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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
1.5
Ugh. Who know that a story about a supernatural serial killer, set in the time of Jack the Ripper's London, could be so godawfully boring?
For one, there was no suspense or thriller aspect. It read more like a procedural, of sorts, and not a particularly good one, at that. I mean, there wasn't even any doubt as to who the killer was, because the audience is out and out told, so there's no guessing, no mystery, no suspense.
The best thing this story has going for it is the idea of it. A story of murders in the time of the Ripper's reign, the Thames Torso Murders - which I had not been aware of prior - which have a supernatural aspect to them which is actually partially responsible for Jack. I mean, great premise, right?
But, no.
Most of the time is spent on Dr. Bond's dithering, and his repeated visits to the opium dens (and even that wasn't written in a particularly interesting fashion.) It sort of tried to be From Hell, or even [b:Murder as a Fine Art|15790878|Murder as a Fine Art (Thomas De Quincey, #1)|David Morrell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1352227933s/15790878.jpg|21512433], and just completely failed in both endeavours.
As to the dithering, first it was the whole "but I'm a man of science, I can't believe in the evidence of my own goddamned eyes" thing, and then it was the "oh, but why does this fall to my lot". He even calls attention to it at one point, saying he's as annoying as Hamlet at one point. This does not make it any less annoying.
And then that ending. Dear gods. Pages of pages of nothing, and then the final confrontation is over in, like, 2 pages. That's not even much of an exaggeration. And after dithering The end.
And then it literally just ends. I mean, there's an epilogue, of sorts, that's another 2 pages, but there really isn't in the much of wrap up.
Apparently this isn't a standalone, because of course it's not. Though I'm not sure why I've also heard that Kominski and the priest, at least tolerable characters, if underused, aren't even in the sequel.
So, yeah, I won't be reading it...
Ugh. Who know that a story about a supernatural serial killer, set in the time of Jack the Ripper's London, could be so godawfully boring?
For one, there was no suspense or thriller aspect. It read more like a procedural, of sorts, and not a particularly good one, at that. I mean, there wasn't even any doubt as to who the killer was, because the audience is out and out told, so there's no guessing, no mystery, no suspense.
The best thing this story has going for it is the idea of it. A story of murders in the time of the Ripper's reign, the Thames Torso Murders - which I had not been aware of prior - which have a supernatural aspect to them which is actually partially responsible for Jack. I mean, great premise, right?
But, no.
Most of the time is spent on Dr. Bond's dithering, and his repeated visits to the opium dens (and even that wasn't written in a particularly interesting fashion.) It sort of tried to be From Hell, or even [b:Murder as a Fine Art|15790878|Murder as a Fine Art (Thomas De Quincey, #1)|David Morrell|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1352227933s/15790878.jpg|21512433], and just completely failed in both endeavours.
As to the dithering, first it was the whole "but I'm a man of science, I can't believe in the evidence of my own goddamned eyes" thing, and then it was the "oh, but why does this fall to my lot". He even calls attention to it at one point, saying he's as annoying as Hamlet at one point. This does not make it any less annoying.
And then that ending. Dear gods. Pages of pages of nothing, and then the final confrontation is over in, like, 2 pages. That's not even much of an exaggeration. And after dithering
Spoiler
about killed James, even though the priest wants to... suddenly the priest decides to extricate the Upir instead, and Bond looks into his eyes and is like, "Yeah, you're totally guilty" and stabs him in the throat.And then it literally just ends. I mean, there's an epilogue, of sorts, that's another 2 pages, but there really isn't in the much of wrap up.
Apparently this isn't a standalone, because of course it's not. Though I'm not sure why
Spoiler
they thought putting the Upir back in the river would stop it, since that's where it came from, and it's not like there's not a choice of hosts in London for it to latch back on to.So, yeah, I won't be reading it...
1880s London, Murder mysteries, and a touch of the supernatural... What's not to love?
