The Demon Plague - Review

"The Demon Plague by Joreid McFate is a fantastic paranormal suspense science-fiction novel, involving time-travel and mysticism. This 424 page book is also available in e-book format.

Due to the volume of books I review, most are donated to our local library when the assignment is complete. However, this is one book that I just cannot part with. I felt this comment is important to mention, because only .04% of the books I review find their way to my personal bookshelves.

This exciting tale begins when a demon plague sweeps over mankind, wrought when some scientists developed a technology that mastered time travel. There are factions who radically search for a way towards racial and genetic purity ­ while others strive to cure the plague and fight for basic human rights. Crystal Patience Gladstone Donovan is caught up in this war when, at her grandmother¹s deathbed, she is given a family heirloom and told that she is the Star and to await her Moon.

Soon she is involved in a journey into the past where she meets her ancestor Patience Gladstone Talbot, another Star. Crystal learns that her middle names are common throughout time as they are given to the gifted child who is known by a birthmark. Chase scenes, deceit, battles, flashing back and forth into the past and into the future are all stepping-stones for Crystal and her friends in their attempts to do the right thing.

This story line could be used as an excellent reminder of the dangers and grand possibilities advanced technology could reap. It was refreshing to experience realistic female hero characters in this novel. I was absolutely astounded when I read that not only is Joreid McFate actually two separate authors, but that despite many other collaborative projects they have never met and never spoken on the telephone!

Without hesitation, I recommend The Demon Plague with the highest of ratings."

ISBN#: 1554102235 - ebook
1554100354 - trade
Author: Joreid McFate
Publisher: Zumaya Otherworlds

~Lillian Brummet-- Book Reviewer - Co-author of the book Trash Talk, a guide for anyone concerned about his or her impact on the environment.

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MIDWEST BOOK REVIEWS

The Demon Plague
by Joreid McFate
Zumaya Publications
Trade Paperback
ISBN 1-55410-223-5

The Demon Plague by Joreid McFate is an original and compelling novel of murder and time travel, in which a woman inherits an unknown amulet and becomes transported into the brutal days of the Salem witch trials. Terror and cruelty (both demonic and human), stalk the pages of this thrilling and suspenseful narrative. The Demon Plague is especially commended to the attention of horror fantasy enthusiasts.

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SCRIBES WORLD REVIEWS

The Demon Plague
by Joreid McFate
Zumaya Publications
ISBN 1-55410-223-5

Upon the death of her grandmother, Granny's friend, Ubitta, presents Crystal Patience Gladstone Donovan with an unusual crystal amulet, asking her to recite a strange poem that Crystal learned as a ten-year-old child. From this moment forward, Joreid McFate's novel, THE DEMON PLAGUE, is impossible to set aside.

According to the poem, "flesh that bears the ancient star" is "passed from womb to womb." In other words, each generation, the girl who is born with a birthmark in the shape of a five-pointed star becomes the amulet's courier, carrying it to the next generation. This transfer continues until the talisman can be used to end the demon plague to which the novel's title refers. This generation, Crystal is the courier, and she teams up with her guardian, "the moon" mentioned in the poem, Ba Tuti, a fifteen-year-old girl from Barbados. Unfortunately, in seeking to scoop her newspaper colleagues in reporting a strange explosion near her apartment, Crystal loses the amulet-or does she?

A joint venture by Karl Joreid and Frances McFate, whose surnames form the single pseudonym used in the byline, THE DEMON PLAGUE is part Terminator, part Gremlins, and part Andromeda Strain. The complex, electrifying plot includes elements of the horror, mystery, fantasy, science fiction, and adventure genres, as Crystal and Ba Tuti, accompanied by Crystal's Doberman, Max, seek to recover and safeguard the amulet from the dark forces arrayed against them....

All in all, THE DEMON PLAGUE is a wonderfully inventive, thrilling, irresistible story that is well told from start to finish. Beware! Nothing and no one are as he or she-or it-appears, and there are unexpected plot twists aplenty. When one finishes the novel, it is with sadness that there aren't another 350 pages to read, so captivating is the tale. This novel is highly recommended. The story's quick pacing, suspenseful plot, and supernatural chills will leave readers as exhausted as they are exhilarated. Hopefully, Joreid McFate will write many more, equally entertaining blockbusters like this one.
-Reviewed by: Gary L. Pullman

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BLUE IRIS JOURNAL

The Demon Plague
by Joreid McFate

Crystal Donovan doesn’t know it when she arrives at the cemetery to attend her grandmother’s funeral but her life is about to take a turn for the bizarre. A descendent of a survivor of the Salem witch trials, she inherits an ancient amulet-and a mission for which she is totally unprepared.

