- Paperback: 272 pages
- Publisher: Valancourt Books (January 2007)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0979233232
- ISBN-13: 978-0979233234
- Product Dimensions: 21.1 x 13.7 x 1.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 295 g
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,132,143 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Product Description
Mary Blyth is fired from her job for tardiness after being robbed and nearly murdered. But her luck seems to change for the better when a solicitor informs her that her distant uncle Benjamin Batters has died, naming her his sole heiress! He bequeaths to her a dilapidated old house, where impenetrable iron doors may guard terrible secrets.
But the rats that infest the house, and the spirits that seem to haunt it, are not her only concerns. A trio of grotesque and ruthless thugs will stop at nothing to gain entrance to the house and the secrets it conceals. As the mystery deepens, a more frightening question arises: Is Benjamin Batters playing a murderous game from beyond the grave, or is he still alive? The novel's relentless action builds in a crescendo until the horrifying truth of Batters's fate is finally revealed!
Richard Marsh's The Joss (1901) can be read as a companion volume to his most famous novel, The Beetle (1897), which in its time outsold even Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897). Like The Beetle, The Joss features a thrilling tale told from multiple points of view and a hideous, subhuman monster from the East. The Valancourt Books edition reprints the rare 1901 first edition, which survives in only a handful of copies worldwide, complete with a facsimile of its cover.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A monstrous inheritance, Jun 25 2011
By Patto - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Joss: A Reversion (Paperback)
First published in 1901, The Joss is an adventure story, a thriller and a triple love story all in one. Repulsive villains, impulsive heroes and strong-minded young ladies abound in a delightfully outlandish plot.
We start with two heroines. Mary Blyth (Pollie to her friends) and Emily Purvis have just been unfairly dismissed from their jobs as shop assistants. They have only a few shillings between them and no place to go. Happily a lawyer intercepts them on the street with news for Pollie of an inheritance from her Uncle Benjamin. She'll have a comfortable income and a house in London. This is quite a surprise as Pollie never met Uncle Benjamin and never heard any good of him.
As it turns out, there are peculiarly disagreeable conditions attached to the inheritance. And the house is shoddy, filthy and full of rats, and exhibits sinister features. Nightmarish experiences are in store for Pollie and Emily under this roof!
Our third heroine is an exotic beauty who claims to be a daughter of the gods - and looks it. The Joss is her father. How she and the Joss fit into the picture is just one of the many amazing discoveries in store for the reader.
The story takes us all over the world, from the China Seas to the seediest streets of London. There are hair-raising close calls with death or worse - and all sorts of double-dealing. Odd-looking men with baleful intentions keep turning up everywhere.
I'm really enjoying Richard Marsh and wish more of his books were in print. I like his daring way of mixing genres, something writers today are hesitant to do (not good marketing!). He has a wild imagination, a positive genius for inventing diabolical characters and a witty way with dialog.
The editorial write-up (above) sees The Joss as a companion piece to The Beetle. I found the two books to have nothing in common but their wonderful strangeness. Both are great fun to read.
The Valencourt Books edition of The Joss is nicely produced. I'd recommend it over other reprints.
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