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sshockley's review against another edition
2.0
This book is incredibly dull and slow with no payout to be found.
badseedgirl's review against another edition
4.0
What to say, what to say about Drood by Dan Simmons. First I should say the Mr. Simmons is the 2013 Grand Master of Horror awarded by the World Horror Convention, and the novel itself was a 2010 Locus Fantasy Award nominee. This being said Drood is not a horror or even a fantasy novel, but is in fact a psychological thriller. It is important to be aware of this fact, because if a reader goes in expecting a horror, or even a fantasy novel, they will be sadly disappointed. I strongly feel that this will explain some of the negative reactions to this novel. People seem to either love it or hate it. I have read very few ambivalent reviews.
Also at 946 pages this is a very long and wordy novel. I will be perfectly frank about this. I think about 200 pages could have been edited out with a judicial eye and not hurt the story one bit. The novel is full of descriptions, some of which are absolutely brilliant. Mr. Simmons descriptions of the smells of London’s ghettos in the hot July of 1865 not only carried me to those fetid London’s streets visually but nasally as well. I was walking with Dickens and Willkie on those streets and it was horrific. But at the same time, I did not need page after page describing the lighting for Dickens reading tour. This is where the judicial editing would have been nice.
As for the plot, it is almost impossible to describe the plot of this novel without numerous spoilers, so I am not going to try. The books descriptions on this site will have to do. What I will say is that again, if a reader is looking for a horror novel, this one will disappoint. I was not disappointed. This is the first novel of Mr. Simmons that I have read and so went into it with no expectations (as opposed to Great Expectations, yes, I just threw in a Charles Dickens joke in a review of a novel about Charles Dickens).
I found Drood to be an amazing read, although about half way through I accused it of being “Bloated”, and as I said it is longer than it needed to be. But in spite of that, I still wanted to read the ending. I wanted to know what happens to Willkie Collins, one of the most damaged characters I have ever read. Mr. Simmons does not shy away from the unpleasant characteristics of his characters for sure. Charles Dickens comes off as a pompous ass and incredibly insensitive to family and friends. Willkie Collins, the narrator of our tale, is sad, vain and jealous man, who is almost as insensitive as Dickens. At times it was a battle about which character I liked least at any given moment. But the point is Mr. Simmons wrung real emotion out of me. Although by about ½ through the novel I began to suspect there was more to this novel than a simple “Who and Where was the mysterious Drood”, I still found the ending a bit of a surprise. I expected that the character in trouble at the end of the novel would have his troubles resolved, but in a shocking twist, they were not, and the novel ends with the character’s troubles following him through to the moment of this death. Sorry to be so cryptic about this plot twist, but read the novel and you will see what I mean.
If a Psychological thriller involving Victorian London slums, drug use, and mesmerism, with an unexpected ending, Drood by Dan Simmons is the novel for you.
Also at 946 pages this is a very long and wordy novel. I will be perfectly frank about this. I think about 200 pages could have been edited out with a judicial eye and not hurt the story one bit. The novel is full of descriptions, some of which are absolutely brilliant. Mr. Simmons descriptions of the smells of London’s ghettos in the hot July of 1865 not only carried me to those fetid London’s streets visually but nasally as well. I was walking with Dickens and Willkie on those streets and it was horrific. But at the same time, I did not need page after page describing the lighting for Dickens reading tour. This is where the judicial editing would have been nice.
As for the plot, it is almost impossible to describe the plot of this novel without numerous spoilers, so I am not going to try. The books descriptions on this site will have to do. What I will say is that again, if a reader is looking for a horror novel, this one will disappoint. I was not disappointed. This is the first novel of Mr. Simmons that I have read and so went into it with no expectations (as opposed to Great Expectations, yes, I just threw in a Charles Dickens joke in a review of a novel about Charles Dickens).
I found Drood to be an amazing read, although about half way through I accused it of being “Bloated”, and as I said it is longer than it needed to be. But in spite of that, I still wanted to read the ending. I wanted to know what happens to Willkie Collins, one of the most damaged characters I have ever read. Mr. Simmons does not shy away from the unpleasant characteristics of his characters for sure. Charles Dickens comes off as a pompous ass and incredibly insensitive to family and friends. Willkie Collins, the narrator of our tale, is sad, vain and jealous man, who is almost as insensitive as Dickens. At times it was a battle about which character I liked least at any given moment. But the point is Mr. Simmons wrung real emotion out of me. Although by about ½ through the novel I began to suspect there was more to this novel than a simple “Who and Where was the mysterious Drood”, I still found the ending a bit of a surprise. I expected that the character in trouble at the end of the novel would have his troubles resolved, but in a shocking twist, they were not, and the novel ends with the character’s troubles following him through to the moment of this death. Sorry to be so cryptic about this plot twist, but read the novel and you will see what I mean.
If a Psychological thriller involving Victorian London slums, drug use, and mesmerism, with an unexpected ending, Drood by Dan Simmons is the novel for you.
claudiamccarron's review against another edition
4.0
Simmons's portrayal of Victorian London is gorgeous, especially the focus on its horrors. The ending is nicely ambiguous and bleak, but I have to say that I'm too much of a Wilkie Collins fangirl to buy him being the Salieri to Dickens's Mozart. Still a fun and engaging read!
nickydes's review against another edition
3.0
Zeer literair geschreven, goed verhaal/biografie tot in detail
mrsbear's review against another edition
5.0
Another great one by Dan Simmons. Big, fat book full of enjoyment.
candacesiegle_greedyreader's review against another edition
5.0
For once, a book that lives up to its advance buzz. Dan Simmons writes with an immediacy that pulls you in from the first page. People who fear long books should get over it and revel in a marvelous, engrossing, mysterious world.
I'm not sure who is the most compelling character, Charles Dickens or Wilkie Collins. I'd probably have to go with Collins, the jealous, loving friend with a serious addiction to laudenum; the sufferer from rhumatoid gout--or is it syphillis?; the writer of uncomfortable ghost stories. Simmons' sense of the mid-Victoria period is flawless, and he does not judge. For women of the period, life was not fair. Dickens throws off his wife and mother of his ten children to pursue a child actress. There is nothing she or her children can do. Nor do any of Wilkie's women have many options. They need a man in order to survive and stay off the street. Not pretty.
I'm glad I have not read "The Terror." I look forward to it.
We seem to have a richness of Dickens-themes novels at the moment. I also recommend Girl in a Blue Dress by Gaynor Arnold. Matthew Pearl's The Last Dickens is also pretty good, more for the scenes of the Dickens household following his death than anything else.
I'm not sure who is the most compelling character, Charles Dickens or Wilkie Collins. I'd probably have to go with Collins, the jealous, loving friend with a serious addiction to laudenum; the sufferer from rhumatoid gout--or is it syphillis?; the writer of uncomfortable ghost stories. Simmons' sense of the mid-Victoria period is flawless, and he does not judge. For women of the period, life was not fair. Dickens throws off his wife and mother of his ten children to pursue a child actress. There is nothing she or her children can do. Nor do any of Wilkie's women have many options. They need a man in order to survive and stay off the street. Not pretty.
I'm glad I have not read "The Terror." I look forward to it.
We seem to have a richness of Dickens-themes novels at the moment. I also recommend Girl in a Blue Dress by Gaynor Arnold. Matthew Pearl's The Last Dickens is also pretty good, more for the scenes of the Dickens household following his death than anything else.
victoria92's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
tinyviolet's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
ptothelo's review against another edition
1.0
The premise was interesting but I couldn't really get through the book once I got past the book jacket and the first couple of paragraphs. And I typically like historical fiction with some mysteries thrown in (like Stephanie Barron's Jane Austen books)
sandygx260's review against another edition
2.0
What did I think?
I think this book needed a focused, determined editor.
I think this book needed focus.
I think this book made me wonder what Dan Simmons was thinking.
Last night I said, "time to finish this book." I sat and read for a solid three hours. The story intrigued me enough to want to sit down and reveal the truth.
The truth revealed to the reader offers utter nonsense. Thee is a scene towards the end of the book where you will want to take someone's walking stick and club two main characters.
Entering into this book I realized laudanum-addicted Wilkie was a so-called "unreliable" narrator. The reader was given the fact. But at the end, I realized Dan Simmons cheated his readers and turned into an unreliable author. I expect far better from this author.
Astonishing. Two summers ago I read "The Terror" and loved it."Drood" made me wonder why I took time away from my own writing to read the long-winded passages, the endless repetitious passages, the passages which described too much over and over again.
Mr. Simmons, congratulations, you finally disappointed me. I stuck with you through many novels and always loved the twists and turns, be they horrific, historical or Trojan. With "Drood", you tumbled your words into a black hole.
Ouch.
Two stars due to the fine writing. The plot deserved no stars.
I think this book needed a focused, determined editor.
I think this book needed focus.
I think this book made me wonder what Dan Simmons was thinking.
Last night I said, "time to finish this book." I sat and read for a solid three hours. The story intrigued me enough to want to sit down and reveal the truth.
The truth revealed to the reader offers utter nonsense. Thee is a scene towards the end of the book where you will want to take someone's walking stick and club two main characters.
Entering into this book I realized laudanum-addicted Wilkie was a so-called "unreliable" narrator. The reader was given the fact. But at the end, I realized Dan Simmons cheated his readers and turned into an unreliable author. I expect far better from this author.
Astonishing. Two summers ago I read "The Terror" and loved it."Drood" made me wonder why I took time away from my own writing to read the long-winded passages, the endless repetitious passages, the passages which described too much over and over again.
Mr. Simmons, congratulations, you finally disappointed me. I stuck with you through many novels and always loved the twists and turns, be they horrific, historical or Trojan. With "Drood", you tumbled your words into a black hole.
Ouch.
Two stars due to the fine writing. The plot deserved no stars.