Her reality changes with a bang-literally. A musket fired in the Salem courthouse during her ancestress’s trial creates a trans- dimensional explosion that pulls Crystal into a political battle for racial supremacy that spans centuries. Within the space of days she is involved in murder, mayhem and monsters, with no idea whatsoever what any of it has to do with her until the arrival of a smiling Jamaican teenager with a story even more strange than her recent experiences.

... Karl Joreid and Frances McFate have created an intriguing, multi-level tale of adventure ... filled with fascinating characters who never turn out to be who they seem. With the pacing of a Bruce Willis movie on amphetamines, The Demon Plague hauls the reader from page to page, from past to present to future, never letting up for a moment longer than to allow one deep breath before plunging on. Their heroine is well-blessed with intelligence, common sense and a firm sense of the ironic, and the plot is full of enough twists, turns and red herrings to keep even mystery lovers wondering who did what to whom-and when. The dialogue is snappy, clever and rings true with only an occasional lapse, and each character of any importance is instantly recognizable by his or her voice.

The book’s single weakness is that the authors fudge on future technology, relying overmuch on equipment operated by “thought waves.” Up to that point, The Demon Plague qualified as solid time-travel SF. The pseudo-tech of the mentally controlled computers, robots and whatnot seems too much like magic, especially given the “future history” described.

However, for readers who aren’t as bothered by such quibbles, The Demon Plague is without question good, sound entertainment.
--Reviewed by Elizabeth Burton

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CURLED UP WITH A GOOD BOOK
The Demon Plague
by Joreid McFate
ISBN: 1-55410-223-5
Zumaya Publications

The Demon Plague skillfully switches between three time frames -- 1692, 1992, and 2192 -- in the same town: Salem, Massachusetts. Yep, that Salem. Of the witch-burning hysteria. McFate artfully skips from one time dimension to the other with a minimum of disturbance in storyline. He has woven an intricate compelling tale with an attention to timely detail that makes the reader feel as if they are there. Crystal Patience Gladstone Donovan, accompanied by her faithful Doberman, Max, is at the center of the time travel in this novel. It all begins with an interesting amulet back in 1692 during the witch trial of Crystal’s namesake, Patience Gladstone Talbot. The star crystal exists simultaneously, although in a weakened form, after it is abruptly stolen at the aforementioned trial in multiple time layers involved. There ensues chases on foot through trees, a sexually violent murder, family reunions, and love both unrequited and returned.

Somehow, McFate draws it all together and makes the blending of science fiction and current reality blend into a palatable concoction. The pacing is excellent. It keeps the reader's interest even as it hopscotches through various portals and dimensions. The wonderfully inventive narrative mixes the right amount of fantasy with believability. His use of imagery is so vibrant that it is easy to envision both Kane and Gult/Michael, which makes the dichotomy of each one's appearance and personality even more striking.

As an added bonus, there are several tidbits about Salem that history buffs will find appealing. The Demon Plague is good for a few hours of escapist reading.
--Reviewed by Karri Watson

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MURDER AND MAYHEM

The Demon Plague
by Joreid McFate

A paranormal--maybe.

This is a great tale that encompasses other genres as well and will have you time traveling, meeting people and creatures who aren't what they seem.

A crystal connects Crystal Donovan to the past and the future, a new friend named Ba Tuti, and the surprise of her life. While she thinks she is just an investigative journalist, she finds out she is something else, too.

A fun trip with a cast of characters you won't soon forget. Using the Salem, Massachusetts of the past, present and future as the setting, talented author Joreid McFate uses a creative mix of horror, paranormal, and time travel to flavor a story that will definitely keep your interest.

A well-written story with an unusual premise offers the reader something different and original.

Recommended by a very satisfied reader who hopes this is only the first of many books by this author.

Enjoy.
--Reviewed by Anne K. Edwards

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