- Hardcover: 240 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (Oct 1999)
- ISBN-10: 0061052264
- ISBN-13: 978-0061052262
- Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Unknown Binding
When so much horror is of the splatter-gore variety, it is refreshing to encounter a writer who is prepared to buck the trend. Johnathan Aycliffe does not sicken his reader, he scares them. He works with their imagination, not against it, by using little hints, insinuations and twists, and by concentrating on atmosphere.
Basically, the story is about an academic, Richard Asquith, who is drawn into a colleague's struggle with the dreadful forces that destroyed his brother and now threaten to overwhelm a tiny English parish. It is very dark indeed and for those who have read The Matrix and The Lost,there is a familiar twist at the end that snatches away all hope of a happy ending.
A book by Johnathan Aycliffe is a treat for all admirers of the traditional ghost story, as it is written by M.R.James for example. It is well written and terrifying. If I have a criticism, it is that it is not quite as frightening as The Matrix. The exquisite chill that went down my back when I turned the light off only lasted for a couple of minutes! However, for those who like their horror in a subtle package, this is a splendidly enjoyable read.
Format:Hardcover
This is the perfect winter book for a winter's night by the fire. Its academic and ecclesiastical settings, with characters being both Cambridge dons and clerics, immediately screams M. R. James. The plot, of a malevolent force being summoned up by a well meaning rector, could easily be an M. R. James story. The horror is very finely crafted and always subtle in the best tradition of ghost stories. The bleak fenland setting is also well described, although the soujourn to France midway through gets only a passing mention. This is probably for the best as too much Provencal sunshine could alter the mood and feel of the book. Only just over 200 pages, the book does not drag and is succintly written. This is the first Aycliffe book I have read, I look forward to picking up other works by the author.
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Once again Aycliffe produces those icey cold fingers of fear and weaves them round a 19th century tale of haunted churchs and demon monks. If you like ghost stories that make you leave the light on - get this!
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
A subtle chiller, beautifully written
This is one of Jonathan Aycliffe's gentle chillers, with a donnish 19th-century hero at its centre and a sinister tomb and baleful influences. Read more
Published on 15 Oct 2006 by A reader in the UK
Oh Dear
I'm a big fan of Aycliffe, but this is very disappointing. Starts well enough and finishes with a wimper. Hopefully the next book will be better.
Published on 1 May 2001 by tonymaca@hotmail.com
Good beginning, disappointing in general
Well, it starts promisingly in a Whispers in the Dark kind of way. By midway I had lost interest and so, apparently, had the author. Read more
Published on 13 Jun 2000 by kate@rgmmedia.co.uk
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
