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    Basilisk
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    Basilisk
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    Basilisk
    Ebook312 pages4 hours

    Basilisk

    By Graham Masterton

    3/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    The thrilling new horror from this best-selling author . . . - When one of his wife Grace's patients dies in unusual circumstances, stem-cell researcher Nathan suspects that someone else has been attempting the same experiments as him bringing mythical creatures to life only with much more success. But then Grace herself is injured, and Nathan's life spirals into a nightmare as he is faced with an impossible dilemma: lose Grace forever, or breed more mythological beasts, at the cost of countless more human lives . . .
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSevern House Publishers
    Release dateApr 1, 2011
    ISBN9781780100586
    Unavailable
    Basilisk
    Author

    Graham Masterton

    Graham Masterton was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1946. He worked as a newspaper reporter before taking over joint editorship of the British editions of Penthouse and Penthouse Forum magazines. His debut novel, The Manitou, was published in 1976 and sold over one million copies in its first six months. It was adapted into the 1978 film starring Tony Curtis, Susan Strasberg, Stella Stevens, Michael Ansara, and Burgess Meredith. Since then, Masterton has written over seventy-five horror novels, thrillers, and historical sagas, as well as published four collections of short stories and edited Scare Care, an anthology of horror stories for the benefit of abused children. He and his wife, Wiescka, have three sons. They live in Cork, Ireland, where Masterton continues to write.  

