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Satyr
He was the satyr. No woman could resist his hypnotic eyes. No woman could survive his sexual ritual. And so again and again he searched. For a woman. Any woman. Every woman.
224 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1981
1 person is currently reading
84 people want to read
About the author
Linda Crockett Gray
8 books4 followersLinda Crockett (born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada), is an American author and teacher, best known for her horror, romance, and psychological thrillers. Linda Crockett published over a dozen books which were translated into as many languages, under the pen names Linda Crockett, Linda Crockett Gray, Linda C. Gray, and Christina Crockett. First published by Playboy Paperbacks in 1979, Linda went on to write four Harlequin "Super-romances", making history by introducing the first disabled leading man ever to appear in a Harlequin romance novel.
Due to injuries from a car accident in 1990, Linda was unable to continue consistently writing until she recovered. She is currently a teacher of Critical Thinking in one of the oldest high schools in St. Petersburg, Florida.
-Wikipedia
Due to injuries from a car accident in 1990, Linda was unable to continue consistently writing until she recovered. She is currently a teacher of Critical Thinking in one of the oldest high schools in St. Petersburg, Florida.
-Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 20, 2015
There's some interesting world-building wrapped in a mess of uncomfortable politics, author screeds, and intrepid heroes who don't do much.
Our hero, the amusingly named Martha Boozer, is a rape counselor. That's really her whole identity, seeing as I can't name a single other personality trait of her's aside from "stock 70's feminist." When a terrible creature from myth with mind-control powers starts a rape spree, she must...
...uh...
...All right, so the characters in this book really don't do much. They break out their Library Use skill and figure out what's happening through mythology infodumps, and they participate in scene after scene to illustrate the nature of rape, rape counseling, and rape advocacy. This is a Very Special thriller.
The horrific thing that lurks in the book is the politics. I mean, yes, there's a telepathic satyr from a hidden society hiding among us, but his insatiable quest from rape, porn, and barbecue ribs isn't as unsettling as the book's politics, which constantly remind us that rape is something that poor men do to usually richer women, in stark constrast to the fact that most rape victims actually know their attackers. Also, the book goes uncomfortably out of the way to point out that the half-dozen rapists who appear within its pages all have dark skin.
Our heroes basically run around researching until a Deus Ex Machina drops into their laps. In a book about a feminist rape counselor struggling against a serial rapist, I kinda wanted a more hands-on, slasher movie "final girl" scene of physical retribution, but the climax plays out like a horror version of Peter Pan's "Do You Believe in Faeries" scene. Truly, the coolest thing they do is hunt down the name of everyone in town experience in goat insemination. If filmed, this would have been made for MST3K.
I mourn the wasted potential. I mean, there's a cool scene where the satyr (we know him by name from his first appearance) uses a scream to panic an entire office building. The hidden society of satyrs is neat. Honestly, the good parts of the book reminded me of a particularly sensationalist episode of Law & Order: SVU crossed with the film Wolfen. That was really the best comparison: a mystery involves a modern sleuth discovering a series of crimes are committed by legendary monsters and, along the way, gets to see Edward James Olmos dance naked in the sand while screaming.
The book's unpleasant, but not in the way it should be. I mean, it's a horror novel, for Stoker's sake! We've had inhuman foreign rapists in literature before, and they've become Sesame Street characters and chocolate cereal mascots. Satyr just ends in a mess.
I would watch a movie adaptation, though, if just for the scene where the police detective screams out, "That's not human semen! It's GOAT SEMEN!"
Our hero, the amusingly named Martha Boozer, is a rape counselor. That's really her whole identity, seeing as I can't name a single other personality trait of her's aside from "stock 70's feminist." When a terrible creature from myth with mind-control powers starts a rape spree, she must...
...uh...
...All right, so the characters in this book really don't do much. They break out their Library Use skill and figure out what's happening through mythology infodumps, and they participate in scene after scene to illustrate the nature of rape, rape counseling, and rape advocacy. This is a Very Special thriller.
The horrific thing that lurks in the book is the politics. I mean, yes, there's a telepathic satyr from a hidden society hiding among us, but his insatiable quest from rape, porn, and barbecue ribs isn't as unsettling as the book's politics, which constantly remind us that rape is something that poor men do to usually richer women, in stark constrast to the fact that most rape victims actually know their attackers. Also, the book goes uncomfortably out of the way to point out that the half-dozen rapists who appear within its pages all have dark skin.
Our heroes basically run around researching until a Deus Ex Machina drops into their laps. In a book about a feminist rape counselor struggling against a serial rapist, I kinda wanted a more hands-on, slasher movie "final girl" scene of physical retribution, but the climax plays out like a horror version of Peter Pan's "Do You Believe in Faeries" scene. Truly, the coolest thing they do is hunt down the name of everyone in town experience in goat insemination. If filmed, this would have been made for MST3K.
