John Coyne (1) (1937–)
Author of Hobgoblin
For other authors named John Coyne, see the disambiguation page.
About the Author
Image credit: Photo by Rob Morgan
Works by John Coyne
Peace Corp : the Great Adventure 4 copies
Snow Man [novelette] 2 copies
Obscene Phone Calls 2 copies
Associated Works
The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Seventh Annual Collection (1994) — Contributor — 282 copies, 3 reviews
La rivista di Alfred Hitchcock n.6 — Author — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Coyne, John
- Birthdate
- 1937
- Gender
- male
- Education
- Saint Louis University
Western Michigan University - Occupations
- author
editor - Short biography
- I was 12 when I started to caddie at Midlothian Country Club, south of Chicago, Illinois. At 16 I was promoted to caddie master. Today I still consider that job the most demanding one I ever had. After graduating from Saint Louis University, I served with the first Peace Corps Volunteers in Ethiopia before becoming a novelist and college administrator. I've written over twenty books of fiction and nonfiction, and edited three books on golf instruction. However, this is my first novel about golf, my lifelong passion. If you want to know more about the book or myself
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Places of residence
- Pelham Manor, New York, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- USA
Members
Reviews
John Coyne's third horror novel has a fascinating premise: not just the best one he ever came up with, but one of the most original in genre history. My only quibble with The Searing is that it could have gone on for much longer than a measly 248 pages. Whereas The Legacy was just about perfect in terms of length, this book could easily have been stretched into a 500-page epic; the potential was there, and if Coyne had put a little more effort into fleshing out the situations and characters, show more it might have made the difference between a good novel and a great one. The book is perfectly readable as is, but left me craving more depth and substance.
Without spoiling the premise for those who haven't read The Searing, it's reminiscent of early David Cronenberg films like Shivers and Rabid: part horror, part sci-fi and part sexual melodrama, taking on a Lovecraftian tinge near the end. In 1980, young female children are dying mysteriously in a new housing development on the Potomac River, and women in the same neighborhood are suddenly being struck by thunderous, uncontrolled orgasms. What's really happening in Renaissance Village? Does it have anything to do with the profoundly autistic twelve-year-old girl who lurks at the edges of the neighborhood, and who seems to be trying to communicate with one resident in particular? You'll have fun finding out. At the time of its publication, this novel appears to have been misunderstood ("I've heard it described as manipulative, farfetched and gimmicky," the author himself lamented in a 1986 Fangoria interview), but The Searing merits a reevaluation by connoisseurs of '80s horror lit. show less
Without spoiling the premise for those who haven't read The Searing, it's reminiscent of early David Cronenberg films like Shivers and Rabid: part horror, part sci-fi and part sexual melodrama, taking on a Lovecraftian tinge near the end. In 1980, young female children are dying mysteriously in a new housing development on the Potomac River, and women in the same neighborhood are suddenly being struck by thunderous, uncontrolled orgasms. What's really happening in Renaissance Village? Does it have anything to do with the profoundly autistic twelve-year-old girl who lurks at the edges of the neighborhood, and who seems to be trying to communicate with one resident in particular? You'll have fun finding out. At the time of its publication, this novel appears to have been misunderstood ("I've heard it described as manipulative, farfetched and gimmicky," the author himself lamented in a 1986 Fangoria interview), but The Searing merits a reevaluation by connoisseurs of '80s horror lit. show less
The Legacy is a neat little horror novel that's not overly ambitious and knows better than to drag on for five hundred pages. It doesn't try to knock you out of your seat; it merely tries to tell a decent story in clear, direct language, and succeeds in doing so. And yes, it's a significant improvement on the film, which didn't make much sense. (Disappointing, because I thoroughly enjoyed the Hammer horror flicks scripted by Jimmy Sangster earlier in his career). John Coyne's novelization show more became a bestseller while the movie quickly dropped from sight.
An odd assortment of people have gathered at an English country estate, summoned by the master of the house for reasons which aren't entirely apparent. One of them, a young female architect who has flown all the way from California (accompanied by her boyfriend), finds her new surroundings eerily familiar. She soon learns why, and Coyne does a nice job of building the suspense--and the scares--as the story of Ravenshurst Manor unfolds. show less
An odd assortment of people have gathered at an English country estate, summoned by the master of the house for reasons which aren't entirely apparent. One of them, a young female architect who has flown all the way from California (accompanied by her boyfriend), finds her new surroundings eerily familiar. She soon learns why, and Coyne does a nice job of building the suspense--and the scares--as the story of Ravenshurst Manor unfolds. show less
Obviously, I need a WEIRD bookshelf, as this and Shirley Jackson clearly fall into that category. This book was made into a movie in the 70s, and they followed the book carefully. The story is spooky without being out-and-out scary. Can't say quite why, but this is one of my all-time favorites. Is it the nurse who transforms into a cat? Is it the grotesque way that the victims die in accordance with their transgressions? Or the innocent woman who finds her destiny is not at all what she show more thought it was going to be, and what will she do with it? And yes, it IS in part because of the movie scene with Roger Daltrey's fabulous death, choking on chicken (spoiler alert!!!) ... but he ate ham! show less
Apparently I saw the movie that this book is based on but I don't remember a thing about it! Typical 1970s pulp horror. As long as you can deal with the sexism it's a fast paced supernatural locked room mystery, but the room is a weird English country house and the surrounding area/village.
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Statistics
- Works
- 19
- Also by
- 11
- Members
- 912
- Popularity
- #28,116
- Rating
- 3.5
- Reviews
- 9
- ISBNs
- 79
- Languages
- 4