Follows the formula of the real-life my-house/wife/husband-has-been-posessed-by-demons tale. (That this is actually a formula is sort of disturbing siFollows the formula of the real-life my-house/wife/husband-has-been-posessed-by-demons tale. (That this is actually a formula is sort of disturbing since one would hope the world was not rife with so many demons that a true-life demon mad-libs was so easy to construct). I was hoping that this book would explore how a detective reconciles reality with facing some crazy preternatural happenings; what must a cop think if responding to a call from a family and sees that actual stones are raining from the sky? Here, Sarchie is a true-believer and the book is about his non-cop-cases, what he calls (over and over and over and over again) the "Work", so there is no moment of crossing-over from disbelief to belief. While I am not knocking this book for that failure, since that is born from my personal preferences, it is unoriginal, repetitive, and poorly written. I would suggest if you are looking for real-life "ghost" stories, check out the Demonologist by the Warrens. Sarchie mentions it repeatedly and even though that book is no Booker short-lister, it still packs in more scares than this and is more believable and insightful, at least at 3am. If you are interested in the more intellectual issues surrounding demons and possessions, then I recommend Hostage to the Devil , weirdly a book Sarchie also discusses in detail.
Merged review:
Follows the formula of the real-life my-house/wife/husband-has-been-posessed-by-demons tale. (That this is actually a formula is sort of disturbing since one would hope the world was not rife with so many demons that a true-life demon mad-libs was so easy to construct). I was hoping that this book would explore how a detective reconciles reality with facing some crazy preternatural happenings; what must a cop think if responding to a call from a family and sees that actual stones are raining from the sky? Here, Sarchie is a true-believer and the book is about his non-cop-cases, what he calls (over and over and over and over again) the "Work", so there is no moment of crossing-over from disbelief to belief. While I am not knocking this book for that failure, since that is born from my personal preferences, it is unoriginal, repetitive, and poorly written. I would suggest if you are looking for real-life "ghost" stories, check out the Demonologist by the Warrens. Sarchie mentions it repeatedly and even though that book is no Booker short-lister, it still packs in more scares than this and is more believable and insightful, at least at 3am. If you are interested in the more intellectual issues surrounding demons and possessions, then I recommend Hostage to the Devil , weirdly a book Sarchie also discusses in detail....more
This review refers to the audiobook (though I'm not sure there is another option!).
As a true crime book, Midnight Sun wins my praise for bringing an iThis review refers to the audiobook (though I'm not sure there is another option!).
As a true crime book, Midnight Sun wins my praise for bringing an interesting, and somewhat horrifying, story to light I had never heard before. Dommek loses some points on dragging out the likely why of Teddy's decent into murder and mayhem, but he gained even more points for bringing the story out of Alaska and into the public eye. From the true crime perspective, Dommek gives a decent recount of the major players and events and mixing the story so that we receive a combination of storytelling and interviews (plus recorded trial proceedings, etc.) works very well in a "Serial" sort of way.
However, the strength of this book is in Dommek's portrayal of Alaska and both non-Native Alaskans and Inupiat culture in the modern day. Alaska, at least for non-Alaskans, is a mysterious and culturally different place for many Americans and getting a peek at what life is like in Alaska, particularly "rural" Alaska, was fascinating. As was learning about the Inupiat. While the mythology (maybe?) of the Inukuns was interesting, I do not think Dommek integrated this well with the true crime aspect despite a heroic effort. Yes, Teddy saw Inukuns, maybe, but that didn't explain much in terms of what he did or at least how it was explained to me in Midnight Son. Neither did any of this lead to why Dommek would go trekking out into the tundra in search of them. Nonetheless, learning about a tribe of mythological small Sasquach-type people was informative, just not well-connected to the main story per se. It was a bit like throwing all these interesting Alaska things into a pot and the pot ingredients failing to meld so you have a tasty meal, but not a proper stew.
Dommek is an excellent narrator and really gives this story added resonance. The latter portions of the presentation that touch on Alaskan criminal justice as it relates to Alaskan Natives was eye-opening (and horrible) and I would have loved if more time could have been spent expounding on the social horror show that is, apparently, Alaskan justice than the Inukuns.
Handyman wants to parlay his DIY YouTube stardom into getting a TV gig (which seems unrealistic for a 20-something and the current revenue yielded by Handyman wants to parlay his DIY YouTube stardom into getting a TV gig (which seems unrealistic for a 20-something and the current revenue yielded by being a YouTube sensation) so he plans to renovate a house in 30 days documenting his progress. Whoops, turns out the house is wicked haunted and mayhem ensues. For some reason I do not understand, though bless Ibsen for at least addressing it, despite positive video proof of ghosts and some high quality EVPs, Kevin, our struggling protagonist, ignores this ghost hunting stardom opportunity in favor of struggling through hanging drywall while trying to ignore poltergeisty shenanigans -- much to his detriment.
I love a haunted house story and in this worn out genre The House of Long Shadows does not disappoint. There are some creepy ghosties here, but as is true within this genre, you have to truly bring it to actually do something unique in this space. Ibsen had the makings of something quite good, but unfortunately it was rushed and unrealistic and poorly explained when we got there. Not horrible mind; just not amazing.
Where the book truly falters is in its rendering of any sort of dialogue, including Kevin's YouTube videos, the comments left on said videos, and his internal monologues. Clunky. I would suggest Ibsen reads more Elmore Leonard, or maybe better Joe Lansdale, to refine his style.
Nonetheless, not a horrible read at all. Solid effort and about a million times better than the sequel which I'm reading now and am not sure I can finish. For a Kindle Unlimited book, definite 2 thumbs up. For an Audible credit, which Audible kept insisting I use, no frakkin way.
This reads a lot like the Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges) trilogy, but I liked it quite a bit more. This was less repetitive overall, though it suffers 3.7
This reads a lot like the Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges) trilogy, but I liked it quite a bit more. This was less repetitive overall, though it suffers from bloat (no duh, it is Stephen King after all) and a sort of silly ending (no duh, it is Stephen King after all). However, whatever its faults, it is Stephen King (after all) so compulsively readable and generally well written.
I find there is little point in recommending this novel, or advising you stay away from it since it is King and that places it, no matter how junky it is, on most people's must read list. This book wasn't junky however and I think King fans will be pretty satisfied. His overt and subtle nods to his other work alone make it fun for King fans. And when he's on a roll, as in the first 1/3 of the novel, it is a great ride.
A note on the audiobook: The narrator, Will Patton (thanks Char!), is the same guy who did the Bill Hodges books and while generally good, he is awful at voicing certain characters -- in particular Holly Gibney (sp?) who becomes a major character here (imo). It is hard to have sympathy for her character when she sounds like a cross between a robot and an alien schoolmarm. I have no idea how this character reads, but I am fairly sure she is meant to be sympathetic and that just isn't conveyed by this narrator (as it wasn't in any of the Bill Hodges books) to yours truly. Your mileage may vary. ...more
Rickman is very talented and the Watkins series is entertaining. It picks up some steam in this second novel and seems to set the framework for wh3.75
Rickman is very talented and the Watkins series is entertaining. It picks up some steam in this second novel and seems to set the framework for what is to come. My only complaint is he is soooo repetitive. Maybe this is less noticible in book form, but on audio, the repetition of certain phrases over and over again is grating.
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