So who out there has read My Swordhand is Singing?
I've only read one Marcus Sedgwick book, and although I wasn't a huge fan I might give this one a go. At the very least, the cover art is creepy.
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I read it when reviewing Carniege books. I personally didn't like it that much, but give it a go.
Then again, I hated most of the Carniege books this year. A swift pure cry was depressing and cliched, Justin Case was trite and The Road of Bones was just like a scaled down fiction of One Day in the life of Ivan Denisovich as a child.
/rant
Sorry, had to get that off my chest
Posted by: Sylvia | 02 November 2007 at 09:13 AM
I just reviewed SWORDHARD for TeenReads and enjoyed it very much. I requested it after reading a short story he wrote for Deborah Noyes' recent RESTLESS DEAD anthology. The great thing about that anthology is that it turned me on to a lot of writers I might not have glanced twice at otherwise and Sedgwick's story was brilliant.
He's certainly all about the slow burn (at least, in this book) as he mimics the true gothic style. If it's a fast scare you want, look elsewhere. While the pacing feels laconic, it also feels right as he tries to build up an atmosphere (something many writers don't even bother with in their rush to get to the gore and the "scary bits"). SWORDHAND is somewhat stylized and I was impressed that the prose was so different from what I'd read in RESTLESS DEAD.
Is this more than you wanted me to say? Maybe you shouldn't be listening to me. I'm also loving Nick Hornby's SLAM which I'm hearing makes me a bit of a pariah in the YA circles. (I don't know what's not to love but then I'm only 75 pages in. I think the voice is super and very believable. Occasionally irritating but that's OK.)
Posted by: Brian F. | 02 November 2007 at 09:43 AM
Read it. I'm with Sylvia -- It was impressively stylized and very polished, but it seemed a bit of sound and fury to me. I'm not a true fan of gothic/horror, maybe, too.
Posted by: TadMack | 02 November 2007 at 10:11 AM
Hmmm. As usual, mixed reviews make me curious. I'll keep an eye out for it.
Brian, I've read quite a few positive reviews of Slam, so I know you're definitely not alone in liking it.
Posted by: Leila | 02 November 2007 at 01:38 PM