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5.0étoiles sur 5
Effortless supernatural thriller, Sep 4 2002
I was introduced to Phil Rickman quite by chance several years back when he first produced Crybbe and was instantly hooked. The Welsh/English border is the perfect setting for his heady mix of celtic supernatural and modern new age characters. Existing in the twilight that is often so well depicted by James Herbert, he has produced, over the years, several linked tales that take you on the ancient paths of England's West Country invariably pulling fourteenth through seventeenth century tales of malice and horror to reemerge a sinister forces through the late twentieth century.
So it is with Midwinter of the Spirit. A tale woven around exorcism and possession, our main protagonist is the return of Reverend Merrily Watkins from the Wine of Angels, a single mother who is prepared to both acknowledge and involve herself with the practical nature of exorcism. A lack of assistance by the outgoing resident and a continuing troubled relationship with her daughter leads Merrily to join forces with Lol Robinson (who'll crop up in A Crown of Lights and The Cure of Souls - a rough quartet we wonder? Or, perhaps the emergence of Rickman's favoured sleuth?) to investigate and eventually confront an ancient evil at the heart of the Cathedral where the shrine of St Thomas was destroyed.
Rickman's works must rank him alongside James Herbert, and there are inevitable comparisons to King - though I think his work is of a different nature - and The Midwinter of the Spirit only confirms him as as established master of the supernatural thriller.
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3.0étoiles sur 5
"Midwinter" Has Its Doldrums, Mai 21 2002
Let me start by saying that I am a real fan of Phil Rickman--I think he writes better supernatural thrillers than anyone in the business, and it is a shame that he hasn't found a bigger audience in the U.S. However, I found Midwinter of the Spirit to be one of his weaker efforts. Granted, all of his usual strengths are displayed here. His characters are colorful and real, and the dialogue is richly idiosyncratic. Stylistically, he once again seems incapable of sounding a false note (and how many horror writers can one say that about?). The problem, as I see it, is in the structure. The book seems strangely "cinematic," in that Rickman has developed an infuriating habit of cutting to a new scene the moment he manages to build a bit of suspense, and thus momentum is always being lost. And even more important, the book is simply not as scary as most of his other books--there is nothing in this one that rivals the horrific thrills of say, Curfew, or Candlenight. There are two or three somewhat unsettling scenes (the attempted "deliverance" of Denzil Joy is a classic), but they are scattered far and wide, and divorced from any real narrative build, they do not have much of an impact. And finally, Rickman again commits the sin of which he is often guilty: too easily resolving the conflict that he has so laboriously built. So much is made of an impending church ceremony in which demonic forces might storm the portals and wreak havoc on earth, but when the ceremony finally arrives, the catastrophe is averted almost effortlessly: all it takes is the prayer of a dying priest and the unexpected kindness of a teenager. The effect of the quick and tidy resolution is that the evil seems to been overrated from the start, leaving this reader wondering why he spent so much time believing in it.
As I say, I admire Phil Rickman immensely, so I'm sure this book is just a bump in the road of his distinguished career. I'm reading A Crown of Lights right now, and I'm happy to say that it seems far more satisfying.
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5.0étoiles sur 5
Mysterious, spooky ,fascinating and addictive, Fév 5 2002
Par Un client
This book began for me, a fascinating journey through Phil Rickman's writing. The real strength of this book, and Phil Rickman's previous books, is that they stay totally believable, even as they take you on a journey into the depths of spooky rituals, mysterious deaths and dangerously creepy people.
Merrily Watkins is a normal, thirty-something single parent, who also happens to be an Anglican priest and diocesan exorcist. She is at once a believable and vulnerable hero, relying more on her wits than on any supernatural powers.
Exciting, intriguing, fascinating and scary - I loved it!
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