Rating: Summary: Oustanding and original horror novel Review: December is a beautifully written and original horror novel. Rickman's novels are long, and the pace is deliberate - but NOT slow. Rather, the deliberate build-up increases the tension. This book isn't short, and you do have to have an attention span - but the payback is very much there for the reader. It's worth it. This is the story of a psychic band, a Bad Place, the destruction when the two collide, and the quest to put right what went wrong. The depth of characterization and the careful weaving of plot lines make this a horror classic. Highly recommended.
Rating: Summary: Oustanding and original horror novel Review: December is a beautifully written and original horror novel. Rickman's novels are long, and the pace is deliberate - but NOT slow. Rather, the deliberate build-up increases the tension. This book isn't short, and you do have to have an attention span - but the payback is very much there for the reader. It's worth it. This is the story of a psychic band, a Bad Place, the destruction when the two collide, and the quest to put right what went wrong. The depth of characterization and the careful weaving of plot lines make this a horror classic. Highly recommended.
Rating: Summary: Fast forward button needed Review: December was a book I really wanted to like, but didn't. The premise was good, and the atmosphere was well done, but the sheer amount of waiting for something to happen overwhelms the positive aspects of this novel. While I was reading I kept wanting to fast forward to the end, and when I did reach the end I was dissatisfied. I understand about the amount of backstory needed to provide an understanding of the characters and their motivation, but this could have been accomplished with less text. Once I finally reached the conclusion of this book I felt that the ending was rushed, and I was left wondering how much better this work could have been with a top-notch editor honing the story. I finished the book only by sheer determination, and a question of how the author would finally tie everything together. The characterization was such that I actually did care about the characters, but I feel that if Mr. Rickman would have spent less time getting the events in place, and more time on the actual events at the Abbey in the present, then this would have been a better book. Unfulfilled promise is a good description of this book. I kept waiting for it to get better, but it didn't.
Rating: Summary: Fast forward button needed Review: December was a book I really wanted to like, but didn't. The premise was good, and the atmosphere was well done, but the sheer amount of waiting for something to happen overwhelms the positive aspects of this novel. While I was reading I kept wanting to fast forward to the end, and when I did reach the end I was dissatisfied. I understand about the amount of backstory needed to provide an understanding of the characters and their motivation, but this could have been accomplished with less text. Once I finally reached the conclusion of this book I felt that the ending was rushed, and I was left wondering how much better this work could have been with a top-notch editor honing the story. I finished the book only by sheer determination, and a question of how the author would finally tie everything together. The characterization was such that I actually did care about the characters, but I feel that if Mr. Rickman would have spent less time getting the events in place, and more time on the actual events at the Abbey in the present, then this would have been a better book. Unfulfilled promise is a good description of this book. I kept waiting for it to get better, but it didn't.
Rating: Summary: Superior horror with an original twist Review: I am very fond of Phil Rickman already, although only three of his books are yet available in the US. His writing is vivid and memorable. What I really liked about this particular novel, however, was his deep understanding of the synergy of the process of making music. His grasp, and description, of the dynamic of a performing band is really perfect. And this band is deeply disturbing as well. Also, his treatment of the guilt and confusion of psychic phenomena is gripping. Buy this book right now.
Rating: Summary: Compelling musical horror Review: If you are digging into the horror novels that Phil Rickman wrote prior to his wonderful Merrily Watkins series, you will meet four of the characters in "December" (1994) who later appear in "The Cure of Souls" (2001): Moira, the folksinger; Simon, the vicar; Isabel, the sex-starved, wheelchair-bound accountant; and Prof Levin, the alcoholic recording engineer. Boy, will you meet them--and like them too, even though Moira is a recluse who might be responsible for the death of her mother; Simon is a self-confessed homosexual necrophiliac; Isabel's first sexual adventure killed her partner; and Prof Levin stays drunk through most of "December" (a very reasonable response to finding oneself in the midst of a Rickman horror novel.) What little sex there is in this novel is very dark, as in corrupted, or sometimes darkly humorous, as in Isabel's aerial deflowering. Loathsome, brown candles are a regular supernatural visitation foretelling death and/or really hellish sex. However, this book isn't really about sex (even though I keep talking about it.) It's about music. I learned more than I thought I ever wanted to know about John Lennon, Jim Morrison, Bob Dylan, and even Simon and Garfunkel--well, Goth horror is something else this book is not--mostly it concerns musicians from the 60's who didn't make it very far into the 80's. One of the main characters, Dave the guitarist, is plagued by the notion that he could have prevented John Lennon's death on December 8, 1980. Dave has some pretty snappy dialogues with Lennon who now seems to be living in his head. Dave isn't the only one with a psychic problem. All of the musicians who attempted to record an album in an ancient abbey-turned-recording-studio on the date of Lennon's death are traumatized by a tragedy that gradually works its way to the surface through the course of this novel. Rickman piles horror upon horror until thirteen years after Lennon's death, the musicians are compelled to return to the abbey to complete the song that had called up an ancient evil. You'll be reading this one through the night--even though you shouldn't.
Rating: Summary: Compelling musical horror Review: If you are digging into the horror novels that Phil Rickman wrote prior to his wonderful Merrily Watkins series, you will meet four of the characters in "December" (1994) who later appear in "The Cure of Souls" (2001): Moira, the folksinger; Simon, the vicar; Isabel, the sex-starved, wheelchair-bound accountant; and Prof Levin, the alcoholic recording engineer. Boy, will you meet them--and like them too, even though Moira is a recluse who might be responsible for the death of her mother; Simon is a self-confessed homosexual necrophiliac; Isabel's first sexual adventure killed her partner; and Prof Levin stays drunk through most of "December" (a very reasonable response to finding oneself in the midst of a Rickman horror novel.) What little sex there is in this novel is very dark, as in corrupted, or sometimes darkly humorous, as in Isabel's aerial deflowering. Loathsome, brown candles are a regular supernatural visitation foretelling death and/or really hellish sex. However, this book isn't really about sex (even though I keep talking about it.) It's about music. I learned more than I thought I ever wanted to know about John Lennon, Jim Morrison, Bob Dylan, and even Simon and Garfunkel--well, Goth horror is something else this book is not--mostly it concerns musicians from the 60's who didn't make it very far into the 80's. One of the main characters, Dave the guitarist, is plagued by the notion that he could have prevented John Lennon's death on December 8, 1980. Dave has some pretty snappy dialogues with Lennon who now seems to be living in his head. Dave isn't the only one with a psychic problem. All of the musicians who attempted to record an album in an ancient abbey-turned-recording-studio on the date of Lennon's death are traumatized by a tragedy that gradually works its way to the surface through the course of this novel. Rickman piles horror upon horror until thirteen years after Lennon's death, the musicians are compelled to return to the abbey to complete the song that had called up an ancient evil. You'll be reading this one through the night--even though you shouldn't.
Rating: Summary: UK terror instaed of US horror Review: If you like a well-written novel about supernatural horror with plausible, likeable characters and a great, twisting plot, this is the one for you. No gore, no splatter, just great storytelling that's much more scary than your usual run-of-the-mill King or Koontz book. Almost as good as "The Man in the Moss", which for some reason hasn't been published in the US yet (but you can order it from online bookstores in the UK ;).
Rating: Summary: Psychic Music... Review: If you've been reading the standard Koontz, King and Laymon fare prepare yourself for December. The characters are so much more vivid and likeable or hateable. The story blends modern rock music with ancient tales and the supernatural, musos will find many in jokes and references. But overall this is just a damn good book, you have to read it at least twice to understand the complex storyline, I have read it 4 times because I love it so much. I HIGHLY recommend this book.
Rating: Summary: Aging well Review: In the twelfth-century ruins of the Abbey, it is said that every stone was cemented in blood... December starts with the words; 'By the time he makes the doorman's office, his glasses have come off, and blood and tissue and stuff are emptying urgently from his mouth.'... Do you want me to go on? If yes, you'll be hooked by 'December', a chilling tale of a young band calling themselves The Philosopher's Stone, who gather at The Abbey (now a recording studio) to tap into the site's dark history. One member of the band dies horrifyingly and the band members agree to destroy their tapes and never meet again. Thirteen years later, the Abbey tapes resurface and the members of The Philosopher's Stone know that it's time for another reunion. Time to return to that dark December night for one last performance. If you can stand the suspense, you'll be hooked. 'December' is a thoughtful, meandering novel that moves around in time, keeping only the thread of The Abbey to hold it together. But, once started you'll not want to put it down until you know how it will end.
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