The horror series
The author of Manitou and The Revenge, Manitou has worked as a reporter and editor for Mayfair and Penthouse. Over the years, he has written over 100 books that have been translated into 19 languages and have been published in 27 million copies. His novels have received many awards (including the Edgar Allan Poe Award). In addition to horror films, Masterton writes thrillers, historical novels, romances and sexology guides. As mentioned, Manitou is the writer’s debut. The book was written in 1975 and was followed by numerous sequels, published in considerable time: Manitou’s Revenge (1979), The Spirit of Extermination (1991), The Penetrating Spirit (1996), Manitou’s Blood (2005), Armageddon(2009) and Infection (2014). The reviewed proposals – Manitou and Manitou’s Revenge – are the third revised editions (the first ones were published in 2012 by the Albatros A. Kuryłowicz publishing house). The translations of both books were prepared in 2012 by Wiesław Marcysiak, and the cover design was prepared by Krzysztof Rychter.
Fabulous
Manitou is undoubtedly a classic of the genre. It tells the story of a young girl, Karen Tandy, who has an unusual lump on the back of her neck. However, the procedure of its removal initiates a series of terrifying, completely unrelated to medicine events. As we learn from the plot of the novel, the 17th-century Indian shaman Misquamacus was reborn in the body of the girl, who had a desire for revenge on white people. A battle that unfolds in a New York City hospital could claim all of humanity. In the second volume of the series – Manitou’s Revenge– one of the heroes is eight-year-old Toby, who claims that a man of wood emerges from the wardrobe in his room and that he hears voices. As it turns out, other children also begin to experience similar ‘visits’. The nightmare that started in the first part of the cycle returns – the powerful sorcerers come to life and perhaps only the clairvoyant Harry Erskine and the shaman Singing Rock, known from the Manitou volume, can give hope for a happy ending.
In the evaluation
Masterton’s prose can be enjoyed (and has its loyal fans!). Despite the fact that the British writer’s books are characterized by a slightly simplified plot and uncomplicated profiles of the characters (often cliché genre), the reader can easily become part of the author’s fictional world. On the plus side, it is worth highlighting the vivid descriptions, fast action and interesting references. However, it should not be forgotten that this is a novel from 1975 and the potential reader has to be a bit more lenient with the selected plots and decisions of the characters. While reading, we observe the presence of body horror elements, references to Indian mythology and inspiration by Lovecraftian motifs, incl. Misquamacus appearing in Manitou previously appeared in the notes of The Loner of Providence (excerpt:Of Evil Sorceries Done in New-England / Of Daemons in No Humane Shape ), and then in the novel Czyhący w threshold by August Derleth. Those who read Masterton many years ago may regard Manituou and Manitou ‘s Revenge as a sentimental return to the past. However, if you haven’t had such experiences before, don’t be surprised – Manitou nudges the mouse, which does not change the fact that this is a proposition worth reading if you like the world of horror!
Release from Rebis
Both volumes have been published in paperback. The cover shows the author’s name, the title of the novel and the publisher’s reference number. Manitou ‘s debut is a bit shorter than its sequel, and I think you will surely become familiar with its content in two evenings. The edition is aesthetic, although it does not impress – the graphics on the covers are taken from popular websites with free pictures, so it is not an artistic work of a person involved in the publishing process. Books can be read both together and separately – knowledge of individual parts is not required, although it makes the message more attractive.
