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A review by caitpoytress
The Silent Land by Graham Joyce
3.0
3.5 stars
I might have even given this 4 stars had I read it in winter. Does that sound weird? Some books are just seasonal to me, and this is definitely a cold weather book. I think it would have enhanced the experience.
Reading the first page, I was worried that Joyce's writing style (choppy and somewhat repetitive) would bother me too much to enjoy the story. Either his writing got better as the book progressed or I was just too engrossed to notice it anymore. This is a can't put it down / can't wait to pick it up book (and I really needed one of those). It succeeded in creeping me out more than once, and the description of being trapped in an avalanche had me feeling downright panicky. The ending was a slight let down, but I've kind of come to expect that with stories like these. The resolution never seems quite able to match the tension and suspense of the buildup. Once the questions have been answered and the mysteries solved, it's... well, not mysterious anymore. And that's the driving force of the story, so it's natural to feel a bit deflated once that sense of the unknown is gone. While it's there, though, it is good.
By the way,
I might have even given this 4 stars had I read it in winter. Does that sound weird? Some books are just seasonal to me, and this is definitely a cold weather book. I think it would have enhanced the experience.
Reading the first page, I was worried that Joyce's writing style (choppy and somewhat repetitive) would bother me too much to enjoy the story. Either his writing got better as the book progressed or I was just too engrossed to notice it anymore. This is a can't put it down / can't wait to pick it up book (and I really needed one of those). It succeeded in creeping me out more than once, and the description of being trapped in an avalanche had me feeling downright panicky. The ending was a slight let down, but I've kind of come to expect that with stories like these. The resolution never seems quite able to match the tension and suspense of the buildup. Once the questions have been answered and the mysteries solved, it's... well, not mysterious anymore. And that's the driving force of the story, so it's natural to feel a bit deflated once that sense of the unknown is gone. While it's there, though, it is good.
By the way,