"Exciting look at Hungarian mythology"
In Hungary during the Nazi occupation, Laci and his friend
Janos stumbled across a cave near Buda. Being scouts they
were eager to explore but Jews were using a part of the
isolated area to hide from the Nazis. The two boys became
separated and Laci who had "the sight" saw the demon
Belusz bound to his stone throne. After a magical
alteration, the demon ripped away Laci's magical sight. Laci is old now, living in Arizona, but though he becomes
forgetful he still vividly remembers the cave and the
demon as they are bound together so that if one dies so
does the other. However Belusz has found a way to break
the binding spell and kill Laci without harming himself.
Laci goes home to kill the demon before he wrecks havoc on
the world. His granddaughter Zita loves him very much,
but thinks he's senile and follows him to Hungary
determined to bring him back to the States. In Hungary,
Zitla discovers she has the sight as she "sees" the
demon. She joins forces with the magician Ephraim Cohen
and her grandfather to prepare for the biggest battle of
their lives fought on the magical plane. The demons in this novel are not biblical in any sense of
the word but are evil entities that are a part of
Hungarian mythology. Although Zita is initially a
skeptic, when she believes she becomes a dynamo in action,
determined to find a way to kill Belusz without getting
Laci killed. Leah Cutter, (see PAPER MAGE), has written a
horror novel that despite our rational belief system,
feels very believable and though in Eastern Europe has no
vampires. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted March 15, 2004
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