The Burning Time (edition 2013)

I was asked to read his latest work I was excited since paranormal thrillers are a favorite genre of mine. This one was particularly terrifying in it's descriptions of a person's capacity for evil and destruction. That being said it was also a great depiction of a good versus evil, one of the best I've read.

The "good" characters were strong in their depictions of humanity and the willingness to fight evil, and the "evil" character was just blessedly evil. I loved it! Probably my favorite aspect of the story was the "evil" character, Cyprus Christian, a preacher who strolls into town and easily converts the otherwise peaceful "Christian" town into one who worships the evil gods of chaos, causing them to commit acts of a predatory nature: bludgeoning a husband for not taking out the garbage, a neighbour for not cutting their grass or a customer taking too long to count their change. All things most would find annoying and sometimes wish we could act out the violence in our head (Just me? Okay stay in denial!).

It was a liberating story in that while the battle was won, the war between good and evil will never be over. It is a continuous cycle that sometimes works for good or ill. It's the ever waged war that we hold within ourselves, the one that society battles daily and the one the world has yet to experience.

A definite good read, not just because it was supernatural thriller but because it describes what society would be like if chaos reigned and morals didn't exist. ( )

Written in with a flair for the Lovecraftian, The Burning Time tells the story of the battle between Cyrus Christian, an evil man, and John Root, a good man, for the souls of the residents of Hasting Mills. At times it seems as if Faherty is going for Lovecraft as interpreted by the violent horror movement (writers like Wrath James White, Edward Lee, and the like), but he consistently pulls back before going too far (or not far enough, depending on your tastes). We're left with a book that is perhaps a little too violent for half the potential audience, but not nearly violent enough for the other half.

The story is a bit too predictable. Lovecraft himself was never a master of mystery, of course, but 70+ years of other writers working within his milieu has raised expectations somewhat. That's not to say this is a bad book, because it's not, it's just not a great book, either.

Overall this was an entertaining story, but I feel there's a lot of wasted potential. ( )

I won "The Burning Time" through Library Thing early reviewers. "The Burning Time" by J.G. Faherty is a frightening read that is full of suspense. This book is about how two strangers come to the small town of Hastings Mills. One wants to destroy it and one wants to save it. The man who wants to destroy it is Cyrus Christian. He comes to town disguised as the new preacher. What this man preachers is not about God,it is about the old Gods. He wants to take over the town to cause chaos and destruction to accomplish his own agenda.

The man who wants to save the town from Cyrus Christian is John Root a drifter from South Carolina. John Root knows Cyrus Christian and battled him and his evil before. It cost John Root his family. Can John Root beat Christian and save the town of Hastings Mills?

This book is about the classic battle between good and evil. "The Burning Time" reminds of H.P Lovecraft and Stephen King. I love reading horror and this book had everything that makes a great horror novel. A small town going crazy and the Gods of Chaos! ( )

This book reminds me of some of Stephen King's work or Dean Koontz. It was confusing at the beginning, but still captured my attention. However towards the end I was ready to move on. I didn't think some of the language was necessary, but that's my opinion. 2nd book I have read by J.G. Faherty, I didn't enjoy this one as much as I did the first book I read. Both books were through the early reviewers program. ( )

Enjoyed it. The chaos that is brought to a small town was interesting to read about. I wish there would have been more background on the history of the evil, but over all it was pretty good. Some parts seemed a little slow, but most of the story made up for those few parts,