3 May 2012

DARK MATTER: A GHOST STORY.

As you may have noticed ghosts/horror stories are one of the few genres I don't do. Oh, I was a vivid reader of people like Stephen King and James Herbert as a teenager but somewhere along the line I became a scaredy pants and found myself unable to read them without the necessity of sleeping with the light on for as we all know keeping the light on keeps the Bogey man at bay and stops anything bad from happening, as, according to Terry Pratchett's Discworld books, does keeping a blue blanket at the ready. 


Anyway, as one of my reading groups were reading what was billed as a ghost story I decided to take the plunge and join them - after all what was the worst that could happen other than a larger than usual electricity bill?




DARK MATTER: A GHOST STORY by MICHELLE PAVER.


London, 1937, Jack is poor, lonely and desperate to change his life, so when he's offered the chance to join an Arctic expedition, he jumps at it. Spirits are high as the ship leaves Norway and at last they reach the remote, uninhabited bay where they will camp for the next year.


But the Arctic summer is brief. As night returns to claim the land, Jack feels a creeping unease. One by one, his companions are forced to leave. Soon Jack will see the last of the sun, the sea will freeze and escape will be impossible.


And Jack is not alone. Something walks there in the dark .....
...... Inner front cover.


FIRST SENTENCE (Chapter 1): It's all over, I'm not going.


MEMORABLE MOMENT (Page 40): He said what I'd taken for gulls were kittiwakes, and that the Vikings believed their cries were the wails of lost souls.


MY THOUGHTS: Though there was certainly a ghostly element to this novel, I'm not too sure if I'd label it as a ghost story per se.


Atmospheric, brooding, darkly unsettling, menacing and psychologically tense, (I could go on) this is one novel that I dare bet will have you covered in goosebumps, the hairs on your arms standing on edge.


Gripped from the moment the group sets sail, the author takes us on a wonderfully spine-chilling journey through a landscape that is both inhospitable as well as malevolent.


It isn't only this element of the story that will keep you captivated though ....... the relationship between  Jack and his fellow explorers is also well written as is Jack's growing relationship with husky dog Isaak.


KEEP IT OR NOT?: A reading group read, I would like a copy of this for our shelves.




15 comments:

Arti said...

This does round like a very good book. And if you say you will keep it in your shelf, then I will scout for it!!
Hope you are having a great week Tracy:)
And hey Thanks for removing word verification:)

Felicity Grace Terry said...

A great book, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it.
I'm giving word verification a miss for now but if I start to get the same problems as before it will be back.

Colors and Grays said...

Reading your book reviews makes me want to go and grab a fiction novels in the library. you somehow enjoying reading fiction and I might as well give it a shot.

The Bookworm said...

This is my kind of read Petty, nice review.

Suko said...

Great review of what sounds like a really great book!

Kelly said...

This sounds just creepy enough without being terrifying. Enjoyed your review.

Melissa (Books and Things) said...

As long as the dog is okay, I think I could read this one. I'm not a horror fan, but who knows? I didn't think I'd be reading that many zombie books either! LOL

Golden Eagle said...

I think the energy bill for our house would most definitely increase if I read this book. :P

Thanks for the review, though!

Melissa (My World...in words and pages) said...

Oh this is interesting. I don't do horror either, but this sounds good. :) Thank you!

Blond Duck said...

I like ghost stories, but not horror.

anilkurup59 said...

Gets the feel that this must be a hell of a one that chills one's spine.

However , in spite of all the Stephen Kings and his genre, I still would glance behind me often, if I read the Bram Stoker, even now.

Yanting Gueh said...

Petty, I used to be really ... gutsy when it came to horror films and stories, I don't know what happened to that girl! I'm quite a kitty these days, but I do enjoy mysteries, and crime/dark novels. This one sounds interesting, so thanks for sharing. Also, I think your blog looks pretty pretty. :)

Jenners said...

Sounds like it was worth taking a chance!!! I'll have to keep this in mind for the RIP Challenge.

chitra said...

PW, Long time...I am busy with my work . But would certainly peep in whenever possible.
regarding the Ghost stories , I will not even touch them..I am scared to read them..

Linux World... said...

very good informantion i will definately visit these places i hope i find out something i hv many haunted places information too for that u can visit my blog at http://ghostexps.blogspot.in/