Rituals [Paperback]

Ed Gorman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2002

In a small New England town, several women have been targeted by a secret society of witch hunters. Inspired by generations of superstition, these witch hunters are convinced that witches are evil-and must be destroyed. But who is the real source of evil? The girls born with unique talents for healing as well as harm? Or the "normal" humans who murder them?

"Ed Gorman writes like a dream even when he's recounting nightmares. His fiction grips, entertains, and resonates in memory long after you close his books." (Dean Koontz)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The inhumanity of the Salem witch trials is the focal point of this dark, absorbing thriller about a small sect of modern-day witches residing in the quiet town of Hastings Corner, Mass. Laura Morgan and Abby Stewart, best friends from high school, share a genetic secret that they eventually pass on to their daughters, Greer and Jenna: all four are witches, members of a select and endangered subset of the human race who possess relatively harmless gifts of healing and mind control. For generations, a group of locals have taken it upon themselves to eradicate the sect. So when Jenna and Laura turn up dead, Abby knows their deaths weren't accidents, and she realizes that she and Greer may be next. Their battle against the cruel townsfolk rapidly spirals toward an anticlimactic finale at a psychiatric hospital, where a coven of witches is imprisoned. Along the way, Gorman (Daughter of Darkness; Vendetta), a prolific mystery writer, describes fog and other mystical elements with a poet's touch, while references to HBO sex comedies and Homer Simpson lend a contemporary vibe to what is essentially an updated account of a sordid slab of American history. (Feb. 5)Forecast: A blurb from Dean Koontz will do more to boost sales than the book's cover illustration, which depicts a woman running through a cemetery with others carrying torches and chasing her. Still, this paranormal adventure may have troubles finding its niche, since Gorman's primary readership comes from his more traditional mysteries.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: DAW (February 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0756400503
• ISBN-13: 978-0756400507
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #535,326 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #34 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Occult > Spiritualism

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Good start, Bad middle and end., May 31, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Rituals (Paperback)

The author got off to a nice start, creating some mystery and a potential war between good and evil witches. This we find out is in fact NOT the story line. Instead it is (Spoilers ahead) about evil powerless humans versus mostly powerless good witches.

Then the characters ALL start acting incredibly stupid. At no point am I convinced that ANYONE, good, bad, or simply nuetral has enough brains to pull off any of the lies they supposedly are telling. They ALL do the stupidest possible things. The good guys take no weapons, magic, or even some muscle to confront the bad guys. The bad guys, like the old Batman tv show, try to trap and/or hold their opponents for riduclously long amounts of time instead of killing them out right.

The characters all fail Bad-guys 101.
The good-guys know they have allies in the rest of the world but make zero attempt to contact them.

Buy this book ONLY if when your daughter is kidnapped because she was a witch you would NOT go to the police and say:
"My Daughter was kidnapped by a group of fanatic Christians because someone found out she went to a wicca meeting. I demand that you rescue her before they burn her for religous reasons."

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid work from the master, May 26, 2005

By 

Craig Clarke "Living After Midnight: Hard and... (New England) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Rituals (Paperback)

The Salem Witch Trials: a sad piece of American history. But it couldn't happen again, right? That is the idea posed by Ed Gorman's novel Rituals. In it, witches are merely regular people (women, of course, men can only be "carriers") who are born with special "secret" powers that bloom after puberty (shades of Carrie) and fizzle out during adulthood only to partially resurrect themselves during old age. Direct descendants of the persecutors of Salem are hunting down the witches' descendants in an attempt to completely destroy them.
Our focus, however, is on a small cache of characters in Hastings Corner. Laura and Abby were best friends who had the power to heal. Separated by their marriages, they managed to stay close. Now Laura is dead, as is Abby's daughter. They both had the power; is there a pattern?

Though probably best known for his rough-and-tumble mystery and western characters, Gorman shows off his sensitive side in Rituals. Most of the proceedings are seen from the points of view of the female characters, and even Cam is painted as a really nice guy, someone who was an insensitive jerk and messed up once but is now very understanding. I never doubted the truth of these people, though I take their behaviors into question now and then.

The plot itself depends on a flimsy act of restraint, that is repeatedly reinforced, but that could easily be overcome with a simple lie, solving most if not all of the characters' problems. Also, the ending, unfortunately, takes much too long to actually happen, even though some parts feel rushed, as if some cutting was done and some tightening attempted, but was just not fully successful. Nevertheless, Rituals is immensely readable, especially at the beginning, when I didn't want to put it down.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars another winner from Gorman....., January 20, 2004

By 

J. Bilby "littlebibs" (Kingston, New Hampshire United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rituals (Paperback)

This is just another great book from Ed Gorman, a different
witch thriller and fast ride, well worth the time. Gorman
still has the goods and takes the time to get it right.