Customer Reviews

Scarecrow Gods

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Now let me just say this is not your normal variety scary book. The gore and blood is almost non-existent, and Ochse avoids the cheap tricks that are so commonly seen. No, what we have here is a smart and original plot. Character-driven, the story aims to capture your heart and mind first and foremost. Challenging your beliefs and your faith, the plot attacks you internally, feeding on your fear and emotions. Too late you realize that it's been chewing since you opened the book, and nothing can satiate it. Ochse is a terrifying genius!

The true brilliance shown is in the pace of the book. Ever patient, the build-up is gradual, the climaxes reached only when the tension is ready to burst. The events are never rushed and the actions never consuming; everything is played out naturally and in its own time. This is not to say that the speed is slow, far from it. I read this book in just under eight hours, but what kept turning the page was not hurried violence. It was simply to see what happened next, what challenge Ochse would throw at me. Even though the atmosphere switches constantly to two polar opposite settings, the one feeling throughout is home. Both the warmth and hostilities that are found in your house are felt in waves here. Although there is an undercurrent of wrongness that seeps into both, it never fully consumes it.

And just to further show you what a clever man Mr. Ochse is, let me tell you about his writing. Ochse's style is natural, his direction cryptic. Instead of dishing out pre-digested, chewed-up clues and answers, he allows the reader to use their own imagination and intelligence. What he does reveal, he exposes slowly, piece-by-piece. This form of storytelling is what got me reading in the first place.

His characters are just as precisely detailed. Carrying most of the weight, the cast is realistic and memorable. Three-dimensional, you can understand these characters better than most people you know. Rather than try to imitate friends/family, the characters refine our expectations of what we normally see. Our protagonist is not some random person with a hero complex, nor does he have super powers. He's just a person, no more no less. It's only through his actions and convictions that he rises to a level we all wish could in some form or another.

'The Scarecrow Gods' is a magnificent novel, one of those rare finds that you simply cannot let slip through your fingers. With smooth, flowing prose, elegant descriptions, and fully fleshed characters, Weston Ochse has written a true can't-put-it-down novel. The book is character-driven, relying on mystery and creeping dread rather than gore and guts.

Maxom Phinx, a disfigured Vietnam war vet, lives alone in Tennessee, reliving his past and working nights mixing a vat of chicken carcasses to harvest maggots; thus earning his name "The Maggot Man". Maxom is learning to deal with his memories of being tortured as a POW by using a talent taught to him by an old Vietnamese man during his captivity; astral projection. He uses the bodies of birds to see the world outside his tiny, unkept cabin.

Danny is a thirteen year old, coming of age, playing Marco Polo with his friends at the lake, looking at their stash of adult magazines, and getting into trouble. When Danny is first forced into close contact with Maxom, he's angry and afraid. Eventually, the two find common ground, though it's a shaky and insecure relationship. Danny also has to live with the disappearance of his sister and the impending divorce of his parents.

Simon, a brother in the Alexian Brothers religious group, lives in small town outside Phoenix Arizona at the Brother's Retreat. Simon struggles with his past as a vet of Desert Storm, and troubles with his Faith. He seeks answers when he's not sure of the questions.

Billy Bones, a homeless "dirty bird", is one of Simon's projects. Billy speaks only in palindromes, anagrams, and metaphors. He has a small camp out in the desert where a tight group of immense saguaro cacti rise up in a circle of thirteen. Billy has dressed them in cast off clothing and given them faces by using buttons for eyes and bottles for mouths. When the wind blows, the saguaro speak through the openings of their bottle-mouths.

John The New Baptist, leader of the new Church Of The Resurrection in Paradise Valley Arizona, is gathering a cult membership of young, runaway girls. His plans for them are far from Christian. John also has the ability of astral projection, though John chooses the predators of the desert to host his presence. Far from going unnoticed, John is under the scrutiny of the Alexian Brotherhood, the ATF, the Border Patrol, and the Sheriff's office.

Watching the Church Of The Resurrection is ATF agent Gil Gooly, known as "The Ghoul". The Ghoul knows something is wrong and is determined to find out at any cost.

From Tennessee to Arizona, something odd is brewing, and it will draw these amazingly different characters all to a single destination. Arizona. Battling more than human foes, Maxom and Danny must fight the Chill Blaines and other forces of evil to discover the truth behind the beating of Danny's friend Bergan and the disappearance of his sister. Simon must fight for his Faith, and Billy Bones must fight for his sanity.

The culmination of the book is exquisitely tense. While the book is not a fast-paced action tale, it will draw you in with its taut intrigue and creeping dread. Fighting daemons within and without, the mis-matched group must eventually work together on a solution to the evil that threatens to take over their souls. All of this plus a surprise ending makes for one entertaining read. This book is not to be missed by any fan of horror or thrillers. Highly recommended. Enjoy.

When I first read this novel, I knew I was in the presence of that rare find, something that rivaled Koontz' Watchers. The final edition (which I read as well) justified that belief. This is a terrific read, exciting, with great characters as well as action, and a terrific ending. One of those novels that creates a world of its own, and one you don't want to see come to an end. It is, among all other things, a coming-of-age story.

In the years since, Ochse (pronounced "Oaks") has continued to write top tier fiction and I recommend you look for all of his work.

"Scarecrow Gods" is far removed from your normal horror novel. While it touches on issues that we've seen in the past (i.e. cults, old man befriends boy, good vs. evil), it takes every one of these in a entirely new direction.

There are several different story lines that are happening at the same time in this book, including a Vietnam vet who can project his soul into other beings, his new found friend - a young boy who's sister has been missing for months and parents are talking divorce. An Alexian Brother who questions his faith on a daily basis, a former rocket scientist who has become a desert dweller and now speaks in rhymes. And of course the newest form of evil, the flamboyant John the New Baptist, who houses a cult of runaway girls that he brainwashes into thinking no one loves them. All of these story lines come to a head in a typical but inspiring ending in which not everything is as it seems. Definitely worth the read. I can't wait to see what Mr. Ochse comes up with next.