Hi, Newb here... I tried to post on the Leisure Books forum but they wouldn't let me. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone has read the 5th Witch by Graham Masterton... I just finished it. Pretty good, but I'm embarrassed to admit that I didn't quite get the ending. What was up with the cat? What was the significance? Anyone here read it?

Evan

Sorry, I haven't read it, and am not planning on it any time soon.

But I did want to say hi, and welcome to the board!!!!

I have not read it yet either, but it is on top of my heaping TBR Pile. I am sure that Tt has read it, and he might be able to enlighten you on the subject.

Hey, welcome to the coolest horror board on the planet.

I have the new Masterton and plan on reading it by the end of next month because my pile of books to read is so massive.

If you like Graham Masterton, try reading A Terrible Beauty, a crazy read that I think was one of his best.

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"There's no law, no law anymore - I wanna steal from the rich and give to the poor."
~The Ramones~

(Taken from an earlier thread).....

....I'm not sure I agree 100 % with you Jim, but it does seem like he can be hit or miss with his output.

The 5th Witch is a pretty good read, in fact it reminds me of a lot of his earlier work. But lets face it, Masterton isn't a literary genius. His books are fun, quick reads that at the very least amuse you and give you a few good scares. I've always compared him to Bentley Little, they have similar styles in my opinions with Masterton being a little heavier on the humor.

The 5th Witch is one of the better novels that he's released lately, I found it to be more involving than Edgewise and head and shoulders above Night Wars. The 5th Witch gives you some great characters, some awesome gory scenes, and some very imaginative scares. Its one of those books that you have a hard time putting down simply because the plot is so fast paced and you find yourself engaged with the story.

I'll gladly purchase anything this man put out because though he's not always on, most of the time he is. It's like going to bed with a good friend, good or bad, the next morning they're still your friend.

Ttzuma

...oh and welcome!

Welcome.

And like tt, I will also purchase anything Masterton writes. The guy will always be a solid and fun read. I have this book at the top of my TBR pile and expect to start it by the weekend.

Try Manitou. Worth looking around for!

This was the first Masterton book that I've read. I have to agree with tt's statement that he's not a literary genius, but sometimes that's a good thing. Literary geniuses can be really tedious, and sometimes I'm just not in the mood.

Anyway, the cat at the end of the book... I just didn't get it. It makes senses that Annie's eyes were all dark, as she had just absorbed all the power of the other witches, but why did the cat suddenly look completely different?

When Masterton was asked this, he replied "look at the color of the cat's eyes". I think he was implying it was a witch itself or a witches familiar.

Tt

That makes sense, I guess. It wasn't clear to me whether the cat was a shapeshifter, or whether the cat's previous appearance was just an illusion, or what the deal with the cat was. But it's not that important, I think he was just trying to end the book with a little twist.

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Well, there have been a couple of flipper babies...yeah.

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Reading:

The Spartacus War - Barry Strauss
Slow Death - Jim Fielder
The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire - Edward Gibbon