Contemporary Authors

• The Apothecary's Curse - 2016 Pyr, Amherst, NY

• Amazon -

  Visit Barbara's official site at http://BarbaraBarnett.com

  Barbara Barnett is author of the new historical fantasy, 'The Apothecary's Curse' (Pyr, October 2016) She is also Publisher/Executive Editor of Blogcritics, (blogcritics.org) an Internet magazine of pop culture, politics and more, for which she has also contributed nearly 1,000 essays, reviews, and interviews over the past decade. Her book on the TV series House, M.D., Chasing Zebras is a quintessential guide to the themes, characters and episodes of the hit show.

  Always a pop-culture and sci-fi geek, Barbara was raised on a steady diet of TV (and TV dinners), but she always found her way to the tragic antiheroes and misunderstood champions, whether on TV, in the movies or in literature. (In other words, Spock, not Kirk; Han Solo, not Luke Skywalker!) It was inevitable that she would have to someday create one of her own.
  She is an accomplished speaker, an annual favorite at MENSA's HalloWEEM convention, where she has spoken to standing room crowds on subjects as diverse as "The Byronic Hero in Pop Culture," "The Many Faces of Sherlock Holmes," "The Hidden History of Science Fiction," and "Our Passion for Disaster (Movies)."

  She's a professional member of both the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) and the Horror Writers Association (HWA).

  A life-long resident of the Chicago area, she lives with her husband Phil not far from the beautiful Lake Michigan coast of Chicago's North Shore that serves as the modern-day setting for The Apothecary's Curse. She is the proud mother of Shoshanna (Mike) and Adam, and the loving savta of Ari.

• Barbara Barnett Home Page - http://www.barbarabarnett.com/

  About Barbara Barnett

  Blogcritics, BB HEADSHOT CROPPED

  Barbara Barnett is author of the Bram Stoker Award-nominated novel The Apothecary’s Curse (Pyr Books), an imprint of Prometheus Books. She is also Publisher/Executive Editor of Blogcritics Magazine (blogcritics.org), an online magazine of pop culture, politics and more, for which she has also contributed nearly 1,000 essays, reviews, and interviews over the past decade. She published in-depth interviews with writers, actors and producers, including Jane Espenson, Katie Jacobs, Doris Egan, David Goodman, Jesse Spencer, Jennifer Morrison, Robert Carlyle, Lana Parilla, David Strathairn, Russel Friend, Garrett Lerner, Elie Atie, Wesley Snipes, and many, many more.

  Her book on the TV series House, M.D., Chasing Zebras: THE Unofficial Guide to House, M.D. is a critically-acclaimed and quintessential guide to the themes, characters and episodes of the hit show.

  Always a pop-culture and sci-fi geek, Barbara was raised on a steady diet of TV (and TV dinners), but she always found her way to the tragic antiheroes and misunderstood champions, whether on TV, in the movies or in literature. (In other words, Spock, not Kirk; Han Solo, not Luke Skywalker!) It was inevitable that she would have to someday create one of her own.

  She is an accomplished speaker, an annual favorite at MENSA’s HalloWEEM convention, where she has spoken to standing room crowds on subjects as diverse as “The Byronic Hero in Pop Culture,” “The Many Faces of Sherlock Holmes,” “The Hidden History of Science Fiction,” and “Our Passion for Disaster (Movies).” Most recently, she gave a lecture at MENSA “The Conan Doyle Conundrum,” which explored the famous author’s life-long belief in fairies.

  Barbara is available for signings and other author appearances as well as radio, print and television interviews. She also loves to speak at writers and other conferences! Feel free to contact her directly!

  She is represented by Katharine Sands at the Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency in New York City. You can reach Katharine at katharinesands@nyc.rr.com.

QUOTED: "The author has taken pains to thoroughly research her ideas, but they are shallowly explored."

