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Incubus: A Novel
Incubus: A Novel
Incubus: A Novel
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Incubus: A Novel

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

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National Book Award winner Ann Arensberg brings readers a modern horror story about evil descending on an insular Maine town

It begins with the theft of six candles from the church altar, a few herbs found strewn in the local graveyard. In the summer of 1974, the prosperous farming community of Dry Falls, Maine, is hit by a brutal heat wave. Crops fail. Drought blights once-verdant lawns. Men inexplicably lose all interest in sex, while women complain of erotic nocturnal visitations. Farm animals give birth to monstrosities. An unholy, unimaginable force is disrupting the natural order—and it seems to be specifically targeting Dry Falls.

Narrated by the careful and practical Cora Whitman, wife of the town pastor, this tale of creeping strangeness quickly turns sinister. Incubus subtly builds to its shattering climax with Cora at its epicenter. Expertly interweaving themes of faith, religion, and marriage with that of the supernatural, this modern horror classic will enthrall fans of Ann Arensberg and attract a legion of new readers.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateJul 8, 2014
ISBN9781480401242
Incubus: A Novel
Author

Ann Arensberg

Ann Arensberg was born in Pittsburgh and grew up in Havana, Cuba. She worked as an editor at the Viking Press and E. P. Dutton. She is the author of Sister Wolf, which won the National Book Award for Best First Novel in 1981; Group Sex; and Incubus. Her short fiction has been included in the O. Henry Awards Prize Stories anthologies. She is currently finishing her fourth novel. She and her husband, Richard Grossman, are residents of Salisbury, Connecticut.

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Rating: 3.046875028125 out of 5 stars
3/5

32 ratings3 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A preacher and his wife take on some mysterious happenings in 1974. I continue to question the infinite possibilities of our "normal" lives on earth and what may or may not be out there.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    There's only one word to describe this book. Tedious. A cool concept that faintly glittered through at times but was horrible overtaken by rambling. The story wandered all over the place and had constant diatribes about gardens, snack foods, furniture, gothic novels, and church pitch ins and other mundane shit, that made the story last even longer than it should have. And trust me this story lasted forever. I could not wait for it to be over. The premise was so cool, a bunch of women in this small town keep having erotic nightmares and weird shit is happening. Cool right? It's fucking buried in this novel. Five hours of my life that I will never get back!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Let me say that Henry Lieber is no hero. At first, he doesn’t even think whatever is happening is a threat. I think it is because it was happening to women. Anything strange that happens to women isn’t taken seriously – it’s out sensitive and weak feminine minds that are perceiving something that isn’t there. No, Henry doesn’t become a hero until the thing goes after his wife. Only then does he stop being the curious supernatural phenomena hunter and start to act in the town’s best interest. Also, I didn’t read about any other shapes this thing took. It didn’t become a succubus and attack the men. It didn’t appear to the community as a monster or the Virgin Mary. It only came for the women. One woman appeared to be the focus and they sent her away. It stopped for a while but then started up again. They witness it firsthand with this woman who is exiled…it was just as though she were having the hottest sex imaginable with an invisible man. The book is not written with any omnipotence so the story of why and how is never answered. Cora is our firsthand witness writing down what she sees and hears. Of course she doesn’t know why the demon is there or what it wants or how long it will stay. Despite that, it was an engrossing book. I liked the style of writing and even though it went off in some tangents that were irrelevant, it kept me interested.One thing that I didn’t understand, was why the emphasis on Cora’s sister Hannah and the family history. Their father was a jackass who only cared about his art (furniture). He alienated and insulted his wife and children. Hannah became exactly like dad and did everything in her power to hurt and destroy her mother. When the three women meet later in life, Hannah is the same and her mother still loves her best. Cora knows it but doesn’t resent it. It’s an interesting story, but has very little bearing on the story.

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Incubus - Ann Arensberg

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