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Banshees
Mike Baron, author
Notorious for their satanic lyrics, drunken excess and rumors of blood sacrifice, the Banshees shocked the world with their only album Beat the Manshees. Death stalked their concerts--lightning, stabbings, overdoses. The world heaved a sigh of relief when the Banshees all died in a plane crash. Or did they? Forty years later, with no fanfare, they appear in a seedy Prague nightclub. Ian St. James, son of original Banshees drummer Oaian St. James, can't believe his eyes. Ian's attempts to get backstage nearly kill him. In Crowd sends hot young reporter Connie Cosgrove to cover the Banshees along with that old burn-out Ian. Ian falls hard for the stunning Connie who regards him with a mixture of disgust and amusement. As if! The Banshees phenomenon goes viral--are they real or is it all a brilliant publicity stunt? Every time Banshees play someone dies. Is it bad luck or part of some diabolical plan? As Connie and Ian dig into the Banshees' past they find disturbing links to black magic, the Russian mob and an ancient Druidic sect. Death only adds to their mystique as the Banshees steamroll across North America toward a triumphant appearance at LA's Pacific Auditorium. Ian finally grasps the real reason they've returned--to tear a rift between our world and a monstrous evil-- a rift created by an infernal machine built into Pacific Stadium and powered by human flesh.
Reviews
Veteran comics writer Baron (Nexus) slays with this epic and brutal novel. A new band with the look and sound of an old satanic metal group called the Banshees blazes onto the music scene decades after the original trio died in a plane crash. A concert flyer leads impoverished musician Ian St. James, the son of the Banshees’ drummer, from a hangover in his Prague hotel room to the shocking discovery of his long-dead rock star father performing with the rest of the Banshees at a Czech club. He demands to see his father but ends up drugged and screaming in a car compactor, from which he only narrowly escapes. The reanimated Banshees attract a cult following. Each gig results in the death or disappearance of someone in the crowd, and soon Ian is lured into helping ambitious reporter Connie Cosgrove score the story of a lifetime. Baron’s smart dialogue propels his globe-trotting characters along in a charismatic ballad of carnage. Horror buffs and metal fans will marvel at every grinding detail in this meaty, grim fantasy. (BookLife)
