Drago Descending [Paperback]

Greg F. Gifune (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2006

Private Investigator David Drago is a former policeman and Gulf War veteran struggling with his combat experiences, his time spent in the psychological ward of a veteran's hospital, and the darkness of his past.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

An author whose typical word play, poetic descriptions, and rich, subversive imagination compliments a style both minimal and sensuous, Greg F. Gifune's DRAGO DESCENDING is a marvelous exploration of pain.

Black magic and Satanism have long enjoyed precedence in the weird tale. Unfortunately, over familiarity has reduced the effectiveness of occult themes, traditional folklore rarely addressing the interests of contemporary audiences. What a pleasure, then, to read a novel that lends fresh twists to stale themes, revitalizing such tropes as witches, Satanists, and devil pacts by using them to mirror the desires of contemporary characters--people who are us when the lights are low and we grapple with our lusts and emotional disabilities.

DRAGO DESCENDING is neither horror nor dark fantasy, crime noir nor erotica. It is, in fact, the rarest breed of narrative--a story unaware of genre. Gifune's themes are universal, his approach fluid, and his ideas honest. Combining the earthy, grimy resonance of urban terror with a spiraling mythical-biblical premise, Gifune's exploration of madness, spiritual warfare, pornography, and the paradoxical beauty and devastation of human relationships is a perfect marriage of form and subject. Interweaving the sinister grace of shadows with the shocking animalism of passion, Gifune's themes are equally inspiring and depressing.

Drago, a man walking the tightrope between decency and depravity, is a fascinating study of internal conflict. A private detective scarred by his experiences on the police force, the Gulf War, and a stint in the psychotic ward of a Veterans' hospital, Drago's biggest emotional scar is his lingering love for Jesse, a deliciously rendered femme fatale. Once Drago is contacted by a mysterious man to find her, he's drawn into a world hiding within the seemingly normal world--the exterior of society which parallels his fragile balance between savagery and sacrifice. Drago's world isn't simply haunted by demons and angels; it's haunted by flawed good intentions. Perception itself is the trap.

Breathing with the greatness of classic tragedy, Gifune keeps his action furious, and his atmosphere an integral component of meaning. Elements of setting and weather foreshadow emotionally significant action without seeming trite, and the ending, while initially appearing a convenient ploy, actually lends greater ambiguity to a story concerned with the shadowy borderlands between appearance and truth. A first rate thriller!

--William Simmons, Reviewed for Cemetery Dance Magazine

About the Author

Greg F. Gifune is Editor-in-Chief of Thievin' Kitty Publications, publishers of print anthologies, chapbooks, and the magazines THE EDGE, Tales of Suspense and BURNING SKY, Adventures in Science Fiction Terror. As an author, his work has been recommended for the Bram Stoker Award and the International Horror Guild Award. His short story "The Raincatchers" was nominated for the British Fantasy Award.

Product Details

• Paperback: 190 pages
• Publisher: The Fiction Works (November 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581247176
• ISBN-13: 978-1581247176
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,828,051 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Called "One of the best writers of his generation" by both the Roswell Literary Review and author Brian Keene, GREG F. GIFUNE is the author of numerous short stories, several novels, screenplays and two short story collections (HERETICS and DOWN TO SLEEP). His work has been published all over the world, consistently praised by readers and critics alike, received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and The Midwest Book Review (among others) and has recently garnered interest from Hollywood. His novels include CHILDREN OF CHAOS, DOMINION, THE BLEEDING SEASON, DEEP NIGHT, BLOOD IN ELECTRIC BLUE, SAYING UNCLE, A VIEW FROM THE LAKE, NIGHT WORK, DRAGO DESCENDING, CATCHING HELL, JUDAS GOAT and LONG AFTER DARK. Greg resides in Massachusetts with his wife Carol and a bevy of cats. He can be reached online at: [e-mail] or through his official web site at: www.gregfgifune.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars PRAISE FROM A FAN, February 4, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Drago Descending (Paperback)

Above all Gifune is a master at his craft. It goes without saying that his voice speaks to the reader with great literary clarity. At the same time he blends genres, spicing things up with poetic-like passages; offering a novel which reads like a collaboration between Dashiell Hammett and Peter Straub--with hints of Henry Rollins.
David Drago's search for love and redemption take the reader on a roller coaster ride between heaven, hell and some very interesting side streets in between. Reminiscent
of Harry Angel in Hjortsberg's Falling Angel, Drago is hired by a mysterious client to find a missing person--his former girlfriend. However, his investigation introduces the reader to
some very new and unique demons. Some are from dark worlds, others can be found deep inside the human soul.
Set in Massachusetts, Gifune paints vivid pictures of places like Boston, New Bedford and Cape Cod. He eloquently describes the glitter and beauty of his setting as
well as the dark and gritty side of it. It's also evident that he's researched the black arts as he writes fluently about their history, symbols and worshippers.
If you like wise-cracking detectives, mythical demons and sultry she-devils, this one is for you. Great stuff!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars VIOLENT, SEXY & FRIGHTENING, January 12, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Drago Descending (Paperback)

DRAGO DESCENDING is a terrific read, fast-paced and scary. It's as much a mystery as it is a horror novel, and you're never totally sure if the "horrors" in the novel are real or just the nightmares of a mentally disturbed man. The main character, David Drago, is a down and out P.I. searching for a former girlfriend through the underbelly of society, and both he and his hellish journey are unforgettable. Unlike a lot of horror fiction, DRAGO DESCENDING has real, three-dimensional characters and a plot that is very believable, and that makes it all the more terrifying. This book shows that horror fiction can be sexy, violent, frightening and lots of fun, but also intelligent. If you're a fan of mysteries, horror, or just like smart fiction on the darker side, you'll love this one!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What would you do for love?, April 10, 2009

By 

Schtinky "Schtinky" (California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Drago Descending (Paperback)

David Drago is a private investigator in the sleepy town of New Bedford. He lives in his office, unable to afford rent for both home and office. One day he receives a call from a man simply called Abdiel, who claims to be the fiancé of Drago's old girlfriend Jesse Greenlaw. Jesse has gone missing, and Abdiel only trusts Drago to find her.

Drago knows that after Jesse left him, she began working in the "adult film" industry, so he first goes to porn producer Walter Rizzi, who gives him the name of Jesse's co-star and best friend Whitney Blue. Whitney not only performs in porn flicks but owns a satanic/gothic club and is a practicing witch. But she knows Jesse, and swears Jesse was never engaged. However, at the mention of the name Abdiel, Whitney becomes almost frightened and stops talking.

Jesse is on the run, perhaps from a bad investment she can't pay, but nothing seems to add up the deeper Drago's investigation goes. Drago, an ex-cop and a Gulf War Veteran, begins to have terrible nightmares, increasingly disturbing - some of them while awake, and some of them prophetic. When Walter Rizzi turns up dead after Drago dreams about it, he knows he's into something far deeper than a bad debt. He refuses to give up, his love for Jesse as strong as ever, regardless of how deep the rabbit trail goes and what kinds of danger he faces.

Greg F. Gifune has done it again. 'Drago Descending' is a fascinating trip into the human mind, where sometimes the ponderings of good versus evil come to life. It's neither thriller nor drama nor horror, but a perfect blending of the genres. I couldn't put it down. Told in first person by Drago, we get to see how wounded his mind was by the terrors of the war and the separation of him and Jesse; we see how he smothers those feelings with alcohol, blurring them into haunting and inescapable memories.

Expect the unexpected, and a climatic ending. Gifune's writing is smooth and flawless. He has an amazing skill at giving depth to characters though actions and dialogue rather than long-winded descriptions. The intrigue of Drago stumbling into the world of porn, Satanism, and black witchcraft definitely holds your attention through this fast-paced, suspenseful novel. I highly recommend this book, and highly recommend anything written by the talented Greg F. Gifune. Enjoy!