The Apothecary's Curse
263.34 (Aug. 22, 2016): p94.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/

The Apothecary's Curse

Barbara Barnett. Pyr, $17 trade paper (340p) ISBN 978-1-63388-233-1

Barnett's debut drowns an intriguing premise in unrelenting pain and misery. Gaelan Erceldoune and Dr. Simon Bell have been rendered immune to death by powerful medicines. The plot centers on the disappearance of the eldritch book of medicine that explains the immortality potion; the book itself sounds fascinating, but its absence renders that interest moot. By intertwining multiple time periods, Barnett undermines any opportunity for tension or interest throughout the bulk of the narrative. No matter how horrifying or improbable the peril, the outcome has already been revealed. This removes the tension from scenes of bodily harm and torture, rendering them tedious and distasteful. The writing style is repetitive and derivative. The resolution is as unsatisfying as it is predictable. The author has taken pains to thoroughly research her ideas, but they are shallowly explored and hardly make an impact. Agent: Katherine Sands, Sarah Jane Freymann Literary. (Oct.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"The Apothecary's Curse." Publishers Weekly, 22 Aug. 2016, p. 94. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA461609312&it=r&asid=a92dcac48f60936d6c1bd22cabbed961. Accessed 3 May 2017.

Gale Document Number: GALE|A461609312

• New York Journal of Books
  http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/apothecarys-curse
  Word count: 587

  QUOTED: "This is a wonderfully written and researched story with deeply drawn characters and more than enough action to keep the reader turning the page. It is at once an excellent rendering of old London and the state of medical practice at that time while also being a tense thriller."

  The Apothecary's Curse
  Image of The Apothecary's Curse
  Author(s):
  Barbara Barnett
  Release Date:
  October 10, 2016
  Publisher/Imprint:
  Pyr
  Pages:
  340
  Buy on Amazon

  Reviewed by:
  D. P. Lyle

  What can cure can kill, but can it also impart immortality?

  There is an adage in medicine that says: What can cure can kill. This is most often related to the dose given, but not always. Sometimes a medicine's best intentions are not realized, and the drug does not cure but rather kills the patient. This is the case with respected London physician Dr. Simon Bell.

  It's 1837 and he is faced with the imminent death of his beloved wife from breast cancer. The medical climate of those times yielded a sharp line of division between physicians and those who plied the apothecary trade, the ones who mixed up potions and poultices and other concoctions that the medical community felt had little scientific merit.

  But in his grief and fear, Dr. Bell steps outside the lines and approaches his old friend and apothecary Erceldoune Gaelan, begging him for help in saving his wife. Gaelan responds that he has an ancient text that contains just such a formula, but it is not without risk and must be carefully prepared and administered. Dr. Bell grasps the straw. After delivering the potion to his wife, she dies almost immediately. But miraculously her tumors seem to disappear. Distraught, Bell drinks the rest of the potion in the hopes of taking his own life.

  That is the beginning sequence in this fascinating story that spans nearly two centuries with the story predominantly jumping between 1837 and 2016. It seems the solution created by Gaelan from the ancient prescription imparts immortality—something both Bell and Erceldoune see as a curse. Gamelan has already fallen victim to its working and now so has Bell, locking the two men together for eternity. Bell only wants death so he can join his wife. The two men began a long and arduous search for the manuscript that has gone missing in the hopes that they can reverse this immortality curse.

  But in modern times, the chemical equivalent of the fountain of youth is a sought-after commodity. The huge pharmaceutical company Genomics wants the formula and the billions of dollars that would follow. Genomics geneticist Anne Shawe is on the trail, but after meeting Gaelan, a powerful attraction between the two occurs. And it seems that her family has a very strong connection to the missing manuscript.

  This is a wonderfully written and researched story with deeply drawn characters and more than enough action to keep the reader turning the page. It is at once an excellent rendering of old London and the state of medical practice at that time while also being a tense thriller. Barbara Barnett has written a clever and unique story and it is highly recommended.

  D. P. Lyle is the award-winning author of The Dub Walker series (Stress Fracture; Hot Lights, Cold Steel; Run to Ground) and the Samantha Cody thrillers Devil's Playground and Double Blind.

• Historical Novel Society
  https://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/the-apothecarys-curse/
  Word count: 373

  QUOTED: "The novel seamlessly weaves dual timelines together, shifting from Victorian England to modern-day America."
  "It ... goes to show that sci-fi/fantasy is an ideal medium in which to discuss some heavy topics."

