Reviews

The Secret History of Twin Peaks by Mark Frost

daumari's review

4.0

Note: I've seen the series, but haven't watched Fire Walk With Me yet, nor have I read any other Twin Peaks related book, so I can't really comment on canon inconsistencies (though it wouldn't surprise me if they were intentionally done for unreliable narrator purposes).

From the title, you'd perhaps expect a history of the town itself. That's partially there, definitely. Maybe you'd expect a bit about the surrounding area, which is also present, nicely weaving supernatural fiction into historical fact like a gap in the Lewis & Clark expedition's logs (and Lewis's subsequent mysterious death) and Chief Joseph's attempt to take the Nez Perce to Canada. But, there's also quite a bit of alternative history re: other famous mysterious occurrences including Roswell and Nixon which has slightly less to do with the town and more the unexpected adventures of a side character.

Spoiler

Perhaps a better title would be The Life and Times of Doug Milford?

Other older characters are explored (especially as history of town families), but it does seem to mostly be the

Spoiler

Doug Milford exploring weird stuff

show.

On a graphics standpoint, this book is beautiful. I love the partial dust jacket (which naturally obscures

Spoiler

the owl

on the cloth cover. The footnotes (sidenotes?) by Special Agent T.P. remind me a bit of House of Leaves, especially as our commentator gets slightly less objective while commenting on a commentator. Excellent use of some subtle things that make me wonder if that's an actual typewriter quirk from I989, an actual clue, or a quirk of the dossier's author.

Overall, an excellent tie-in to an existing piece of media.

jamlin's review

3.0

Well, this definitely wasn't what I was expecting! It got to a point where I pretty much skipped over all the American conspiracy talk, but I liked the Twin Peaks-centric parts... which, unfortunately, only made up a small percentage of the book.

eamily's review

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Mental illness, and Alcohol

Minor: Racism, Pedophilia, Grief, Sexism, Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, Drug abuse, Rape, Incest, Addiction, Suicide, and War

emiliejade_bigelow's review

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

Structure et style intéressant. Mais histoire à dormir debout

aec58's review

mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

yasmijn3's review

informative mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

bippityboppityboop's review against another edition

adventurous informative lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

andtheangelswouldnthelpyou's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Phenomenal. A must-read for anyone remotely interested in the world of Twin Peaks, Washington

amyw's review against another edition

funny informative mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

haileyeh's review

mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury