Book Reviews
KANKAKEE DAILY JOURNAL
CASSADAGA
BOOK REVIEW ARTICLE
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2001
KANKAKEE, ILLINOIS
ST. PETERSBURG TIMES
CASSADAGA
BOOK REVIEW ARTICLE
SUNDAY, MARCH 18, 2001
ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA
EX LIBRIS FLORIDA Series: EX LIBRIS FLORIDA; BOOKS
St. Petersburg Times; St. Petersburg, Fla.; Mar 18, 2001; SAMANTHA PUCKETT;
A METAPHYSICAL MYSTERY:
Everything was fine for Harry and Leana Warren until their stop in the small, spiritualist town of Cassadaga, Florida. Shortly after an alarming (and alarmingly accurate) psychic reading there, Leana disappears and Harry's life rapidly becomes one of mystery and suspense. Virgil Allen Wulff of Tampa spins a tale of true love, action and intrigue in his novel with the same name as the psychic center, Cassadaga. It can be ordered for $9 from local book stores or from AmErica House Book Publishers at 1-877-333-7422 or www.publishamerica.com/bookstore.htm.
2002 Review of Cassadaga and Death-Pact Reunion
Reviewer: Alynia Rule
for AnCuairt.Org (ACO)
This week I read two books worthy of note. The first was "Cassadaga" which is a mystery and the second was "Death-Pact Reunion" both by the same author, Virgil Allen Wulff. Basically, the story of these two novels follows along the same plot structure: People are lost and regained through psychic means.
Wulff was born in Kankakee, Illinois. He joined the United States Navy, graduated from the University of Missouri, and took a temporary job as a Blackjack Dealer in Las Vegas. For over thirty years he worked as a research engineer and manager for the space and defense industries.
What does all that suggest to you? How about: write what you know.
The main characters in both his books are engineers, have some experience in the military, and Las Vegas comes into play more than once.
In "Cassadaga" the main character is Harry Warren. His background is military and he seems to enjoy it. He keeps contact with old friends and likes his job. His wife disappears and he unravels the mystery of her disappearance through psychic and plain old investigative means. The characters are all perfect, and rich, and talented beyond their means. Doesn't mean they're particularly lucky though and you'll see that while money can be fun to toss around, it won't buy you everything. Sometimes, you just need a really good friend or two and when all else fails - a psychic.
The writing style in "Cassadaga" can be a little rough around the edges and may not provide an easy jump for some readers. The characters reminded me of the "Stepford Wives" by Ira Levin. Leana Warren's piano Chamber, for some reason, brought echoes of "Phantom of the Opera". There was such a foreboding weaving its way through the story, that if vampires had emerged as the culprits, I wouldn't have been surprised. (No, no vampires, put away the stakes).
In "Death-Pact Reunion", the main character is Allen Weston, who also has a military background, but he doesn't really want to talk about it. Weston doesn't like his job, though he does like being rich. His friends die and he unravels the mystery of life after death through psychic and plain old... you get the picture.
Here, Wulff's style becomes more fluid, softer, and perhaps a little more kind. His characters are far from kind, though. Egotistical, greedy, cruel... yeah, all the things that make a good villain great. If you enjoyed reading "What Dreams May Come" by Richard Matheson, you should like this story. If you didn't like the book, but liked the movie... you'll still like this story.
If you're a fan of Cassadaga, psychics, engineers, mysteries, and not knowing the ending until it hits you on the last page, then these are the books for you. Sit back, read, and enjoy the possibilities.