  The Apothecary’s Curse

  By Barbara Barnett
  Find & buy on

  In Victorian England, apothecary Gaelan Erceldoune, whose knowledge comes from a mysterious manuscript passed down through his family for generations, is viewed with the usual skepticism reserved for members of his profession. His friendship with Dr. Simon Bell leads him to make a tonic to cure Bell’s wife of cancer when Bell begs him for help. Through a mishap, the elixir is ruined, Bell’s wife dies, and Bell, seeking to commit suicide, drinks the leftovers, only to discover that they made him immortal instead. Over the years, he and Gaelan learn that they both share immortality. They join forces to recover Gaelan’s lost manuscript so that they can reverse the effects of the elixir and release themselves from never-ending life.

  The novel seamlessly weaves dual timelines together, shifting from Victorian England to modern-day America. In each, Simon and Gaelan work to hide their immortality while either striving to evade “mad doctors,” recover the missing manuscript and keep it (and themselves) out of the hands of unethical pharmaceutical researchers, and unlock the modern marvels of genetics.

  I loved this book. I thought at first that it took too long for the modern-day geneticist, Anne Shawe, to make her appearance, but upon consideration, it seemed a very deliberate choice on Barnett’s part. Delaying the love interest’s appearance, then making her immediately interesting and invaluable, gives readers a sense of what it might be like to live forever, want to die, and then be faced with something worth living for. I also loved that the novel touched on many facets of medical ethics. It highlights a lot of things we need to discuss within the medical community. I don’t know if Barnett did that intentionally or not, but it was nicely done all the same, and goes to show that sci-fi/fantasy is an ideal medium in which to discuss some heavy topics.

• Space and Sorcery
  https://spaceandsorcery.wordpress.com/2016/07/27/review-the-apothecarys-curse-by-barbara-barnett/
  Word count: 725

  QUOTED: "The nineteenth century sections were in full color, while the twenty-first century ones seemed somewhat faded and less real than their counterparts."
  "That said, The Apothecary’s Curse is a swift, interesting read that will appeal to the estimators of the genre."

  Review: THE APOTHECARY’S CURSE, by Barbara Barnett

  Jul 27

  Posted by maddalena@spaceandsorcery

  29358253I received this book from Pyr through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review: my thanks to both of them for granting me this opportunity.

  When I saw this title in the list of the books offered for review I was immediately intrigued, since the story promised to combine old myths and modern conspiracies in what looked like an irresistible mix. Gaelan Erceldoune is an apothecary in mid-nineteenth century London, a man harboring a secret that goes back to more ancient times. When he is approached by Dr. Simon Bell, a man desperate to save his beloved wife Sophie from cancer, he concocts a substance that could cure her, provided his client follows instructions to the letter. Sadly, Sophie dies anyway and Simon, in a fit of desperation, drinks the rest of the elixir to follow her into death, but only manages to make himself immortal, just like Gaelan who drank a similar potion to cure himself from the plague two centuries earlier.

  From that moment on, the destiny of both men becomes inextricably linked: as Simon tries in vain to kill himself, not realizing yet the change effected by the potion, Gaelan becomes the victim of a deranged scientist who submits him to terrible tortures for years in the hope of finding the secret of his rapid healing and immortality. When the two reunite again they will need to pool their resources to find the key to their condition in a mysterious book of ancient remedies that was Gaelan’s family heirloom and that disappeared after his incarceration. Gaelan hungers for the old wisdom contained in the book, the only link that remains to his long-lost family, and Simon only seeks the way to reverse the procedure and finally join his beloved Sophie in death.

  The story unfolds on two tracks – the events from mid-nineteenth century London and those from the present day – that intertwine around each other not unlike DNA strands, an image that recurs often in the course of the novel. This narrative style makes for a quick, fascinating read, even more so for the past, as we follow Gaelan’s soul-wrenching experiences at the hands of doctor Hailey and his cronies, who could give the infamous Mengele some points. In the present, the danger comes from the research of an unscrupulous pharmaceutical company that has gotten wind of Gaelan’s existence and tries to hunt him down for the obvious advantages that could derive from the study of such a unique individual.

  I did enjoy the story overall, though I felt more partial to the half of it set in the past: to me it held the attraction of a period piece interlaced with some mystery and a few touches of ancient magic, and I loved the peek it allowed into the times’ mores and thought processes, even though the language sounded a little too flowery for my tastes.

  The present-times section had a more… unfinished flavor for me, and it contrasted starkly with its twin half: if I wanted to put my feelings into images, I could say that the nineteenth century sections were in full color, while the twenty-first century ones seemed somewhat faded and less real than their counterparts. After a while I found myself thinking that the author must have felt this way as well, and needed to anchor the writing for the present times to some firm points: I believe this must have been the reason for the liberal (and in my opinion often unwarranted) use of the f** word or the brand names of the various articles of clothing, drinks or electronic equipment mentioned in the course of the story, that always felt to me like pasted-on additions that somehow did not truly belong in there.

  That said, The Apothecary’s Curse is a swift, interesting read that will appeal to the estimators of the genre.

• All About Romance
  http://allaboutromance.com/book-review/the-apothecarys-curse-by-barbara-barnett/
  Word count: 765

  QUOTED: "Unfortunately, the quality of the writing is not sustained for long and the later pages are characterized by stilted dialogue, awkward prose, and plot developments you can see from a mile away."
  "With some tighter editing and better narrative choices, this could have been a very good book. But as it currently stands, it will have to settle for being merely satisfactory instead."

  The Apothecary's Curse

  Barbara Barnett

  Buy This Book

  We mere mortals have always been obsessed with the idea of immortality. With The Apothecary’s Curse, author Barbara Barnett taps into that fascination by bringing us the story of two men bound together by their inability to age. The tale revolves around the ideas of what it means to be alive and how having limitless time devalues the things we hold most sacred. But despite the interesting premise, the choppy and often inert narrative makes this book one I cannot recommend.

  The son of an Irish court physician, Gaelan Erceldoune inherited from his father an ancient manuscript purported to be penned by Airmid, Goddess of the Healing Arts. When he contracts the plague in 1625, he uses one of the recipes from the manuscript to cure himself, only to find out later that he cannot die. At the beginning of the story he is more than 400 years old.

  Gaelan’s path crosses that of Dr. Simon Bell in 1837. Simon’s wife Sophie is dying of cancer, which leads Simon to seek out the neighbourhood apothecary reputed to possess extraordinary medicines. The elixir that Gaelan prepares ends up killing Sophie. When Simon, hoping to join her in death, drinks the remainder, he stays alive. Over the next five years, as his suicide attempts fail one by one, Simon begins to suspect that something is amiss.

  Meanwhile, an act of kindness towards a prostitute inadvertently lands Gaelan in the Bethlem Royal Hospital in London, the infamous psychiatric facility better known as Bedlam. For the next five years, the hospital’s proprietor Dr. Handley takes great delight in torturing Gaelan in the name of scientific advancement. During this time, Gaelan’s manuscript is lost.

  When Simon hears rumours that there is an inmate at Bedlam with incredible regenerative powers like his own, he decides to investigate and is shocked to discover an emaciated Gaelan, looking barely human after years of torture and abuse. Over the next seventeen decades, the two men’s fates become inexorably intertwined.

  For the bulk of the book, the story jumps back and forth in time between present-day Chicago and 1830’s London. I enjoyed the early London chapters in which the author fills in both Gaelan’s and Simon’s backgrounds and weaves the different threads together. The writing is dense and old fashioned, so it takes some patience to read. But the result is a definite sense of time and place that made those early chapters an immersive experience.

  Unfortunately, the quality of the writing is not sustained for long and the later pages are characterized by stilted dialogue, awkward prose, and plot developments you can see from a mile away. This is especially true of the present-day sections, when the lack of a compelling narrative and interesting characters often causes the momentum to stall. There is a subplot involving a pharmaceutical company’s attempt to ferret out Gaelan’s secrets, and Gaelan and Simon’s quest to find Gaelan’s manuscript so that Gaelan can use it to reverse their conditions. But for the most part, these chapters mainly consist of the characters talking and throwing a bunch of scientific sounding words at each other. And when a romance finally develops between Gaelan and Anne Shaw, a geneticist working for the big bad pharmaceutical company, it feels more like an afterthought than the life-altering event the author clearly intended it to be.

  In the end, I must say that while I enjoyed bits and pieces of The Apothecary’s Curse, as a whole it wasn’t interesting enough to hold my attention. For two people who have known each other for almost two hundred years, there is a lack of genuine affection in Gaelan and Simon’s interactions that I found glaring; and there are huge gaps in their histories that I found perplexing. With some tighter editing and better narrative choices, this could have been a very good book. But as it currently stands, it will have to settle for being merely satisfactory instead.