... as V. J. Banis

Avalon

Paperback; February 28, 2007

The Astral: Till the Day I Die

Paperback, Wildside Press; October 29, 2007

" The light was almost blinding, yet welcoming at the same time. Only a few steps and she would be within its warm embrace. But she couldn’t move. The voices brought her back to a grim, harsh reality. It was then that she realized where she was, what had happened. But, while she was facing the light, something else had happened also.

The first voices she heard came from the light. Then upon her return, she heard the doctors. Behind the medical staff were detectives. They wanted details. What happened to your daughter, to you? Who did it? Catherine only had some of the answers, but she wasn’t going to do much talking, yet. She came back to her earthly life for a reason.

Victor Banis spins a chilling tale of child abduction, murder and intrigue in The Astral. This is not your typical cops, robbers and chase ‘em down type mystery. There is an aura of the mystique about it that will pull you in and keep you tied to your seat til the very end.

It’s not for the faint of heart, but for the mystery fan, it is a must have."

~ Berry's Reviews.tripod.com

"V.J. Banis continues to astound me. By now he has written in the range of ten bazillion stories (give or take a bazillion), but the stories keep coming -- and they continue to be interesting, engaging, thoughtful, and tightly woven.

The story of Catherine Desmond in "The Astral: Till the Day I Die" fits all of these adjectives quite soundly. First, Banis paints a cast of other characters as real and diverse as a town hall meeting, set in a Southern California that, having lived there, I can remember again clearly in the detail that he provides. Second, he mixes in a rapist and killer on the loose, continuing to perform heinous acts on innocent children and to somehow keep ahead of the law. Over all of this, Banis deftly tells us the story of a woman's near death experience, the strange things that seem to happen to her as a result, and the idea of the singular task she has been sent back to do.

...The plot line rises and falls like a carnival roller coaster, saving the final leap and plunge to the last four pages of the book. Only at the last do we discover why Catherine is the one person who can complete the task which was given to her on the very first page of the book, and thus V.J. Banis leaves us with quite the neatly wrapped gift of a story.

Some writers take careful aim, but seldom hit a target. Some writers are cannons, and fire one or more immense rounds and overwhelm all opposition. V.J. Banis is a rare and rapid sharpshooter, striking target after target, and his supply of ammunition seems to only grow with each subject he chooses. I look forward to the next."

~ Arthur Breur, Breur Media Corporation

Slow Dance

Paperback and E-Book, Carnal Desires Publishing; January 2008

"Janice McKenzie is persuaded by her terminally ill husband to take one day a week off to treat herself. On her first day in San Francisco , with vision blurred by tears, she stumbles, catches her heel, and finds herself in the arms of a young man, Brian Loomis, who whisks her off to bed. Janice is horrified at what she's done but as Brian pursues her, she finds herself increasingly comfortable in his company. Janice's childhood memories are contrasted with the newness of Brian. She develops insight into how she became a perfection-obsessed woman.

Brian finds himself living temporarily with an older gay man, Robert Tyler (who, unknown to Brian, is a serial killer targeting rich older women clients). Robert learns Janice's identity and rightly guesses she and Brian are lovers. Robert has convinced himself that, given time, Brian will become his lover, he cannot let Janice interfere. Robert stalks Janice, determined to kill her. As their friendship grows, Janice and Brian begin a heated affair. Despite this affair Janice feels more deeply in love with her husband than ever. As his condition worsens, she finds herself regretting all that she has deprived him of, in their marriage. When she realizes that she has also fallen in love with Brian, Janice attempts to break off their relationship, not wanting to leave Douglas . She finds that she cannot make the break and, with Brian's agreement, determines that they will meet when they can. When Douglas dies, is when Robert's plan goes into motion. This is Banis at his level best.

He's a master at this type of storytelling and he draws you into this story with ease. The characters he has created are heartfelt, honest people trapped in a difficult situation. Banis is a writer who deftly makes the reader care and turn pages. In this one, he offers surprising twists and a beautiful love story."

~Joseph de Marco in Mysterical E, Summer 2008