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    Reviews for Basilisk

    3/5

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    • 5/5
      I do enjoy a good Graham Masterton book and this was good!
    • 3/5
      Basilisk is a little light on horror by the usual Masterton standards, however despite the simple nature of the tale, there is no lack of effort to make it interesting. Unfortunately there are a few unrealistic components within Basilisk that disturb the flow, asking just too much of the reader and this breaks the narrative flow. What could be simple horror crosses the border in to fantasy and it doesn't pull it off. There's enough story and character development to keep you turning the pages, however it probably won't end up in your favourite Masterton list.
    • 1/5
      This book was ok. I thought it wasn't long enough or developed enough. It wasn't half as good as James Rollins novels and not as developed. I do not think I will read another of his novels.
    • 4/5
      Dieser Privatdruck aus dem FESTA-Verlag kostet zwar einen ganz schönen Batzen Geld, aber die Investition lohnt jeden einzelnen Cent.Hier versammelt findet man nicht nur die Originalsignatur des Autors, sondern auch elf wirklich wohl ausgewählte Geschichten rund um das Thema Horror (mit einem Touch Extreme).Was diese Geschichten ausmacht, ist ihre großartige Erzählweise. Graham Masterton ist ein Meister seines Faches und versteht es wie kein Zweiter, schon ganz zu Beginn den Leser in seinen Bann zu ziehen. Er wählt für seine Schauplätze Orte, die die Realität des Lesers widerspiegeln könnten und somit gleich eine Wohlfühlatmosphäre schafft. Doch im Hintergrund wartet das Grauen und versucht dich zu packen.►Sohn der BestieEine junge Polizistin ist auf der Jagd nach einem Serienmörder, der nur Son of Beast genannt wird. Er hat seinen Namen daher, dass er neben jeder Leiche ein Ticket der größten Achterbahn Amerikas liegen lässt. Spezialisiert ist er auf hochschwangere Frauen. Da die Suche nach dem Mörder zu einer aussichtslosen Farce wird, entschließt sich die Ermittlerin zu einem mehr als gewagten Schritt.►Ein gefundenes FressenAuf einer Farm, spätnachts, schaltet der eine Bruder noch die Maschinen ab. Doch da setzt sich die riesige Fleischwolfmaschine in Gang. Der andere Bruder hängt darin und wird zerkleinert. Jede Rettung kam zu spät. Nun muss er mit der grausigen Schuld leben. Doch lässt uns die Vergangenheit nicht in Ruhe.Ein eher unverständliches Ende, zumindest was die Logik betrifft.►Das geheime Shih-TanCraig ist der beste Koch der Welt, doch er strebt nach mehr. Seit sein Onkel ihm in Jugendtagen von einem geheimen Buch erzählt hat, lässt ihn die Idee nicht mehr los. Dieses Buch soll das Meisterstück aller Köche und gleichzeitig so verboten sein, dass es untersagt ist darüber zu reden. Als eines Tages ein geheimnisvoller Gast auftaucht und ihm ein unmoralisches Angebot unterbreitet, kann Craig einfach nicht nein sagen.►Eine wahre HeldinManchmal muss man seine letzte Chance einfach nutzen. Das denkt sich auch eine junge Frau in einer Bar und bittet den nächstbesten Mann, der ihr gefällt, auf ein Zimmer. Doch sie beeindruckt ihn so sehr, dass er sie einfach nicht vergessen kann. Und sie lässt ihn auch nicht los.►Wenn die Luft fehlt…ist eine Kurzgeschichte mit einem wunderbaren Wortspiel. Ich bin sehr dankbar, dass die deutsche Übersetzung dem englischen Wortspiel in nichts nachsteht.Eine starke Geschichte, die sehr nah an der Realität und sehr sexuell ist. Auf eine spezielle Weise.Jamies Freund sorgt sich seit der Schule um ihn. Irgendwie fühlt er sich für Jamie verantwortlich, denn dieser findet nur in größter Strangulation Befriedigung. Doch kann er ihm wirklich helfen?►HerzlosEigentlich wollte er nur auftanken, doch was ihm an einer einsamen Tankstelle an Weiblichkeit entgegenschreit, dem kann er nicht lange widerstehen. Sie wickelt ihn um den kleinen Fingern und ringt ihm ein Versprechen ab, dem er sich nicht zu entziehen wagt.►Die HochzeitssuiteEs sollte die romantischste Nacht ihres Lebens werden. Doch nach einem wundervollen Akt der Liebe ist Peter plötzlich verschwunden. Und das Merkwürdigste: er hat alle seine Sachen zurückgelassen. Jenny ist außer sich, aber die Hausbesitzerin will und kann ihr nicht helfen►Eric, die PasteteDiese Geschichte ist auch in der Anthologie KANNIBALEN (Festa-Verlag) enthalten. Der erste Satz hatte mich so sehr geprägt, dass ich schon an ihm erkannte, dass ich die Geschichte schon einmal gelesen hatte. Und wenn das eine Kurzgeschichte schafft, hat sie wirklich etwas gekonnt.„Erics Mutter pflegte ihm zu sagen: „Du bist, was du isst“.“►Picknick am Lac du SangVincent wird von seinem besten Freund in ein spezielles Bordell geführt, dass ausschließlich blutjunge hübsche Mädchen führt. Besonders angezogen wird Vincent von einem Mädchen, doch in ihrem Zimmer wird schnell klar, dass sie ein Geheimnis verbirgt: sie ist schwanger. Vincent will alles tun, um ihr zu helfen, doch da ist noch ein anderes Mysterium.►SepsisDavid und Melanie haben sich gefunden. Sie lieben sich so sehr, wie es nur selten zwei Menschen tun. Sie leben von ihrer Liebe zueinander. Sie nehmen sich selbst nicht mehr als zwei Menschen wahr, sondern als ein einziges Individuum. Und das hat fatale Folgen.►Die Burger von CalaisJohn sucht einen Job. Eigentlich ist er Lebensmittelkontrolleur, doch ein Job ist so gut wie der andere. Und so landet er in einem Burgerrestaurant. Doch sein natürliches Misstrauen, dass er sich in seiner vorherigen Arbeit antrainiert hat, lässt ihn einfach keine Ruhe. Und so beginnt er, seinem Chef hinterher zu spionieren. Hätte er es doch bloß gelassen.
    • 3/5
      Graham Masterton is relatively unknown in the United States except among the horror cognoscenti. Although he’s written or edited more than 20 books, he is mostly known in his native England. He can write a slick little work of horror like House of Bones and make it haunt you no matter where you live, though; there’s something about the idea of being pulled right through the walls or floor of your home that can make anyone shudder. It would be nice if he were better known in these parts.Basilisk is not the place to start reading Masterton, however. One big problem is that, for reasons known only to himself, Masterton chose to set Basilisk in Philadelphia. It’s hard for a writer in Britain to get American idioms right, and vice versa. Language errors, even very small ones, and geographic anomalies can pull an American reader out of the story. Masterton doesn’t have America down cold, and it hurts his book.The problems don’t end there. True, there is an interesting concept behind this book. Nathan Underhill is a zoologist who is convinced that creatures like gryphons, sphinxes and basilisks really existed in prehistoric times. He wants to breed them again now, because he believes they will be a source for embryonic stem cells he can use to cure diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. But if there is any explanation for why mythological creatures would be a good source for such cells, I missed it. The implication is that a creature that is a mixture of, say, reptile and mammal has more cells capable of differentiating into any other type of cell than does an animal of a single biological class, but this is never spelled out.Unfortunately, despite having spent nearly three million dollars on research, Nathan’s most recent attempt to breed a gryphon has failed; it decomposed in its shell and was born with most of its body already necrotized. Nathan’s program at the Philadelphia Zoo will therefore be dismantled and he will have to either give up his dream or find someone new to fund it.He learns, however, of another researcher who may have actually bred a basilisk. This researcher is the mysterious and unconventional Dr. Christian Zauber, the owner of a local nursing home. Nathan and his wife, Grace, break into the nursing home at night to find the basilisk – and it does indeed exist, as Grace learns the hard way. While the basilisk does not kill her with its gaze, as legend would have it, it does manage to put her into a deep coma. Zauber agrees to tell Nathan how to revive Grace, but only at a price: Nathan must assist Zauber in his experiments. Between Zauber’s use of magic and Nathan’s knowledge of biology, Zauber reasons, they should be able to create a fully functional creature. But there is a high price to such creation: a sacrifice is required. And Nathan is not prepared to become a murderer, even to achieve his life’s dream – or to save his wife’s life.The plot moves inexorably from science to magic as it moves from West to East. In Poland, where Nathan follows Zauber to attempt to extract from him the secret to saving his wife’s life, Zauber’s abilities switch from those of a scientist to those of a magician. He can, for instance, move with uncanny speed, now here, now across the room. And he is not the only one who deals with ancient magic; Nathan is assisted by a znakharka, a sort of Polish witch, who gives him a charm bag that might keep him safe from Zauber’s magic.This strange mixture of science and magic, of biology and myth, seems to careen out of control as the book nears its conclusion. If you cannot swallow the initial conceit that mythological creatures might have once existed and could exist again, if we could but figure out the science of selectively breeding them, you will most certainly not tolerate the notion that magic is necessary to the brew. Horror readers will find better chills and thrills elsewhere.