Ann ArensbergBesprekingen

There's only one word to describe this book. Tedious. A cool concept that faintly glittered through at times but was horrible overtaken by rambling. The story wandered all over the place and had constant diatribes about gardens, snack foods, furniture, gothic novels, and church pitch ins and other mundane shit, that made the story last even longer than it should have. And trust me this story lasted forever. I could not wait for it to be over. The premise was so cool, a bunch of women in this small town keep having erotic nightmares and weird shit is happening. Cool right? It's fucking buried in this novel. Five hours of my life that I will never get back!

A preacher and his wife take on some mysterious happenings in 1974. I continue to question the infinite possibilities of our "normal" lives on earth and what may or may not be out there.½

When I read the blurb for this book I got very excited. It sounded like such a awesome idea...


Well..it was a good idea but carried out very badly. The author rambles on for several paragraphs about mundane happenings. Who gives a shit?? Get to the point. You could skip several pages and still not get to where the story was going.
I hate not finishing a book, but life is just too short.


The publishers of this book have been very nice but dang I just can't do it. It's been said of this book that it's great literary horror..the fuck?


I received an ARC copy of this book from Netgalley and Open Road Media in exchange for an honest review.

Incubus, a novel by Ann Arensburg (she won an American Book Award in 1981 for Sister Wolf), is also a horror/mythology combination, but it’s got a seriously literary bent. Set in a small Maine town in 1974, the main character is the wife of the local Episcopal priest. Following a rare and strange heat wave, odd things happen: animals bear deformed young and the town’s women begin to be disturbed in their sleep. This is not a blood-and-gore horror tale, but instead moves through the heart and history of the town and its residence to look for the darkness that drew this evil spirit to them.

Reviewed on Lit/Rant: www.litrant.tumblr.com

Moving book about a young woman who has inherited an estate and sets about turning it into an animal sanctuary. In the end while defending her wolves she is shot by a rabid group of townspeople who are intent upon killing them.

Let me say that Henry Lieber is no hero. At first, he doesn’t even think whatever is happening is a threat. I think it is because it was happening to women. Anything strange that happens to women isn’t taken seriously – it’s out sensitive and weak feminine minds that are perceiving something that isn’t there. No, Henry doesn’t become a hero until the thing goes after his wife. Only then does he stop being the curious supernatural phenomena hunter and start to act in the town’s best interest.

Also, I didn’t read about any other shapes this thing took. It didn’t become a succubus and attack the men. It didn’t appear to the community as a monster or the Virgin Mary. It only came for the women. One woman appeared to be the focus and they sent her away. It stopped for a while but then started up again. They witness it firsthand with this woman who is exiled…it was just as though she were having the hottest sex imaginable with an invisible man.

The book is not written with any omnipotence so the story of why and how is never answered. Cora is our firsthand witness writing down what she sees and hears. Of course she doesn’t know why the demon is there or what it wants or how long it will stay. Despite that, it was an engrossing book. I liked the style of writing and even though it went off in some tangents that were irrelevant, it kept me interested.

One thing that I didn’t understand, was why the emphasis on Cora’s sister Hannah and the family history. Their father was a jackass who only cared about his art (furniture). He alienated and insulted his wife and children. Hannah became exactly like dad and did everything in her power to hurt and destroy her mother. When the three women meet later in life, Hannah is the same and her mother still loves her best. Cora knows it but doesn’t resent it. It’s an interesting story, but has very little bearing on the story.