Subject: Review of TEMPTER

From: [email-masked] (Alan Wexelblat)
Date: 05 Jul 93 03:37:52 GMT

TEMPTER
			by Nancy Collins
		Review Copyright (c) 1993 Alan Wexelblat

I love reading novels about New Orleans in the summer.  I know that no
matter how hot, sticky, disgusting, etc. it gets where I am, those people
have it much worse.  Doesn't actually make me feel cooler, but does make me
grateful.

This time when the heat came on I reached for Nancy Collin's second novel,
TEMPTER.  Her first effort, SUNGLASSES AFTER DARK, was a chilling twist on
the vampire tradition.  This one promises much the same thing, with a hearty
helping of voodoo thrown in.  Unfortunately, it never really delivers on
that promise.

The story is mostly about Adam Rossiter, a washed-up rock musician with a
taste for the supernatural, drugs, bad relationships, and getting into
trouble.  He gets involved with a voodoo circle and their high priestess.
She, through the mechanism of an ancient book of spells, leads him into
contact with Tempter, an ancient evil spirit.  Ultimately, the priestess
must track him down and confront the evil Before It Is Too Late (tm).

Sorry, but that's about the level of the plot -- it's trite and thoroughly
predictable.  The characters don't rise above the level of stereotypes, and
the voodoo just can't carry the book, especially as Collins has chosen to
interpret it as "high magic," thus rendering it indistinguishable from
Generic Fantasy Magic (tm).

I'm really disappointed; I'd expected more from Collins, but everyone's
entitle to a sophomore jinx, I guess.

%A Nancy Collins
%T Tempter
%I Onyx Horror
%G ISBN 0-451-40215-4
%O $4.50
%D 1990

--Alan Wexelblat, Reality Hacker, Author, and Cyberspace Bard
Media Lab - Advanced Human Interface Group	[email-masked]
Voice: 617-258-9168, Pager: 617-945-1842	[email-masked]
You pathetic jugglers never lowered yourselves to developing the software.
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