Jack the Ripper is one of the most well-known serial killers ever. He was never caught, even after the brutality he evidenced in his killings. Many theories have been put forth about who he may have been and/or why he was killing prostitutes, but no definitive answer has ever been able to be given. Sarah Pinborough uses that fact to her advantage, crafting a novel around not only those killings, but another set of killings that haunted London around the same time.
What if Jack the Ripper was influenced by another killer? A killer so strong, and so old, that the entire city could feel its malevolence without truly understanding it? This is a part of the central core of Mayhem, and it's as plausible a "theory" as many others that have actually been put forth as reality.
I wasn't sure if this would be something I liked or not, but I have always been fascinated with Jack the Ripper (as so many have) and so I gave it a shot. I found myself truly engrossed and hating whenever I had to put it down for something else. The characters are well crafted (though I would have liked more information about the mysterious priest) and the storyline itself made for fascinating reading.
I don't spend a lot of time reading mysteries, but I am certainly pleased that I decided to read this one.
What if Jack the Ripper was influenced by another killer? A killer so strong, and so old, that the entire city could feel its malevolence without truly understanding it? This is a part of the central core of Mayhem, and it's as plausible a "theory" as many others that have actually been put forth as reality.
I wasn't sure if this would be something I liked or not, but I have always been fascinated with Jack the Ripper (as so many have) and so I gave it a shot. I found myself truly engrossed and hating whenever I had to put it down for something else. The characters are well crafted (though I would have liked more information about the mysterious priest) and the storyline itself made for fascinating reading.
I don't spend a lot of time reading mysteries, but I am certainly pleased that I decided to read this one.
3.25
Buddy read with Claudia! <3
Cla, la prossima volta per scegliere usiamo random.org così forse ne becchiamo uno per il verso xD
Senza nascondersi dietro a un dito: mi aspettavo di meglio. O meglio, mi aspettavo qualcosa di diverso. Mi aspettavo un mistero ambientato nella Londra di fine Ottocento, che magari si sarebbe intrecciato con i delitti commessi da Jack lo Squartatore, ma è sicuro che non mi aspettassi l'elemento sovrannaturale. Ed è stato proprio questo elemento, introdotto neppure da subito, ma dopo i primi 10-12 capitoli, a farmi storcere il naso. L'inizio prometteva bene, mi ha inquietato abbastanza a dir la verità, ma poi si è un po' perso appunto con l'introduzione di questa creatura sovrannaturale. A quel punto la trama è diventata prevedibile, quasi banale. Questa specie di trinità (così è come la definiscono nel libro) tra prete, pazzo e drogato (anche se in realtà drogati lo sono tutti e tre) mi è sembrata un po' forzata.
La risoluzione del mistero è divenuta ovvia a metà libro, perché è addirittura l'autrice a dirci chi è l'assassino in pratica. Ora, scusate, ma o sei un autore talmente bravo che riesce a creare atmosfera e a suscitare interesse anche dopo aver svelato chi è il colpevole, oppure la trama si affloscia peggio di me nelle giornate umide di questi giorni. La cosa bella è che tu, lettore, sai chi è stato a circa metà libro, mentre i protagonisti no! Quindi sei lì che vorresti urlare "Oh, ti muovi!".
Ok, detta così sembra che io abbia elencato solo difetti. Probabilmente sono stata troppo cattiva, perché nonostante tutto il libro non è male nell'insieme. Si fa leggere ecco, scorre bene e la prima parte è piuttosto buona. Purtroppo poi, come ho detto, si perde.
Buddy read with Claudia! <3
Cla, la prossima volta per scegliere usiamo random.org così forse ne becchiamo uno per il verso xD
Senza nascondersi dietro a un dito: mi aspettavo di meglio. O meglio, mi aspettavo qualcosa di diverso. Mi aspettavo un mistero ambientato nella Londra di fine Ottocento, che magari si sarebbe intrecciato con i delitti commessi da Jack lo Squartatore, ma è sicuro che non mi aspettassi l'elemento sovrannaturale. Ed è stato proprio questo elemento, introdotto neppure da subito, ma dopo i primi 10-12 capitoli, a farmi storcere il naso. L'inizio prometteva bene, mi ha inquietato abbastanza a dir la verità, ma poi si è un po' perso appunto con l'introduzione di questa creatura sovrannaturale. A quel punto la trama è diventata prevedibile, quasi banale. Questa specie di trinità (così è come la definiscono nel libro) tra prete, pazzo e drogato (anche se in realtà drogati lo sono tutti e tre) mi è sembrata un po' forzata.
La risoluzione del mistero è divenuta ovvia a metà libro, perché è addirittura l'autrice a dirci chi è l'assassino in pratica. Ora, scusate, ma o sei un autore talmente bravo che riesce a creare atmosfera e a suscitare interesse anche dopo aver svelato chi è il colpevole, oppure la trama si affloscia peggio di me nelle giornate umide di questi giorni. La cosa bella è che tu, lettore, sai chi è stato a circa metà libro, mentre i protagonisti no! Quindi sei lì che vorresti urlare "Oh, ti muovi!".
Ok, detta così sembra che io abbia elencato solo difetti. Probabilmente sono stata troppo cattiva, perché nonostante tutto il libro non è male nell'insieme. Si fa leggere ecco, scorre bene e la prima parte è piuttosto buona. Purtroppo poi, come ho detto, si perde.
I really wanted to like this book, but I couldn't get into it
Creepy and chilling. An interesting twist on a murder mystery.
This was unsatisfying. Not because it was bad but because as with The Quick by Lauren Owen, I didn't realise this was a vampire book and the vampire was... Unexplained. I wanted a bit more history around the monster and less about the doctor's addiction.
The ending so felt too quick and unresolved while the middle dragged on.
I have too many unanswered questions.
I am wondering if I will read the sequal but I suspect I will need a very good reason to do so.
The ending so felt too quick and unresolved while the middle dragged on.
I have too many unanswered questions.
I am wondering if I will read the sequal but I suspect I will need a very good reason to do so.
To be fair, it was mostly my fault for not knowing one of Mayhem's themes is supernatural. Although, in my defense, the book was wrapped in plastic, and the supernatural part was only mentioned on the inside of the dustcover.
Mayhem is set in Victorian England, during the time of Jack the Ripper, where another (lesser known) serial killer ran rampant. It follows this second killer. It's a historical mystery novel inspired by true crime.
I wanted to like it, and for a while, I did... until I realised the big bad antagonist of the book was a shadowy demon figure.
It was very anticlimactic for me; I expected a human villain.
Regardless, I continued on reading. I wasn't put off by the supernatural genre, and it was still based on true events so why not give the rest of the book a go?
Well, you see, I didn't like the priest character.
The priest was the one to tell our MC about this demon. We find him in front of an opium den, where he converses with our MC for the first time. Right from the get-go, we can see he is the crazed, "the Antichrist is real and upon us" type of character. Which is fine, but to my little atheist brain, it felt almost cheap that this was how the MC discovers the biggest clue for him.
Other than the supernatural element (which was just simply not my taste), the book was phenomenal. Pinborough hops through multiple POVs, while also switching from first to third person narratives skillfully. I'm not sure another author can pull that off. We get a close look at our MC while seeing what happens on the opposite side of town as if we were watching a movie.
Mayhem is set in Victorian England, during the time of Jack the Ripper, where another (lesser known) serial killer ran rampant. It follows this second killer. It's a historical mystery novel inspired by true crime.
I wanted to like it, and for a while, I did... until I realised the big bad antagonist of the book was a shadowy demon figure.
It was very anticlimactic for me; I expected a human villain.
Regardless, I continued on reading. I wasn't put off by the supernatural genre, and it was still based on true events so why not give the rest of the book a go?
Well, you see, I didn't like the priest character.
Other than the supernatural element (which was just simply not my taste), the book was phenomenal. Pinborough hops through multiple POVs, while also switching from first to third person narratives skillfully. I'm not sure another author can pull that off. We get a close look at our MC while seeing what happens on the opposite side of town as if we were watching a movie.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Murder, Alcohol