Customer Reviews

Drago Descending

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!

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!

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!

I can only say that I hope more people discover Greg F. Gifune. His style of writing is so fluid and easy. The story grabs you from word one and the characters come alive immediately. The plot itself moves at breakneck speed with humor and chills. "Drago Descending" is one truly creepy read. I haven't felt the suspense Mr. Gifune can bring across since reading the earlier Stephen King many moons ago. I don't know why he hasn't become more mainstream. Also check out "The Bleeding Season."

Greg F. Gifune's DRAGO DESCENDING is a good read worth checking out. Gifune manages to blend crime and horror fiction seamlessly and grace. Though the main character of the novel is sometimes a little cliched, he's overall an interesting character worth following. There are some great, scary scenes here. DRAGO DESCENDING is Greg Gifune's first novel and shows a lot of promise. Definitely worth checking out.