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Title: DEMON FIRE
Book by Alexander, Marsha [cover photo by Mort Engle]
- GenresHorror
215 pages, Paperback
First published April 28, 1982
10 people want to read
About the author
Marsha Alexander
21 booksPseudonym of Marsha Bourns
From the 1982 Richard Gallen edition of Royal Suite:
Marsha Alexander is a full-time writer who was born in New York but did most of her growing up in Hollywood and the Los Angeles area. Having New York, Hollywood and Beverly Hills as playgrounds was a terrific break for a budding novelist: her classmates were future movie stars and colorful jet-setters. Peter Bogdanovich was her first love (at the age of thirteen), and together they "wrote" and "directed" pictures on the streets of Bayside, Long Island.
More significant, however, was Marsha's chance to observe the dual nature of wealth and fame. Early in life she learned that every Midas must pay a price for that touch of gold, and that when it comes to love, we are all equally required to put in a long apprenticeship.
A widow, she is kept busy with her three daughters--Lauren, twenty; Kimberly, thirteen; and Sage Autumn, four. A dog, a cat, a hamster and four goldfish (Moe, Joe, Bo and Arrow) make up the rest of the household. Together they all continually remind her that in matters of love, she, too, is still serving that apprenticeship.
From the 1982 Richard Gallen edition of Royal Suite:
Marsha Alexander is a full-time writer who was born in New York but did most of her growing up in Hollywood and the Los Angeles area. Having New York, Hollywood and Beverly Hills as playgrounds was a terrific break for a budding novelist: her classmates were future movie stars and colorful jet-setters. Peter Bogdanovich was her first love (at the age of thirteen), and together they "wrote" and "directed" pictures on the streets of Bayside, Long Island.
More significant, however, was Marsha's chance to observe the dual nature of wealth and fame. Early in life she learned that every Midas must pay a price for that touch of gold, and that when it comes to love, we are all equally required to put in a long apprenticeship.
A widow, she is kept busy with her three daughters--Lauren, twenty; Kimberly, thirteen; and Sage Autumn, four. A dog, a cat, a hamster and four goldfish (Moe, Joe, Bo and Arrow) make up the rest of the household. Together they all continually remind her that in matters of love, she, too, is still serving that apprenticeship.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 28, 2023
The cover and the blurb made me think this was going to be a cheesy haunted house horror story. However, the novel within is nothing like what is promised. It's quite good, although predictable. There are no demons, and I wouldn't even classify it as horror. It's more gothic suspense with overtones of Daphne Du Maurier's "Rebecca".
A young woman inherits an old castle in the California mountains from her mysterious aunt, who turns out to have been a psychic who was beloved by the town. The young woman, Adrienne, feels a deep connection with the house and discovers that she also has her aunt's gift for tarot readings. Or at least, the gift of psychology and insight into the general human condition, which she can play up to give people the answers they seek. Her newfound talent quickly gives her a sense of purpose and popularity, which she's never had before in her meek, dull life. But unlike her aunt, she begins to manipulate the townspeople for her own financial and romantic gain. It ends badly for her.
The castle seems like it's supposed to have some special connection to her or some greater significance. She's never been there before but feels strong deja vu. Adrienne is constantly freezing, and runs the heater and fireplaces, but everyone else who enters is sweating in the heat. It's not clear why she is always chilled to the bone though. She hears phantom dripping noises that are never explained and don't seem to have any purpose or resolution. She also begins to starve and waste away while living there. This is never explained either. Is the castle feeding off of her energy? Is it linked to her psychic abilities somehow? Is the spirit of her dead aunt involved? I have no idea. It's pretty vague. There are no actual demons or clearly defined evil forces at work; her downfall is her own hubris and greed. She blames the castle for the ruination of her plans and for destroying her life by stopping her from getting the money and the man she wanted. Then she becomes almost agoraphobic and begins to have a mental breakdown.
Frankly, I think it would have been a much stronger novel if there were no implications that the castle had any kind of weird power at all. The attempts to make the atmosphere "spooky" just add confusion because nothing is explained about why Adrienne is affected this way but her aunt apparently wasn't. And no one else is affected either. The tagline on the cover promises "a smoldering evil from beyond the grave" but it's just a standard fire.
The gist of the story could have just been a morality tale about a lonely psychic who gets her comeuppance when she tries to manipulate her clients' lives for her own gain. It's decently written and compelling enough that I read it in one sitting. It's just not the horror story promised on the cover.
A young woman inherits an old castle in the California mountains from her mysterious aunt, who turns out to have been a psychic who was beloved by the town. The young woman, Adrienne, feels a deep connection with the house and discovers that she also has her aunt's gift for tarot readings. Or at least, the gift of psychology and insight into the general human condition, which she can play up to give people the answers they seek. Her newfound talent quickly gives her a sense of purpose and popularity, which she's never had before in her meek, dull life. But unlike her aunt, she begins to manipulate the townspeople for her own financial and romantic gain. It ends badly for her.
The castle seems like it's supposed to have some special connection to her or some greater significance. She's never been there before but feels strong deja vu. Adrienne is constantly freezing, and runs the heater and fireplaces, but everyone else who enters is sweating in the heat. It's not clear why she is always chilled to the bone though. She hears phantom dripping noises that are never explained and don't seem to have any purpose or resolution. She also begins to starve and waste away while living there. This is never explained either. Is the castle feeding off of her energy? Is it linked to her psychic abilities somehow? Is the spirit of her dead aunt involved? I have no idea. It's pretty vague. There are no actual demons or clearly defined evil forces at work; her downfall is her own hubris and greed. She blames the castle for the ruination of her plans and for destroying her life by stopping her from getting the money and the man she wanted. Then she becomes almost agoraphobic and begins to have a mental breakdown.
Frankly, I think it would have been a much stronger novel if there were no implications that the castle had any kind of weird power at all. The attempts to make the atmosphere "spooky" just add confusion because nothing is explained about why Adrienne is affected this way but her aunt apparently wasn't. And no one else is affected either. The tagline on the cover promises "a smoldering evil from beyond the grave" but it's just a standard fire.
The gist of the story could have just been a morality tale about a lonely psychic who gets her comeuppance when she tries to manipulate her clients' lives for her own gain. It's decently written and compelling enough that I read it in one sitting. It's just not the horror story promised on the cover.
June 21, 2022
She is the unspeakable evil
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews