Review: The parasite, by Ramsey Campbell

So I came back from Romania with lots of ideas bubbling in my head and I needed to get in the mood to get back into writing horror (it's been years since the last horror story!). I've read pretty much everything Stephen King has written but I remembered I had this book stored in my Kindle I hadn't written yet and, oh surprise, it was recommended by King. I didn't read this one while I was on my way to anywhere exotic. I was in the comfort of my home and summertime in southern Spain allowes space for A LOT of reading. What else can you do if it's no less than 40 Celsius Degrees outside from early morning to almost midnight? 

Title: The parasite

Author: Ramsey Campbell

Genre: Horror

Format: Ebook

Blurb: Rose Tierney and her husband Bill are successful writers, picking apart films and enlightening the masses. They are invited to New York to talk business and get invited to a party where one of the guests, a quiet Diana, is interested in the occult. Bill has a tarot card reading and dismisses it out of hand, but when it’s Rose’s turn, it sparks something in her.

That night, she has an odd out-of-body experience and is attacked by an unknown force. Diana, through a premonition, found Rose and helped her back to her apartment to recover. The assault seems to waken her dormant psychic powers, and Diana excitedly encourages Rose to pursue them, to learn how to master them.

Rose quickly begins experiencing premonitions and discovers that her self can leave her body, later discovering all the intricacies of astral projection. At first frightened by her newfound powers, she soon begins to explore, both her own abilities and the world that they belong to.

She soon discovers that her sinister feeling greenhouse, Hitler and the Nazis, and her quiet hometown all seem to have something in common. As her powers grow, her relationships with those around her grow increasingly turbulent. Rose Tierney is no longer alone in her own body, and her newfound powers belong not to her, but to that Other.

The evil seed that was planted in Rose twenty years ago is about to flower.

The story

I loved the blurb —didn't you?—. I mean, out-of-body experiences, seances, psychi powers... what's not to love? The book begins with a prologue chapter that leaves you longing for more.  We are introduced a story where a group of kids are playing around with a ouija board in an abandoned house where strange things began to happen and a girl is left locked up with an unknown force. 

Of course, after that, you want to devour chapter after chapter, right? However, although at the beginning we always face a book with patience —we must get to know the characters a little first—, in this case, the author is asking for too much of it. I kept reading and reading and the story felt dull and filled up with extra information and words we really didn't need. I lost interest in the characters and that's a no-no when it comes to storytelling.

The characters

I feel, in this aspect, the author had a great chance to catch the reader's attention. We are presented with three very interesting characters: Rose Tierney, a writer who discovers she might have some kind of psychic powers as she experiences some strange things after meeting Diana, a tarot reader she met at a party. She will open a door to the occult for Rose and bring up some ghosts from the past. Bill is Rose's husband, a succesful writer who refuses to believe there's anything paranormal in what happens to Rose. The relationship between husband and wife could have been explored much deeply, but in my opinion, was only barely touched in order to serve the plot.

The style

Why do I read so many books whose authors are brilliant at writing but horrible at storytelling? The author describes the scene in a perfect way: not too much, not too little. He's also quite good at developing dialogues, although there was too long conversations on the history of films. This is the first book I've read by Ramsey Campbell and I've heard his short stories are great so it might be that this book was meant to be a short story but was artificially extended to fit into a novel?

My opinion

I'm saddened to say I didn't like this book at all. It was very hard to keep reading and holding up for something interesting to happen. I had a lot of expectations since it was recommended by my all time favorite author Stephen King, but it didn't do it for me. The story is slow and empty; I didn't find the elements of a horror story that make you look behind you or flinch at the creak of furniture.

Reseña: La historiadora, de Elisabeth Kostova

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Hace unos días volví de uno de los viajes más interesantes que he hecho en mucho tiempo. Hoy entro en una nueva década (cumplo 30, esa gran cifra) y hace tiempo que había decidido cómo celebrarlo: explorando Transilvania. 

No quise hacerlo cómo una turista más, así que planeé el viaje en su justa medida, dejando espacio a la improvisación, y me aseguré de tener la oportunidad de sumergirme de verdad en la cultura rumana, y en la transilvana en particular. Nos alojamos en casitas rurales regentadas por familias transilvanas de pueblecitos muy pequeños escondidos en los Cárpator y tuvimos la compañía de un contacto local que nos introdujo por completo en las costumbres de la Rumanía rural. 

No fue Drácula quien me empujó a hacer este viaje —mi admiración por la novela y por su autor ya me hicieron investigar lo suficiente como para saber que el vampiro existió tan solo en la mente de Stoker— sino conocer mejor a Vlad Tepes, el verdadero príncipe transilvano. Su historia, plagada de leyendas y de sucesos increíbles, fue una excusa perfecta para adentrarnos en el corazón de los Cárpatos.

Hemos recorrido toda la geografía de Transilvania y estado en pueblos que algunos ni siquiera saben que existen, absorbido historias y leyendas locales y vivido de cerca algunas de las supersticiones que pululan por esas tierras —eso me dará para algún libro, seguro—, y ha sido una de las mejores experiencias de mi vida viajera. Así que os traigo el libro que me acompañó durante este viaje: La historiadora, de Elisabeth Kostova.

Foto izquierd: Paltinis, Rumanía. Foto derecha: Sibiu, Rumanía.
Fecha: Julio, 2017.

Título: La historiadora

Autora: Elisabeth Kostova

Género: Novela histórica

Sinopsis: Durante años, se le ha considerado un mito, una leyenda que llena de miedo el corazón de los campesinos supersticiosos. Pero ahora, alguien ha decidido descubrir la verdad. Paul, un profesor de historia, revela por fin a su hija la tarea a la que ha dedicado tantos años. Tras la desaparición de su amigo el profesor Rossi, Paul se sumergió en una angustiosa búsqueda que le llevó a través de antiguas bibliotecas en Estambul, monasterios en ruinas en Rumania, remotas aldeas de Bulgaria... Cuanto más se acercaba a Rossi, más cerca estaba también de un ser que ha dejado un rastro sangriento a través de la historia, en viejos manuscritos olvidados, en canciones susurradas al oído. Un ser al que temían tanto antiguos sultanes otomanos como los actuales servicios secretos. Paul y su hija saben que él está cada vez más cerca. Y en sus corazones retumba una pregunta angustiosa... ¿Es posible que exista realmente Drácula?
                                                        Formato: Ebook.

La historia

La idea de leer una novela donde uno de mis personajes favoritos —Drácula, por si no os habíais percatado aún— vuelve a ser el protagonista y además se dan datos históricos ciertos sobre la figura que lo inspiró me pareció la forma perfecta de viajar por tierras transilvanas. Como promete la sinopsis, estamos ante un diplomático y su hija, ambos con estudios en historia, que a través de distintas cartas y anécdotas cuentan un encuentro muy peculiar con un libro que deja entrever que Drácula podría seguir vivo. Hasta ahí una maravilla. ¿No te dan ganas de abrir el libro?

Es notorio el trabajo de documentación que ha realizado la autora, lo cual es digno de alabanza, pues hablamos de un personaje con una vida misteriosa y plagada de leyendas. La premisa se entrelaza bien con la historia de los personajes que la componen.

Los personajes

Paul es un antiguo profesor de historia, ahora convertido en diplomático, con un carácter temeroso y aburrido, pero que guarda un secreto sobre su pasado que irá revelando poco a poco a su hija. Ella seguirá los pasos de su padre para averiguar más sobre el misterioso libro que llegó hasta su padre con pistas sobre el paradero de Drácula. 

Ambos personajes muestran semejanzas en su personalidad, sobre todo si comparamos el Paul más joven con su hija, aunque se evidencia que algo sucedió a Paul que le hizo convertirse en un hombre más prudente y callado. Existe, además del de la hija de Paul, otro personaje femenino que aporta fuerza a la historia y que es, en mi opinión, el más interesante de todos: Helen Rossi, la hija del profesor Rossi. De origen rumano, fue producto de un affair secreto del profesor durante sus investigaciones sobre Vlad Tepes, y está decidida a terminar el trabajo de su padre y publicarlo antes que él. 

El estilo

Sin duda la autora tiene un manejo perfecto de términos relacionados con la historia, la arquitectura y el arte de la época que evoca, aunque peca de excesivas y densas descripciones que ralentiza la trama hasta el punto de hacerla incluso aburrida. Hay demasidos párrafos de relleno que no dejan avanzar la historia y pueden pasar capítulos en los que la acción se reduce a nimiedades.

Mi opinión

Reconozco que comencé la novela con las expectativas altas y mucha ilusión —700 páginas de Drácula, ¡bien!—, pero a medidad que leía mi decepción iba en aumento. A pesar de que me ha encantado poder visualizar y tocar muchos de los escenarios que describe la novela a la vez que leía la historia, no puedo evitar sentir que al libro le sobran la mitad de páginas. Quizá para aquellos enamorados de la historia hasta el punto de llegar a lo fanático, el libro sea un tesoro que masticar despacio, pero para los interesados en saber más sobre Drácula y en una historia de terror histórico, es posible que esta novela no cumpla las expectativas. Una pena.

 

Review: Healer's magic by Teagan Kearney

I was offered a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review and I began to read it in a bus trip to the capital of the province where I live: Jaen. In case you don't know, Jaen is the number one world producer of olive oil and a beautiful region full of history and nature.

Place: Castle of Jaen, Spain

Date: May, 2017

Title: Healer's magic

Author: Teagan Kearney

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Blurb: A powerful healer. A treacherous enemy. A deadly conflict.
Tatya's world slides into chaos when a demon consumed with the desire to control her power attacks those she loves. She refuses the local master vampire’s offer of aid, as he's just turned her best friend into one of the undead. She needs allies, but who can she trust in the battle to destroy this dangerous enemy? 

Format: Ebook 

The story

The book tells us the story of a young woman with a special gift who's not very fond of vampires due to an incident in the past. She doesn't go after them to hunt them, either. The two species just live together in some kind of society where vampires are accepted as another race.

To this point, this may not sound original, but I don't think it has to be. Whoever reads a book about vampires knows there will be clichés in it.

The characters

In my opinion, this is the strong part of the novel. Tatya is a young woman with powers whose friend has been turned into a vampire. Suddenly she's lost a loved one to a night creature so she is resentful. Tatya is represented as a very witty and sarcastic girl, especially in her interactions with Vanse, the master vampire, and that makes her a very captivating character. I loved her comebacks!

Vanse is the other part of this story, an experienced vampire, and a very particular one since he doesn't kill to feed himself. He seems to have some kind of fondness towards humans. The relationship between these two characters is the most engaging aspect of the book: on one hand, Tatya hates him, but his behaviour is so approppriate and thoughtful that she faces a big dilemma. In the middle of all this, we have the antagonist: a vampire called Angelus who has been following Tatya through distance and time, and won't stop until she's his.
They still need some developing, but that may happen in the following books of the series...

The style

I must say I did enjoy very much the author's writing style, full of beautiful imagery and methaphors and with strokes of details that inspired my imagination throughout the story. Also, there were very few mistakes regarding spelling and grammar, something that can be fixed with another read over.

My opinion

I normally don't read stories that revolve mostly around the romance between a man and a woman, even if they are vampires, but this novel adds some more to it than just a love story. The fact that the main character is not so prone to fall for the vampire is a breeze of fresh air after the whole Twilight craziness. The weak point of the story, I think, is that there is a part towards the middle of the book where the action becomes slow and makes you lose interest. Another aspect I'd like to mention is the chapters about Vanse's past lives where the author shows off her knowledge about certain rituals and cultures.

Review: The impossible creation by Betsy Flak

I will not show you a place today since this reading has been chosen in a different way. I'm getting ready for a big trip (it's a surprise, you'll see) and I feel like discovering more indie authors in the fantasy/horror genre. So I was given the chance to do a review before the launch of the book I'll be talking about here today. 

Title: The impossible creation

Author: Betsy Flak

Genre: YA fantasy

Format: Ebook

Blurb: A vampire with otherworldly ambitions. A vampire hunter, adrift in a sea of grief. And an oblivious girl, over whose fate they fight. Devastated by grief, Lucy fled from her supernatural birthright as a vampire hunter. Now she pretends to be a normal college student. She goes to class. She works a part-time job. She hides her superpowers from everyone except her best friend--who happens to be a witch. But when a vampire enters her town and targets a high school girl, Lucy must hunt again. Can Lucy win a tug of war where the prize is a girl's life? The Impossible Creation is a prequel to the upcoming The Clan-Vampire Clash.

