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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This one was a bit hard to finish. Wasn’t fully vested, just didn’t grab me.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Moreno-Garcia spinnt einen zunächst wilden Garn um verfluchten Film, seltsame Kulte und einen obskuren Nazi-Okkultisten in Mexiko, doch liegt der Schwerpunkt hier statt auf Mystery und Horror vielmehr auf der Beziehung zwischen ihren beiden angeknacksten Protagonisten und deren Liebes-, Arbeits- und Seelenlebens.
Kommt die Story ab der Hälfte des Buches endlich in Fahrt, so wurde doch anfänglich mehr versprochen als tatsächlich geliefert wird.
Warum also meine Wertung von vier von fünf Sternen?
Weil Moreno-Garcia (ihre Figuren) erzählen kann und sie ihre Geschichte mit vielen Anspielungen an den (Horror-)Film anreichert, was einem alten Cineasten wie mir zusätzliche Freuden bereitete.
Kommt die Story ab der Hälfte des Buches endlich in Fahrt, so wurde doch anfänglich mehr versprochen als tatsächlich geliefert wird.
Warum also meine Wertung von vier von fünf Sternen?
Weil Moreno-Garcia (ihre Figuren) erzählen kann und sie ihre Geschichte mit vielen Anspielungen an den (Horror-)Film anreichert, was einem alten Cineasten wie mir zusätzliche Freuden bereitete.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
challenging
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Absolutely captivating
What a well written, anticlimactic letdown.
This is the kind of book that leaves me wondering how the hell it was nominated for best horror in the first place. Were there no other contenders? Actually, I'm checking if it made it to the finals. Be right back...
Okay. I'm back. It didn't win, but it made it to the finalists and...sure. Who the hell was scared of this book? The cover is the scariest part!
In the spirit of being objective: this book was well written. I don't think I've ever read a book with so much Mexican background stuff. It was also interesting to learn about movie and sound production, albeit only superficially.
I was immersed in the story, at first. Even more so when it started gaining heat and I thought it would climb further. It had so much potential to do so! Instead, it plateaus right when it should've dragged us deeper. Smoky dogs? An apparition? Y'all are scared of that? So much so that you nominate it as best horror? Huh?
What did you enjoy most about Silver Nitrate ? What did you struggle with?
I personally enjoyed the first 1/2 of it. I struggled with the second half. I like the author's take on magic. Innovative but underwhelming in the end. I felt like the whole thing fizzled right when it had the potential to be something incredibly magnificent.
Was there a character you wish had a bigger role, or one you wished you could know more about?
Probably Ewers. I liked learning more about him when the letters were discovered. This retelling of his life and his origin. Again, this all faded to the background right as he starts becoming this scary entity that isn't all that scary after all. The other characters are quite forgettable.
This book might be considered an extreme take on “movie magic.” Which type of character would you be in a classic horror movie? Would you try to do everything on your own, or recruit a friend?
I'd probably recruit a friend, but I'm also scared of being shunned. For something as weird as magic, I'd probably go about it on my own until I couldn't anymore.
Despite (or perhaps because of) their longtime friendship, Montserrat and Tristán remain very close, although they can be very different from each other. Do you think this can be a good thing? Are they good friends to each other? Explain.
The contrast between the two was needed in this book. They're both insufferable on their own. Again. Both are forgettable. You could easily replace them with anyone else and the story would've been the same. This book was about Ewers...not these two.
The book takes place in 1993, with many elements typical to the ‘90s (VCRs, answering machines, etc.), but the magic is even older. Do you think this story could have worked in a different time? Why or why not?
I don't think so. Part of the appeal is that the magic is imbued in these old types of films. I guess the same could be applied to some modern technology, but then I imagine the title of the book would've had to change.
The magic systems in this book are “invented” by the mysterious Wilhelm Ewers. While his version is based on pseudoscience and a mix of cultural practices, how do you feel about Montserrat’s approach to magic? Do you think magic can be practiced by anyone?
I think the book stresses that magic is rooted in belief. It's why Jose told Tristan he had to believe for any attempts at magic to be fruitful. Ewers created a system that others believed in, but no one believed in it more than himself. Maybe that's why it was so powerful. Monserrat's keen observation of this is what led to her ability to develop a system that was hers and Tristan's alone.
Movies and magic are major themes in Silver Nitrate . What other themes did you notice?
Best friends that should've gotten together eons ago. I think the ending would've had more shock value if one of them had died and the predictable was therefore impossible.
How do you feel about the ending? What do you think happens next with Montserrat and Tristán?
Lots of arguments, fights, and possibly a breakup. I can't picture them together, but I can't imagine them living their lives without each other.
