This convoluted tale of evil occasionally rises to the level of scary, but mostly just oozes along at a snail's pace as it tells the story of the Usher family (yes *that* Usher family) over 150 years of madness and destruction.
Did you like the stories of Edgar Allan Poe (who, incidentally opens this volume?) Were you fascinated by August Derleth's strangeness? How 'bout H. P. Lovecraft's eerie tales of the elder gods? McCammon tells a story that you do NOT want to read on a dark and rainy night! Make sure that you read it with all the lights on, and with at least one other person at close hand . . .
From back cover:
THE HOUSE OF USHER IS BUILT ON DEATH ITSELF -- AND NOW IT HAS A NEW MASTER...
For generations the House of Usher has grown wealthier and more powerful on the invention and sale of murderous military weapons. But another evil has lived and grown within the House of Usher -- a legacy of depravity and bloodshed that goes back generations, and stains the hallways of the family mansion.
One young heir, Rix Usher, is reluctant to return home. But the House of Usher has chosen him to take the reins from his dying father... to learn the house's terrible secrets. Joining in a ritual of fantastic evil, he will be forced to unleash the dreadful powers of Usher...
I highly enjoyed this book, it was such an interesting expansion of the Poe story. I thought that the plot was subtle and twisted. I would definitely say it is worth a read (or in my case, a re-read) and would recommend it!