Mine

I am a big fan of Robert R. McCammon's work. I have never read a book of his that I didn't really, really like. What I mainly like about his work is that each book is completely different. He can write suspenseful thrillers, coming-of-age stories, mysteries, as well as what I believe he really succeeds at...horror. His writing talent appears to be endless. In this one he has created one of the most diabolically un-hinged characters that I have ever encountered...Mary Terrell, also known as "Mary Terror". He created someone you could weirdly relate to and at times even like, but then be presented with the horror at the things she does and the things that she says...a female Hannibal Lector. Mary was once a member of the fanatical Storm show more Front Brigade in the 60's and is completely convinced that their surviving leader and Mary's one time lover, Jack, wants to build a life with her. In her crazy, twisted mind she feels she can't reunite with him without bringing a baby with her to replace the one they'd lost. She now precedes to steals a newborn from a hospital. Laura, the mother of the stolen child can't wait for the police, so she goes after this psychopath through three states no less. David is the newborn son of iron-willed journalist Laura Clayborne. Laura had just dumped her unfaithful husband and was determined that she's not about to lose her child too, so when the FBI knows that the kidnapper is Mary, who has now killed several people while escaping Atlanta Laura sets after the madwoman on her own. - Laura picks up Mary's trail in Michigan that sets off a ferocious chase that features, among other over-the-top events a blizzard, several enraged pit bulls, homegrown surgery, a mutilated FBI agent on a rampage, and a completely predictable resolution. Overall, this is a book of blood, guts and crazy road trips, but and one that is nearly impossible to put down. show less

My brain needed a good scrub in a long hot shower after spending time inside the main character’s mind. She is one freaky psychopath. Lots of strong, kick-ass female characters. The plot tore along and I could not put this down once it gained enough momentum. There was only one real flaw with this story, but it nagged at me throughout. I get that you don’t f*** with mothers and this was one determined lady, but my suspension of disbelief was pretty challenged by the antics of a woman who had just given birth, literally a couple of days before, complete with epidural and episiotomy. I could believe that she’d power through whatever discomfort, pain, etc., that she’d have to, under the circumstances. But the actual challenges a show more woman would face in those circumstances aren’t referred to, even obliquely. More is made of her dog-bite injuries.

Nevertheless, I highly recommend. show less

“Rain fell on the roofs of the just and the unjust, the saints and the sinners, those who knew peace and those in torment, and tomorrow began at a dark hour.”

I had mixed feelings about this one. Since it was a Robert McCammon, it was written well, and the story leads the reader through a bizarre mix of betrayal, insanity, murder and kidnapping. The story is split into two viewpoints - an unstable woman consumed with the past clashes with a woman whose world has been shaken by personal betrayal and a new baby.

"Mary the Terror" isn't likeable but she's realistically written. There's a disturbing opening scene of the novel showing how twisted her mind really is and it doesn't improve from there. The author goes into details showing show more how grim her life is down to the details of the nasty way she lives, how she struggles to take care of herself, and her reliance on the age-old acid trips. Plenty of flashbacks explain how she came to stay the same person and how twisted their little group of 60's bandits were.

Laura's viewpoint is just okay. She was more interesting during the chase scenes in the second half, but for the first part she kind of lagged. I did sympathize with her during the scenes where she's trying to cope with the realization her daughter has been kidnapped and people are losing patience. Reminded me of how insensitive people can be because they feel uncomfortable dealing with other people's pain and loss.

I haven't read a novel with this angle before. McCammon shows a somewhat forgotten period of rebel's lives where we tend to idealize the freedom spirit feel. Instead he shows a dangerous group that felt it was their job to take down most of society and it was an "us against them" mentality. Hyped by drugs, acid and alcohol of course. The Hippie lead was a cultish figure that bent the lives of those already unstable and desperate.

The theme was intriguing, the characters well developed, but kidnapping stories aren't my bag. This is much more, but still the story produced inconsistent steam with its pacing. Flashbacks were important to the storyline but I grew impatient. The start was slow and it took me awhile to care about the characters and what they were up to - it took a considerable time to begin the main action of the book. show less

There was a point where I really thought I wasn't going to like this novel. It was about a third of the way in, and not much was happening.

Then McCammon kicked it into gear. Overall, there were points where I thought, Damn, I'd love to see what King would have done with this.. After all, King's playground is so huge, other authors can't help but end up playing there, but McCammon seemed to more than most. I don't think it was ever by design, but still it happened frequently.

This, to me, is the type of story King excels at. Digging back into the late-Sixties radicalism, the road novel, the cat-and-mouse game, and the psychopath at the heart of it. King's take likely would have been just as good, but I'm not sure he would have taken it in show more the same direction.

