BOOK REVIEWS
I have dispensed with my 'Books of the Year' postings which covered the years 2009 and 2010, and now attempt to review a selection of books that I have read both good and bad, in editions old and new. Much of what I buy is often based on suggestions by others, or some train of thought that makes me think "maybe I should try..." so they are not necessarily all strange/supernatural fiction.
With many small press books costing around £35-£40 each, and some seemingly worthy tomes changing hands on the second hand market for many times that, these reviews may also give the potential purchaser some indication of what they might receive for their money. Needless to say, my opinions should not be given any great value as I bring my own foibles to every review and these may change at any time.
David Pinner 'Ritual'
(Finders Keepers 2011)
220 pages
(p/b £8.00 h/b £13.00 for the UK)
220 pages
(p/b £8.00 h/b £13.00 for the UK)
This title interested me as it is the book which was supposedly the inspiration for the Schaffer film 'The Wicker Man' (1973) a great favourite of mine. 'Ritual' has been virtually impossible to find at a decent price, so this reprint is very welcome, and affordable.
Firstly one should say that whilst there are some similarities to the film (one scene in particular - no; not that one) the book is very much its own beast, and it would seem as if Schaffer took Hitchcock's dictum of reading it once and then making a film as opposed to filming a book.
This was a wise move on Shaffer's part as I have to say that this book is something of a mess.
The plot opens David Hanlin, a troubled Detective, who is en route to a Cornish village to investigate the murder(?) of a young girl a few days before midsummer. On his arrival he discovers that the village is very odd and seems to gearing up towards some big event which he suspects to be of a witchcraft nature. A palpable air of hysteria creeps through the book and Hanlin is inevitably drawn in.
There are some good moments within the book, but virtually every other paragraph draws you up short with its odd use of metaphor or sentence structure; "We villagers are like this greenfly, Inspector. We plunder the beauty of the earth by planting and weeding and sweating a lot." Or... "She moved towards the village, allowing her hips to continue the conversation. Anna turned her head to see if her rhythmical magnet was functioning. It was. She stopped, pursing her nipples towards him and then swung on." Greenfly weeding? Nipples pursed? There is a lot of this.
Most sentences involving dialogue have exclamation marks at the end of them. Too many! No-one speaks normally! Well; not often! Once you become aware of them it becomes a bit silly, and painful to read.
There are some other oddities that might have been the result of not checking the text from which it was scanned (the publishers own copy perhaps?) or just plain wrongnesses. I can't work out whether the reference to that well known Voodoo practising island of 'Tahiti' is one of those or not.
As you have no doubt gathered, I did not enjoy this book at all - it is garbled with aspirations to pretentiousness; and whilst the plot has a few neat twists in it, by the time I got to the end I really didn't care as I was relieved not to have to read any more of the awful style. No doubt the 'Wicker Man' fans will want it but this is a book that I have read so you dont have to. Just enjoy the cover and put it on the shelf.
Finders Keepers are here.
Firstly one should say that whilst there are some similarities to the film (one scene in particular - no; not that one) the book is very much its own beast, and it would seem as if Schaffer took Hitchcock's dictum of reading it once and then making a film as opposed to filming a book.
This was a wise move on Shaffer's part as I have to say that this book is something of a mess.
The plot opens David Hanlin, a troubled Detective, who is en route to a Cornish village to investigate the murder(?) of a young girl a few days before midsummer. On his arrival he discovers that the village is very odd and seems to gearing up towards some big event which he suspects to be of a witchcraft nature. A palpable air of hysteria creeps through the book and Hanlin is inevitably drawn in.
There are some good moments within the book, but virtually every other paragraph draws you up short with its odd use of metaphor or sentence structure; "We villagers are like this greenfly, Inspector. We plunder the beauty of the earth by planting and weeding and sweating a lot." Or... "She moved towards the village, allowing her hips to continue the conversation. Anna turned her head to see if her rhythmical magnet was functioning. It was. She stopped, pursing her nipples towards him and then swung on." Greenfly weeding? Nipples pursed? There is a lot of this.
Most sentences involving dialogue have exclamation marks at the end of them. Too many! No-one speaks normally! Well; not often! Once you become aware of them it becomes a bit silly, and painful to read.
There are some other oddities that might have been the result of not checking the text from which it was scanned (the publishers own copy perhaps?) or just plain wrongnesses. I can't work out whether the reference to that well known Voodoo practising island of 'Tahiti' is one of those or not.
As you have no doubt gathered, I did not enjoy this book at all - it is garbled with aspirations to pretentiousness; and whilst the plot has a few neat twists in it, by the time I got to the end I really didn't care as I was relieved not to have to read any more of the awful style. No doubt the 'Wicker Man' fans will want it but this is a book that I have read so you dont have to. Just enjoy the cover and put it on the shelf.
Finders Keepers are here.
