The Fury and the Terror [Hardcover]

It's taken John Farris over twenty-five years to finally write a sequel to his most famous novel, THE FURY, and I'm happy to say that it was well worth the wait. THE FURY AND THE TERROR takes up twenty years later where its predecessor left off. Gillian Bellaver has been dead for over a year, having been murdered by a team of assassins in front of her husband, Tom Sherard. Robin Sandza has been in a coma-like state for two decades-his body housed in the ultra-secret MORG facility in Montana-while his twin body (or doppelganger), using the name of Victor Wilding, now runs MORG with the help of Rona Harvester, who's married to the President of the United States. The story starts out with a commando raid on a Hawaii compound that's led by the First Lady. The mission of the raid is to capture of Kelanie Cheng, whose psychic abilities are so strong that she's considered to be what's known as an avatar. After the raid is successfully completed, Rona Harvester decides to remain in Hawaii for an extra day, while Kelanie is heavily drugged and then flown to the MORG facility, guarded by the team of commandoes. The plane, however, never makes it to Montana. Kelanie uses her power to divert the aircraft to northern California where it crashes into a stadium during a college graduation ceremony. Eden Waring is in the process of giving the valedictory address at the ceremony when the tragedy occurs, and it's only because of her own psychic ability that the several thousand people in the stands aren't killed when the airplane crashes and then explores. This immediately draws national attention to Eden and what she did. It also draws the attention of MORG and Rona Harvester. It isn't long before Eden's hidden identity is discovered. She's the daughter of Gillian Bellaver and Peter Sandza (Robin's father), and her psychic powers are stronger than anyone can imagine. Everybody now wants her either dead or alive, and will do whatever it takes to accomplish this vital task. Eden's grandmother (Katherine Bellaver) sends Tom Sherard to save her-a man who's known danger in a thousand different ways and is prepared to put his own life on the line to save the daughter of his late wife. Even with the help of many close and powerful friends, Tom may not be able to do the impossible because there's more at stake here than just the life of one young girl-the entire country may be on the brink of a nuclear disaster. Understand that this brief description of the storyline is only the tip of the iceberg for THE FURY AND THE TERROR. John Farris has managed to intertwine a dozen different subplots into the novel that almost boggles the reader's mind. At the crux of the story, however, is Rona Harvester's conspiracy to murder her invalided husband with the help of her lover, Victory Wilding, and to take over the Presidency. Once Kelanie Cheng is killed in the plane crash, however, Rona has to turn to Eden Waring, hoping that she might be able to help heal Robin Sandza's brain injury with her psychic powers so that his doppelganger (Victor) won't die. Together, both Rona and Victor hope to rule the most powerful country in the world. Along with this is the large number of colorful characters that clearly stand out. There's Phil Haman, a transvestite assassin with a split personality whose job is to kill Eden before MORG can gets its hands on her. Then, there's Tom Sherard, an African hunter with a British accent, who loved Eden's real mother more than life itself and is willing to take on the entire American government to save his stepdaughter. There's also a small California town that's filled with witches and warlocks who use their shape-changing abilities when attacked by outsiders. And let's not forget Rona Harvester, a woman who clearly likes to use sex, blackmail and murder to control the men and women in her life, and who isn't afraid to blow up an entire city in order to achieve her goals for total control. These are characters that explode outward in all of their strengths and weaknesses, coming alive in a way that only John Farris can conceive. Another factor that adds to the extreme quality of THE FURY AND THE TERROR is the fact that the author never lets up from the first page to the last. Something is constantly happening, and there's never a dull moment. Mr. Farris has skillfully incorporated fantasy with reality to create a believable scenario that makes you wonder just how much of this is actually true. Though it helps, it's not necessary that you read THE FURY in order to enjoy this novel. Each book stands alone. For those of you who've never read anything by John Farris, fasten your seatbelts and be prepared for the ride of a lifetime!

John Farris' 1976 novel "The Fury" and the 1978 Brian de Palma film version have always been favorites of mine. Now Farris has returned to this world of nefarious secret government agencies and young renegade psychics with a new novel that takes place approximately 20 years after the previous installment. Eden Waring's college valedictorian address starts off well, but veers away from platitudes about the rosy future of her peers into a warning to RUN FOR YOUR LIVES, because she's had a premonition that a plane is about to crash in the very stadium in which thousands are gathered on grad day. Who's in the plane, why it's crashing, and Eden's adventures from that harrowing moment on form the substance of a great horror-suspense-espionage-good vs. evil extravaganza that starts at breathtaking speed and doesn't let up till the last page. John Farris has lost none of his trademark skills -- he's an economical yet extremely deft writer whose imagination runs as wild as a runaway train, pulling the reader helplessly and happily along. The twists and turns come at a relentless pace, involving cross-dressing assassins, shapeshifters, not-a-moment-to-lose pursuits, nuclear catastrophes, and more. Popular entertainment is rarely as entertaining as this. Best news? Another installment is forthcoming!

University of California at Shasta Biochemical major Eden Waring gives the Valedictory speech at the graduation when she envisions the plane crashing on the crowd. The plane crashes not long after her warning. Though she saved the lives of many of the participants, everyone just stares at Eden as if she is a freak.

As top secret as federal agencies go, the Multiphasic Operations and Research Group known as MORG now knows that Eden has psychic abilities. MORG insists on owning Eden and her skills. They will do anything and everything to gain what they want. Eden goes on the lam as MORG sees her as rectifying the mistakes made when her now deceased biological mother escaped them (see THE FURY).

John Farris returns to the realm of THE FURY with this entertaining sequel. THE FURY AND THE TERROR is filled with non-stop action, but contains a sense of humor that at times satirizes the story line and the first book, and thus never allows the science to overwhelm the plot. Readers will relish much of the cast including the Lady Macbeth like plots of the First Lady. Readers will enjoy this novel, its predecessor (and the movie) and await the next book, THE FURY AND THE POWER.

Harriet Klausner