The Lebo Coven

Stephen Mark Rainey is the real deal. The darkness in his work is rivaled only by its heart and soul, which makes the Lovecraftian vibes all the more interesting and refreshing. Rainey has a voice all his own and it pulls you in. It takes hold. It speaks to the spirit. It has power. The characters live, breathe, feel. His soul has a voice in his fiction, which is unmistakable and agreeable. The narrative angles are human and often tragic--as horror of the best vintage is. Though The LEBO Coven is not without its conventions, the writing tackles them from a fresh angle and does it with admirable energy. The occult mechanics of the story engine are heavy at times, but do not bog down the momentum. The action is well-done, and the twists and jarring surprises will keep you turning the pages to the end.

Barry Riggs has been away from Aiken Mill Virginia for a very long time. He and his brother have never gotten along, and with the deaths of his parents, brother Matt inherited the family home, so until now there was nothing to draw Barry back. Now Matt is missing, the home has been ransacked, and everyone from Matt's under-age girlfriend to the local Sheriff would like to know just what happened in that house, and why. It is to this scene that Barry returns, having lost a high-paying commercial artist's position when his company folded. Hearing of the events in Aiken Mill, he has taken the time to come home and try to locate his brother, or at least to find out what happened. For Barry, Aiken Mill is filled with memories, and most of the good ones have moved away. He renews his acquaintance with a girl he made fun of for a childhood disease, who has grown up to be quite attractive, and who remembers him very well, the local bully, and an old friend who has become consumed with his own demon of alcohol, and maybe something more. In the bedroom of the family house - Matt's house - the word LEBO has been written on the wall in what turns out to be cow's blood. This is the only real clue to Barry's brother's disappearance - this and a mysterious young man named Ren, who Barry learns had been renting a room from Matthew before the disappearance, and who was rumored to have been into "Satanism." No one in Aiken Mill is who, or what they seem. The Sheriff is not as stupid as he lets on, Barry's drunken friend has a lot more secrets than he's letting on, the mysterious Ren takes on sinister overtones, and even Jennifer, the girl he finds he is falling in love with, turns out to be into Magick and spiritualism in ways that make him Barry nervous. The home he grew up in becomes a psychic battleground, and is linked to an ancient cemetery. Things Barry never would have believed in become commonplace as people he never would have believed in, or trusted, become his greatest allies. Something awful is about to happen in Aiken Mill, and it's up to Barry, Jennifer, and whatever allies and forces they can draw together to put a stop to it. This is a very traditional horror novel. The writing is smooth, the characters are believable, and the action is swift and lethal. Stephen Mark Rainey takes the time to develop and explain some occult background, but this does not detract from the quick pace and straightforward style of the novel. The Lebo Coven is a strong, very entertaining work. Highly recommended.

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques If readers are looking for a chilling horror thriller, with strong paranormal elements, then The Lebo Coven by Stephen Mark Rainey will satisfy. Barry Riggs has returned home after ten years when he finds out his brother, his only living relative, has vanished. He and Matt, his brother, have many years of animosity and bad blood between them, but Barry vows to put that aside while he tries to figure out what happened. Shortly after getting home, Barry bumps into an old acquaintance, Jennifer Brand, who as a child had suffered from spina bifida, and to whom Barry had been horribly cruel. She is now apparently cured and a stunningly attractive young woman, and feelings grow between them. Barry and Jennifer's investigating, their biggest clue being "Lebo" written in blood on the wall, turns up frightening ties between Matt and a black magick coven leader, Ren, who wants an ancient evil power for himself. Jennifer is a student of magick as well, though not black magick, and must use her powers to stop Ren and his coven before they can succeed in their plans. What they find is that Matt, and now Jennifer and Barry, may play an unwilling part, a part in which someone will probably die. Which side will win the ultimate battle? And will the sacrifices made be enough to stop this evil from ever taking form again? This story is a chilling thriller, bound to keep readers on the edges of their seats, gasping in shock many times over. The descriptions of the destruction to Matt's house and of the rituals Ren uses are vivid, making readers shiver in revulsion and disgust at the defilement. Jennifer's magick is also well detailed, making the reader see what she is doing and creating to protect them. The final climactic battle scene is brilliantly done, putting one right in the center of the action, feeling the brutalities performed on Ren's victims. The relationships between the characters are well developed as well. One can feel and even understand why the relationship between Barry and Matt has always been so tense. They have grown much since then however, and it can be felt how much they've changed and how that will affect their new growing relationship. Jennifer is depicted as a complex young woman, who has her faults and flaws, but also has her strengths. The relationship that develops between she and Barry is beautiful and strong, built on what would not have been thought to be common ground when they were younger. If readers are looking for a compelling read, that will entice them in, making them eager to see how the story will end, then read this one. It's well written, with a strong plot and stronger characters. It is sure to tempt even the most particular of horror aficionados. The Lebo Coven is well worth the time to read it. © Kelley A. Hartsell, September 2004. All rights reserved.

The Lebo Coven has many of the stereotypical horror elements... spooky events in a small town, sympathetic protagonists, and a purely evil villain...but Rainey's writing is fun to read and often compelling. I identified with the skepticism of Barry, the main character, as events slowly unfold, finally convincing him of the realtity of supernatural forces. The question of what has happened to Matt, his brother, leads to some unexpected and satisfying twists. The Lebo Coven has the quality of a decent horror movie...long on suspense but not on gore. In fact, this book has alot more suspense and mystery than gross-out horror, which is good if you're looking for enjoyable characters in a creepy setting without alot of blood and guts (except for one very disgusting murder scene).

When Matt tried to kill Barry with his car, the two brothers went their separate ways. Barry moved to Atlanta and Matt stayed in the family home in Aiken Mill, Virginia. One day Barry is notified that Matt disappeared. Since he lost his job and his girl, he returns home and is shocked by the damage someone did to his house. Even more perplexing is the word Lebo painted in Matt's room in cow's blood. The first night he is in the house strange things happen like a glass moving of its own volition; Barry hears strange inhuman noises and the word Lebo starts to glow. Jennifer Brand joins Barry in seeking answers. Since she is a gray mage, she senses the dark forces gathering around Barry and his house. They learn that Matt rented a room to Ren, a practitioner of the dark arts, who intends to invoke a spell that will require a blood sacrifice, preferably Matt's but Barry will do in a pinch. The two Riggs brothers and Jennifer try to stop him though each one knows they will pay a high price to end Ren's evil reign. The LEBO COVEN is a classic good vs. evil horror novel that fans of Bentley Little and Tonya Huff will want to read. The protagonist learns to adjust his worldview rather quickly but once he starts believing that supernatural forces exist, it is easier to make a stand against them. Stephen Mark Rainey coaxes readers to believe that dark and white magic actually exist; not an easy task, but an accomplishment that shows he is one of the new stars in the horror galaxy. Harriet Klausner