Catacombs

by John Farris

Deep within the volcanic rock of Mt. Kilimanjaro lie the Catacombs, the enormous hidden burial caves of a vanished African society more sophisticated and technologically advanced than ours. A civilization that has left the formula for present-day domination by a world power etched into blood-red diamonds--the rarest gemstones known. When a prestigious archaeological expedition discovers the valuable "bloodstones," the stage is set for a duel between agents of superpowers and powerful Africans that will be fought to the death deep within the caverns of the ancient "Lords of the Storm."

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Thriller, Pulp

528 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

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

[Ron Bauerle]

i got this as a birthday gift from a friend who buys a lot of goofy old paperbacks based on their covers, and was bored enough on a long bus trip to start it, and entertained enough by its wackiness to finish the whole insane thing. farris achieved some level of notoriety when depalma directed an adaptation of THE FURY, but he was incredibly prolific, releasing his first book in 1956 and his most recent in 2009. also stephen king was apparently a fan because most of his books have positive king blurbs on the covers. its exactly as old as me (1981) and features cold war spy intrigue, pulp archeology, and so so much racism.

our hero is top cia agent and hopi shaman disciple MATTHEW JADE who is in a race against an elite kremlin squad known as COBRA DANCE to get their hands on "bloodstones" found in the catacombs. the stones are red diamonds left by an ancient race of ultra-advanced cheetah men known as the LORDS OF THE STORM and are microscopically etched with mathematical formulas that instruct in creation of an electromagnetic missile defense system (known as FIREKILL, which is always printed in caps in a different font in the book, to make sure you know how fucking badass it is) that would ensure cold war victory. the catacombs are inside kilimanjaro, and tanzanias ruler is being manipulated by his evil doctor into trading FIREKILL with the first superpower that will give him tactical nukes, to drop on south africa, ending apartheid and uniting the continent. you read that correctly: the VILLAIN'S plot is to end apartheid(!!!) - its presented as more of a power grab, but still... problematic is an understatement when it comes to almost every aspect of this story.

the premise is insanity enough, but the descriptions of jades superhuman abilities might be my favorite part. when asked by another character how he managed a tricky knife throw, he claims to have practiced throwing knives for 20 hours a week for 30 years(!) later, he feigns death so convincingly (thanks to his hopi shaman training) that his cuts dont bleed and rigor mortis sets in. also he doesnt tell his lady hes gonna do it because "your reaction had to be real."

speaking of women, they are not given any more agency than minorities here. the only remotely powerful female character is a whore/snake handler who gets thrown off a balcony shortly after her introduction. like africans, women exist here mainly to be buffeted around by the whims of (mainly white) men. the female protagonists are:
1. an archeologist who spends the entire book in poor health failing to escape from various captivities
2. a political agitator turned fugitive (she stormed the courtroom to free her boyfriend who was on trial for leaking government misdeeds to the magazine she published!) turned prisoner (she surrendered after years of freedom after the same boyfriend died of cancer!) turned "the only person outside of tanzania who knows where the catacombs are" (her father was an archeologist!) turned matthew jades love interest (how could she not fall in love with this sexy secret agent/cattle rancher/shaman!) jade (oh god it feels so dumb to call him that) gaslights her into doing what he wants through the entire story, and its somewhat horrifying.

it all ends in a ridiculous shitshow with most of the surviving main characters half dead/dying/fighting inside the catacombs as they fill with lava from the now volcanically active kilamanjaro - with the spirits of the lords of the storm occasionally popping up to help move things along, but never really manifesting in a satisfying (to me) way.

that being said there were enough weird nonsensical touches to keep me entertained throughout like:

1. the KGB antagonist with an inexplicable fondness for impersonating john wayne
2. jade capturing another KGB agent by hooking his dick with a fishing line from 30 yards away and reeling him in
3. a bunch of US government agents undercover as an entire cult living on top of a mesa, to help guard jade's ranch
4. jade is on a nicknames basis with his old bud the president, who he constantly refers to as "boomer"
5. the only non-evil black character with more than a few lines is a goofy-ass gold miner with a pet mongoose (who of course becomes helplessly devoted to the white female archeologist he briefly met, and travels all the way the fuck across tanzania try and save her) but at least he gets to chop a rapey poachers dick off before they burn down his squat and try to kill him as revenge.

anyway i dont think i can really recommend this, but it was fun to engage with such a ludicrous cultural artifact.

[Kurt Reichenbaugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is only the 2nd book I’ve read by Farris, the other one being the terrific, 5-star, ALL HEADS TURN WHEN THE HUNT GOES BY. Where that book is straight up horror, this one, published in 1981, tips its hat to old-fashioned pulp adventure. There is a vanished civilization, evil Russians, a seemingly superhuman hero, fabulous jewels containing ancient codes, and a power that could destroy the earth. Farris throws everything into this one, and that might be to its detriment. By the end of the book, when everyone is fighting for their lives inside the catacombs, I was exhausted, confused and looking at the number of pages left to go.

[Summer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wouldn't call this book 'horror' at all. This book is clearly 'action' or 'thriller' .... so that was immediately a strike against it for me because from the blurb on the back to the plug by Peter Straub, this book is billed as a horror novel.... but it isnt one.

