Customer Reviews

Dominion

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Bentley Little is a genius. He manages to weave the mythology of ancient Greece into a gripping horror tale. Little catches the reader's attention instantly with a gruesome prologue that opens this captivating novel.

Dion Semele moves to Napa Valley after his mother is fired from her job in Arizona. He meets Penelope Daneam at his new high school and the two are instantly drawn to each other. Unlike the synopsis on this site, Penelope has not been raised by nuns, but by a group of women who run a winery. She does not know which one of them is actually her mother. Dion and Penelope do not realize that their meeting has been fated. Each has felt a force within them. Their union will bring about an evil that will forever change the world.

This is a disturbing book. Little does not flinch in his writing. The scenes are extremely graphic. When the town is gripped by the insanity that follows the rebirth of the god Dionysus, no one is safe. The violence is constant and brutal. The book is filled with drunken celebrants, satyrs, and Maenads who turn Napa Valley into a hell on earth under the rule of their new god.

A couple of reviewers have stated that the ending was too abrupt. That's not necessarily a bad thing. When an entire novel is a battle between good and evil, a long drawn out ending is just overkill.

I tried for a long time to get my hands on this book and it was definitely worth the wait. I would easily count it as one of my favorite novels. It has everything, great characters, an original storyline and the kind of writing that keeps you reading well into the night. If you can find it, snap it up, you wont be sorry.

Be warned this book has high violence, sexual contents and very perverse, yet it all fits nicely into the context of the story and mixes in nicely with the anciant Greek mythology, I found many sections of this story to be disturbing, but isn't that what horror is all about??, this book may be to graphic for some peoples tastes so if you are week of stomach this is not the book for you, the high intense murder, sex and even bestiality all adds to the atmosphere and the sudden insanity and the disappearance of all inhabitions of the community.
The book is in two parts, the first focuses on Dion, who starts at a new school and he is some one we can all relate to and it is impossible not to like him, He develops a crush on a girl named Penelope, and as you read there relationship grows stronger but so does the unstability of the city's people.
The second part concentrates on Penelope and Dions best friend Kevin as they try to come to grips with the evil that has become of there lives and as they try to figure how to get Dion back.
I'm not going to say muck more but while reading this book you can not help but be affected by it, and the effects last long after the completion of it and a sense of loss, a must read for those who like horror with bite adn those who are not afraid of the disturbing.
This is the fist book I have read by Bentley Little but definatly not the last.

Little has written another cold-blooded classic of horror.This is the only horror novel I know of that combines ancient greek myths and supernatural evil and creates a tale of terror that you will never forget.While other horror authors try to go mainstream Little sticks to what he knows best: scaring the hell out of his fans and with that he has no peer!

Whether intended or not, this book gives a dramatic rewrite of the Christian tale of the return of Jesus. Only in this there is to be no true Heaven for believers but only an orgiastic Hell that threatens the destruction of all concerned with it. Little's graphic descriptions of wanton violence, sex, and licentiousness are breathtaking to say the least. He does not stsint the reader in any way with this tale of mounting terror up to its curious climax. Interestingly, Little also evokes some measure of sympathy for the villain with his portrayal of latent softer emotions that maintain in him some measure of humanity even while they serve to make his viler acts more depraved and appalling. In short, Domion is a great read any true horror fan would do well to read, if not purchase.

Bentley Little, an author who has a penchant for taking the ordinary and making it extraordinary, takes on Greek mythology and gives it its place in the horror fiction genre. He takes the story of the mythological characters Dionysus and the Maenads and puts a new spin on it.

Dion Semele, a teenager who is mature beyond his years, lives with his mother, April, in Arizona. His mom is not exactly like other moms, as she has an extremely carnal nature and her sexual escapades seem to create problems for her and embarrass her son. So, they are now moving to California, where they can start fresh. His mother feels a strange compulsion to move to the Napa Valley, northern California's wine country. Unfortunately, once she moves there she seems unable to keep her promise to her son to act more motherly.

