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Harrow House #3
The Infinite
A group of strangers, including ghost hunter Jack Fleetwood, joins forces to awaken the dark forces that lurk deep within Harrow Mansion, a place rife with madness and evil. Reprint.
377 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
May 4, 2018
Who doesn't love a haunted mansion.
April 6, 2023
VERY frustrating read. Clegg can write, but I was left feeling that this could have used another draft to iron out a few things. The Infinite starts out (well, for like 300 pages or so) as an homage to Jackson's Haunting of Hill House, Matheson's Hell House, and perhaps Tryon's The Other. Clegg telegraphs this is in an obvious passage where a character, in trying to find Harrow (the Evil house), ponders her directions, with a number of streets named Jackson, Matheson (avenue), and Tryon as options. I actually kind of liked that, since at that point (p. 154-55), Clegg had pretty much established himself, to my mind, as a good writer, so that the homage seemed earned.
But, as others have pointed out, Clegg spends a lot of time on character development and back story for the house. It's all well done, with dark diary entries, bits and pieces of horrible history, etc., but the pacing is such that is demands an epic length. I'm talking 800 to 1000 pages in order flesh all that Clegg has suggested, out. (And this coming from a Horror fan who believes shorter is better for the genre.) And then comes the last 70 pages, which is a rush of Clive Barker Horrorshow. It's well done, in a contained sort of way, though I don't think it meshes with the considerable buildup. You feel cheated, as if the author wanted to wrap things up, and too quickly. On top of that there are some oversights that I question. One has a character pressing a gun up against the chest of another character (who stands above her) -- after she has tripped and fell! I'm not super nit picky, but that's glaring. Another has a character, who has a mother in London, going into a hospital and being released to one of the participants of the Harrow "experiment." It's like the mother is completely forgotten. It would have been an easy thing to cut the family reference out. When I see these kinds of things, I feel it's simply sloppy or rushed writing. In this case, that's a shame, because Clegg strikes me as being a solid writer who can tell a good story and create good characters.
But, as others have pointed out, Clegg spends a lot of time on character development and back story for the house. It's all well done, with dark diary entries, bits and pieces of horrible history, etc., but the pacing is such that is demands an epic length. I'm talking 800 to 1000 pages in order flesh all that Clegg has suggested, out. (And this coming from a Horror fan who believes shorter is better for the genre.) And then comes the last 70 pages, which is a rush of Clive Barker Horrorshow. It's well done, in a contained sort of way, though I don't think it meshes with the considerable buildup. You feel cheated, as if the author wanted to wrap things up, and too quickly. On top of that there are some oversights that I question. One has a character pressing a gun up against the chest of another character (who stands above her) -- after she has tripped and fell! I'm not super nit picky, but that's glaring. Another has a character, who has a mother in London, going into a hospital and being released to one of the participants of the Harrow "experiment." It's like the mother is completely forgotten. It would have been an easy thing to cut the family reference out. When I see these kinds of things, I feel it's simply sloppy or rushed writing. In this case, that's a shame, because Clegg strikes me as being a solid writer who can tell a good story and create good characters.
November 4, 2015
Dissapointing. The build up was good (although too long, taking up 3/4 of the book). The ending wasn't what I expected (more like possession than ghosts) and was pretty gory. Not that scary, either, just gross. Too bad.
April 13, 2020
Decent haunted house story by Clegg. I did not read the two earlier installments in the series but it was fine as a stand alone. Harrow House has a long history, but most recently, it was a private prep school in the Hudson Valley, until a fire destroyed part of it and killed some students. The new owner has some connection to the history of the place and wants to bring in some people with psi talent to check it out. The first half of the book deals with the drama of the three psi talents and their lives to date; the second half is when they arrive at Harrow for a four day/night stay. Nothing spectacular, but fun reading during the pandemic.
February 1, 2018
Great Horror Story!
This story has it all: atmosphere, ghosts, a creepy house, good build, Stephen King-like scenes of gory horror, and a Dean Koontz-like finish, with just a bit of more to come. Read it. Let it sit for a while and then read it again. It's that good.
This story has it all: atmosphere, ghosts, a creepy house, good build, Stephen King-like scenes of gory horror, and a Dean Koontz-like finish, with just a bit of more to come. Read it. Let it sit for a while and then read it again. It's that good.
