this story. From the title alone I thought it would be one of the below average, easily forgotten pulp horror stories like the ones written in the '80s.

David and Danny are spending the summer in a house on the Isle of Wight called Forty-foot House. It has a reputation of not only being haunted, but of housing a bogeyman named Brown Jenkin--a rat the size of a boy.

The house has a way of changing, looking newly built or dilapidated, depending on the angle of the view. Also, the architecture outside doesn't match up with the space inside. There is a walled-off space in the attic. But why?

And there is a graveyard near the house filled with children who all died around the same time over a hundred years before. A tall, thin man in a black suit and stovepipe hat is seen haunting the grounds. Is he responsible for what happened to the children?

Prey is not just another haunted house story, but a story about the age of the world and what ruled it before man came along. It's chilling and creepy and mind-boggling the way that time travel books can be. Highly recommended. I gave it four stars because although I know that stupid acts propel the plots of many a horror story, I couldn't get over some of the head-scratching decisions made by the lead character. Truly stupid and dangerous decisions not explained well enough away by the excuse of the job he was hired to do.

[bookswithpaulette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a reread for me, I read this one as a teen. It scared the heck outta me. ITs just as spooky now, it has haunted house vibes super dark.

[Duane · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Prey" may well be a disappointment to Lovecraft fans. The tale treats with a certain beast from Lovecraft's story "The Dreams In The Witch-House", and has altered the character somewhat. While this treatment works well within the context of the story, it would be better if one was not familiar with the character beforehand. However, Masterton is an especially skillful teller of Weird fiction, and the story rockets along. The story of a recently-divorced man who has custody of his young son, and retreats to a remote house on the Isle of Wight, working through his thoughts there while attempting to renovate a strange old place, is well-told and not without its effective moments. The other characters are well-drawn, and the interplay between characters is believable. There are elements that are left unexplained, though, as if the original story was heavily edited for publication. An interesting sidelight to this story and HPLs story is that a creature somewhat like this was supposedly found on the Isle of Man in the early thirties, and it is possible that Lovecraft had heard of it before he wrote his tale, and that Masterton has also, hence the setting. This is an above-average story of the supernatural, with some elements of the classic ghost story added to pieces from the Cthulhu Mythos...well-worth reading.

[ItzSmashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one showed all of Masterton's strengths; an ambitious plot, compelling character archs and expertly written gore. Quite a long one but I got through it fairly quickly as I was very engaged. Only criticism is that the plot involves time travelling to different centuries and at times I thought that affected the cohesiveness. But overall I would definately recommend.

After leaving his wife, David moves to the Isle of Wight with his son to take on a renovation project of a neglected house. The locals tell story's of half man half beast creature living in the attic. But when David starts to hear and see things, he stumbles in to a horrifying ordeal of witchcraft and satanic rituals.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read by Masterton. I love his inclusion of lore and Lovecraftian vibes in a lot of his books. This one was really fun, the only drawback was a fairly unbelievable instant love/ trust connection with a total stranger. But the creature and horror elements were on point, as always with Masterton!

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author of the horror classic The Manitou really pushed the envelope with this Lovecraft-inspired horror novel, as a recently seperated husband decides to accept a restoration job at the oddly-designed Fortyfoot House, with his young son. David hears weird sounds at night, glimpses what seems to be a very large rat-like figure in the darkened attic, as well as images of a man in Victorian clothing, exiting the house...and then vanishing. But this is only the beginning of a very horrific and phantasmogoric book filled with Masterton's trademark mix of sex and horror, but dished out where it counts. Only HPL fans will catch the references, such as "Old Ones" among others as the novel moves along toward an amazing climax. Recommended.

[Cassandra Glissadevil · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.6 stars

Recent divorcee, David Williams moves to Isle of Wight. David works up a sweat, fixing up a tumbledown, dumpy old orphanage. Late at night, a nasty hairy creature scratches and scampers in the attic. Nightmares in a Witch House? Ghosts, and time shifts. Essence of Lovecraft.

Masterton notches another Masterpiece!
Essential addition to any serious horror collection.

[Maciek · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually read (and own) the UK edition with the scary man on the cover, but this one has the page number right so I'm revieving it. EDIT: Switched to the UK. Thanks go to Milan for correcting the page number.

The beginning and about 1/3 of this novel is excellent. Full of atmosphere and not far from Masterton's earlier, better novel, The Pariah. David Williams wakes up in the Fortyfoot estate which he is supposed to renovate. He's staying there with his son, Danny, and both are troubled by David's recent divorce.

