Blind Panic [Hardcover]

Graham Masterton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2009

Misquamacus is back . . . - The President of the United States is suddenly struck blind. Thousands more people mysteriously lose their sight, and America descends into chaos. Self-styled mystic Harry Erskine is telling fortunes in Miami when his friend Amelia Crusoe calls on him for help. Algonquin medicine man Misquamacus has come back to life to seek a final revenge for the massacre of his people. But, this time, the odds of beating Misquamacus are suicidal indeed .

Editorial Reviews

Review

Blindness, the 1998 novel by Portugal's Jose Saramago, tells the story of a city whose people inexplicably suffer an epidemic of blindness. Masterton's latest horror novel tells somewhat the same story but on a grander scale: here, it is the entire U.S. that is struck down by widespread and instantaneous blindness. Planes fall from the sky; cars collide; and in the space of less than a day, the country is plunged into panic. Saramago used blindness as a way to explore spiritual and philosophical themes, but Masterton uses it to unleash, once again, the ancient Algonquin medicine man, Misquamacus, on the world. Harry Erskine, the self-styled (and admittedly fake) psychic who appeared in the author's very first horror novel, The Manitou (1975), and several follow-ups, takes center stage here, once again going toe-to-toe with this mystical, hate-filled villain, who possesses awesome supernatural powers. A cleverly constructed, completely effective horror thriller from a talented genre veteran. --Booklist, 15th October 2009

About the Author

Graham Masterton's first novel, T"he Manitou," was a bestseller and an instant classic and was made into a feature film. Masterton has won an Edgar Award and France's prestigious Prix Julia Verglanger. Several of his stories have been adapted for television.
Masterton's more than one hundred novels include "Charnel House, The Chosen Child," and "Maiden Voyage" (a" New York Times" bestseller). He has written for adults, young adults, and children and edited several anthologies. Earlier in his career, Masterton edited men's magazines, including "Penthouse," He has written a number nonfiction books on sex, including "How to Drive Your Man Wild in Bed," which has sold more than three million copies.
Masterton and his wife, Wiescka, live in Ireland.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Severn House Publishers (December 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0727868209
• ISBN-13: 978-0727868206
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,210,065 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Obsessively Readable and Wildly Fun, January 18, 2010

By 

Shroud Magazine's Book Reviews (New Hampshire) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Blind Panic (Mass Market Paperback)

From bestselling veteran Graham Masterton comes an entertaining - if a bit sprawling - apocalyptic tale that once again pits the malevolent, ancient Algonquin medicine man Misquamacus against the hero of Masterton's first novel, ("The Manitou"), the fake psychic, amiable ne'er-do-well Harry Erskine. "Blind Panic" is obsessively readable and wildly fun, and as usual, Masterton's prose is solid and smooth.

A devastating plague has descended upon the people of the United States: sudden, unexplainable and incurable blindness. The resulting devastation is cataclysmic. Thousands of highway accidents and pileups, dozens of airliners crashing into cities and homes, followed by looting, violence, and fiery destruction. Military bases fall into confusion and disarray, and even the President of the United States falls blind, leaving one of the greatest nations on the planet open to attack from without.

Harry Erskine, fake psychic and good-natured scam artist is pulled into the fray when an old friend, (and would be lover, if life had run differently), Amelia Carlsson calls, desperate because her sister's family has fallen blind, also. Investigating the plague's cause, they discover through bits of testimony that the widespread blindness may have a supernatural cause. A séance summoning an old comrade from the Spirit World confirms their worst fears: Misquamacus, known also as He Who Went and Came Back, has struck against the living once again. He wants vengeance for all Native Americans, and he aims no less than to make modern Americans the next extinct race.

For the most part, Masterton handles multiple third-person narratives and Harry's first person perspective skillfully. Also highly enjoyable are his undeniably Lovecraftian tropes: He Who Went and Came Back, his service to the Great Old Ones, those locked away in time and space, and his medallion depicting the "writhing tentacles of the greatest Old One of them all". Best of all, the story is very readable and compelling, without any sacrifice to craft or character development, a fun story with substance, also.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Awful, August 23, 2010

By 

Nigel Waspfinger - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blind Panic (Mass Market Paperback)

I've read a few Masterton novels. He's usually entertaining, if not always making a lot of sense. This one was dreadful however. The premise sounded pretty interesting after reading the back cover but instead turns out to be a very badly executed and very boring story of vengeful native American spirits.

Characters are annoying and unrealistic. Dialogue is dreadful. Antagonists are not frightening.

The worst Masterton I have read and one of the worst novels I have ever read. I will be thinking very carefully before purchasing another Masterton book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Apocalyptic Tale!, January 19, 2010

By 

Jennifer Lawrence (DC Metro) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blind Panic (Mass Market Paperback)

The entire United States is suddenly hit by a surge of mass blindness. No one is immune, not even the most powerful man in the country. Thousands upon thousands are killed when planes fall from the sky and cars plunge into one another. Masterton brings back characters from his first novel, The Manitou, including "psychic" Harry Erskine and Amelia Carlsson. After conducting a séance, they discover Misquamacus, a.k.a He Who Went and Came Back, an ancient Algonquin medicine man, has returned to seek vengeance for all the wrongs committed by "the white man." Masterton does an outstanding job with this apocalyptic tale. Although this isn't the first he writes about these characters, BLIND PANIC can serve as a stand-alone novel. The back story is sufficiently filled in without seeming to drag on. Highly recommended.