- Hardcover: 372 pages
- Publisher: Gerald Duckworth & Co Ltd; First edition (31 Oct 1991)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0715623842
- ISBN-13: 978-0715623848
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 16.3 x 3.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,571,518 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Candlenight
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
A debut novel from this BBC journalist, set in Wales and exploring what happens to an English journalist and his wife when they settle in a remote, superstitious Welsh village.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
28 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I remember buying this when it was first published, mainly due to the eye catching front cover. To clinch the deal there was £1 off along with a cast-iron guarantee that if the book didn't live up to its blurb you got your money back. (Being a tight fisted Scot these things are important) As it turned out - there was never any danger of `Candlenight' being returned for a refund. Back then the so-called `horror market' was saturated with luridly written novels of inner city death and devilment, each one trying desperately to outdo the others in terms of shock value. Therefore I was happy to discover Phil Rickman's book was something very different from the norm, placing the story very firmly in rural Wales and using a more subtle writing technique than any of his predecessors. `Candlenight' is a potent mixture of Welsh folklore and the dangers of uprooting yourself from the everyday boredom of suburbia and relocating to an area where the locals burn corpse candles while hiding behind a thin veneer of Christianity as they secretly pay homage to the old `Dark Bards' of blood splattered Welsh history.
`Candlenight' is a novel that relies on atmosphere and suspense to hook the reader and carry them forward to the dark places of the book where the shadows lie in wait with sharpened sickles. Miles Davies once said that it was the spaces between the notes that were important and Phil Rickman uses this philosophy to great effect. Cheap-thrill seekers should stick with the ever increasingly gore streaked excesses of lesser writers as this book is far more clever and cultured and demands more from its readers than a bad case of acne and studded leather wrist bands. A great first book from Phil Rickman, blazing the trail for what was to follow.
`Candlenight' is a novel that relies on atmosphere and suspense to hook the reader and carry them forward to the dark places of the book where the shadows lie in wait with sharpened sickles. Miles Davies once said that it was the spaces between the notes that were important and Phil Rickman uses this philosophy to great effect. Cheap-thrill seekers should stick with the ever increasingly gore streaked excesses of lesser writers as this book is far more clever and cultured and demands more from its readers than a bad case of acne and studded leather wrist bands. A great first book from Phil Rickman, blazing the trail for what was to follow.
23 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I live in Wales, am Welsh to the backbone and was brought up on the legends behind this novel (well, all of them except the Black Gorsedd for which I am truly grateful) and it still managed to give me the creeps. Mr. Rickman has an incredibly clever way of putting a new spin on old legends and the way he managed to transform the first welcoming image of Y Groes into the chilling suffocation of what lay beneath the surface was magnificent. It isn't quite as smooth as some of his other books but I would firmly recommend it. When half way through reading it I had to take a short cut between two places where I was working - a short cut that took me up an isolated, single track road reputedly haunted both by spirits and the tylwyth teg. Normally it is one of my favourite runs - that day I couldn't stop checking my rear view mirror - such is the power of Mr. Rickman's writings.
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I only recently discovered Phil Rickman accidently while leafing through a used book shop. I'm hooked!!
I think this is the first book that he wrote and it shows in that it's not quite as polished as the others and doesn't really have a satisfactory climax as lots of questions are left unanswered. However, don't let that put you off. Superbly written, subtle and understated, definitely for those who prefer their horror more psychological than in your face gore.
I go to Wales on holiday quite regularly, living just the other side of the Severn Bridge as I do, but I'll definitely be looking beneath that Welsh Welcome from now on!
I think this is the first book that he wrote and it shows in that it's not quite as polished as the others and doesn't really have a satisfactory climax as lots of questions are left unanswered. However, don't let that put you off. Superbly written, subtle and understated, definitely for those who prefer their horror more psychological than in your face gore.
I go to Wales on holiday quite regularly, living just the other side of the Severn Bridge as I do, but I'll definitely be looking beneath that Welsh Welcome from now on!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Glad I kept with it.
Probably wouldn't have bought this as a book but it was next to nothing on Kindle so I thought I would give it go. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Harvey
Excellant read
This book is Phil's first, and paves the way into his other books. It handles the resentment felt in Wales about the start up of the holiday home culture, which has gone on to ruin... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Mr. A. Roberts
Candlefright
Y Groes: a small isolated Welsh village which seems to have everything.
The soil is more fertile and the climate so much better than the surrounding area - and the inhabitants... Read more
The soil is more fertile and the climate so much better than the surrounding area - and the inhabitants... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Mr. T. Young
Good read!
This is the first of many of the Rickman books. I have collected all of them, in hardback when possible, for my own collection. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Mrs. C. A. Mulraney
Candlnight reviewed
Having read other books by Phil Rickman,I would say I enjoyed this as one of his best. I thought the characters were interesting and believable. Read more
Published on 6 Feb 2009 by V. M. Rowlinson
Brilliant!
I was in a bookshop the other week when I saw a new book by a guy called Phil Rickman. Looked interesting! Read more
Published on 16 Dec 2008 by Jeff
Candlenight
Decent writing and a creepy atmosphere. Unfortunately the book falls apart towards the end. There is a lot of build up but the book sorely lacks a big confrontation at the end. Read more
Published on 19 Oct 2008 by Rich
Good fun
Good book, I love all Phil's stuff. I am Welsh born and bred and sadly can recognise some of those mad old welsh people. However we aren't ALL that bad - I'm married to a Saes! Read more
Published on 24 Jun 2008 by Chrissie Ross
Top form Phil Rickman
Excellent writing, as always with a wonderfully spooky atmosphere at times - I was hooked from the first page. Read more
Published on 13 Nov 2007 by S. Groves
Candle in the Wynd
I remember buying this when it was first published, mainly due to the eye catching front cover. To clinch the deal there was £1 off along with a cast-iron guarantee that if the... Read more
Published on 28 Sep 2007 by A. Watson
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