By David Farren.
This novel was originally written in 1979 and re-published just this year.
David Farren is actually the pseudonym of my very own stepfather, Douglass McFerran. Yes, that's him on the cover with a friend. This was Doug's first novel. I actually am related (albeit via marriage) to a published author. In fact, I have a few blood-related relatives who are published authors. I first read this book in high school and did my senior book report on it. I read the report in class and prefaced it proudly by saying that it was authored by my stepdad.
The novel is of the horror genre and is a quick, short read. I got the impression that the main character (a college professor living in Saugus) was loosely based on Doug. I saw many similarities between this professor's life and Doug's (Doug, too, is a college professor). I pointed this out to Doug when I recently re-read the book, but he said it wasn't deliberate. Okay, it was written that way subconsciously. After all, we tend to write about what we know best, what is familiar to us.
So, Mendaga is a devil of a beast, a monster who comes back from the past to possess a young girl (the professor's daughter, Jennifer). It's lustily written and involves the occult, witchcraft, possession and demons. Again, writing about what's familiar, Doug was involved in the Occult for many years. In fact, when he came into my and my mother's life, he was indeed a "warlock"; no joke! Doug has since (actually a couple of decades ago) relinquished this part of his past. But he was heavily involved in the Occult for many years throughout the 1970s and 80s.
The book certainly never became a bestseller, but Doug did tell me that it was considered at one time for a movie script! Not bad!
Though I love my stepdad and respect his intelligence and creativity, in this case I will not be biased or show favoritism.
I have to honestly rate the book a mere two stars.