Penelope Daneam is a young blond beauty whom Dion meets in his new high school. She lives on the estate of a winery owned by her mother, or rather, mothers, all twelve of them. Penelope and Dion hit it off, and their relationship is strongly encouraged by her mothers, who certainly have a strange way of acting around Dion. As Dion and Penelope's relationship progresses, a change seems to be going on in their environs, as the wine her mothers are selling seem to be causing people to shed their inhibitions. It also looks as if Dion has an intricate part to play in what Penelope's mothers have planned.

Of course, once the master plan is set in motion, all hell breaks loose. This book, which started off promisingly enough, degenerates into a bacchanalian nightmare. It goes totally over the top with raping and pillaging being the standard behavior of its characters. There is a lot of graphic, violent, and destructive sexual behavior with some incest tossed in for good measure. In this respect, the author has been over indulgent. Consequently, this is definitely not a book for everyone.

I've never read anything like this book and I could not put it down. The plot is one of the most original horror plots I've ever read and the some of the imagery and dialogue will probably stay with me forever. THIS AUTHOR DOES NOT HOLD BACK ANYTHING. This is a true horror novel, not masquerading as anything else.

Basically, a group of ancient women try to bring back their GOD to modern day Napa Valley thru wine, sex, blood and sacrifice. There are graphic depictions of orgies, necrophelia and murder. AND THIS TIME BENTLEY LITTLE COMES UP WITH A SATISFYING ENDING. I believe this is his best work, but before you read this, prepare yourself for some horrific, uncomfortable imagery and some great originality.

Dion Semele has just moved to Napa Valley, California. He lives with his attractive mother who has trouble holding jobs due to her hormones. He is a high school senior, a typical kid by most respects.

On the first day of school, he befriends Kevin Harte, a local rude-yet-cool dude.

By the end of the first week, he befriends Penelope Daneam.

Penelope lives with her mothers at their winery. They are strange yet friendly, and treat her as if she were there own daughter. In fact, one of them IS her mother, but she doesn't know which.

Finding the identity of her mother will soon become the least of Penelope's concerns.

For she falls madly in love with Dion, but there is a catch. The wine produced at the windery--Daneam Wine--is not your typical beverage. It is the same recipe used by the ancient Greeks, and it has astounding effects on those who drink it...like insanity...

Penelope and Dion soon find out that Napa Valley is in for a wave of trouble. It appears that the Mothers want Dion for a ritual...a ritual to bring about the ressurection of the god Dionysus...

Their entire world thrown into chaos, Penelope must join forces with Kevin to save the Valley, themselves, Dion...and quite possibly the world.

This is a great read. Bentley Little outdoes himself. Yes, some of the content is graphic and disturbing; but it adds to the novel (in an entirely appropriate way, I mean). Bentley Little's "Dominion" is packed full of scares, gore, and some great Greek trivia. Not a read for someone alone at night...

I really enjoyed this book when I read it and I have read all of Little's books (except Dispatch which I bought but haven't gotten to yet). This is one of my favorites of his and one of his most unique stories. It's a great horror novel and very original b/c it combines Little's usual take on the world in the face of chaos and mixes it with greek mythology (something I have yet to find in another book). Coincidentally I was taking a Greek mythology course in university at the time I read this book and it made it all the more interesting. However you don't have to be a mythology expert to enjoy this enthralling, creative book. If you love horror, especially stories that are uniquely different, or if you're just a Little fan, I would tell you to read this book. It's still on the top of my list for Little's works.

Dominion is one of Bentley Little's best books. I don't quite understand why it rarely gets mentioned as such. The author himself has stated this is his least favourite book alongside "Death Instinct". And it seems to fly under the radar of a lot of fans too. But believe me, Dominion is an extremely accomplished piece of work by this talented author. This book is many things all rolled into one: Splatterpunk, love story, greek mythology. It is probably Little's most extreme novel as far as sex and gratuitous gore goes. Only "University" comes close. This is a great introduction to Bentley Little and long-time fans will enjoy it too.

I have only read two of Bentley Little's books, this one and "The Store", and I am totally hooked. His stories are unusual, graphic, and compulsively readable, at least the ones I've read so far. Best of all, they are truly creepy. I thoroughly recommend this book. I am starting on "The House" right now, and I hope it is as good as the others I have read. PS - If you don't like books that are "nasty", you probably shouldn't be reading horror novels. Just a thought.