May 2, 2018
Another brilliant novel by Douglas Clegg. I've read the previous two novels in this series and this one surprised me. I wasn't really excited with how the second book in the series ended, but this one is a completely other matter.
There are essentially several main characters in this novel. A brief interaction in the second novel introduces us to Ivy, the girlfriend of a previous (and deceased) student of the Harrow Academy for boys. She is now the owner of Harrow, once again a mysterious private residence. She invites a professor along with his daughter and three members of public who seem to have psychic-type talents.
Their journey through Harrow is a harrowing one, no pun intended. There are deaths, there are sacrifices and surprises. The ending was a total surprise, which makes me wonder if it leads into the fourth and final novel in the series. If it does - wow, I can't wait to see where that leads!
What is brilliant about this series, is that while they are connected through the property, they are complete standalone novels. Read them in any order that you like, but read them!
There are essentially several main characters in this novel. A brief interaction in the second novel introduces us to Ivy, the girlfriend of a previous (and deceased) student of the Harrow Academy for boys. She is now the owner of Harrow, once again a mysterious private residence. She invites a professor along with his daughter and three members of public who seem to have psychic-type talents.
Their journey through Harrow is a harrowing one, no pun intended. There are deaths, there are sacrifices and surprises. The ending was a total surprise, which makes me wonder if it leads into the fourth and final novel in the series. If it does - wow, I can't wait to see where that leads!
What is brilliant about this series, is that while they are connected through the property, they are complete standalone novels. Read them in any order that you like, but read them!
August 2, 2020
Are You Sure You Want Proof Of The Paranormal?
This incarnation of the Harrow Series displays Douglas Clegg's knowledge and mastery of the haunted house genre in all its finery. Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House and Matheson's Hell House are paid loving homage in this wholly original story. I love how the author has been able to take a single concept but stretch his talents into making each novel of the series very different.
The characters are mostly so sympathetic, I couldn't help rooting for them. Poor Ivy, who first appeared in the second book of the series, can be forgiven for her obsession with Harrow. It's caused such tragedy in her life. But this place is very tricky. Like when making a deal with the devil, the fine print can kill you.
This incarnation of the Harrow Series displays Douglas Clegg's knowledge and mastery of the haunted house genre in all its finery. Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House and Matheson's Hell House are paid loving homage in this wholly original story. I love how the author has been able to take a single concept but stretch his talents into making each novel of the series very different.
The characters are mostly so sympathetic, I couldn't help rooting for them. Poor Ivy, who first appeared in the second book of the series, can be forgiven for her obsession with Harrow. It's caused such tragedy in her life. But this place is very tricky. Like when making a deal with the devil, the fine print can kill you.
February 9, 2020
If you're a fan of House on Haunted Hill and Stephen King, you'll probably like this. The start in particular was very much like Hill House, esp the 2000s movie version. I just found it a bit slow in the middle (when they introduced everyone) and the end seemed very King-esque. Not bad, but it's not my favourite style of horror.
June 11, 2022
One and a half stars: Much longer than it has a right to be -- first 150 pages are skippable or skimmable: they tell the back story for the three participants with PSI powers who spend some time in Harrow. Once they arrive at the house interest picks up, at least until hell, or something, breaks loose. Then it's all nonsense. Read Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting of Hill House" instead.
January 26, 2022
This was an amazing book. Defintely keeps you interested through the entire story. There was an excellent amount of character development, and I felt as if I was walking through Harrow House myself.
Can not wait to read the rest of the series!!!
Can not wait to read the rest of the series!!!
August 8, 2021
Sweet Jesus.
February 6, 2023
Very good haunted house story. Reminds me of a movie. Quickly escalates at the end.
December 16, 2025
Such a good series. 3 down 3 to go!
October 6, 2009
I've never read a bad Leisure book, so grab them whenever I see them out and about. My first introduction to Clegg was The Attraction. While the featured story was okay, it was the additional novella, The Necromancer, which really got my juices flowing. Set early in the 20th century, it told the story of Englishman Justin Gravesend, and how he became involved with a cult called the Chymera Magick in his early twenties. Beyond the timeline of Necromancer, Gravesend builds a foreboding mansion, called Harrow, on the banks of the Hudson River, NY.
The Infinite is another book set in the haunted house of Harrow, the third book in the series, following Nightmare House and Mischief and preceding The Abandoned (all available through Leisure).
Wealthy Ivy Martin buys Harrow after it is partially burnt down while in use as a school (in Mischief, one presumes). She funds an experiment within its walls, led by PSI Foundation head Jack Fleetwood. He pays three people to stay at the notorious house, three people whose abnormal powers he has studied over the years: Chet, a nineteen year old man with a simple life and telekinetic abilities, Cali, who can see the history of an object and helps the police in homicide cases, and Frost Cane, best selling author and reluctant Claire Voyant. Along with the eccentric and mysterious Ivy Martin, the ghost hunters are accompanied by Jack's broody punky daughter Mira.
Haunted houses.
From my own experience, and from reading a few other reviews of this novel on here, obvious comparisons are going to spring to mind: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, Hell House by Matheson (like Hill House, but a different vowel), The Shining by Stephen King and The Secret of Crikley Hall by James Herbert. How does this one stand?
It starts off closer to Stephen King's Rose Red, or even the cult movie Puppetmaster, with a group of physics being gathered to investigate this strange, old house. No need to read any of the other Harrow novels dear reader. Clegg has effortlessly made this a stand alone novel if need be with the essential background of the house. The rumours about Harrow in the first part of the book are some of the most effectively creepy scenes and drip with that campfire ghost story feel.
The book then goes into the backgrounds of the three physics.
This was a problem for me. Each character is given their own part, which struck me as a little bit of an info dump. I would have preferred the physics to reach the house relatively early and start the fun and games sooner, with the required, and rich, backgrounds revealed bit by bit. Instead, we are given three distinct backgrounds that take up the first half of the book. A positive note is that Clegg does write well and with a good pace, and I wasn't finding the first half a hard slog to get through. Quite the contrary, I breezed through it. However, I was getting a little impatient. Get to the haunted house already!
The characters all get to the house eventually. The action is bound to kick off.
Not just yet.
There's still books to be read, videos on the house to be watched and, yes, more background. Occurrences are happening, albeit very subtly. The characters start to change. Desires are awakened, and they all seem to become more irritable. It was at this point that I expected some of the subplots to play a bigger part, such as Cali's ongoing homicide investigation, but these are left hanging and never really get resolved.
The paranormal activity kicks off in the last fifty pages or so, and so unfortunately, feels a little rushed. The visuals are great as reality and the infinite merge, and there's a bit of blood in there to keep the gorehounds moderately happy. In a longer book, or with a bit less dwelling on backgrounds, this could have been drawn out and the suspense really pumped up. As it stands, some of the deaths seem like a quick clean up, the author merely brushing them aside to get the book to the final pages.
But don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad book, nor is it poorly written (despite some remaining typos. Cali was called Callie at one point. Sack the proofer!). Clegg is a damn fine writer technically and keeps the novel flowing. I finished it within a few days and even read the last hundred and fifty pages in one sitting. It really whipped by once the action started.
It wasn't the best haunted house story ever written, but it was entertaining enough. It hasn't put me off reading the other books in the Harrow series, but The Necromancer is still my preferred work by Douglas Clegg.
The Infinite is another book set in the haunted house of Harrow, the third book in the series, following Nightmare House and Mischief and preceding The Abandoned (all available through Leisure).
Wealthy Ivy Martin buys Harrow after it is partially burnt down while in use as a school (in Mischief, one presumes). She funds an experiment within its walls, led by PSI Foundation head Jack Fleetwood. He pays three people to stay at the notorious house, three people whose abnormal powers he has studied over the years: Chet, a nineteen year old man with a simple life and telekinetic abilities, Cali, who can see the history of an object and helps the police in homicide cases, and Frost Cane, best selling author and reluctant Claire Voyant. Along with the eccentric and mysterious Ivy Martin, the ghost hunters are accompanied by Jack's broody punky daughter Mira.
Haunted houses.
From my own experience, and from reading a few other reviews of this novel on here, obvious comparisons are going to spring to mind: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, Hell House by Matheson (like Hill House, but a different vowel), The Shining by Stephen King and The Secret of Crikley Hall by James Herbert. How does this one stand?
It starts off closer to Stephen King's Rose Red, or even the cult movie Puppetmaster, with a group of physics being gathered to investigate this strange, old house. No need to read any of the other Harrow novels dear reader. Clegg has effortlessly made this a stand alone novel if need be with the essential background of the house. The rumours about Harrow in the first part of the book are some of the most effectively creepy scenes and drip with that campfire ghost story feel.
The book then goes into the backgrounds of the three physics.
This was a problem for me. Each character is given their own part, which struck me as a little bit of an info dump. I would have preferred the physics to reach the house relatively early and start the fun and games sooner, with the required, and rich, backgrounds revealed bit by bit. Instead, we are given three distinct backgrounds that take up the first half of the book. A positive note is that Clegg does write well and with a good pace, and I wasn't finding the first half a hard slog to get through. Quite the contrary, I breezed through it. However, I was getting a little impatient. Get to the haunted house already!
The characters all get to the house eventually. The action is bound to kick off.
Not just yet.
There's still books to be read, videos on the house to be watched and, yes, more background. Occurrences are happening, albeit very subtly. The characters start to change. Desires are awakened, and they all seem to become more irritable. It was at this point that I expected some of the subplots to play a bigger part, such as Cali's ongoing homicide investigation, but these are left hanging and never really get resolved.
The paranormal activity kicks off in the last fifty pages or so, and so unfortunately, feels a little rushed. The visuals are great as reality and the infinite merge, and there's a bit of blood in there to keep the gorehounds moderately happy. In a longer book, or with a bit less dwelling on backgrounds, this could have been drawn out and the suspense really pumped up. As it stands, some of the deaths seem like a quick clean up, the author merely brushing them aside to get the book to the final pages.
But don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad book, nor is it poorly written (despite some remaining typos. Cali was called Callie at one point. Sack the proofer!). Clegg is a damn fine writer technically and keeps the novel flowing. I finished it within a few days and even read the last hundred and fifty pages in one sitting. It really whipped by once the action started.
It wasn't the best haunted house story ever written, but it was entertaining enough. It hasn't put me off reading the other books in the Harrow series, but The Necromancer is still my preferred work by Douglas Clegg.
January 22, 2008
Douglas Clegg, The Infinite (Leisure Books, 2001)
I didn't exactly go to school with Doug Clegg, but we shared a fraternity at the same school ten years apart. (No word on whether he was a previous occupant of my room, though that would probably explain some of the many unexplainable things that happened within its walls.) I found this out a little less than a decade ago from Clegg himself, and ever since then I've had the "you know, I really should pick up one of this guy's books" thing turned up a notch up under the constantly-boiling saucepan that is my TBR stack. But somehow I never got round to it till just now.
Here's your apology, Doug. I really did mean to get my hands on The Halloween Man and You Come When I Call You. But don't worry, now that I've actually read one, I will be attempting to pick them up posthaste (in the ragtag way I do such things, which often involves used bookstores and library book sales).
The Inifinite starts out, well, slow. Glacial. Seeming as if it's going to be just another incarnationof The Haunting, which has had so many pale imitators over the years. But get yourself past the prologue and you realize that was just the chain pulling the car up the first hill, and you're sitting at the top. You sit there for a sickeningly long time letting the anticipation buld as Clegg takes his sweet time filling us in on the characters. In fact, he spends over half the book this way. But anyone who's seen the film Lord of Illusions, and the disturbing flashbacks Scott Bakula suffers therein, should be well aware that filling in background material can be loads of fun by itself.
Then you actually get to the house. And yes, the story does start sounding a bit like The Haunting (or Matheson's The Haunting of Hell House, perhaps a closer parallel) retold for a modern, more blood-soaked audience. And while it's impossible to say what it is about the book that makes it better than its contemporaries without giving away a major plot point, trust me. It's something not done nearly enough in novels, and almost never in movies, but when it is it's an autmatic step towards classic status.
Am I saying that in seventy years Doug Clegg will be as read and revered as Lovecraft is now? Nah, he's probably more an M. R. James, someone the aficionados are well aware of, but that the outside world is unfamiliar with. Let them rot in their ignorance, we have Douglas Clegg. *** ½
I didn't exactly go to school with Doug Clegg, but we shared a fraternity at the same school ten years apart. (No word on whether he was a previous occupant of my room, though that would probably explain some of the many unexplainable things that happened within its walls.) I found this out a little less than a decade ago from Clegg himself, and ever since then I've had the "you know, I really should pick up one of this guy's books" thing turned up a notch up under the constantly-boiling saucepan that is my TBR stack. But somehow I never got round to it till just now.
Here's your apology, Doug. I really did mean to get my hands on The Halloween Man and You Come When I Call You. But don't worry, now that I've actually read one, I will be attempting to pick them up posthaste (in the ragtag way I do such things, which often involves used bookstores and library book sales).
The Inifinite starts out, well, slow. Glacial. Seeming as if it's going to be just another incarnationof The Haunting, which has had so many pale imitators over the years. But get yourself past the prologue and you realize that was just the chain pulling the car up the first hill, and you're sitting at the top. You sit there for a sickeningly long time letting the anticipation buld as Clegg takes his sweet time filling us in on the characters. In fact, he spends over half the book this way. But anyone who's seen the film Lord of Illusions, and the disturbing flashbacks Scott Bakula suffers therein, should be well aware that filling in background material can be loads of fun by itself.
Then you actually get to the house. And yes, the story does start sounding a bit like The Haunting (or Matheson's The Haunting of Hell House, perhaps a closer parallel) retold for a modern, more blood-soaked audience. And while it's impossible to say what it is about the book that makes it better than its contemporaries without giving away a major plot point, trust me. It's something not done nearly enough in novels, and almost never in movies, but when it is it's an autmatic step towards classic status.
Am I saying that in seventy years Doug Clegg will be as read and revered as Lovecraft is now? Nah, he's probably more an M. R. James, someone the aficionados are well aware of, but that the outside world is unfamiliar with. Let them rot in their ignorance, we have Douglas Clegg. *** ½
November 20, 2012
I first need to mention how amazing Douglas Clegg is. He is bar none, the most underrated and overlooked author in genre of horror. If you're a horror fan and you haven't read Douglas Clegg, it's like loving heavy metal but having never heard the first three Metallica albums; or loving musicals but never having seen Cabaret. Now that I've gotten my shameless fanboyisms out of the way. Let's talk about The Infinite.
The third and final installment of the Harrow House trilogy is wonderfully suspenseful, satisfyingly scary and touching in all the right parts (that sounded dirty). It's hard to pick a favorite book of the trilogy because they're all just so different from one another. I admire this unique take on writing a series.
But, back to The Infinite itself. As usual, Clegg gives us characters that aren't stereotypes and he takes his time letting us get to know them. Even characters you don't like, you enjoy disliking them because of Clegg's brilliant development.
The story develops just as enjoyably as the characters, where there is a lot of build up and the last 100 pages or so are a macabre thrill ride.
I don't like to say much more than that when I write a review. The less you know going into a book, the better. So go out and find the whole Harrow House trilogy (Book 1- Nightmare House and Book 2- Mischief) and burn through it like I did.
The third and final installment of the Harrow House trilogy is wonderfully suspenseful, satisfyingly scary and touching in all the right parts (that sounded dirty). It's hard to pick a favorite book of the trilogy because they're all just so different from one another. I admire this unique take on writing a series.
But, back to The Infinite itself. As usual, Clegg gives us characters that aren't stereotypes and he takes his time letting us get to know them. Even characters you don't like, you enjoy disliking them because of Clegg's brilliant development.
The story develops just as enjoyably as the characters, where there is a lot of build up and the last 100 pages or so are a macabre thrill ride.
I don't like to say much more than that when I write a review. The less you know going into a book, the better. So go out and find the whole Harrow House trilogy (Book 1- Nightmare House and Book 2- Mischief) and burn through it like I did.
February 6, 2013
This is a laughably bad book.
My "favourite" passage is the bit where the main character tells the teenager how TOTES AWESUM guns are:
"'I don't blame you. If i didn't have to, I wouldn't. But shooting a gun is not a bad skill to have,' she said, directly to Mira. 'There are times when guns are good.'
'We live in a violent culture,' Mira said, like she was reciting from sociology class. 'Guns only add to the problem.'
'We live in a violent culture because we're violent people. Basically. People add to the problem,' Cali said. 'I don't love guns, Mira. But once you've been attacked, you can't go back to believing you're safe. I wish it weren't so, but it is. The gun can be destructive, or it can be a tool for safety. We don't need to promote or destroy firearms. We need to work on the human heart.'
Mira's face brightened, as if she'd had a minor revelation. 'True!'"
FUCK. ME.
There are lots of English usage errors, and the most soppy, banal and contrived dialogue you could imagine, plus it's ripping off The Haunting of Hill House. Old Shirl is probably rolling in her grave.
[EDIT]
OH MY GOD I just saw: "Harrow House, #3"... THERE ARE TWO MORE BOOKS FULL OF THIS TURGID SHITE????
My "favourite" passage is the bit where the main character tells the teenager how TOTES AWESUM guns are:
"'I don't blame you. If i didn't have to, I wouldn't. But shooting a gun is not a bad skill to have,' she said, directly to Mira. 'There are times when guns are good.'
'We live in a violent culture,' Mira said, like she was reciting from sociology class. 'Guns only add to the problem.'
'We live in a violent culture because we're violent people. Basically. People add to the problem,' Cali said. 'I don't love guns, Mira. But once you've been attacked, you can't go back to believing you're safe. I wish it weren't so, but it is. The gun can be destructive, or it can be a tool for safety. We don't need to promote or destroy firearms. We need to work on the human heart.'
Mira's face brightened, as if she'd had a minor revelation. 'True!'"
FUCK. ME.
There are lots of English usage errors, and the most soppy, banal and contrived dialogue you could imagine, plus it's ripping off The Haunting of Hill House. Old Shirl is probably rolling in her grave.
[EDIT]
OH MY GOD I just saw: "Harrow House, #3"... THERE ARE TWO MORE BOOKS FULL OF THIS TURGID SHITE????
May 5, 2009
Three people are called (and paid well) to spend several days in an old, rambling house with a dark history. Shirley Jackson didn't event the premise, but she did it so well with The Haunting of Hill House that every horror story built on the premise is going to face a comparison. Where a new book succeeds or fails the standard is if they can bring something new to the table. Clegg does this by giving his visitors plenty of pages to tell their back story, to show what makes them worthy of inlclusion in the tale. He spends a good portion of the book showing us their special talents and how they feel about those talents. The house itself is not so well defined, and that is where the story stumbles a bit. The ending comes as no great surprise, except that the groundwork isn't quite there to support it. I'll read more of Clegg's books because I like horror stories that don't rely on obvious archtypes in place of fully formed characters.
October 6, 2011
I enjoyed this book. I thought at first it was another The Haunting of Hill House( a great ghost story in itself) but it became more than that. With Halloween on the horizon and the hint of changed enough to not be the same in what made this a haunted house.
For me The Haunting of Hill Househas me spoiled. Even Stephen King's Rose red was a rehash of this book by Shirley Jackson. I enjoyed The Infinite, but he needed to describe the house more. Not having read the first books in this series, I didn't know what it looked like or the bizarreness of the house within a house deal. Whih byn the way, not having read the first ones, you don't need to have done that-this book did stand on its own.
For me The Haunting of Hill Househas me spoiled. Even Stephen King's Rose red was a rehash of this book by Shirley Jackson. I enjoyed The Infinite, but he needed to describe the house more. Not having read the first books in this series, I didn't know what it looked like or the bizarreness of the house within a house deal. Whih byn the way, not having read the first ones, you don't need to have done that-this book did stand on its own.
August 10, 2016
I was actually really disappointed in this series as a whole.
It sets up a great plot idea, and lots of mystery, but then falls flat. The plot doesn't make sense, like it was written without knowing how it would end, and the author adding in things as he thought of them. Not only are no answers given, but you are actually more confused the closer you get to the end. The first book, Nightmare House, was probably the best with regard to not sharing these same issues, however it also did not live up to expectations and potential. The second book, Mischief, was similar, and fell shorter. But this one, was the worst.
The sum total of this book was a bunch of random half-considered ideas thrown together for no reason. The more I think about it, the less sense it made. The set up was most of the book, and the conclusion was abrupt and poorly done.
It sets up a great plot idea, and lots of mystery, but then falls flat. The plot doesn't make sense, like it was written without knowing how it would end, and the author adding in things as he thought of them. Not only are no answers given, but you are actually more confused the closer you get to the end. The first book, Nightmare House, was probably the best with regard to not sharing these same issues, however it also did not live up to expectations and potential. The second book, Mischief, was similar, and fell shorter. But this one, was the worst.
The sum total of this book was a bunch of random half-considered ideas thrown together for no reason. The more I think about it, the less sense it made. The set up was most of the book, and the conclusion was abrupt and poorly done.
March 16, 2012
This was a great book because it drew you in and built up the suspense like any other haunted house story. So, if you're familiar with the subject matter, you won't mind the slow pace that develops the setting and the characters. Unfortunately, it takes quite a long time to get to any haunting action... Literally 75 pages to the end of a 376 page book.
I was also unaware that this was part of a series so maybe my dissatisfaction came from not reading the others sequentially, and feeling as though there was a lot more content that would have enhanced this story.
Overall, I could not put the book down for 3/4 of the story, but the quick resolution did not do the suspense any justice.
I was also unaware that this was part of a series so maybe my dissatisfaction came from not reading the others sequentially, and feeling as though there was a lot more content that would have enhanced this story.
Overall, I could not put the book down for 3/4 of the story, but the quick resolution did not do the suspense any justice.
September 27, 2008
I liked this book, but the pace was too slow, not my favorite by Douglass Clegg. Approximately three quarters of the story is nothing but character back story, filling really. Had the characters not been interesting, I would have given up on them. The pace picks up dramatically in the last quarter of the story, however, and it has a good ending. This was a decent ghost story and I like ghost stories, reminded me a bit of Rose Red and The Shining in that the owner of the mansion went mad resulting in the loss of lives, would recommend to anyone who enjoys ghost stories.
March 21, 2010
I almost didn't read this because of other review...but I had it checked out so went ahead. It was a fairly good book. I wanted more "scare" than there was but it was good with out a bunch of scare. It's more of a thriller than a horrow book...which I thought I was getting. I also have not read the other books in the series but didn't feel lost, just as if I might be missing something...which is good writing if you ask me - with this only being a fiar book I still wanted to read the ohters to see what I was missing.
February 28, 2013
A lot of good things happen in this book, but there is a lot of padding. It takes Clegg more than a hundred pages to actually start the story, spending everything that came before on exposition. For a book that clocks in at under 400 pages, that's a lot of padding. It's all good stuff, but it slows the book down a lot. In the end, it's a satisfying read, but it takes waaaay longer than it should.
June 29, 2020
This book is where the series began to go down hill for me. Although it's probably one of the better written books of Clegg's that I have read, there were a couple of moments (if you've read it you know what I'm talking about) where I just went "Eww, gross. It really wasn't necessary to go there." The next book in the series was a DNF for me as it seemed entirely packed with the non-necessary grossness, but this one just dabbed its toe in it.
January 8, 2012
Not a bad set-up, though typical of the haunted house genre in which a group of people, some with 'special' talents gather together in an old house to explore its many mysteries. The ending was cliched and unsatisfying. On a list of the best haunted house stories, this one wouldn't even have a place at the bottom.
January 23, 2013
Fantastic Fiction listed this as #2 in the trilogy....actually it's #3. Damn it! :) Oh well, I read the ending of Harrow house. With all the explanation/history of Harrow, it was more like a ghost story, then how the house affects the inhabitants of it, toward the end. Better than Mischief, the first one. 3.5 stars
August 9, 2016
Not bad. Started off really strong and then fizzled a little bit for me toward the end. I did not realize that this was the third in a series until I was too far into it to stop, so I may have missed something here, or the story may have been "deeper" if I had a known some of the history of the first 2 stories - maybe not. Good quick read.
October 21, 2018
The story had a slow buildup, but the cast of characters was very interesting. It took forever to get to the point of the haunting tale. Then everything happened so fast, I'm not sure I completely understood the point of the whole story. But the characters kept my attention. I'll try another one in the series.
March 24, 2011
Again, not nearly as good as it could have been. Too much unnecessary smut.... Do away with that and there would be room for more story. The previous books have opened up so many awesome tangents... Please,please take one and run with it!
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