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The Supernatural
Escape is nothing new to Lance Sullivan. Swift as lightning, cool as ice, he's conned the best of them and slipped away in the still of the night. But this time, his debt is in the millions. And these guys want full payment in bucks... or blood.
Just as his luck is running out he learns of his inheritance. A fortune awaits him in Australia, but Lance suspects trouble. His instincts are screaming of danger, but his life is hanging by a thread. And this newfound fortune could patch everything up.
Bizarre dreams, strange phone calls, weird hallucinations... Lance ignores the warnings as he chases his fortune. But his nightmares give way to a strange reality... a dark, bottomless horror, engulfing him, engorging him, sucking him in like a ravenous beast.
Lance Sullivan is running into the churning vortex of The Supernatural... and this time there is no escape.
Just as his luck is running out he learns of his inheritance. A fortune awaits him in Australia, but Lance suspects trouble. His instincts are screaming of danger, but his life is hanging by a thread. And this newfound fortune could patch everything up.
Bizarre dreams, strange phone calls, weird hallucinations... Lance ignores the warnings as he chases his fortune. But his nightmares give way to a strange reality... a dark, bottomless horror, engulfing him, engorging him, sucking him in like a ravenous beast.
Lance Sullivan is running into the churning vortex of The Supernatural... and this time there is no escape.
- GenresHorror
375 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 1988
46 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 11, 2023
It's too bad John G. Jones' only other novels besides this are the seven (!?) Amityville sequels, as this one was quite a ride, and I'd love to read more from him. But I have no interest in Amityville, at least not as "a true story," though I suppose they may be fun when looked at as works of fiction. I'm definitely more likely to consider reading them now.
The basic gist here is that Lance, an expert conman from the states who can change his face and personality at the drop of a hat to suit his needs, is on the run from some very bad drug dealer types after having been framed for ripping them off for millions. While globe-trotting, some seemingly impossible coincidences begin to occur around him, and hallucinations and/or apparitions begin to plague him at every turn as reality slowly breaks down. The supernatural shenanigans seem to have something to do with an old mansion in Australia he may have just inherited from family he didn't even know about, and things only get stranger and deadlier the closer he gets to his inheritance.
The pace is pretty nonstop for a 375 page novel, with either action, creepiness, or something revelatory occurring every chapter, it seemed, which kept me turning the pages. It gets rather out there and insane, especially for a book that starts like your typical Ludlum-esque airport novel. It maintains that thriller-like feel throughout, other than a couple huge exposition dumps in the latter half. I wouldn't say it's all that scary, but it is intense. The characters are all relatively well drawn as well. My only issue is the same issue I have with lots of these sorts of "mystery box" tales: once I get a good idea of what the cause of all the weirdness is, my interest starts to wane a bit. The reveal is never as good as the mystery.
But I suppose it's more about the journey than the destination, and this one delivered in that department, I felt.
(BTW the stepback art is really nice -- foil-stamped and pretty damn freaky. I'll have to post an image here when I get the chance. Artist is uncredited, alas.)
The basic gist here is that Lance, an expert conman from the states who can change his face and personality at the drop of a hat to suit his needs, is on the run from some very bad drug dealer types after having been framed for ripping them off for millions. While globe-trotting, some seemingly impossible coincidences begin to occur around him, and hallucinations and/or apparitions begin to plague him at every turn as reality slowly breaks down. The supernatural shenanigans seem to have something to do with an old mansion in Australia he may have just inherited from family he didn't even know about, and things only get stranger and deadlier the closer he gets to his inheritance.
The pace is pretty nonstop for a 375 page novel, with either action, creepiness, or something revelatory occurring every chapter, it seemed, which kept me turning the pages. It gets rather out there and insane, especially for a book that starts like your typical Ludlum-esque airport novel. It maintains that thriller-like feel throughout, other than a couple huge exposition dumps in the latter half. I wouldn't say it's all that scary, but it is intense. The characters are all relatively well drawn as well. My only issue is the same issue I have with lots of these sorts of "mystery box" tales: once I get a good idea of what the cause of all the weirdness is, my interest starts to wane a bit. The reveal is never as good as the mystery.
But I suppose it's more about the journey than the destination, and this one delivered in that department, I felt.
(BTW the stepback art is really nice -- foil-stamped and pretty damn freaky. I'll have to post an image here when I get the chance. Artist is uncredited, alas.)
May 24, 2025
Quite an OTT, bonkers 80s horror novel by Jones, and one graced by a lovely cover to boot. The Supernatural reminded me a bit of Johnstone's work, albeit with better quality prose, and is also a difficult book to review without spoilers. Our protagonist, one Lance Sullivan, starts the novel fleeing from Miami, on the run from some hit men; a bit later, he teams up with his partner Benny. Some big underground drug lord wants them dead as he thinks they stole 4 million from him. The whole 'on the run from the mob' quickly takes second place to the real story line, however.
The Supernatural starts with a rather bizarre prologue, where some insanely powerful alien finds its way to Earth sometime in the distant past and eventually took the form of a great, two lobed house. WTF? In any case, clearly something strange is going on for poor Lance. First, he keeps having the same horrible nightmare night after night. Once he escapes Miami, a few more strange things happen-- he gets attacked in a way by some tentacles in the hotel shower and also receives a letter with his real name on it. Now, the latter is really strange, as Lance has not used his real name for the last few years, relying upon his buddy's cleaver forgeries. Even odder, the letter tells him to call a law firm about his inheritance from a great grandmother he never even heard of. The only catch is that he has to fly to Australia to claim it...
Jones paces this frenetically and it reads like a thriller in that regard, but one peppered with all kinds of foo. I dug the imagination at work here as the foo takes some really creative forms! I did not really care from the 'instant falling in love' of Lance and his distant cousin (please!) and the rather cosmic good versus evil overtones that riddled the last half of the book. Nonetheless, a fun read and well worth a look if you can find a copy and dig 80s horror. 3.5 OTT stars!! Thanks to Jack Tripper for putting this on my radar.
The Supernatural starts with a rather bizarre prologue, where some insanely powerful alien finds its way to Earth sometime in the distant past and eventually took the form of a great, two lobed house. WTF? In any case, clearly something strange is going on for poor Lance. First, he keeps having the same horrible nightmare night after night. Once he escapes Miami, a few more strange things happen-- he gets attacked in a way by some tentacles in the hotel shower and also receives a letter with his real name on it. Now, the latter is really strange, as Lance has not used his real name for the last few years, relying upon his buddy's cleaver forgeries. Even odder, the letter tells him to call a law firm about his inheritance from a great grandmother he never even heard of. The only catch is that he has to fly to Australia to claim it...
Jones paces this frenetically and it reads like a thriller in that regard, but one peppered with all kinds of foo. I dug the imagination at work here as the foo takes some really creative forms! I did not really care from the 'instant falling in love' of Lance and his distant cousin (please!) and the rather cosmic good versus evil overtones that riddled the last half of the book. Nonetheless, a fun read and well worth a look if you can find a copy and dig 80s horror. 3.5 OTT stars!! Thanks to Jack Tripper for putting this on my radar.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews