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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
dark
slow-paced
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Definitely way too long. I like the overall premise though (even if I know literally nothing about Charles Dickens) and the voice actor is great
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Brilliantly done. Though Simmons is more known for his science fiction/ horror books and short stories (and this novel does contain elements of horror. It's set in the Victorian era, after all) this is not really that sort of book.
Drood tells the story of the last five years of Dickens's life, from Wilkie Collins's point of view. And what a view it is. Suffering from rheumatic gout, Collins takes laudanum. LOTS of laudanum - enough to kill most people. Jealous of the seeming ease of Dickens's success, and discounting the trials in Dickens's life, Collins, over the course of the book, devolves into a brilliantly rendered 19th century frenemy. Well done.
Drood tells the story of the last five years of Dickens's life, from Wilkie Collins's point of view. And what a view it is. Suffering from rheumatic gout, Collins takes laudanum. LOTS of laudanum - enough to kill most people. Jealous of the seeming ease of Dickens's success, and discounting the trials in Dickens's life, Collins, over the course of the book, devolves into a brilliantly rendered 19th century frenemy. Well done.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Too many spoilers on Dickens' novels that I still want to read. Must finish my Dickens reading first. Will come back to it eventually. November 2024 update: Read 2 more dickens before coming back to finish.
Dan Simmons is a master of suspense! He doesn’t disappoint in Drood. His novels are so well researched that even though they’re fiction they’re full of historical facts. I find myself frequently jumping out to wiki to learn more. This novel was particularly fun because he takes you into the literal underground of London. If you’re fascinated with tortured characters, living secret lives, and struggling with the human condition, throw in a good dash of the supernatural, you’ll like it.
Fantastic, gripping. Pulled me right along into its twisted depths of madness and fear. Would read again.
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
GAH.
This book is almost 800 pages long. I knew after the first fifty, definitely after the first hundred, that I wasn’t enjoying it, but I kept reading because 1) I’m a stubborn bitch, 2) Dan Simmons has written good books in the past, and 3) I just felt like it had to get better, right? RIGHT?
Not so much. If you want to read a book about an unlikeable narrator—in this case, supposedly [a:Wilkie Collins|4012|Wilkie Collins|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1192222099p2/4012.jpg]—bitch about his likewise unlikeable friend/rival/whatever—supposedly [a:Charles Dickens|239579|Charles Dickens|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1183239979p2/239579.jpg]—for 800 pages while some vaguely spooky stuff happens, none of which is scary or interesting enough to sustain the narrative—then this doorstop of a read is the book for you. If not, then don’t be like me—run! Run! Save yourselves!
This book is almost 800 pages long. I knew after the first fifty, definitely after the first hundred, that I wasn’t enjoying it, but I kept reading because 1) I’m a stubborn bitch, 2) Dan Simmons has written good books in the past, and 3) I just felt like it had to get better, right? RIGHT?
Not so much. If you want to read a book about an unlikeable narrator—in this case, supposedly [a:Wilkie Collins|4012|Wilkie Collins|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1192222099p2/4012.jpg]—bitch about his likewise unlikeable friend/rival/whatever—supposedly [a:Charles Dickens|239579|Charles Dickens|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1183239979p2/239579.jpg]—for 800 pages while some vaguely spooky stuff happens, none of which is scary or interesting enough to sustain the narrative—then this doorstop of a read is the book for you. If not, then don’t be like me—run! Run! Save yourselves!