The atmosphere in the first section is very Lovecraftian, an influence which Masterton doesn't try to hide. The gloomy sea; the reclusive island community; and the last but not least, the estate, which people say is haunted by a rat the size of a human being. And why does the house look different from various viewpoints? And what's up with the destroyed chapel?

Unfortunately, soon things start becoming ridiculously over the top. When it's obvious that the house is haunted the character DOES NOT LEAVE and it's never explained why; he finds a young, hot girlfriend and their relationship is that of a long-time married couple...after two days, a character that's introduced magically becomes a special person, people act with little reason, themes and plot developements are introduces hastily etc.

Masterton has a great grasp on stmosphere, setting and mood, which is evident in the first third. Why he choses to abandon it I'll never know; Prey could have been so much, much better if he only stuck with the style he adopted in the beginning.

[Beatrice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the scariest books I've ever read. Masterton takes the sound in the attic and follows it through to the what if something were there? He does a masterful job of it, too! I couldn't put the book down, and I was up under the covers scared while I was reading in bed.

[Dion Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book it has a pulp horror book feel to it, with a Lovecraft character from the story "The Dreams In The Witch-House", the character is different from the original story, which some Lovecraft fans may not like, but I think it worked well for the story.

[Ewa (Fedra) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gdzieś do połowy myślałam sobie, że mam do czynienia z naprawdę świetnym horrorem - fajny klimat nawiedzonego domu oraz rozsądni bohaterowie. Druga część już gorzej, wszystko tak zostało wywleczone na światło dzienne, że nieco utraciło swój przerażający charakter.

[Victor Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bueno, pues otro año, otro Masterton pa la saca. Aquí está bastante inspirado, en una historia que utiliza a los personajes de "Sueños en la casa de la bruja" de H.P. Lovecraft, entre los que se encuentra una muy molona reinterpretación de Brown Jenkin, la rata con cara humana, cuyos diálogos de maníaco escritos en una mezcla de inglés, alemán y francés son especialmente memorables. David, nuestro protagonista, es un decorador recién divorciado (MASTERTON SEAL OF QUALITY) que se va a la isla de Wight junto a su hijo para currar reformando la casa Fortyfoot, un lugar horrible conectado al pasado y al futuro por una trampilla del ático, con los clásicos horrores cósmicos lovecraftianos pero con algo que el de Providence nunca puso; FOLLETEO. Obviamente, entre apariciones, movidas brujiles, sacrificio de huérfanos victorianos y demás, el autor introduce un personaje femenino, Liz, una okupa hippie curvilínea de 19 años que acaba viviendo con David y que es una fantasía propia tan obvia que duele, entre otras cosas por qué es un arquetipo que a mí también me hace tilín, lo confieso. En fin, si hay algo que reprocharle quizá sea la excesiva pasividad y tontería del protagonista, que a veces es exasperante en su manía de no creer que lo que está viviendo no son alucinaciones suyas. Por lo demás, lo habitual de GM; casquería bien colocada y muy desagradable, sexo bien imbricado en toda la historia sobrenatural y algunos personajes de esos "de palo" que sabes que van a durar dos telediarios. Ni más ni menos que lo que buscaba.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Masterton has so far been a dependable author for entertaining fiction. I picked this one up because reviews stated that it is Masterton's homage to Lovecraft, and I wanted to see what he did with the latter's ideas. It took awhile to get there - some of the passages dealing with character development accomplish little-to-nothing - and I was, overall, impressed. Masterton takes the basic ideas involving the Old Ones and runs with it in a modern direction.

One criticism though: I have yet to find an author who shows what happens when the Old Ones come back to Earth and re-assert their former authority. The threat of this happening is dangled by many writers - Lovecraft included - but the actual event? Still undiscovered, I guess. I'd love to see it happen.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite Masterton books! Bizarre and disturbing things happen here. Ghosts, rat-man, time travel, violence. A keeper!

[Nora · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 * Just a little minus because of those terribly senseless sexscenes. Apart from this, this was an AMAZINGLY creepy read. Loved it

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good story that dives into Lovecraftian horror. It builds well and gives a likable and interesting protagonist. A few fun and gruesome kills and an evil, creepy killer. It moved along well and I enjoyed the ride.

[Piotr Wiśniewski · Rating 2 out of 5]

Geez Louise, ale słabe tłumaczenie. Sama książka pełna błędów logicznych (czasami dosyć nieudolnie naprawianych przez autora), ale plusik za Lovecraftowskie motywy.

Chyba bardziej 1,75*

[Joe Stamber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Graham Masterton knows how to write a story, after all, he's written dozens of books over a variety of genres. Although I like his thrillers and crime/mystery novels, I first discovered him many moons ago for his horror novels. I don't know where I picked up Prey from, it was one of many paperbacks waiting to be read, but as it's over 20 years old I'm surprised I haven't read it before.

