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The Succubus Confesses – An Inquisitor Meets His Maker (eBook)
| The Succubus Confesses – An Inquisitor Meets His Maker | |
|---|---|
 The Succubus Confesses – An Inquisitor Meets His Maker eBook Cover, written by Xandra Fraser | |
| Author(s) | Xandra Fraser |
| Series | The Succubus Confesses |
| Publisher |
Smashwords Amazon Digital Services |
| Publication date | December 12, 2014 |
| Media type | eBook |
| Length | 18 Pages |
| ISBN | 9781310128578 |
| ASIN | B00RYCT96S |
| Preceded by | The Succubus Confesses - A Paean to Priapos |
For other uses of the word Succubus, see Succubus (disambiguation).
The Succubus Confesses – An Inquisitor Meets His Maker is an eBook written by Xandra Fraser. It is the second work in the Succubus Confesses series by this author. In this work the character Zuzanne is a Succubus.
Overview
- Title: The Succubus Confesses – An Inquisitor Meets His Maker
- Author: Xandra Fraser
- Published By: Smashwords & Amazon Digital Services
- Length: 18 Pages
- Format: eBook
- ASIN: B00RYCT96S
- IBSN: 9781310128578
- Publishing Date: December 12, 2014
Other Works in this Series on SuccuWiki
Plot Summary
The Succubus Confesses is a series of stories written in no particular order and intended to be read similarly. The narrator, Zuzanne, claims to be a daughter of Lilith, one of many sisters. She has lived among humans for several millennia, receiving nourishment from the vital life energy generated by her human lovers, but also giving inspiration to their endeavors.
An Inquisitor Meets His Maker tells the story of Zuzanne's search for her last living sister which takes her from Northern Italy to France. Zuzanne is drawn to Loudun where demons have taken possession of a convent of Ursuline nuns. On the road into France, she hears tales of exorcism, torture, and execution. She fears her sister has been caught up in the chaos of this 17th century witch hunt. When she arrives in Loudun, she finds that the fate of her sister is far worse than she had imagined.
Book Review
The following review was originally published by Tera on her Blog, A Succubi's Tale on February 7, 2017
The singular thing about this series that tells so much about it comes to the detail in each work. The stories are told from Zuzanne’s perspective and quite a lot of care was taken by the author to be sure her voice is clear and strong. The emotional connection with the memories allows for a wash of melancholy to pass through each tale. It’s as if Zuzanne herself is pining for the past, remembering the better things from a time where things are not so good in many ways.
She makes a statement which clearly says, from her perspective, that she is the last of her kind, the last of the succubi. The sadness in those words is deeply felt and beyond that, Zuzanne almost seems as if she’s trying to justify to herself what she’s done in order to find a reason to live.
The first work tends towards telling of passions and thrills of the past, of her own and that of her kind’s history. The detail is stunning, the stories are richly woven and touch upon the past from the time of Eden to the midst of the Greeks. There is no feeling of modern judgement upon the past, rather the stores are memories and thoughts from Zuzanne that offer a glimpse into herself when she had passion.
The second work presses upon a short note in the first where Zuzanne tells that she does not kill those she is intimate with, save for one instance and the second work explains that point and how that all came to be. Again, the story is based on history, telling of the moments that occurred during the time the story is set in.
While that happens, Zuzanne’s path to the truth is told, both sexually and otherwise. The erotica doesn’t overwhelm the story, it helps to push Zuzanne along towards the truth, whatever form that will take for her. Once to her destination, learning of her sister’s fate, Zuzanne makes a choice and she falls, for a time, into being what the legends claim of her kind to be.
There’s no rush through these stories, they take the time they need to, they tell a complete story and then leave one wondering about Zuzanne. Again, that melancholy I spoke of never leaves the storytelling and it makes me wonder about Zuzanne in the “here and now” that she seems to be speaking of.
I wanted to see more of Zuzanne now, what she’s like, who she has become. Perhaps another work might have taken things closer to the current time, to reveal what’s happened and if Zuzanne still has a soul after so much history has taken its toll upon her. While the past is complete, it’s that question of the present that makes me wonder and want more.
For the series as a whole, I’ll give four out of five pitchforks.
I dearly wish the author had continued the series, taken Zuzanne into the present, perhaps into the far future and told of how she’s changed and why. The melancholy in her character is palatable throughout the series and while some of that can be explained, there’s quite a lot not told. Recommended for the writing, the attention to detail and a reflective succubus who seems to be trying to find her own way in a world where she is so very much alone.