Not only was John Everson kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule and give me an interview, but he also sent me a copy of his latest book, Siren. If you read my interview with him, then you should already havesome notion of what the book is about, and what inspired him to write it. For those of you who need a refresher, the book is about a man, Evan, who watched his son drown in the ocean and was unable to help due to an intense phobia of the water. Now, Evan is a shell of a man, wandering the beach alone at night while his wife wastes away in a bar. One night he hears a beautiful song floating across the beach, and he discovers a creature straight out of myth, a siren.

The book was very fun, and fast paced, and I enjoyed it. It was so refreshing to read a story that didn’t use the same old monsters that everything does. No zombies, no vampires, and no werewolves definitely made it unique for me. In fact, nearly all of the horror novels I have read lately involved at least one of those three creatures, but Everson stepped up his game and did something different, and I thank him for it. Horror should never become stale or predictable.

The characters were realistic and empathetic. I loved how Everson portrayed Evan and his wife, Sarah, as lonely and wounded, and the arc of the story and how they slowly come together again after the death of their son was very moving, and well written. The siren, Ligeia, was badass. She’s beautiful, alluring, mysterious, and she kills people by ripping out their throats with her bare teeth. For me, the best part of the book actually didn’t focus on Evan at all. Everson intertwines a back-story for Ligeia throughout the novel, and describes her capture and abuse at the hands of a ship captain back in the late 1800’s. I’ve said it before, but I love a good prequel story, and Everson did an excellent job adding on to an already fun novel, and giving the creature some

humanizing background. Don’t get me wrong, Ligeia is a monster, but there were times in the story where I was rooting for her instead of the humans.

There were not that many problems I had with the novel, and those I did have were relatively small. The book centers around a siren, so there is a lot of sex throughout the story. By the time the book draws to a close though, some of the sex scenes felt a bit cookie-cutter to me, but that may be due to the fact that they all end with someone getting murdered and eaten. Call me crazy, but I do love some variety when it comes to sexual escapades. Evan’s insistent denial on Ligeia’s true nature also got a bit weary, but luckily, his friend Bill does perk up the story a bit and keep it flowing rather well. Eventually Evan does turn his thinking around, but finding a naked woman in the ocean every night that can sing so sweetly you lose yourself should probably be a huge clue as to what you’re dealing with.

The best thing about the book is the ending. I do not want to ruin it, but let me say that it is not a fairy tale ending where the good guys vanquish the monster and all is well and good in the world. Siren is much grittier and realistic, and it was a nice change from the standard “destroy the beast” plot that crops up over and over in this genre. Everson started with a different breed of monster, and he ends with a different note than most other authors, and I applaud him for it. The book is worth a read, and since it is a paperback, it won’t put a huge dent in your wallet. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I want to go track down Everson’s other novels. I have a feeling they’ll be well worth it.

Tags: John Everson, Mythology, Novel, Ocean, Sex, Siren