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A review by lmt01
Banquet for the Damned by Adam L.G. Nevill
4.0
Being the debut novel of one of my all-time favourite authors, I wasn't too sure what to expect when going into BANQUET FOR THE DAMNED, especially since it is regarded as one of his weakest novels. I'd read quite a few reviews chiding the book's slow start, weak characters and poor writing style. However, looking back, I can't really say that any of those three things really bothered me. In fact, Nevill's first book is probably one of his best!
The town of St Andrews, which has the honour of being Scotland’s oldest University town, is being plagued by odd disappearances and, most recently, a severed arm washing up on the beach. Stumbling upon its mysteries are young rock musicians Dante and Tom, who have come to St Andrews to meet a man named Professor Coldwell, author of a book called Banquet for the Damned that details odd phenomena. Not only do the musicians plan on making a concept album around Coldwell’s book - of which Dante is a dedicated fan - but the professor plans on writing another book, one even weirder than his last one - and he wants Dante’s help. Meanwhile, American anthropologist Hart Miller is in St Andrews to study what makes certain people believe in superstitions or mythologies, having travelled the world. However, what he finds waiting in St Andrews is far from what he’d been expecting, and certainly not what he’d been waiting for. Soon, these four - along with the entire town - find themselves connected by a dreadful presence that thirsts for blood, for chaos, for death...
BANQUET FOR THE DAMNED is pretty different to most of the novels that Nevill would write afterwards, especially in terms of scope: while his other novels follow a tight cast, usually no larger than five protagonists, Nevill's debut instead goes into the whole town of St Andrews, delving into the people who live in it and even its history. While that does draw away characterisation from the main characters, it was still interesting to read about the lives of those who inhabit the ancient streets of the Scottish town - which is, interestingly enough, a real place.
Nevill's abilities were with him even when he was starting out, which really impressed me: not only could he vividly capture the details of a place, but he was also able to send shivers down my spine. Now, Nevill is probably the only author who has managed to scare me - truly scare me - frequently, so to feel so in his debut reminded me why I loved him as an author.
If you are interested in reading Adam Nevill, I do not advise starting here: while it didn't bother me, it does take a while for things to get moving, and some aspects of the book may annoy some people. However, if you are interested in putting BANQUET FOR THE DAMNED on your reading list, then go ahead! See the birth of modern horror's king.
The town of St Andrews, which has the honour of being Scotland’s oldest University town, is being plagued by odd disappearances and, most recently, a severed arm washing up on the beach. Stumbling upon its mysteries are young rock musicians Dante and Tom, who have come to St Andrews to meet a man named Professor Coldwell, author of a book called Banquet for the Damned that details odd phenomena. Not only do the musicians plan on making a concept album around Coldwell’s book - of which Dante is a dedicated fan - but the professor plans on writing another book, one even weirder than his last one - and he wants Dante’s help. Meanwhile, American anthropologist Hart Miller is in St Andrews to study what makes certain people believe in superstitions or mythologies, having travelled the world. However, what he finds waiting in St Andrews is far from what he’d been expecting, and certainly not what he’d been waiting for. Soon, these four - along with the entire town - find themselves connected by a dreadful presence that thirsts for blood, for chaos, for death...
BANQUET FOR THE DAMNED is pretty different to most of the novels that Nevill would write afterwards, especially in terms of scope: while his other novels follow a tight cast, usually no larger than five protagonists, Nevill's debut instead goes into the whole town of St Andrews, delving into the people who live in it and even its history. While that does draw away characterisation from the main characters, it was still interesting to read about the lives of those who inhabit the ancient streets of the Scottish town - which is, interestingly enough, a real place.
Nevill's abilities were with him even when he was starting out, which really impressed me: not only could he vividly capture the details of a place, but he was also able to send shivers down my spine. Now, Nevill is probably the only author who has managed to scare me - truly scare me - frequently, so to feel so in his debut reminded me why I loved him as an author.
If you are interested in reading Adam Nevill, I do not advise starting here: while it didn't bother me, it does take a while for things to get moving, and some aspects of the book may annoy some people. However, if you are interested in putting BANQUET FOR THE DAMNED on your reading list, then go ahead! See the birth of modern horror's king.