Dark EchoF.G. Cottam
Ok, so, awhile ago I read The House of Lost Souls, and I was pleased with its atmospheric creepiness. Fast forward a bit, blah blah blah, RIPV, and here we are. Dark Echo time.
So, the Dark Echo is a boat, and apparently she's cursed. Back in the day she was owned by Harry Spalding, a flamboyant playboy from the 1920s. And then all of a sudden zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Sorry, fell asleep.
Anyway, so Harry Spalding is a devil-worshipper who sold his soul. There are some genuinely spooky bits involving the horrible acts committed by Spalding, but the beginning of the book is all about THE FRIGGIN BOAT. And, give or take one or two spooky bits, the boat is pretty damn boring. (Oh, and the protag's father buys the haunted yacht and plans to sail across the Atlantic on it -- nevermind the fact he knows its haunted. And the protag goes along with him, because, well, it's his father. Meanwhile, everyone's all, OH NOES THE BOAT IS HAUNTED. And therein lies the plot.)
This book is about 350 pages long, but it felt like 3 billion. Dark Echo didn't get really good until AT LEAST page 250, and that's being kind. Unfortunately, Dark Echo did nothing to disabuse me of the notion that boats = BORING.
Sigh.
In a nutshell: The final third was soooo good. Wish the beginning bits were more interesting.
Bibliolatry Scale: 2 out of 6 stars
FTCBS: Library'd this one. Sha-zam!
RIPV: Selling your soul to the devil after completing the requisite degenerate acts qualifies Dark Echo for this year's RIP challenge. woot woot
So, the Dark Echo is a boat, and apparently she's cursed. Back in the day she was owned by Harry Spalding, a flamboyant playboy from the 1920s. And then all of a sudden zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Sorry, fell asleep.
Anyway, so Harry Spalding is a devil-worshipper who sold his soul. There are some genuinely spooky bits involving the horrible acts committed by Spalding, but the beginning of the book is all about THE FRIGGIN BOAT. And, give or take one or two spooky bits, the boat is pretty damn boring. (Oh, and the protag's father buys the haunted yacht and plans to sail across the Atlantic on it -- nevermind the fact he knows its haunted. And the protag goes along with him, because, well, it's his father. Meanwhile, everyone's all, OH NOES THE BOAT IS HAUNTED. And therein lies the plot.)
This book is about 350 pages long, but it felt like 3 billion. Dark Echo didn't get really good until AT LEAST page 250, and that's being kind. Unfortunately, Dark Echo did nothing to disabuse me of the notion that boats = BORING.Sigh.
In a nutshell: The final third was soooo good. Wish the beginning bits were more interesting.
Bibliolatry Scale: 2 out of 6 stars
FTCBS: Library'd this one. Sha-zam!
RIPV: Selling your soul to the devil after completing the requisite degenerate acts qualifies Dark Echo for this year's RIP challenge. woot woot
4 comments:
That cover is gorgeous. Too bad that the book didn't live up to the artwork.
Don't judge a book by its cover, a cliche yet so apt at this moment. Hope your next read would neutralise this.
Oh how sad! with that gorgeous cover, I'd have expected something better. Well I guess I can't claim to be too disappointed. I thought for sure I'd be adding to my TBR but nope, I'm not. Whew. :D
I read The House of Souls for last year's RIP and was disappointed. It sounds like I should pass on this one. What's up with Cottam and devil worship?
Post a Comment