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Piranha to Scurfy and Other Stories
 
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Piranha to Scurfy and Other Stories (Paperback)

by Ruth Rendell (Author)
3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
RRP: £6.99
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Customers buy this book with The Mitford Girls by Mary S. Lovell

Piranha to Scurfy and Other Stories + The Mitford Girls
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  • This item: Piranha to Scurfy and Other Stories by Ruth Rendell

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Product details

  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Arrow Books Ltd; New edition edition (30 Aug 2001)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0099414996
  • ISBN-13: 978-0099414995
  • Product Dimensions: 17.6 x 10.8 x 2.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 771,247 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

Ruth Rendell continues to be a passionate supporter of the short story. Her latest collection, "Piranha to Scurfy" and Other Stories, contains quite her most varied forays into the form yet, with a beguilingly disparate selection of tales, united by the usual cold-eyed Rendell narrative voice. The title story (the longest in the book, and a reference to an encyclopaedia entry) is something of a departure for Rendell: although her work has always been rich in elements of the macabre, this is her first full-scale horror tale, and a curious concoction it is. Taking equal parts of Stephen King (of whom a suave surrogate appears in the piece), the great English ghost story writer MR James and Rendell's own individual ground of twisted psychology, the tale is ostensibly an atmospheric study in burgeoning mental terror. A lonely and socially maladroit man finds himself driven to the point of madness when the demon of a bestselling horror tale appears to infiltrate itself into his daily life. But the real agenda of the tale seems to be a kind of proxy revenge by Rendell on obsessively nit-picking readers: the doomed protagonist, Ribbon, spends his time sending crushing letters to writers pointing out their errors of grammar and lapses in style. It's hard not to feel Rendell's relish at his horrific fate, and perhaps critical readers will be given pause. The characterisation has all the dark fascination of Rendell's best work, and if that final shiver of horror isn't quite delivered, Rendell enthusiasts will be more than diverted. The other tales are equally compelling, with The Professional and The Astronomical Scarf being particularly well turned. There is also a pleasingly steady progression of mood throughout the tales: one never senses that these pieces have been casually thrown together by an editor. And Rendell demonstrates time again that she knows how to keep the reader transfixed. --Barry Forshaw --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.


Review

The eponymous story is volume eight of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, a tome used by Ambrose Ribbon, a lonely, obsessive who spends his life writing scathing letters to authors and publishers about even the minutest copy editing mistakes. Until recently he shared his house with his domineering mother and since her death he has kept her room exactly as she had left it. However, Ribbon finds out he has bitten off more than he can chew after he pens a vitriolic missive to a writer of occult horror fiction. A second novella and further nine short stories deal with further macabre, mysterious themes. Highly recommended.

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Customer Reviews

5 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
3.6 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Chilling twists!, 10 Sep 2006
By kehs (Hertfordshire, England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
This comprises of short stories and two novellas. The title story is about a man who spends his life reading and correcting the novels that he reads. He then writes to the authors to complain about all the errors he finds in their books. He makes the mistake of taking on a horror writer and his life becomes filled with terror as he convinces himself that the book is haunting him. I wondered if the author was based on Stephen King. A brilliant start to this book which is followed by several short but snappy stories, that all have chilling twists to their endings. This set of stories reminded me of Roald Dahl's works, and I fully recommend this book.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic collection., 16 Dec 2000
By A Customer
I love Ruth Rendell/Barbara Vine, and this superb book of short stories didn't disappoint. I thought the best was the title story, although 'The Wink' was also very satisfying. Rendell builds up such tension, yet never by using cheap or melodramatic effects. Even in stories of only a few pages, her characters come to life and they and their situations are totally believable. I hope one day Rendell's fantastic literature will be studied in schools! Excellent!
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Decent collection from the mistress of suspense, 30 Nov 2000
By A Customer
Perhaps it's not surprising that I am the first to dare to review this book, after reading the chilling title story 'Piranha to Scurfy'. If you've read it you'll know exactly what I mean by that, though I really do have to stick my neck out and correct Amazon here by pointing out that this story is in fact not the longest in the book, this distinction belongs to 'High Mysterious Union', in my opinion the most sinister and accomplished story. Overall, a fine showcase for Ms Rendell, with stories ranging from the fairly mundane and average to the outstanding. As always with Ms Rendell, things are very rarely what they seem, and the twist of the truly unexpected is what keeps her writing fresh. Recommended.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars oh dear, stick to the novels ms rendell!
As a die-hard fan of Ruth Rendell's novels it grieves me somewhat that I just cannot take to her short fiction, and it's not for want of trying! Read more
Published on 17 Jan 2004 by S. Hapgood

2.0 out of 5 stars A Weak Collection of Character Studies and Tired Devices
Never having read Rendell, who is widely thought of as being amongst the best contemporary crime writers, I figured this new collection might be the place to start. Read more
Published on 12 Dec 2001

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