Also, for being an action novel, its plot absolutely CRAWLS .... things pick up once we get into the Catacombs around, oh, page 446 ? .... from 446 to the end, it's solid, but the over 400 pgs of set-up was a pretty awful slog.

If you are looking for a scary action-themed book, this is not it. If you enjoy politics and dozens of characters and storylines, this may be for you. Farris is clearly a talented author.... the writing is good.... but my overall feelings on Catacombs is just "meh."

[David B · Rating 3 out of 5]

A super-spy and an archeologist’s daughter join the race for blood red gems, excavated from the site of a lost civilization on Mount Kilimanjaro, that contain the secret to a technological advance that could lead to world domination.

John Farris is best known as a horror author. I’ve only read one other book of his--Fiends, which is a horror novel--and it is considerably better than this one. This appears to be Farris’s attempt to cash in on the high-tech spy thriller market. It has a good basic plot, but it is hopelessly padded; dozens of pages go by with nothing of consequence happening. Main protagonist Matthew Jade is so ridiculously skilled that he tips over into the superhuman; one development in particular near the end of the novel is a ridiculous cheat to get our heroes out of a hopeless situation. Still, if you want to skim past the extraneous parts, you may find an entertaining story.

https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com

[Niko · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was just not my thing

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is something about Farris that is so highly readable. Not horror (at all), much more action-adventure with all the outrageous elements intact and enhanced.

[Bob Box · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in 1983. Horror fiction.

[D.H. Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I was a kid, I saw an interview with John Farris about the book Catacombs on a local news show here in the Dallas Fort Worth area. I knew I already wanted to be an author at that point, and the fact that one was going around the country appearing on television made an impression on me. A year or so ago, I saw a first edition copy of Catacombs in the horror section at Recycled Books in Denton, TX, and I couldn't not buy it.

The book was not anything like I thought it would be. I wouldn't classify it as horror. It was much more of an international espionage thriller. Sadly, it is a bit dated after 43 years. But there were some fun elements to read in it.

[Shawna · Rating 2 out of 5]

What can I really say about this book other than the fact it is too long, incredibly strange, and has way too many "no way!" moments? Hmmm oh welll the writing and style are pretty great.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Action packed and full of thrills. Loved the characters and the plot moves at a fast pace.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast read, typical adventure stuff told with anti-literary verve. But so many characters compete for space that you wind up caring about none of them.

[Evan · Rating 2 out of 5]

First and foremost, this is not a book I would classify as Horror. At all. The cover, back description, and listing as "Horror" on the spine had me fooled, but this novel would definitely fall under the Spy/Thriller genre.
Catacombs located deep within Mr. Kilimanjaro hold a large number of rare red diamonds, bearing inscriptions from a 10,000 year old race of cat people. The most sought after diamonds contain a formula for FIREKILL, which could tip the balance of world power forever.
This book was well written, I enjoyed reading it. Although I don't think I will ever feel the need to reread this one. The plot was...predictable, minor characters came and went without much effort or emotion. USA vs. Russia, I wonder who will come out on top (sarcasm, we all know the outcome). We are introduced to a number of players in the story, but each is there only to help explain something. The romantic relationship between the two "main" characters feels forced and cliche'. Truly horrific things like rape and murder are described in a way that makes them seem as if they were expected, and lack any real impact on the story or characters (or myself). The major emotional struggles each character goes through is explained, but left at that. There is no discussion, change, or growth. These too seem only to have been brought up because they were expected of the characters, but quickly disposed of in lieu of the main plot. The most interesting parts of the story (the race of Cat People, and the spiritual weapons used by the protagonist) were only explained enough to carry the story along, and left ambiguous.
The plot was truly interesting, and unique. But the entire book was devoted to the Political espionage game; spies vs. spies vs. soldiers vs. scientists, etc, etc. Had the more interesting aspects of the book been fleshed out more, I think Mr. Farris really would have had something here. As it is, it's a little too long to make this a quick fun read, and unless you are looking for a fluffy spy story, you will be sorely disappointed.

[Spiderman! (Simon) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catacombs

My book is about a disease that kills half of Africa. Its set by the mountain Kilamanjaro, hidden inside the mountain are blood diamonds. The rarest diamonds. They are worth billions. They first try to fight the disease that is unknown. What the disease does, is that it gets in your bloodstream and makes you pee and cough blood. This woman tries to steal a plane and crashes, she is caring the disease in her plane. She lands in a big town that hasn’t been infected yet. Now they have.


I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars, because you know and understand everything in the book.

I recommend this book to anyone that likes slow moving and action packed books!

[Marti · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting, though sometimes confusing book--also exciting in places. It was sometimes hard to keep track of who the characters were--good guys, or bad guys. It takes place in Africa, where supposedly there was a culture 100,000 years ago that created a terrific energy source using red diamonds. Unlike homo sapiens who evolved from apes, they evolved from cats. This made a good book to read on the stationary bike.

[Krista · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. I might have even given it more than three stars if not for the overly descriptive passages. When I feel that I can skip a paragraph here or there and not lose anything of true value, I can't really say that I thought it was exceptional. Yet, the premise was sound. Intriguing. There was drama and danger, action and adventure. All in all, not a bad read.

[Martin Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read - scary and well written.

[Greg]

Interesting characters. Pretty good, but kind of drug out longer than I thing it needed to be.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This could have been better, and at times it almost got there, but not quite.