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hectaizani's review against another edition
4.0
Creepy tale set in a small Irish town. Writer Jack Quinlan travels to Ireland to research a book on the Famine but gets more than he bargained for. The story starts off slowly, while the suspense slowly builds. I was pleased that what I thought was going to happen ultimately didn’t.
the_enobee's review against another edition
5.0
A beautiful Irish ghost story. If you don’t get to it in time for St. Patrick’s Day, it will make a perfect Irish All Hallow's Eve read.
rodneywilhite's review against another edition
2.0
Everyone seems to like this book more than me. So, no offense if you love this book. It just very much was not for me.
Here we have a story of the Bad Things Happen in the Countryside genre, as narrated by the type of smug American who can drink a Guinness at a pub where someone is wheezing into uilleann pipes and think he's found the "real" Ireland.
There are two women in the book, a matron and a plaything, naturally (and both of them can cook a mean dinner for their man). Despite the author's best intentions toward romance I kept thinking, girl, you've only met this dude twice IRL and you don't have to go fulfilling any ancient prophecies or anything with him--and, OMG, his fixation on her "full" breasts and "milk-white" skin made me think he was weaned too early.
Maybe it's just me. Maybe it's because my pet peeve is writers who think writers are interesting characters. Who think an interesting scene can consist of someone sitting at a typewriter (or word processor in this case--which seems to be an artifact from some future civilization to the backwards locals of Doolin, Ireland).
We keep getting told that the lifestyle of Doolin hasn't changed in hundreds of years, but this book takes place around 1983, so I guarantee you there's nerdy kids listening to punk rock somewhere in town. But no, we've only got wooly sweaters and scally caps and the old time ballads here. I remember reading an interview with Philip Chevron of The Pogues in which he said The Pogues had no chance of breaking into the American mainstream because Americans have such a strict definition of what they want Irish culture to be. Cast a Cold Eye adheres very much to a touristic American perspective of Irishness. The fact that he's in town to research the potato famine is painfully corny and obvious. He's gonna write a book about The One Thing Americans Know about Irish History, and can't figure out why the locals are giving him the side-eye.
The book is just so, so predictable to anyone who's ever seen The Wicker Man (which should be anyone who's interested enough in this genre to read Cast a Cold Eye). The prose is frequently gorgeous, I will give it that, but the everything else is just awful.
Here we have a story of the Bad Things Happen in the Countryside genre, as narrated by the type of smug American who can drink a Guinness at a pub where someone is wheezing into uilleann pipes and think he's found the "real" Ireland.
There are two women in the book, a matron and a plaything, naturally (and both of them can cook a mean dinner for their man). Despite the author's best intentions toward romance I kept thinking, girl, you've only met this dude twice IRL and you don't have to go fulfilling any ancient prophecies or anything with him--and, OMG, his fixation on her "full" breasts and "milk-white" skin made me think he was weaned too early.
Maybe it's just me. Maybe it's because my pet peeve is writers who think writers are interesting characters. Who think an interesting scene can consist of someone sitting at a typewriter (or word processor in this case--which seems to be an artifact from some future civilization to the backwards locals of Doolin, Ireland).
We keep getting told that the lifestyle of Doolin hasn't changed in hundreds of years, but this book takes place around 1983, so I guarantee you there's nerdy kids listening to punk rock somewhere in town. But no, we've only got wooly sweaters and scally caps and the old time ballads here. I remember reading an interview with Philip Chevron of The Pogues in which he said The Pogues had no chance of breaking into the American mainstream because Americans have such a strict definition of what they want Irish culture to be. Cast a Cold Eye adheres very much to a touristic American perspective of Irishness. The fact that he's in town to research the potato famine is painfully corny and obvious. He's gonna write a book about The One Thing Americans Know about Irish History, and can't figure out why the locals are giving him the side-eye.
The book is just so, so predictable to anyone who's ever seen The Wicker Man (which should be anyone who's interested enough in this genre to read Cast a Cold Eye). The prose is frequently gorgeous, I will give it that, but the everything else is just awful.
camilleisreading24's review against another edition
3.0
***3.5/5 stars***
Atmospheric and suspenseful tale set in fictionalized Dingle town in Western Ireland. I enjoyed the building suspense and the characterization, but was left wanting more from the conclusion. I didn't get spooked!
Atmospheric and suspenseful tale set in fictionalized Dingle town in Western Ireland. I enjoyed the building suspense and the characterization, but was left wanting more from the conclusion. I didn't get spooked!
propamanda's review against another edition
2.0
Stereotypical drivel. And I grew up in the capital of stereotypical Irish drivel * Dublin, OH * so I KNOW.
The cartoonish famine-victim ghosts weren’t creepy and phrases like “they were deep in Celtic thoughts” were thrown about. No thanks.
I’m giving it two stars instead of one though because it was still better than Celtic punk.
The cartoonish famine-victim ghosts weren’t creepy and phrases like “they were deep in Celtic thoughts” were thrown about. No thanks.
I’m giving it two stars instead of one though because it was still better than Celtic punk.
williemeikle's review against another edition
5.0
Probably the best "ghost" novel of recent years, and all the better for it for having a rarely seen setting.