I mourn the wasted potential. I mean, there's a cool scene where the satyr (we know him by name from his first appearance) uses a scream to panic an entire office building. The hidden society of satyrs is neat. Honestly, the good parts of the book reminded me of a particularly sensationalist episode of Law & Order: SVU crossed with the film Wolfen. That was really the best comparison: a mystery involves a modern sleuth discovering a series of crimes are committed by legendary monsters and, along the way, gets to see Edward James Olmos dance naked in the sand while screaming.
The book's unpleasant, but not in the way it should be. I mean, it's a horror novel, for Stoker's sake! We've had inhuman foreign rapists in literature before, and they've become Sesame Street characters and chocolate cereal mascots. Satyr just ends in a mess.
I would watch a movie adaptation, though, if just for the scene where the police detective screams out, "That's not human semen! It's GOAT SEMEN!"
August 19, 2010
"Satyr" by Linda Crockett Gray is not the story I expected it to be. The publisher's name made me think it would be an erotic novel; it's quite far from that.
This story centers around Martha Boozer, a woman who helps run a rape crisis center and hotline. Through her work, she comes across women who have evidence of being raped but do not remember the exact incident. Later, the women have haunting nightmares that drive them mad, some to the point where they drown themselves. With little information to go on and unusual circumstances, catching this serial rapist is nearly impossible.
We find out that the man behind these acts isn't a man at all: he's a satyr, or a decendent of the creatures originally known as satyrs. Creatures of his kind have withdrawn from the world and cut off human contact, living quiet lives until their race becomes extinct. The satyr in question rebelled against his family and culture, against the teachings to help and not harm humans. After moving to the United States, he began his quest to defy every law and rule from his past, which includes his indecent acts against innocent women.
With the background of the story in mind, this is not a tale for those who are upset by such topics. It's quite a well-written account of things, though some of the attitudes displayed by the characters could be more appropriate for the time when the book was written (early 1980s). The narrator describes women being attacked (not in bloody detail), as well as how the crisis center helped various victims.
While the book wasn't the story I expected, I did learn a bit about satyrs and human-animal creatures through various cultures' histories. I saw this book as an introduction to explore more about mythological creatures.
If you don't mind the detailed discussion of rape and assaults, and you are looking for a bit of background about satyrs, along with a bit of suspense with the storyline itself, then the book is worth reading. I'm not sure I would've chosen the book had I known this beforehand, but I can say it was a good read. I actually got about halfway through it by the end of the second day after it arrived in the mail.
Conclusion: suspenseful story for those who have a tough stomach for indecent acts, mainly violence against women. Otherwise, no one would get past the first chapter.
This story centers around Martha Boozer, a woman who helps run a rape crisis center and hotline. Through her work, she comes across women who have evidence of being raped but do not remember the exact incident. Later, the women have haunting nightmares that drive them mad, some to the point where they drown themselves. With little information to go on and unusual circumstances, catching this serial rapist is nearly impossible.
We find out that the man behind these acts isn't a man at all: he's a satyr, or a decendent of the creatures originally known as satyrs. Creatures of his kind have withdrawn from the world and cut off human contact, living quiet lives until their race becomes extinct. The satyr in question rebelled against his family and culture, against the teachings to help and not harm humans. After moving to the United States, he began his quest to defy every law and rule from his past, which includes his indecent acts against innocent women.
With the background of the story in mind, this is not a tale for those who are upset by such topics. It's quite a well-written account of things, though some of the attitudes displayed by the characters could be more appropriate for the time when the book was written (early 1980s). The narrator describes women being attacked (not in bloody detail), as well as how the crisis center helped various victims.
While the book wasn't the story I expected, I did learn a bit about satyrs and human-animal creatures through various cultures' histories. I saw this book as an introduction to explore more about mythological creatures.
If you don't mind the detailed discussion of rape and assaults, and you are looking for a bit of background about satyrs, along with a bit of suspense with the storyline itself, then the book is worth reading. I'm not sure I would've chosen the book had I known this beforehand, but I can say it was a good read. I actually got about halfway through it by the end of the second day after it arrived in the mail.
Conclusion: suspenseful story for those who have a tough stomach for indecent acts, mainly violence against women. Otherwise, no one would get past the first chapter.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 19, 2020
I learned a lot about the Satyr and Greek mythology but I thought the book in and of itself was repetitious. It was definitely used as a vehicle for the author to discuss rape in detail and how it is viewed in our society and many strong, well thought out points were made.
Other than that, it was a light basic mystery with two dimensional characters.
Other than that, it was a light basic mystery with two dimensional characters.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews