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Shaman Woods
Ten-year-old Worth, who lives with his family at the edge of the Shaman Woods, is the only one who can stop the ancient evil that lurks among the trees.
- GenresHorror
304 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1990
45 people want to read
About the author
J.M. Morgan
13 books5 followersJ.M. Morgan is the working name of Jill Meredith Morgan. She has also published under the names of Morgan Fields, Jill Morgan, and Jessica Pierce.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 30, 2021
Even by Zebra standards (which weren't even close to high to begin with), Shaman Woods is bad.
The first 50 or 60 pages are actually really good as Fields (or really J.M. Morgan) starts with a slow burn of a horror novel, weaving in American Indian folklore with an obvious environmental PSA. Her style is decent too, really capturing some unique moments and descriptions that wouldn't otherwise fit in a horror novel.
But after that first 25% or so, this book goes completely off the rails...and not in a good way.
I honestly have zero idea what Morgan was going for since from that point on, Shaman Woods is a trainwreck that just never ends. Throw in some conquistadors, ancient Shashone spirits, weird mysticism, and a plot that just drags on and on and you pretty much have the idea of the literary path that Morgan decided to go with.
Seriously, this one was shockingly bad. I won't go as far as to put in the worst of the worst (since it is a Zebra title after all and it looks cool on my horror shelf), but make sure you plug your nose before diving into Shaman Woods, because it's a stinker.
The first 50 or 60 pages are actually really good as Fields (or really J.M. Morgan) starts with a slow burn of a horror novel, weaving in American Indian folklore with an obvious environmental PSA. Her style is decent too, really capturing some unique moments and descriptions that wouldn't otherwise fit in a horror novel.
But after that first 25% or so, this book goes completely off the rails...and not in a good way.
I honestly have zero idea what Morgan was going for since from that point on, Shaman Woods is a trainwreck that just never ends. Throw in some conquistadors, ancient Shashone spirits, weird mysticism, and a plot that just drags on and on and you pretty much have the idea of the literary path that Morgan decided to go with.
Seriously, this one was shockingly bad. I won't go as far as to put in the worst of the worst (since it is a Zebra title after all and it looks cool on my horror shelf), but make sure you plug your nose before diving into Shaman Woods, because it's a stinker.
October 24, 2023
Review to come.
July 19, 2021
An early nineties horror book that was fairly basic. A family moves into an old house in the woods built on cursed Native American land and bad things ensue. A logging company is seeking to cut down the woods, Spanish and Native spirits haunt the trees, and a malevolent, shapeshifting spirit is looking to destroy everything. There's a lot of Native American mystic talk, , and a mention of the kids watching George Michaels (typo) on MTV. Interesting but not amazing.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews