When police chief Nathan Slaughter settles in the tiny mountain community of Potter’s Field, Wyoming, his most fervent prayer is that he has left behind him forever the nightmare he barely survived on a blizzardy night in Detroit. But nothing prepares him for the greater sanity-threatening nightmare he is about to confront. Beginning with the discovery of mutilated cattle on outlying ranches, Slaughter is drawn deeper and deeper into a vortex of terror as animals become savage and children go insane, trapping the entire town in a frenzy of violence. As Slaughter races against time to expose the horrifying secret behind the increasingly savage attacks, he also struggles to overcome his deepest fears.
--This text refers to the
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Product Description
About the Author
David Morrell is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty-eight books, including his award-winning Creepers. Co-founder of the International Thrillers Writers Organization, he is considered by many to be the father of the modern action novel. To learn more, go to www.davidmorrell.net.
--This text refers to the
Audio CD
edition.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By T-Rexx
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I bought this book for the same reason you tend to buy a book at a train station or an airport: to pass time. I actually found myself unable to put it back down. Although the story line is pretty thin, the meat on the bone comes from the density of all characters, largely an effect of good human descriptions by the author. Also, Morrell is capable of diffusing a sense of fear in the reader's mind by cleverly opposing the beauty of pristine nature to this insanity that human beings are typically capable of displaying. Suspense and mystery have the reader "eat" one page after the other to get quicker to the conclusion of the story.
On the negative side, the writing itself is littered with missing rational elements and sometimes contradictions that act pretty much as gaps and holes in the overall framework. Like this: how come that a sizeable group of human beings reverts back to such a wild, animal-like condition whereas still capable of speaking (the guy found wandering on the road) and living in a semi-orderly social organization? I saw this as a real contradiction. Where did the virus -or whatever rage-bringing factor- come from? Why wasn't Slaughter infected when cut across his cheek? Also, the conclusion of the book comes way too fast. The final "battle" runs through a mere couple of pages.
But overall, this is a real, good, fast-paced horror book.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This book is a five-star novel for about 75% of the way, then completely degenerates. I was alerted to it by a book called "the 100 greatest horror novels," which gave me some good reading tips (Dan Simmons' Song of Kali) and bad ones (Whitley Streiber's The Wolfen). This book was somewhere in between. The first 150 pages or so are wonderfully creepy and disturbing. It's amazing that Morrell could have given something as apparently benign as a camp of hippies living in the woods such a sinister aspect (Blair Witch Project parallels are perhaps in order--there's something out there in the woods, we don't know what it is, but don't go out there.) But right when things are getting really good, the horror ends, and we have, as another reviewer commented, an action/adventure tale. It comes as no surprise that Morrell is the creator of the Rambo character. In The Totem, it's zombies getting blown away, instead of "commies." Overall, a great beginning and then a big disappointment.
By A Customer
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I went to Half Priced Books one day, while rummaging around I came across this book "The Totem" it was praised for being one of the best horror novels ever written!, Imagine my excitement!!!. The Totem starts off pretty good(comes across as a supernatural thriller) but as you reach the middle of the story, it becomes a medical disaster story and not a very good one at that. David Morrell is a terrific writer, this must be one of his first novels. (I wonder if while writing The Totem someone said while halfway through that if he writes a horror story he'll be pigeonholed and won't be able to write anything else and so decided to change it), Oh well... who cares just skip it.
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3.7 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
May not be the worst book I ever read
Hmmm . . . How can a complete unaltered version of a book originally published in 1979 contain references to events occurring in 1993? Read more
Published on May 26 2003
2.0 out of 5 stars
SLOPPY SECONDS
In the introduction to this so-called "horror" novel, Morrell explains quite egotistically that the original version of this book was rejected by his publisher and so Morrell... Read more
Published on Oct 17 2002 by Michael Butts
3.0 out of 5 stars
Rough Going
I, too, was recommended this book from the Horror 100 Best Books volume. The review written there spoke as if this were the Indy 500 of books--fast paced, quick reading. Read more
Published on Jun 27 2002 by Craig Clarke
3.0 out of 5 stars
A pretty good read!
After reading Assumed Identity and Desperate Measures (which are fantastic novels) I expected more out of the Totem. It is good, but not Morrell's best. Read more
Published on Jun 11 2002 by James
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not what it appeared
I picked up a used copy of The Totem recently thinking that it would be a standard horror novel. But after a promising start, this book became more of a medical thriller than... Read more
Published on April 30 2002 by nusandman
4.0 out of 5 stars
Definetly worth reading
I am one of Morrell's biggest fans. He is the only author I choose to read. This was the first horror book I have read. Read more
Published on Feb 11 2002 by Blake
3.0 out of 5 stars
Horrible happenings...
but not a true horror story, more like a medical thriller. Nice gory touches. Don't quite get the hippie commune tie-in though, that part was an unnecessary distraction. Read more
Published on July 7 2001 by P. Craig
3.0 out of 5 stars
Reader Let Down
I love David Morrell and have read just about all his books. I couldn't put this one down. He develops the characters, the setting, and the history for a wonderful story. Read more
Published on May 22 2001 by Deborah Hamilton
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great mix of action and horror
I have been a great fan of David Morrell for many years. The first two novels I read were The Fifth Profession and Brotherhood of the Rose. Obviously I enjoy his action works. Read more
Published on Sep 14 2000 by Mickey Adcox
5.0 out of 5 stars
Horror fills a small town. I got into this book.
Furry antlered monsters run rampant spreading their virus to people and animals. The only one who can stop it, a police officer named Slaughter, gets locked up by the town's major... Read more
Published on Nov 7 1999 by Aaron Balk (moltenmetal@hotmail.com)
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