Next, After Lucifer

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Neil McMahon: NEXT, AFTER LUCIFER Evil never dies. It may sleep for centuries, and then awaken to bring horror into the lives of modern people who never dreamed that the supernatural might be real. NEXT, AFTER LUCIFER takes place in a rural French village, where a renegade Templar Knight was burned at the stake in 1307 for black magic, human sacrifice, and blood-drinking vampire rituals. Now it’s the 1980s, and his undead spirit possesses an American renting a nearby luxury villa, with a tightening vise of terror and tragedy. This is a genuinely frightening story—not recommended for young children. Author’s Note: Update and Apology As of mid-October, 2012, we’ve replaced the original ebook texts of NEXT, AFTER LUCIFER; ADVERSARY; and CAST ANGELS DOWN TO HELL with new, corrected versions. The original files had quite a few typos, a technical problem that cropped up in scanning them from hard copy and converting them to MOBI. They’re now in excellent shape (so are the paperback editions, by the way). My sincere apologies to readers who were disappointed in the quality of the earlier ebook texts.“A well-turned tale of supernatural terror in which lurks one of the best—or worst—monstrous creations to come along in a month of Black Sabbaths.” (Houston Chronicle, 1987)

From Publishers Weekly

This neatly crafted first novel should afford some fine chills for hot summer days. A luxurious villa in Provence commands a breathtaking view of the Mediterranean and of a ruined mountain fortress. The villa has remained oddly uninhabited until the arrival of medievalist professor John McTell and his young, bossy wife Linden. With their American dollars, they illegally divert water to their swimming pool from an ancient woodland spring. But the spring has been washing over the unhallowed bones of a Templar knight, condemned for his bloody atrocities and burned at the fortress in 1307. His unleashed spirit of sheer evil now rises again to infect the Americans, their guests and the French villagers in this psychological thriller of the supernatural and the uncanny. McTell, especially, becomes imbued with the Templar's malevolent powers. The tale switches back and forth between the pleasure-seeking Americans and the more sympathetic villagers, who are steeped in their own nightmares. Notable among them are the housewife Melusine, gifted with second sight, the young and lovely Alysse and the heroically appealing priest Etien. The horrors that seize all these well-drawn characters are bizarrely suited to their individual flaws and fears. Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

While on sabbatical in a small village in southern France, medievalist John McTell discovers the local legend of an evil Knight Templar burned at the stake for witchcraft in 1307. McTell soon links a series of unexplained deaths to the Knight's spirit, kept alive through spells recorded in a grimoire and now in search of a body. Rhodes uses classic works by M.R. James and Margaret Irwin as inspiration, but succeeds nicely in creating his own eerie atmosphere and sympathetic (if at times trite) characters. A strong writing style and powerful imagination compensate for a somewhat disappointing ending. Rhodes is a talent to watch, and horror fans will enjoy his first novel. Eric W. Johnson, Univ. of Bridgeport Lib., Ct.Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Inside Flap

"Creating a believable villain is the hardest work in the artistic world . . . which makes Neil McMahon's success . . . so stunning . . . In McMahon's assured hands, the duel between the rational, scientific doctor and the fascinating, frightening Freeboot . . . is an absolutely riveting read." (Revolution No. 9)Chicago Tribune"Neil McMahon's thrillers have the precision of a surgeon's scalpel. To The Bone is a tautly written mystery embedded with characters as real as the surprises are many."Michael Connelly"McMahon has now found his true voice with the splendid and suspenseful novel . . . It is the poignant and knowing prose that elevates this novel to literature." (Lone Creek)Otto Penzler, New York Sun"McMahon's stellar stand-alone offers a cunning technological twist worthy of the late Michael Crichton . . . (McMahon) easily makes a scientific concept plausible in a pulse-pounding read that doesn't sacrifice intelligence for thrills." (L.A. Mental)Publishers Weekly"Reading Dead Silver is like discovering that the great Raymond Chandler wrote a mystery about Montana."James Patterson"McMahon is a writer and a half . . . his words carry for miles." (Lone Creek)New York Times Book Review

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