The Evil Seed
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Product Description
Review
'A dark, gothic romance filled with mystery, jealousy, and violence...an interesting and a thrilling read' --STYLE magazine
Book Description
The revised and updated reissue of Joanne Harris's first novel, an absorbing, dark, chilling story.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is Joanne Harris's first novel and is vastly different from the books she is well known for. It's a romantic novel, not slushy hearts and flowers, but a gothic romance filled with vampires and horrific scenes of blood and lust. It's sexy, violent and gruesome, and her writing makes your heart pound with fear. This book is a page-turner and I can't recommend it highly enough so make sure you snap up a copy before it goes out of print again.
33 of 34 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Joanne Harris is perhaps better known for her novel, CHOCOLAT, than for this title, which is her debut. As explained in her author's note to THE EVIL SEED, it was largely due to pressure from her fans which saw to the book being reissued. Her brief discussion of the book is in itself quite interesting - to hear what an established author thinks about their first attempt at literature is nearly always to be fascinating, and this is no exception. With huge honesty, Harris herself acknowledges that the book was never a masterpiece as she had not found her own voice. But what it does do is suggest at the kind of writer she would later turn into.
THE EVIL SEED is a gothic novel about vampires, although this phrase is never used within the story itself. Alice, a young woman living in Cambridge, is devastated to discover that a man she once loved has now found someone else he loves. Alice cannot stand his new girlfriend, Ginny, but for the sake of Joe, she tries to make friends with her. But as she gets to know more and more about Ginny, Alice dislikes her even more as she seems to lie to Joe about everything.
Alice then discovers an old journal, written by a man called Daniel Holmes just after the Second World War. As she reads Daniel's journal, which describes how he and his friend Robert fell under the spell of a beautiful young woman called Rosemary, Alice fears that the past has resurfaced.
That is the basic plot. The story is told by alternating chapters going from the past to the present. The fact that this was a debut novel does show. Parts of the story are not really thought out very well, while other parts are dramatically over-written. As Harris explains at the beginning, the plot was an ambitious one - while it certainly offers some originality to the whole mythology of the vampire, it was perhaps too big for a beginning novelist.
Although this book is not a masterpiece, what it does offer the reader is a chance to see how an author began her career and then went on to develop afterwards. And it does give some hints at just how good she was to become.
THE EVIL SEED is a gothic novel about vampires, although this phrase is never used within the story itself. Alice, a young woman living in Cambridge, is devastated to discover that a man she once loved has now found someone else he loves. Alice cannot stand his new girlfriend, Ginny, but for the sake of Joe, she tries to make friends with her. But as she gets to know more and more about Ginny, Alice dislikes her even more as she seems to lie to Joe about everything.
Alice then discovers an old journal, written by a man called Daniel Holmes just after the Second World War. As she reads Daniel's journal, which describes how he and his friend Robert fell under the spell of a beautiful young woman called Rosemary, Alice fears that the past has resurfaced.
That is the basic plot. The story is told by alternating chapters going from the past to the present. The fact that this was a debut novel does show. Parts of the story are not really thought out very well, while other parts are dramatically over-written. As Harris explains at the beginning, the plot was an ambitious one - while it certainly offers some originality to the whole mythology of the vampire, it was perhaps too big for a beginning novelist.
Although this book is not a masterpiece, what it does offer the reader is a chance to see how an author began her career and then went on to develop afterwards. And it does give some hints at just how good she was to become.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Harris's foreword states that her publisher and her fans clamoured for the re-release of this book, but for the life of me I can't understand why she allowed it! She herself admits the writing style is somewhat undeveloped - over-blown might be a better description... I haven't come across such floridly turgid prose in a long time (thank goodness). Although the plot itself was interesting enough to keep me plodding on the bitter end, it was a actually with a sigh of relief that I reached the last page! Such a total contrast to her more well-known books (which I've enjoyed), in both storyline and literary style, but not in a good way. Sorry Joanne!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Book
I thoroughly enjoy any Joanne Harris book and this lived up to my expectations. Will definately be buying Sleep Pale Sister which is the only one I haven't read yet.
Published 6 months ago by C. Atkinson
evil seed
fantastic book ,the first but equal to her later works. would recommend to all Joanne Harris fans and fans of the vampire genre.
Published 7 months ago by A. Wilson
woundnt recomend it
I love Joanne Harris and almost all of her books but this one was a bit lame. I guess she was young when she wrote it but the other one she wrote when she was young "sleep pale... Read more
Published 8 months ago by heidi
A rare steak, liver and onions, black pudding...
All on the menu for our lunch party to chat about this early work by Joanne Harris. The idea of the meal being somehow related to the book worked better with previous choices; The... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Mrs. Katharine Kirby
Disturbing
I found this novel very interesting in the way the two stories inside it gradually intertwine. Unfortunately, there were times when the descriptions were disturbing, if not... Read more
Published on 26 May 2010 by V. Evans
Confusing and indigestible - sorry
I am sorry to say I didn't enjoy this book. I wonder if reading the "Twilight Saga" first had something to do with this, as all the hints as to Rosemary/Ginny's identity seemed... Read more
Published on 25 May 2010 by La Pinky
i,m sorry i have to disagree, this is good!!!!
a vampire stoy for adults what more do you need, romance horror , gothic england all are here i couldnt put it down, i only purchased this one after i had read all her other novels... Read more
Published on 29 Mar 2010 by gadget girl
nothing special
I read this book because i loved the others of joannes harris and i have to say it is not at all like the others...little bit disappointing.
Published on 29 Nov 2009 by sara77
Should have remained dead and buried
I really like Joanne Harris's writing, and have read all her novels and short stories. She always turns out an exciting , thrilling page turner with plenty of twists and turns... Read more
Published on 24 Nov 2009 by sarah J
Juvenilia
I've never read and Joanne Harris before as her plots have never really appealed to me, but this seemed, from the blurb, to have a bit more bite and edge - sadly wrong! Read more
Published on 9 Aug 2009 by Roman Clodia
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