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aqlitqueen's review
2.0
Review: Nevermore by William Hjortsberg
Title: Nevermore
Author: William Hjortsberg
Publisher: Open Road
Publication Date: March 2012
Good Reads Synopsis
Why I Read It
I am always interested in anything related to Poe, Houdini, and somewhat intrigued by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. After perusing NetGalley's listings, I came across this novel by William Hjortsberg and decided it had to be worth the read. Poe, Houdini, and Doyle all in one. Had to be good.
Short Synopsis (no spoilers)
Murders begin piling up and they appear to be based on Poe's stories. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as lecturer, travels America to lecture on the occult and ends up being asked to help, or more often assumed to be helping, the NYC police solve these murders. Poe makes his own appearance in ghostly form, while Houdini tries to discredit the very mediums Doyle speaks about.
My Review
Set during the Jazz Age, I enjoyed the period setting, but often got lost in the small details sprinkled throughout to set the stage. Historical novels should be engaging reads, but should not bog the reader down with lists of people, places, and facts. It takes the reader away from the storyline and in Hjortsberg's novel, there were several points where the storyline got lost in the details of the period.
The separate plot lines did not come together well, either. Houdini and Doyle's struggle over whether contact can be made with the dead was a great plot line and could have taken the plot of the novel all on its own. I understand the desire to make this plot line come alive with the Poe murders and Doyle experiencing contact with Poe's dead ghost to help him figure out the murders. It would have made more sense to have Houdini experience the visits from Poe, since he was the one who did not believe in ghosts and other mediums.
Character development was left mostly to the reader. Maybe because the characters were so familiar, it was assumed readers would have their own preconceived ideas about the major players. While this may be true, the author should have spent more time fleshing out the characters, within the setting.
Overall the novel was a fair read, but it was not outstanding. Not one I will re-read or recommend to others.
My Rating
2 stars
Title: Nevermore
Author: William Hjortsberg
Publisher: Open Road
Publication Date: March 2012
Good Reads Synopsis
Why I Read It
I am always interested in anything related to Poe, Houdini, and somewhat intrigued by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. After perusing NetGalley's listings, I came across this novel by William Hjortsberg and decided it had to be worth the read. Poe, Houdini, and Doyle all in one. Had to be good.
Short Synopsis (no spoilers)
Murders begin piling up and they appear to be based on Poe's stories. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as lecturer, travels America to lecture on the occult and ends up being asked to help, or more often assumed to be helping, the NYC police solve these murders. Poe makes his own appearance in ghostly form, while Houdini tries to discredit the very mediums Doyle speaks about.
My Review
Set during the Jazz Age, I enjoyed the period setting, but often got lost in the small details sprinkled throughout to set the stage. Historical novels should be engaging reads, but should not bog the reader down with lists of people, places, and facts. It takes the reader away from the storyline and in Hjortsberg's novel, there were several points where the storyline got lost in the details of the period.
The separate plot lines did not come together well, either. Houdini and Doyle's struggle over whether contact can be made with the dead was a great plot line and could have taken the plot of the novel all on its own. I understand the desire to make this plot line come alive with the Poe murders and Doyle experiencing contact with Poe's dead ghost to help him figure out the murders. It would have made more sense to have Houdini experience the visits from Poe, since he was the one who did not believe in ghosts and other mediums.
Character development was left mostly to the reader. Maybe because the characters were so familiar, it was assumed readers would have their own preconceived ideas about the major players. While this may be true, the author should have spent more time fleshing out the characters, within the setting.
Overall the novel was a fair read, but it was not outstanding. Not one I will re-read or recommend to others.
My Rating
2 stars
maeclair's review against another edition
4.0
I've long been fascinated by the Houdini/Conan Doyle relationship and also Houdini's zest for exposing fraud mediums, hence I couldn't wait to read this book. I can't say I was disappointed about the mystery and Houdini and Conan Doyle are well portrayed. The era itself is so fully fleshed out it feels like a character. The story moves along at a good clip with numerous twists and turns. Poe's ghost felt an odd fit and I could have done without the strange sex. Those two quibbles aside, I enjoyed the tale!
carolsnotebook's review against another edition
2.0
I found the mystery itself pretty interesting. The idea of someone recreating Poe's decidely disturbing stories is fascinating in and of itself. I even liked the tension between Doyle's belief in a spiritual world and Houdini's need to expose mediums as frauds. It was all the sub-plots I could have done without.
Overall, it was a mishmash of drama, mystery, and fatasy that never really pulled together for me. The only saving grace was that I do love historical figures as characters, especially in mysteries. Otherwise, I probably would have given up on the book rather than finishing it.
Overall, it was a mishmash of drama, mystery, and fatasy that never really pulled together for me. The only saving grace was that I do love historical figures as characters, especially in mysteries. Otherwise, I probably would have given up on the book rather than finishing it.
vwalker's review against another edition
2.0
How. How is the book so very boring and unlikeable with such an amazing premise. The need for time and character realism sucked all the fun out.
acreese's review against another edition
3.0
While not usually drawn to novels that appropriate historical figures as characters in major roles, I couldn't resist the combination of Harry Houdini and Conan Doyle embroiled in a series of murders based on Poe's stories with visitations from the dyspeptic ghost of Poe himself. Entertaining light reading which I am following up with a 500+ page biography of Rilke penned by a professor emeritus and tempering that with boxing essays by Katherine Dunn.
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