Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Victorian horrors, historical truths, 18 May 2007
Following on from the BBC online serials, this is a cracking good read. I just spent a spell in hospital undergoing surgery, the bed rest passing quickly as I read Accursed. My one regret was that I did not take the follow up book, as I had not expected to finish it in the time. Make no mistake this is a page turner. As a Londoner with an interest in the history of my city, fictional or otherwise, I am delighted with Amber Benson and Christopher Golden's portrayal of the early Victorian miasma and slums. Although they are writing from both a 21st century perspective, and through american eyes, this is no rose coloured view of this town. Central to their world view are both the rigid class structure and the fragility of a civilisation built almost entirely by exploiting the blood and sweat of others. It is possible to read through their words a commentary on contemporary world events, which adds an extra dimension to the storyline. This is a little more of an adult read than the on-line serial was able to be, but it covers so many issues: social, political, cultural, spiritual and sexual that this is not surprising. I can thoroughly recommend this book to the writers' fans, and to anyone unfamiliar with their other work I would suggest that you log on to the Ghosts of Albion website [...] and check it out first.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A non-English tale!, 5 Mar 2007
First off, I did enjoy this story. It moved along well, the characters were endearing, it was a lot of good ideas in one book.
The only clangers, however, were the lack of editing. The authors are American, and thus there is a strong LACK of 'Englishness' (think Sherlock Holmes etc). Characters say 'Brilliant' and step onto the 'sidewalk'. The ghosts of famous people really don't seem to act as they likely would (artistic license, I know, but still!). It just threw my suspension of disbelief out of the window, and made me think the series had been rushed to deadline without checking. If you can get past this, tho, it's an enjoyable read.
But if you liked this series, try:
[...]
as this is even more of it!
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Good read!, 3 Jul 2009
I enjoyed the webcasts very much and was intrigued to get this novel.
Overall it is very well written. yes, some people have mentioned Americanisms but you know what? I was so caught up in the drama and intrigue of the story i barely noticed. What I did notice was a good plot, well paced, with likeable characters I cared about.
Small note to those who are thinking of buying this novel after seeing the webcasts, this is not a novel for kids or even younger teenagers. The violence and sex scenes are very graphic and as such i would definitely state this as an adult only novel.
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