For the most part, the direction McCammon took was good, if a little risky. He spent as much, if not more time, in the villain--Mary Terror--POV. And I think this may have been a case of "too much". She was convincing early on, but I grew a bit weary of the Jim-Morrison-is-God and the mind-fuck state comments all the time.

But, in the second half of the novel, when the chase is really on, it's really on, and McCammon's writing has never been sharper. The back-to-back scenes involving the dogs and the car chase (you'll know when you get there) were flat-out amazing, and the final scene also rocked, as it needed to.

The combination of Blue World and this novel showed McCammon nearly at the top of his game.

Now, if I remember the novel as well as I think, he improved even more with the next novel and, as far as I'm concerned (at least as of today), his best.

Let's see of Boy's Life holds up as well as I think it will. show less

First off: this is a TERROR novel not a HORROR novel. In my book horror has to include something supernatural or at least the intimation of something supernatural even if it doesn't turn out to be supernatural. The supposed apparitions of Morrison and Jack don't count because Mary is a psycho crazed burned-out acid-fueled hippie and McCammon never implies they are supernatural. Plus at the time she starts hallucinating she is a severely injured sleep deprived jacked up schizo. As good as this novel is, I hate it being advertised to me as a "horror" novel. The Bleeding Season is a horror novel.

And before you get all technical, zombies are supernatural, they don't occur under our natural laws (at least they never have up until now).

A good show more suspenseful terror novel. Lots of good twists and turns. I took away one star for the horror thing and because I'm not that keen on suspense or gore-fueled terror. I did blaze through the second half to see what was going to happen but I was pretty sure the baby was going to make it (even if Laura didn't). McCammon is an excellent writer but I saw this as sort of a King knockoff in so many ways.

I didn't connect with the characters as well as I would have thought given that I think McCammon did a pretty good job with characterization. I have to admit that one of my biases in real life is I despise hippies, always have, especially murdering ones, even unpunished reformed murdering ones. I hated the sixties, blame it for everything that is wrong with the world now. I always saw hippies as some of the most selfish people that ever lived; plus I hated the fashion and most of the music. I wasn't sorry to see any of them knocked off one by one, even Didi. show less

REVIEWED: Mine
WRITTEN BY: Robert R. McCammon
PUBLISHED: May, 1990

A fast-paced thriller that will keep you turning the pages. A psychotic woman, trapped in the delusions of her revolutionary hippie days, kidnaps a baby to give to the man she worships. The baby's mother chases after the woman, risking everything to save her newborn. Filled with action, suspense, and solid plot turns, this novel is another success for Robert McCammon.

Title: A twisted past and a horrifying present collide
Summary:
This is the story of two women that are brought together by a time in history when they thought that they could change the world. One tried to change it by doing protest marches and participating in sit-ins while the other thought that her and her group could accomplish more with a more hands on approach that included terror and murder. One out grew her protest days while the other had her dream of revolution crushed in a night of fire and bullets.
Twenty years later Laura is married and works as a reporter covering the social scene for the local newspaper. She is also nine months pregnant and is due any day. She also suspects that her life is in a rut and that her husband is show more cheating on her. Nevertheless she is hoping that with the baby on the way that her and her husband can fix their marriage and things will go back to the way that they used to be.
Mary, AKA Mary Terror, sits in a dingy apartment never quite knowing what is real and what is not real. All she knows is that the enemy is always watching and no one can ever be trusted. She goes about her daily routine, always ready to bolt or kill if she thinks that her cover has been blown; until one day she comes across a message in an underground magazine. In the magazine there is a message that may be from the leader of her old group. Deciding that her old boss might want to get the gang back together, Mary packs her bags and sets out to the old rendezvous point, on the way she also decides that she needs to bring her old boss an offering…
The collision course is now set. Mary steals Laura’s baby from the hospital and what should have been the happiest day of Laura’s life has now become the most horrifying. As the hours and then days drag on it becomes clear that Mary is just as good at evading the authorities now as she was back in her heyday. With no progress being made Laura takes matters into her own hands and begins tracking Mary on her own. Following every lead she can puts Laura on Mary’s trail but, that is only the beginning. As Laura closes in she finds that the only way to track Mary is to think like Mary, act like Mary. Which leaves her with the terrifying question: To save her son, is she willing to go as far as Mary?

My Thoughts:
This was one of those books I had a tough time putting down. This author always writes a good story and like usual I wasn’t disappointed. The lead up to the actual chase is a little slow but it makes sense when the story hits full speed and there are a few surprises toward the end. I didn’t want to give to much away in my description as that would ruin some of what made the story good. The characters are also well developed, even if one or two are kind of one-note and just kind of move the story along where necessary. Those are my only minor nitpicks. If you looking for a good thriller, then give this one a read. You won’t be disappointed. m.a.c show less