The story

I must admit that, being an avid reader of this genre, the story didn't feel very original, but that is not something that would put off a fan of vampires. We know what we are getting ourselves into. This is the usual story of vampires versus hunters. However, it is the hunter who denies her nature this time. Lucy is a college student who tries to live a normal life while a plan is being designed on the low by a group of vampires who need to find someone with a very specific gift to fullfill their ambitions.

I did enjoy the parts where the narrator focused on the vampires' world which, in my opinion, was very well designed. The book intertwines the narration of the vampires and Lucy's opposite worlds with the life of a teenager called Grace.

The characters

As mentioned above, there are several important characters in the story. Lucy is a mysterious young woman who seems a bit dull at the beginning, but who starts progressing as the story unfolds. Grace, on the other hand, is the typical teenager with the problems we all had at that age —there's a love story, if you were wondering about that— and I have to say the author did an amazing job developing this character. I could totally see myself back in high school as I read the dialogues. Finally, we have the vampires where two of them stand out: Duncan and Adara. Here goes the vampire-freak side of me: I simply loved Adara. That's it. I don't know what's going to happen in the following books, but I'm just going to beg the author to please not kill Adara! She's a badass vampire with really good lines and comebacks, who pairs wonderfully with Duncan.

The style

I saw two different writing styles here, and I don't know if that was intended. Betsy Flak uses a very simple and direct style when writing about Lucy and Grace, and then changes into a different one with elaborated paragraphs and beautiful and original imagery when it's the vampires turn. She achieves the perfect atmosphere for the night creatures without being too bloody nor too violent. Another aspect I want to highlight is I found no typos, no grammar mistakes and the formatting was of a good quality, and I do like to mention this because people tend to dismiss indie literature on the grounds that it's not well written and full of errors —and that's true for some—, so when there is an author that took the time and the effort to have a good quality book, I'll shout it from the rooftops.

My opinion

This is definitely a YA book. You alreay have guessed that my favourite part is when they story focuses on the vampires and, although I enjoyed the book, I think this is a novel I would have totally loved to have come across when I was a teen. Perhaps now, being a bit older —almost coming to my thirties—, teenage problems are a little behind for me to relate to the characters, but if you are still in this period of your life or you have kids who are, go ahead and give this book a chance. You'll certainly have a good time.

 

Review: The etymologicon by Mark Forsyth

Here we are again and this time I want to show you a place where I go often that is not a city, a town nor a little paradise in nature. Here it is:

Place: Café de Autor, Linares (Spain)

Date: May, 2017

Yes, it's just a coffee shop, but for writers these are the most inspiring places. For some reason, we simply love to sit in a cafe and write as we observe everything around us. I run a book club in English in this coffee shop (if you feel like it and live nearby, you can come join us, you'll have fun, I promise!) and from that, you might get that I'm a language enthousiastic. That takes me to the book I'll be reviewing today.

Title: The etymologicon
Author: Mark Forsyth
Genre: Non fiction

Blurb: What is the actual connection between disgruntled and gruntled? What links church organs to organised crime, California to the Caliphate, or brackets to codpieces? The Etymologicon springs from Mark Forsyth's Inky Fool blog on the strange connections between words. It's an occasionally ribald, frequently witty and unerringly erudite guided tour of the secret labyrinth that lurks beneath the English language, taking in monks and monkeys, film buffs and buffaloes, and explaining precisely what the Rolling Stones have to do with gardening.

Format: Ebook





The book

Since this is a non fiction book, I cannot talk about a story per se, but this book does have a story, or more accurately, a lot of them. It explains the origin of many of the most common English words and expressions by using a story that connects to the next word and the story behind it, and so on. The author intertwines the origin of a word with the origin of the next one in a fantastic and entertaining way.

I'm in love with languages and how they were formed so I enjoyed every bit of this book, but for those of you who are thinking "are you kidding me? a book on languages? Boring!", I'll let you know that this is not a book addressed to language experts. It's for everyone with a bit of curiosity, and I guarantee you'll be surprised by some of the stories.

The style

This is my favourite part. Mark Forsyth is obviously an expert in the field of etymology but he's also fun to read. He writes in a way that mixes interesting technical terms and explanations with witty and hilarious comments that makes you want to keep devouring chapter after chapter. (It took me a weekend to finish this book!).

My opinion

I simply loved this book. I couldn't say it better than that. The only "bad" thing I'd have to say about it is I wish I had a good memory to remember everything I learned from this book. I could see myself being as annoying as Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory with fun facts on words in every meeting with family and friends!

Reseña: La montaña de Juan González Mesa

Al ser la primera reseña, explicaré un poco la dinámica: me gusta leer cuando viajo y viajo a menudo, así que los lugares a los que voy inspiran el libro que escojo para acompañarme. En cada reseña empezaré con el lugar al que viajé acompañada de la historia que reseñe. Ahí voy.

Lugar: Desfiladero de la Xana, Asturias.

Fecha: Abril, 2017.

Viajar de una punta a otra de España, sobre todo cuando vienes desde Jaén, que por alguna razón es esa provincia olvidada de Andalucía con pocas opciones de transporte, es toda una odisea. Consciente de que iba a tardar más en atravesar la península que en llegar a Alemania, cargué bien mi eReader y, como Asturias es un sitio lleno de naturaleza y la naturaleza para mi es una parte misteriosa del planeta, se me antojó leer algo de terror. Por una recomendación llegué hasta esta novela. (Por cierto, esta ruta por el desfiladero es una visita obligada, incluso para los que tienen vértigo como yo).

Título: La montaña.

Autor: Juan González Mesa.

Sinopsis: La Montaña comienza como un relato de terror psicológico para transformarse en una novela de terror sobrenatural. Es la historia de un hombre normal hostigado por demonios. Narra principalmente una huida, en la que el protagonista deberá renunciar a su vida para dejar de padecer el acoso de monstruos que, según irá descubriendo, son algo más que meros pobladores de su mente. 

Formato: Ebook.

La historia

En principio la premisa de una "enfermedad" que te hace ver demonios parece un poco trillada, pero lo cierto es que el planteamiento del autor es bueno y no da esa sensación. Desde la primera página logra engancharnos en la historia de Óscar, un hombre atormentado por criaturas demoníacas y por sus propios demonios personales. Tras visitar a distintos especialistas, un peculiar doctor extranjero le aconseja irse a un lugar alto, ya que eso disminuirá sus visiones. Así, el personaje se enfrasca en un viaje a través de distintos puntos del globo en busca de la cura a su patología.

Los personajes

Si bien Óscar es el personaje principal, y hasta cierto punto bastante bien desarrollado, no es para nada un cliché, yo me quedé con las ganas de saber más sobre su historia con Eva. La relación entre ambos sufre altos y bajos, aunque desde el primer momento se deja claro que hay una crisis grave. Sin embargo el final me pareció poco creíble en cuanto a su relación. Quizá me habría hecho falta algo más de información a lo largo de la historia, o puede que sea porque yo no esperaría tanto tiempo a alguien con quien llevo tiempo estando mal. 

Más allá de estos dos personajes, aparecen otros, cuanto menos intrigantes, como Ingrid y el predicador. (Por cierto que Ingrid merecería su propia novela).

El estilo

El autor tiene un estilo fresco y que va al grano, algo que me encanta, pues me recuerda a las novelas de terror de los grandes como Stephen King, sin miedo a usar palabras vulgares ni a contar las intimidades de los personajes, con las descripciones justas y muchos diálogos. Eché en falta alguna que otra explicación más sobre acciones que ocurren en la última parte del libro —no quiero hacer spoilers—, sobre todo hacia el final. 

Mi opinión

Es una novela con una premisa original y personajes con mucho potencial que podría haberse explotado mucho más. El estilo narrativo es uno de sus puntos fuertes y, aunque necesita un repaso en cuanto a la edición, no es algo que distraiga de la lectura en exceso. Es una lectura amena y rápida de un escritor independiente que seguramente volveré a leer.