The Burden

by Stephen Lucas

For Marduc, the love that he had for his mother was the only he had ever known, but her execution at the hands of the French monarchy was more than he could bear. His desire for revenge propels him into a world of passion, madness, brutality, witchcraft, and a deal with the Devil soon regretted. Desperate to avenge his mother's death, and betrayed by the women he comes to love, Marduc's life spirals into a destructive path that begins with the French Inquisition and culminates with the horror of the Salem witch trials.

Nook

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[SFReader · Rating 1 out of 5]

In The Burden, S.D. Lucas offers up an overwritten tale of witchcraft and deviltry in a style that attempts to mimic the sensuality and depravity of Anne Rice or Poppy Z. Brite.

Marduc Rouen was born in 13th Century France and raised by his mother in the strict religious fashion of Catharism. But when his sect is sentenced to burn for heresy, Marduc escapes and strikes a bargain with the devil that he thinks will help him achieve revenge against all those who persecute the innocent. Like most deals with the devil, this one turns out to be more than Marduc bargained for. He becomes a witch, and immortal (sort of), with the uncontrollable urge to feast on human flesh. Goaded by the devil and another witch, Lia, he seeks to right injustices while at the same time committing horrific murders himself in traditional werewolf, flesh rending fashion.

Read more at SFReader: The Burden, by S. D. Lucas