Covenant

by John Everson

Book Overview

In a small town with a strange history of teen suicides, a group of five women have made a pact with a demon and must sacrifice their firstborn. To the residents of the sleepy coastal town of Terrel,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0843960183
• ISBN13: 9780843960181
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: Leisure Books
• Length: 296 Pages
• Weight: 0.42 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.2" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

Sadistic

If you enjoy reading about rape, humiliation of women, and degradation of women - this is the book for you. I couldn't finish it. Started out as a "mystery" but quickly sunk to a disgusting low with vivid descriptions of rape and evil.

Also boring couldnt finish it never caught my interest

A Great Horror Novel

I became a fan of John Everson many moons ago when I first heard him read a short story at Twilight Tales, a reading series here in Chicago. I believe that story was "Dead Girl on the Side of the Road." I've been hooked ever since. When "Covenant" came out a few years ago in hardback, I snatched up a copy. I was blown away! It was one of those books that you read and say "This is a shoe-in for a Stoker Award." Sure enough, it won the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel from the Horror Writers Association. It's great that this terrific novel is finally available in paperback. Anyone who loves a good story that's well written should grab a copy.

Is John Everson the next big name in horror?

I say yes he bloody well is. If you doubt me I challenge you to pick up this book. Everson's writing style is as close as to perfection as you can get in this (or for that case any other...) genre. His pacing is spot on. I am fortunate to own the hard covered edition of this book. The night I got it I intended it to read it for an hour before retiring to bed- I stayed up most of the night until I reached the final- and highly satisfying- word. Yes it is that compelling. Yes it is that gripping. And yes, oh yes, it is one heck of a ride. If you are fortunate enough to have a chance to meet John Everson at a signing event, I advise you to do whatever it takes to meet him in person. Drive 500 miles, call in sick from your job, break a date with a super model...Just get there!

John Everson doesn't disappoint

I am a huge fan of Everson's work. I have devoured every short story he has written and come back full, but always hungry for more. When I heard he was writing a novel, I placed my pre-order straight away and eagerly awaited the book. When "Covenant" arrived, I started it on a Friday night and finished by the next day. To say I enjoyed it would be an understatement. Everson weaves this tale so tightly that before you know it, you are in the middle of the web, waiting for the spider to attack, and don't know which way is straight. "Covenant" is addictive. In it, we follow Joe Kieran as he escapes the city and his past for a small, serene town. Or so he thinks. He discovers a mysterious covenant that he needs to explain or it will destroy him - and the entire town. Everson delivers a provocative story loaded with suspense and unforgettable characters. His strong words and poetic imagery glitter, his evocative prose combining the supernatural with the everyday. The plot crescendos to the end, where the climax of the erotic infused with madness is utterly tantalizing. It is no surprise to me that "Covenant" was nominated in 2004 for a Bram Stoker Award in the "First Novel" category. ~ Kathy Kubik, Westmont, IL

A story worthy of a long cold winter's night!

After reading Vigilantes of Love earlier this year, I found myself eagerly awaiting Covenant; the debut novel from John Everson. John can tell a dark fairytale, rich in folklore, like a minstrel spinning a myth. I was not disappointed as I explored the pages of Covenant. Covenant takes us into the secret heart of a sleepy little town and shows us its desperate darkness. Everson skillfully creates characters we can relate to. People pushed to the brink of despair by a being they can't control. Their lives are no longer there own-kept prisoners in a dead end town. Joe Kiernan is a reporter who fled from the corruption of his job in Chicago. Here, in Terrel, he hopes to make a better life for himself and forget his bitter past. But Joe is soon to find that even innocent coastal towns wear masks. The evil that lurks here is far more dangerous than an embezzlement scam. Joe uncovers a strange string of suicides connected with the town's tourist attraction, Terrel Cliff. His hungry reporter instincts start to kick in when people start getting edgy at the mention of the deaths. Joe sensing a hot story, and he is not letting go. His digging wraps him in a nest of old sinister secrets, leaving him entangled by two women and an unspeakable, unwelcome truth. Something of the Devil's Own lives in that cliff, and with it, a story that stretches back over one hundred years. To a time of a dreadful, supernatural storm and a Covenant made between Terrel's old lighthouse keeper and a demon. One soul every year for the protection of the town. But there are far more wicked secrets than this festering in Terrel. The demon has been busy making deals. Covenant is a tight, fast story. I slid through this novel like a knife through warm, soft butter. Everson weaves such intricate, sympathetic characters-coupled with a clever interwoven plot that keeps you guessing and wanting more-you can't help but fall through the pages of this book with ease. Covenant gets 5 out of 5 from me. It's a story worthy of a long cold winter's night, read by a roaring fire.

Be careful what you agree to...

Covenant is spine tingling and addictive. John Everson delivers a twisted treat that is loaded with suspense, a strong multifaceted plot, and taut characters. His words and imagery give us a firsthand feel of what it's like to reside in a small town, a place fueled by secrets and driven by fear. Enter Joe Kiernan, a reporter for the small town of Terrel. After having worked at several fast-paced and prestigious jobs, he looks forward to the change of scenery and the quiet ways of a smaller scale way of life. Until the sad truth bites him in the ass. Stuck with low-level tasks and listening in on police radios for the latest minuscule town's perils, he questions why he bothered. One evening, things come to an abrupt change, but not necessarily for the better. Joe reveals a news story that threatens to pull the rug right out from under the tight-lipped residents. Terrel's Cliff has become the official site of a coincidental string of suicides. Each year, on May 22nd, a child jumps to his or her death. The townspeople try to pretend otherwise, but for five women - it's an event that haunts their every waking moment. A pact, a twisted covenant is revealed, that was entered into over a hundred years ago as the only means of survival. But not survival for the children. Joe digs into his own investigations, visits an eccentric seer, and tries to get to the bottom of what it is about Terrel's Cliff that compels a child to end their life without so much as a warning? And why have the people accepted it as a normal way of life? The truth as it is revealed, is terrifying and will keep you plowing through the pages. Hidden among the dirty secrets, we learn of a demon with an agenda so powerful, no one is safe. John Everson's style is composed and direct. He gives us believable small town characters, complete with their own set of skeletons and superstitions. Covenant will whisk you away into a deep embedded darkness, where you are sure to wonder if you'll ever get back out. I highly recommend this fast paced, solid read by an articulate author who has what it takes to give readers exactly what they want.