- Paperback: 72 pages
- Publisher: Samuel French Ltd (Jan 1948)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0573010773
- ISBN-13: 978-0573010774
- Product Dimensions: 20.8 x 13.6 x 0.6 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 863,348 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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81 reviews
45 of 48 people found the following review helpful
Very Smart and Very Scary
22 Sep 2003
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Although this novel is a mixture of genres I usually avoid--the mystery/serial killer/horror/detective story--I somehow became intrigued by the reviews of this one and picked it up. To my delight I found it quite enjoyable, a perfect example of a light entertainment that is intelligent, witty, well-crafted and engrossing.
The story unfolds in alternating chapters: the first a first person narrative written by the protagonist, Jane Doe, (her real name); the second are the diaries written by her during her anthropological expeditions to Siberia and Africa; and the third a third person narrative having to do with the Miami detective whose path will eventually cross that of Jane's.
The plot has to do with Jane's studies into the spiritual or supernatural elements of two smallish societies in Siberia and Africa, and the unusual discoveries she makes about them. Her husband gets overly involved in the second African expedition, causing Jane a great deal of anguish and fear; he then sets into motion events which Jane comes to realize will unleash a demonic power on the earth the likes of which it has never seen. This causes her to flee in terror and go into hiding, which is where she is when the novel begins.
Sounds a bit preposterous, I know, and if you're raising your eyebrow a bit, I don't blame you. But the author handles it very well, making these powers seem to us as if they were misunderstood scientific phenomenon rather than the usual King-like made-up contrivance, and he is so knowledgeable about anthropology, geography, African folklore, mysticism, and voodooism that one finds oneself quite willing to suspend disbelief.
There are just a ton of surprising, bizarre, truly hair-raising moments. There is the ghostly, carnal visit in Siberia; the ritualistic Miami murders; the scary, shocking Santeria ritual; and the entire, nightmare African journey. Suffice to say, the book is very engrossing. And loaded with detail, too. As mentioned, the author is very knowledgeable, and there was a lot of stuff having to do with both contemporary and historical Africa which I found fascinating.
The detective story is a little more conventional but done very well, particularly the sardonic, witty dialogue between the two lead guys which is dead-on and often hilarious.
Look, I don't blame you if you're a little skeptical. I was too. But good writing is good writing, no matter what the genre, and this novel is loaded with it. Fun, entertaining, and rich in detail, the novel is a real blast. I look forward to more by this guy.
24 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Thrilling, riveting, thought provoking fun
21 Feb 2005
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Tropic of Night is a genre-bending thriller-mystery-magical realist tour de force. Scanning through the customer reviews, I found that some people hated the book for its density and others didn't like the character development of one of the African-American males in the book. I'll cop to being a white female, and admit I didn't see any problem with the treatment of Black Africans or African-Americans. I think people who did have misread or misunderstood the magical-realist nature of the book.
Michael Gruber seems far too accomplished a novelist to be writing his first book here, and he is. In fact, Michael Gruber is the ghost-writer for the Robert K. Tannenbaum legal thrillers. And they're fun to read, too.
When I finished this one, I immediately bought his next book (lucky me--I didn't find out about the Gruber books till he already had two out and one on the way). Now that I've read it (Valley of Bones), I'm eagerly awaiting the young adult novel Witch's Boy.
Buy it--read it--enjoy!
Michael Gruber seems far too accomplished a novelist to be writing his first book here, and he is. In fact, Michael Gruber is the ghost-writer for the Robert K. Tannenbaum legal thrillers. And they're fun to read, too.
When I finished this one, I immediately bought his next book (lucky me--I didn't find out about the Gruber books till he already had two out and one on the way). Now that I've read it (Valley of Bones), I'm eagerly awaiting the young adult novel Witch's Boy.
Buy it--read it--enjoy!
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
A Masterfully Told Story
1 April 2003
Format:Hardcover
I loved reading Tropic of Night. Maybe "reading" isn't the right word. I inhaled it in two days flat. I already had an interest in Yoruba religion, but even if I hadn't, I would have savored this fabulous concoction of so much magic and so many different compelling worlds. I don't enjoy gratuitous violence, and I didn't find any in this book. I've seldom read a male writer who gets so convincingly inside a woman protagonist's head. Michael Gruber tells the story in a masterful way. Read it!
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