Burial [Mass Market Paperback]

Graham Masterton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 15, 1996

The evil power of the Manitou is back to avenge the deaths of millions of Native Americans who perished at the hands of white men. From New York to Colorado, the Manitou goes on a mission to destroy everything the white man has built. Harry Erskine must once again battle the force he witnessed years ago. This is the long awaited conclusion to The Manitou series.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Masterton blends horror and humor with aplomb in this gleefully gruesome second sequel to his best-known novel, The Manitou . Once again the spirit of Misquamacus, the greatest of all Indian medicine men, ventures forth from the world of the dead to avenge the near-extermination of his people. But this time the horrific wraith teams up not only with a Lovecraft-like god of the underworld (a hulking shadow complete with tentacles) but also with the spirit of a voodoo priest eager to pay back whites for their enslavement of his tribe. Against these forces, modern America writhes in agony. Chicago and New York are reduced to rubble; a man possessed by Misquamacus reaches deep into a woman's body and pulls her inside out; the Indian spirit performs the hastiest eyeball-removal seen on paper since Jerzy Kosinski's The Painted Bird. None of this is inherently funny, of course, but what gives the novel its bright comic glaze is the wisecracking narration (alternating with third-person scenes of carnage) by Harry Erskine, the charlatan clairvoyant who's taken on Misquamacus twice before. And what saves it from fatal political incorrectness, though not from soap-boxing, is Masterton's hammering home of injustices done to Indians and blacks by whites. All in all, this is a treat for horror fans enamored of steak tartare and even bloodier books.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Fortune-teller Harry Erskine, older but no wiser, returns to do battle with Misquamacus, the powerful Indian spirit first encountered in two earlier Manitou novels (The Manitou, 1977, and The Revenge of Manitou, 1982). Misquamacus has joined forces with a zombie voodoo priest to re-create the United States as it was in pre-Columbian times. Cities and other signs of the white man's civilization are pulled into holes that appear at sites of Indian slaughters, and Harry and his friends, both alive and dead, must try to outwit the spirits from the Great Outside. Masterton's style and imagination place him head and shoulders over many current horror writers. Burial integrates themes of guilt, revenge, and the blindness of nostalgia into a smashing novel that is alternately chilling, horrific, and mordantly humorous. Readers unfamiliar with the earlier Manitou books will have no problems following the latest adventure. Recommended for general fiction collections; horror fans will love it.
Eric W. Johnson, Teikyo Post Univ. Lib., Waterbury, Ct.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (February 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812536290
• ISBN-13: 978-0812536294
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 3.9 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,534,717 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Do not underestimate the power of the dark side....., July 27, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Aloha, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Burial (Mass Market Paperback)

This is by far the BEST novel MASTERton has EVER written. It was written very well and down to EVERY bit of detail that you can imagine. I recommend this book to all you gore fans that love horror topics about Indian magic. The ending was highly unexpected and was a great one! You will NOT be upset about this book, though it might be wise to read the Manitou and Revenge of the Manitou before reading this one (I never read part 1 but I did read part two!)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read, but not his best, June 25, 2002

By 

D. A. Dodd (Huntsville, AL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Burial (Mass Market Paperback)

"Burial" is the third, and currently final, book in the Manitou series by Graham Masterton. Masterton's horror fiction began with the publication of "The Manitou" in the mid 70's. Although it had its faults, that one was a good read as well. The story continued in "The Revenge of the Manitou" a few years later, but that one was not up to par with the first book.

Twenty years after the first book, Masterton wrote "Burial" as a conclusion to the series. The characters are also older as well to reflect the actual passage of time. The main character, Harry Erskine, is a practicing card reader/fortune teller who has tried to distance himself from the past. However, Karen, the woman who "gave birth" to Misquamacus (the Manitou) in the first book, returns and soon they both discover that the Manitou, an Indian witch doctor, has returned and has vowed to return the lands of North America to the way they were when Native Americans were the primary inhabitants.

Old friends return (Singing Rock) and new ones are made (Martin, EC Dude, Papago Joe) in the fight against the Manitou. Karen is overtaken by the Manitou again and it's up to Harry and friends to not only free her, but to stop the destruction of North American cities (Phoenix, Chicago, Las Vegas, small towns in Colorado experience some "changes"). The buildup to the finale is fast paced and the ending is well executed. The battle at Little Big Horn played a big role in the past and does so again.

While the book does have its faults (characters left hanging with no resolution, more detail could have been given on the pact between the Manitou, the Indian god and the other involved party, etc.), overall it's a very entertaining read. The first two books should be read before this one to better understand the history of the Manitou and the characters. The book is very gory in places (the jail scene, for example), but this is what fans of Masterton have come to expect. While not his best work (the Night Warriors series is slightly better), it is still better than most of the horror fiction out there.

2.0 out of 5 stars Ugh, November 1, 2011

By 

KinksRock "KinksRock" (New York USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Burial (Mass Market Paperback)

I've been reading a lot of Graham Masterton novels, and have found them to be occasionally brilliant, but always gory, and sometimes not so good but still entertaining.

"Burial" is the third in the "Manitou" series, the first of which I found silly, the second of which I thought was quite good (although I think most Masterton fans prefer the first; I disagree).

So how do you approach this novel when reviewing it? As part of the series, or as a stand-alone novel on its own merits? Either way, this book fails.

It fails as part of the series because Masterton made a huge error, which he has recognized in interviews and on his web site. Two characters who died in the first book are alive in this one. Apparently he forgot that they had died because they did not die in the movie version. That's just plain sloppy.

It fails as a stand-alone, as well. The plot is just plain absurd, and the effects of the magic are inconsistent. It makes no sense that no one but the main characters are able to resist to some degree the forces that are driving cities underground, and the characters' use of magic to fake some sort of death so they can visit the Happy Hunting Ground (or whatever) does not prevent them from coming back as they please to make phone calls and stay at hotels.

And, finally, here's the deal: If you are going to read Masterton, you are going to have to put up with gore. If you can't handle gore, don't read Masterton. But even I think he went overboard here. Lots of hanging intestines, guts, limbs . . . just too much of it. I understand that gore can be part of horror, but there's way more gore than there are chills. And if you read this, prepare yourself for something gruesome being done to one woman's vagina (Masterton seems to have a thing for genital mutilation), that really is not necessary to move the plot along.

I am giving this book two stars because it's not completely unentertaining (that's the best I can say).