Disciples of dread [Hardcover]

Hugh B Cave (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The latest novel from World Fantasy Award winner Cave begins as shy, lonely schoolteacher Mark Donner is dragged into the middle of a political maelstrom because his identical twin Vince is tracking down Khargi, a terrorist from the Middle Eastern state of Siricus. Vince and his co-workers in a secret U.S. intelligence agency need Mark to pose as Vince in order to confuse the terrorist force called Death's Disciples, followers of a man called Kalim. This would seem dangerous enough, but a wild card raises the stakes: the Death's Disciples are masters of a powerful form of mind control, and can make virtually anybody do their bidding. But Mark has a wild card of his own: both he and Vince are mildly telepathic. And, strangely enough, so is Eve Vernon, the attractive deaf-mute young woman with whom Mark falls in love after he, as Vince, has fled to Jamaica. When Khargi goes for the bait, neither Mark's abilities nor Eve's may be sufficient to withstand the power of the Disciples. Although the novel is overlong and loaded with stereotypes, Cave nevertheless keeps things moving. With all its faults, this book is fun.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

sf Schoolteacher Mark Donner becomes the pawn in a deadly game to trap the leader of a cult that uses paranormal powers to control the minds of its followersand its enemies. A Jamaican setting and a romantic interest add color to this slow-moving horror fantasy. For large libraries only. JC
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 376 pages
• Publisher: T. Doherty Associates; 1st edition (1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312931018
• ISBN-13: 978-0312931018
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,982,282 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:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Disciples of Dread": a novel that really will scare you., August 15, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Disciples of Dread (Paperback)

Hugh B. Cave crafted a scary, suspenceful novel when he wrote "Disciples of Dread." It is a deft combination of real-life horror and supernatural pehnomena set in the wilds of Jamaica.

Mark Donner, would-be author, is asked to stand in for his psychically-talented twin brother Vincent, an agent of the US government. What neither Mark nor Vincent realize is that Mark is being set up. The government hopes to use Mark to distract from Vincent's mission for the government. This mission: to stop the Disciples of Dread.

The Disciples are a ruthless terrorist organization whose members possess telepathy and the power of mind control. Using both these abilities and more traditional forms of terror, the Disciples carry out terrible atrocities. Their leader, Khargi, is ruthless, a man who will do anything to accomplish his goals. The one man he fears is Vincent. Khargi dispatches the Disciples to assassinate Vincent in Jamaica, little realizing that he has actually targeted Mark.

Mark, oblivious to the danger he faces, befriends the deaf Eve, who becomes first his confident, and then his lover. The two of them slowly come to realize that the government has set Mark up to be the Disciples' stalking-horse. At the same time, Mark and Eve realize that someone else on the island has a grudge to bear with them; someone who is knowledgeable in the dark magic arts of Obeah.

I found Cave's book to be one of the best horror novels I have read. He manages to build up suspense, slowly but surely drawing the reader into the novel. Additionally, Cave is quite effective in his depiction of the Disciples. He augments the real-life horror of terrorism with psychic abilities, making the Disciples an ominous, scary foe. The acts of terror they commit in the novel were enough to make me cringe, all the more so because I could see these things happening in real life if such powers did exist.

It is apparent tha Cave has done his research for the setting. Jamaica and its people are depicted in accurate detail, enriching the narrative and giving it a regional atmosphere.

Most importantly, Cave does a superb job of characterization. He develops Mark and Eve into realistic, believable individuals who, as the plot progresses, the reader begins to care for. An interesting, well-developed supporting cast rounds out the book. This guarantees that "Disciples of Dread" is not an easy book to put down, since the reader will be eager to learn what happens to the characters next.

If there is one fault with this novel, it is that Cave sets up one or two plot threads that he never really goes anywhere with. That was a rather annoying aspect of this novel. Aside from that, though, I found Cave's book to be quite good. I definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys the horror genre with an inventive twist. If you can locate this novel, it is definitely worth reading.

Benjamin Herman, reviewer-at-large