There's nothing too original about a recently divorced guy (and his son) moving to a mysterious old house that turns out to be be haunted/evil/possessed/whatever. Before long, the obligatory attractive young woman turns up to join the fun. Things start to go bump (well, scratch) in the night and before you know it all hell has broken loose.

As with most horror novels/movies, we have to ask why the main character made the choices he made - just leave the bloody house, dammit! However, without stupid characters most horror novels/movies wouldn't exist, so hey-ho. It's silly, but entertaining and good fun, and Masterton knows how to write and how to tell a tale. Prey moves along at a good pace and never drags, so I'm giving it an enjoyable 4 stars.

[scafandr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Вторая прочитанная мной книга из серии "Мастера ужасов". Оценки у "Жертвоприношения" средненькие, в дополнение к этому многие жаловались на заимствование сюжета у Лавкрафта. Все это опускало оценку моих ожиданий от книги. Больше всего я боялся, что Мастертон будет копировать Лавкрафта по стилистике, пичкая нас "душераздирающими ужасами, наполненных болью и трепетом", т.е. слов много, а ужасов не предвидится.
К счастью, все оказалось совсем не так. От Лавкрафта тут только основа сюжета - дом с ужасным прошлым, в котором обитает некое создание, похожее на крысу и человека одновременно.
33-летний мужчина (Дэвид Уильямс) после разрыва со своей женой приехал с маленьким сыном в чужой город на реставрацию дома, на которую ему полагается хороший гонорар. Из психологических трудностей мы имеем страдания от неудавшихся отношений и трудности с деньгами (из-за которых и пришлось согласится на эту реставрационную работу).
Практически сразу дом и его двор начали преподн��сить сюрпризы - на чердаке кто-то постоянно копошится, а по дворовой территории иногда бросит мужчина в костюме с цилиндром на голове. При этом живут персонажи в начале 90-х. Дэвиду становится интересно, кто шебуршит под крышей и что за люди бродят возле дома. Вот тут-то жители города и поведают ему историю о Буром Дженкине - то ли гигантской крысе, то ли низкорослом человеке, который судя по слухам ворует детей. А дом принадлежал некогда богатому человеку, который построил дом для сирот. Да только в один момент все сироты умерли - вон их могилки недалеко стоят. По-моему, отличное начало!
Но Мастертон еще решил и потешить мужское самолюбие, добавив еще одного персонажа - 18-летнюю девушку Лиз, которая думала засквотировать заброшенный дом, но тут же была поймана с поличным Дэвидом. И если бы не красивая фигура и 5-ый размер груди в самом соку, была бы Лиз послана подальше, а так в итоге она поселилась в доме в соседней комнате.
Сюжет развивается практически молниеносно. Автор не дает нам заскучать. Нет длинных диалогов ни о чем, нет скучных описаний местностей, нет долгих и нудных прислушиваний к шорохам и звукам. Все происходит максимально быстро. Пришел-увидел-обгадился-убежал-пришел со священником-обгадился... И далее в таком же духе.
Ближе к концу роман заворачивается в пространственно-временную кроваво-кишечную шаурму. Это может отпугнуть тех, что ни разу в жизни не читал твердой научной фантастики, но у меня не было проблем с пониманием, в каком времени находятся герои и куда они в итоге попадают.
И если в начале нас пугают одним крысолюдом, сдирающим скальпы с лица, то потом появляются нити лавкрафтианских ужасов. Древние, Йог-Сотот. Ведьмы аки вместилища для порождений тьмы.
Ну раз в инструментарии романа имеется пышная грудь красивой девки, почему бы не описать пару раз бурные сцена секса? Именно поэтому на книге красуется 18+. Хотя нет, чего ж именно поэтому - распоротые животы и обезглавленные трупы тоже намекают на то, чтобы быстренько отогнать детей от экрана телевизора.
Несмотря на некоторые не самые позитивные отзывы, роман для меня держался бодрячком до самого конца. И да, мне он понравился. В нем больше все-таки мистики, чем ужасов, да и к Лавкрафту я отношусь вполне хорошо.
Но до крайней положительной оценки "Жертвоприношению" не достает логичности действий героев. Уверен, что все, кто прочитал этот роман, недоумевали, почему Дэвид не собрал вещи и не убежал из города, когда с домом началась творится полная ересь. Как можно жить в доме, зная, что на чердаке живет страшное существо? Мастертон напирает на то, что Дэвиду очень были нужны деньги, ему хотелось закончить работу, да и машину его покромсали на куски негодяи. Но разве в Англии больше нет другой работы? Разве из города нельзя уехать на автобусе или поезде? У ГГ постоянно нет денег, но при этом они по вечерам пьют дорогое вино и кушают мясо. В конце книги Дэвид оставляет ребенка на человека, который скорее всего выдает себя не за того, кем он является, и мы, читатели, прекрасно понимаем, что нельзя это делать, что все говорит о том, что этот подозрительный человек явно якшается с сатаной, но нет... Только когда уже становится слишком поздно пить боржоми, до Дэвида доходит, что он натворил.
Или вот еще мой любимый момент - Лиз приходит к Дэвиду ночью и просится к нему постель, потому что боится крыс и шорохов под крышей. Ночные разговоры быстро перетекают в страстный неудержимый секс с подробным описанием нюансов. Но дойти до сладкого финала им не дает крыса, которая совсем разбушевалась на чердаке, что аж побелка сыплется на голову. Лиз в панике слазит с Дэвида, и знаете что она делает? Говорит, что немного приуныла и пойдет в свою комнату. Послав воздушный поцелуй, Лиз с улыбкой закрывает дверь спальни Дэвида с другой стороны. Да-да, это та самая девушка, которая боится шуршаний! По крайней мере боялась полчаса назад.
Такие несуразности нужно просто принять и простить. Если не принять, то становится сначала смешно, а потом это уже раздражает. Кажется, так и стукнул бы по голове Дэвиду или Мастертону. Или им обоим. Но я не стал относиться к "Жертвоприношению" серьезно. В начале 90-х это было в норме. Вино, сиськи, секс, крысолюды, ведьмы и расчлененка - типичное кино 90-х. Прочитал на одном дыхании.
В общем, ставлю 7 с крепким плюсом. Читалось быстро, развлечь на несколько вечеров удалось на все 100. Хороший роман.

[Dorrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the most terrifying book I have ever read.

[Jordan Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Masterton has never been afraid to go all out in his books and it is no different with Prey.

Combining a crazy mash up of haunted house, alternate realities, time travel, and Lovecraftian tropes doesn’t seem like a recipe for success, but true to Masterton from, it works pretty well here. I had my doubts as this book started to really stray into some weird territory, however by the last few pages, I was actually quite surprised how well all the various strings tied together in a way that made sense when you take into consideration just how crazy this novel is.

Prey is typical Masterton with the prefect amount of spooks, gore, and black humor. The creepy crawlies are here and feel pretty unsettling at times. The blood and guts are prevalent and pretty gratuitous, but feel a bit more restrained than say Black Angel,/I> or some of Masterton’s more unhinged works. Even the dark gallows humor is done better than in other books.

Since Prey delves into the pseudo-science of alternate reality and time travel, some of what Masterton presents wouldn’t work in real life (but then again this IS a horror novel so why take it seriously?).

[Donaam · Rating 1 out of 5]

1,5/5⭐️
Śmiem twierdzić, że Masterton nie jest dla mnie.
Nie wiem jakim cudem skończyłam książkę.
Pierwsza połowa w miarę ok a później to już autor odpływał na maksa. Niby jest logiczna całość, ale dla mnie meh. Strasznie wszystko się dłuży.
Lubieżnością autor nie grzeszy.
Są elementy horroru, ale mnie jakoś nie wystraszyły w ogóle. Bardziej dla mnie jest to erotyczny horror, o ile coś takiego w ogóle istnieje.
Moje wydanie było z 1993 roku.

[Beth Wills · Rating 1 out of 5]

Started out strong - scary and creepy. Our hero is hearing strange things scuffling in the attic, sees shadowy forms that might be monsters. Then some random 19-year-old girl shows up and in a very clichéd scene, sneaks into bed with our hero. Horrifying things start happening to visitors - and I'm sorry, but the skin on the top of the ratcatcher's head would have ripped through long before his whole face came off. Personally, I don't find gratuitous gore terribly scary, either; give me things you see out of the corner of your eye any day. Our hero can't seem to figure out what's going on, but hey! he gets to keep having sex with a much younger woman (girl, actually; I can't be the only one bothered by this!) despite the terrifying happenings and the risk to his young son. Eventually people take pity on him, and in long, drawn-out scenes, tell him all the gory details and how he should not, under any circumstances, have any more sex with his now-possessed girlfriend. So of course he does. I mean, he hasn't left the damn house yet, for absolutely no satisfying reason, so why would he take any other sensible steps to prevent utter horror being unleashed upon the world? Gah. I'm so annoyed with this dick-for-brains guy I don't even want to finish the book.