Do you think there are any villains in the book? Why or why not? Which character’s motives do you feel most sympathetic toward? The least?
Again, everyone was mostly forgettable. Not a single character besides Ewers had a gravitational pull to them. Like Montserrat, I am also a very curious person. Stumbling across a system of believes like this one (magic or not) would've led me to go on a research tandem. I would've wanted to learn everything about it. The main villain in this book is the author for crushing it before it had a chance to breathe.
What medium do you think would be the easiest to “curse” today—a movie, TV show, podcast, social media, something else? What would your motive be?
I would probably aim for riches. Money seems to move the world nowadays. If the elections and the propaganda that spread like wildfire are any sign, then social media is most definitely the easiest medium. Ewers would've been unstoppable today.
This is the kind of book that leaves me wondering how the hell it was nominated for best horror in the first place. Were there no other contenders? Actually, I'm checking if it made it to the finals. Be right back...
Okay. I'm back. It didn't win, but it made it to the finalists and...sure. Who the hell was scared of this book? The cover is the scariest part!
In the spirit of being objective: this book was well written. I don't think I've ever read a book with so much Mexican background stuff. It was also interesting to learn about movie and sound production, albeit only superficially.
I was immersed in the story, at first. Even more so when it started gaining heat and I thought it would climb further. It had so much potential to do so! Instead, it plateaus right when it should've dragged us deeper. Smoky dogs? An apparition? Y'all are scared of that? So much so that you nominate it as best horror? Huh?
What did you enjoy most about Silver Nitrate ? What did you struggle with?
I personally enjoyed the first 1/2 of it. I struggled with the second half. I like the author's take on magic. Innovative but underwhelming in the end. I felt like the whole thing fizzled right when it had the potential to be something incredibly magnificent.
Was there a character you wish had a bigger role, or one you wished you could know more about?
Probably Ewers. I liked learning more about him when the letters were discovered. This retelling of his life and his origin. Again, this all faded to the background right as he starts becoming this scary entity that isn't all that scary after all. The other characters are quite forgettable.
This book might be considered an extreme take on “movie magic.” Which type of character would you be in a classic horror movie? Would you try to do everything on your own, or recruit a friend?
I'd probably recruit a friend, but I'm also scared of being shunned. For something as weird as magic, I'd probably go about it on my own until I couldn't anymore.
Despite (or perhaps because of) their longtime friendship, Montserrat and Tristán remain very close, although they can be very different from each other. Do you think this can be a good thing? Are they good friends to each other? Explain.
The contrast between the two was needed in this book. They're both insufferable on their own. Again. Both are forgettable. You could easily replace them with anyone else and the story would've been the same. This book was about Ewers...not these two.
The book takes place in 1993, with many elements typical to the ‘90s (VCRs, answering machines, etc.), but the magic is even older. Do you think this story could have worked in a different time? Why or why not?
I don't think so. Part of the appeal is that the magic is imbued in these old types of films. I guess the same could be applied to some modern technology, but then I imagine the title of the book would've had to change.
The magic systems in this book are “invented” by the mysterious Wilhelm Ewers. While his version is based on pseudoscience and a mix of cultural practices, how do you feel about Montserrat’s approach to magic? Do you think magic can be practiced by anyone?
I think the book stresses that magic is rooted in belief. It's why Jose told Tristan he had to believe for any attempts at magic to be fruitful. Ewers created a system that others believed in, but no one believed in it more than himself. Maybe that's why it was so powerful. Monserrat's keen observation of this is what led to her ability to develop a system that was hers and Tristan's alone.
Movies and magic are major themes in Silver Nitrate . What other themes did you notice?
Best friends that should've gotten together eons ago. I think the ending would've had more shock value if one of them had died and the predictable was therefore impossible.
How do you feel about the ending? What do you think happens next with Montserrat and Tristán?
Lots of arguments, fights, and possibly a breakup. I can't picture them together, but I can't imagine them living their lives without each other.
Do you think there are any villains in the book? Why or why not? Which character’s motives do you feel most sympathetic toward? The least?
Again, everyone was mostly forgettable. Not a single character besides Ewers had a gravitational pull to them. Like Montserrat, I am also a very curious person. Stumbling across a system of believes like this one (magic or not) would've led me to go on a research tandem. I would've wanted to learn everything about it. The main villain in this book is the author for crushing it before it had a chance to breathe.
What medium do you think would be the easiest to “curse” today—a movie, TV show, podcast, social media, something else? What would your motive be?
I would probably aim for riches. Money seems to move the world nowadays. If the elections and the propaganda that spread like wildfire are any sign, then social media is most definitely the easiest medium. Ewers would've been unstoppable today.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I'm starting to think SMG is hit or miss with me. This one seemed sub par for her.