Written very much in the dark and twisted tradition of Guy de Maupassant, Maleficium creates a single story comprised of eight short stories, all charged with sexual deviance, repression, greed and pretty much the embodiment of the seven deadly sins, save for murder. It is exotic and reveals an extraordinary imagination. For lovers of dark erotica, this is your drug.

Which is to say, I am a lover of none of these things, and hence this review may be coloured by that prejudice.

That aside, the translation is deftly handled, balancing an homage to 19th century writers of dark fiction, and modern sensibilities of literary style. Martine Desjardins herself demonstrates impeccable historical research and an understanding of a variety of arts and trades, so that details of the various artifacts and arts, so lustily pursued by our seven protagonists, form a credible backdrop.

Overall, a haunting read which lingers like the dark euphoria of an opiate. ( )

I won this book through Member Giveaways.

I really enjoyed this book, though I found it rather terrifying. Each chapter introduced a horror more awful than the one before, culminating in an absolutely shocking revelation in the last chapter.

I would recommend this book for those who enjoy colonial-era adventure stories, and for fans of the macabre, especially of an old-timey scientific bent. ( )

Book Title: "Maleficium”
Author: Martine Desjardins
Published By: Talonbooks
Age Recommended: 18+
Reviewed By: Kitty Bullard
Raven Rating: 4

Review: I never knew that a woman with a birth defect could scare me so much, but this story takes you int the confessional with several men, each one afflicted permanently in some way by a mysterious hair-lipped woman.
The confessions are haunting, the story well-written and the warning in the form of a moral supremely executed. I definitely recommend! ( )

I won this book through LibraryThing's Member Giveaway in exchange for a review.

Maleficium is presented as the true account of the Vicar Jérôme Savoie who transcribed the confessions of eight of his penitents. The first seven stories follow a pattern: a man meets with a woman who takes different guises but always has a facial 'disfigurement'. She has the enigmatic presence of the femme fatale: she-who-cannot-be-attained and she-who-metes-out-bodily-affliction. Set around the late nineteenth/ early twentieth century, the text is imbued with the kind of decadence that characterises the illustrations of Aubrey Beardsley or Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray. The settings are all exotic (Ethiopia, Zanzibar, India); the men are all greedy with desire or ambition; and there are moments of magic realism in their fates. The eighth penitent is the twist in the tale.
I haven't read the original French, but this doesn't feel like a translation. The words are carefully chosen - no mean feat given how visceral the writing is. Places are described beautifully, every sense evoked. It's a rich tapestry (the references to artworks like Vermeer's paintings, the Ardabil carpet, A Thousand and one Nights, are clues to the author's influences) that touches on many themes including the act of storytelling, perception, fabrication (in the sense of making things and telling lies), and retribution. Whilst I love the concept (think Calvino's Invisible Cities) and the lyricism of the prose, for me, the men's voices became a bit samey and the dialogue less satisfying. Perhaps this doesn't matter. Approach Maleficium like an elegant telling of a fin de siècle-style horror and it's a fantastic read. ( )

What a great story! Some original writing makes this a fantastic book to read. I love the confessions (and the fact that the priest actually broke his vow and made them known) ;-)

It was nice to see how many approaches the author used to make the protagonist carry out her revenge. You can read the enjoyment Desjardins felt as she created the stories for this book.

It is a short read that made you want more. I look forward to reading more by Martine Desjardins. ( )