Ryan sets his tale on a remote corner of Ireland, and captures the feeling of desperation in the community perfectly.
It starts with a meeting with a phantom by the roadside, then steadily ratchets up the tension as the protagonist finds out the true cost of living in the community, and what must be done to placate those who don't sleep easily in their graves.
There are many genuinely suspenseful scenes, well developed characters, and sympathetic ghosts who are only doing what has to be done.
Creepy as hell, well constructed, beautifully written. It's a great pity that Ryan didn't write more in the genre.
Ryan sets his tale on a remote corner of Ireland, and captures the feeling of desperation in the community perfectly.
It starts with a meeting with a phantom by the roadside, then steadily ratchets up the tension as the protagonist finds out the true cost of living in the community, and what must be done to placate those who don't sleep easily in their graves.
There are many genuinely suspenseful scenes, well developed characters, and sympathetic ghosts who are only doing what has to be done.
Creepy as hell, well constructed, beautifully written. It's a great pity that Ryan didn't write more in the genre.
williemeikle's review
5.0
CAST A COLD EYE preys on my mind. I first read it from our local library when it came out and it gave me nightmares. Then I found a 1st Edition hardcover of it in a book shop in Inverness, where it was stacked by accident in a shelf of Scottish hardcover crime books. I bought it, read it again, and got more nightmares.
There's something going on in these pages that keys directly into my psyche. I think it's a Celt thing, and small towns where old men mutter secrets to each other in smoky bars while someone in the background sings the old songs. I know a bit about that kind of place. And so did Alan Ryan, a wonderful writer taken from us too soon.
He spoke in interviews of how he dodn't spend uch time on research, but went for feel and gut instinct in writing it, and in doing so, I think he too tapped into something primal about blood, and kin, and community.
It's a book with heart and soul, wearing both on its sleeve. Sure, it gets melodramatic in places, but in others there's a deft handling of creeping dread, and of how the supernatural might creep into a world view otherwise inimical to it.
I've found that not many of my supernatural fiction writing buddies have read this one -- it seems to have gone under the radar back in the day, and been largely ignored. Which is a great shame, as it's a great ghost story, a fine piece of writing, and a lovely examination of a way of life that's disappearing fast. Hopefully the Valacourt edition means more people are finding it.
I love it...even if it still gives me nightmares.
There's something going on in these pages that keys directly into my psyche. I think it's a Celt thing, and small towns where old men mutter secrets to each other in smoky bars while someone in the background sings the old songs. I know a bit about that kind of place. And so did Alan Ryan, a wonderful writer taken from us too soon.
He spoke in interviews of how he dodn't spend uch time on research, but went for feel and gut instinct in writing it, and in doing so, I think he too tapped into something primal about blood, and kin, and community.
It's a book with heart and soul, wearing both on its sleeve. Sure, it gets melodramatic in places, but in others there's a deft handling of creeping dread, and of how the supernatural might creep into a world view otherwise inimical to it.
I've found that not many of my supernatural fiction writing buddies have read this one -- it seems to have gone under the radar back in the day, and been largely ignored. Which is a great shame, as it's a great ghost story, a fine piece of writing, and a lovely examination of a way of life that's disappearing fast. Hopefully the Valacourt edition means more people are finding it.
I love it...even if it still gives me nightmares.
stduke's review against another edition
2.0
If you like books with strong female characters, then I regret to inform you that you may want to dodge this one; literally every woman character with speaking lines is reduced to a simple caretaker or sex object. Sometimes both
I knew going in that this was a slow burn 'horror', but literally nothing happened. Nothing at all. the main character was told he was in danger multiple times, but then nothing ever came of it. Like, nothing. He was scared but did he really have need to be? Don't think so.
Speaking of the main character, I had issue with his super intense, sexually-driven fascination with a girl more than a decade younger than him bc she was pretty and read books or something.
Author was very adept at description tho, I'll give him that. Just wish he'd done a little less describing of the girls breasts. My god, did he like to talk about those HEFTY, WEIGHTY, FULL AND RIPE things.
(Also, part of the plot was that what was happening to Jack in the town of Doolin was that any talk of what was going on had to be held in secret, but WHY it needed to be secret was never explained, and then you find out later that everyone in the town already knew about what was going on, so. What was the deal with that.)
I knew going in that this was a slow burn 'horror', but literally nothing happened. Nothing at all. the main character was told he was in danger multiple times, but then nothing ever came of it. Like, nothing. He was scared but did he really have need to be? Don't think so.
Speaking of the main character, I had issue with his super intense, sexually-driven fascination with a girl more than a decade younger than him bc she was pretty and read books or something.
Author was very adept at description tho, I'll give him that. Just wish he'd done a little less describing of the girls breasts. My god, did he like to talk about those HEFTY, WEIGHTY, FULL AND RIPE things.
(Also, part of the plot was that what was happening to Jack in the town of Doolin was that any talk of what was going on had to be held in secret, but WHY it needed to be secret was never explained, and then you find out later that everyone in the town already knew about what was going on, so. What was the deal with that.)
gingerbookaddict's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5