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Post by benedictjjones on Sept 9, 2012 14:21:25 GMT 1
Just finished this and thought it was brilliant, as good as the Last Days. Has anyone else read it? Thought the characterisation was excellent and the elements from Machen, Lovecraft etc were handled in a superbly modern format.
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Post by karswell on Sept 12, 2012 9:48:30 GMT 1
It's one of the best books I've read. So tense, from start to finish with some really creepy set-pieces. And yes, brilliant characters. There's been some criticism about it being a book of two halves and I can see how that's come about, but I think the two different narrative strands work really well together. I loved Last Days - it's possibly the scariest thing I've ever read - but I think The Ritual is the better book.
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Post by joemynhardt on Sept 12, 2012 16:10:07 GMT 1
I loved The Ritual, especially the ending. Still have to read Last Days, though.
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Post by Jason Whittle on Sept 13, 2012 20:22:46 GMT 1
Haven't read The Ritual yet but I enjoyed Apartment 16. My favourite story of his is Florrie from the House of Fear anthology; he showed me the childhood I'd forgotten, but as soon as I got comfortable, he hit with the nightmare I never knew I had.
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Post by benedictjjones on Sept 13, 2012 20:30:27 GMT 1
is Aprtment 16 up to par with 'the ritual', jason? karswell - i'd agree, after being amazing by 'last days' 'ritual' blew me away in a similar fashion. personally i think nevill may be the finest horror novelist at work at the minute. has anyone read 'banquet of the damned'??
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Post by karswell on Sept 13, 2012 21:05:36 GMT 1
I agree Ben. Apartment 16 is great too but I nowhere near as intense as The Ritual. Banquet of the Damned is the best first novel I've read since The Damnation Game. A more traditional Jamesian story but with a great sense of dread and some chilling set pieces.
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Post by benedictjjones on Sept 13, 2012 22:43:01 GMT 1
ooooh! will have to try and get BoTD!
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Post by Ross Warren on Sept 14, 2012 8:00:12 GMT 1
I have a copy mate, if you'd like me to send you it
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Post by benedictjjones on Sept 14, 2012 14:56:44 GMT 1
that'd be brilliant, mate, if you don't mind
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Post by Ross Warren on Sept 14, 2012 16:48:40 GMT 1
No problem at all. I'll drop it in the post tomorrow mate
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Post by benedictjjones on Sept 14, 2012 21:57:47 GMT 1
cheers, ross - you're a super star!
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Post by benedictjjones on Sept 19, 2012 21:21:30 GMT 1
ross, BOTD turned up today - cheers again!
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Post by Ross Warren on Nov 29, 2012 12:19:11 GMT 1
Have you had chance to read it yet mate?
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Post by benedictjjones on Dec 1, 2012 21:25:31 GMT 1
got halfway through and put it down, need to give it another try. seemed to lack the 'urgency' of either the ritual or days
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Post by Jason Whittle on Feb 1, 2013 15:54:50 GMT 1
Finally got round to reading this. Part one contained some of the greatest writing I have ever seen in the genre - the conversation between the last two survivors was absolutely heartbreaking.
I was less keen on part two, finding some of the dialogue preachy and long-winded, and the violence inflicted on a helpless man veering too close to torture porn, but it was still very good overall.
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