Dark Satanic is the start of the 5 "Light" books by Marion Zimmer Bradley. It's awfully funny to realize it was published in 1972 yet the core concepts haven't changed much. Horror slowly sneaks into the lives of a book publisher and his family , quickly escalating into a full-fledged nightmare. MZB's writing has gained much sophistication since this fun romp through horror. A good, quick read. Well worth the time. ( )

bad occult novel with evil witches and unspecified good guys

The first in Marion Zimmer Bradley's occult-thriller series, this book reminded me quite a lot of 'Rosemary's Baby'.
Jamie Melford is a book publisher who's about to come out with a new expose on the occult that's expected to be a best-seller. But the author of the book is getting threats - and then turns up dead - of a heart attack? Now Jaime is receiving threats as well. He refuses to be cowed by a bunch of kooks - but the warnings are getting more severe.

Meanwhile, Jaime's wife, Barbara, is in a rough spot, emotionally. Her mother-in-law has just brought Jaime's ex-girlfriend into the house on what seems to be becoming an extended visit. Barbara doesn't like her, and isn't comfortable with the situation, but doesn't want to seem petty or jealous by complaining. But both mother-in-law and girlfriend are becoming more and more hostile, and Barbara is beginning to feel like she's going insane.

Can anyone save Jaime and Barbara from the evil web that's being spun around them? ( )

Very lame formulaic work obviously written early in MZB's career. I picked this up because of the pink Gothic cover and shelved it with the Darkover collection without really reading it. ( )

This book was pretty bad. I don't remember if it's the prequel or sequel to "The Inheritor," which liked slightly better, but I thought this stunk. Satan worshippers doing bad things. Lame plot, and stereotype characters is what I most remember of this book. ( )