Endicott Mythic Fiction discussion

The March 2014 book for the Endicott Group is Winter Tides by James P. Blaylock.

Who's reading?

p.s. Correction to the last group-wide email - the link for the Endicott Mythic Fiction Reading List should have been this:
http://endicottstudio.typepad.com/jom...

You can see the upcoming book choices by checking the list (we skip the ones we've already read, but I'll flag them in the emails).

I'll consider reading it. I usually don't read horror novels, but if I have time I might give it a try. I'm finishing up A Fine and Private Place right now.

Margaret, are you sure it's horror? I've ordered it and was planning on reading it. I'll still give it a try. I don't like true horror, but I don't think Terri Windling usually has them on her list.

Hmm, I thought the amazon description said it was horror, but when I went back and read it I didn't see where it said horror. Maybe I'm wrong.

I'll see if I can find it.

From glancing through the reviews, it looks like it's going to be at least a little spooky/creepy but it doesn't look like it'll be gory or terrifying.

My interlibrary loan has come through, so I should get this started soon.

I'm only about a quarter of the way through and I'm not quite ready to commit to calling it "horror" but it's certainly the darkest book from the main Endicott list that I've read so far.

Very definitely horror.

I actually like the spooky sort of horror - the eerie ghost story, slow psychological descents into madness, the uncertain kind where you don't know what's real and what's not.

Unfortunately, this isn't that sort... It's more of a psychopath story than a ghost story. There isn't a TON of gore, but there is some. And the villain just didn't work for me at all - just not very believable. His evilness is over-exaggerated, as if Blaylock just wrote him to fill a laundry list of illegal and depraved activities. Swindling? Check. Fraud? Check. Harassing employees? Check. Non-Con porn? Check. Satanism? Check. He even spits at a little old lady and tries to run over a cat with his car for no particular reason. He ends up seeming a bit one-dimensional because of it. He's vile, yes, but not very interesting.

And I think the hero/heroine really suffer in terms of character development because so much time is spent developing the villain. And they really never do much with the ghost of the dead sister other than using her as a way of egging on the villain to lower and lower depths.

I would have loved this book if it had focused a lot more on the ghost story aspect and on the main characters dealing with the tragedy in their pasts. There was a lot of really great material and ideas there but it all gets wasted when the unnecessary villain takes center stage.

So, if you're a fan of the violent kind of horror, you might like this but if you're looking forward to a ghost story - sorry, not for you. I'm trying to decide between a 2 and 3 star rating at the moment...

I wish I had a better review, cause I'd love one of you guys to read it and explain to me what's so mythic about it. I just don't get it. I guess it could be the theme of if you face your ghosts, they'll go away... But that's such a minor, minor portion of the book compared to all the violence.

Melanti wrote: "Very definitely horror.

I actually like the spooky sort of horror - the eerie ghost story, slow psychological descents into madness, the uncertain kind where you don't know what's real and what's ..."

Too bad to know! I sometimes like the more "spooky....slow descent into madness" type of story too. This just seems like it was not well written. I've ordered it and will give it a try still. I'd be interested to know what Terri Windling liked about it!

It depends on what you like, really. I don't like the overdone horror, but many people do. Looking at the reviews, many people really seem to like the villain. I guess I just like a different type of horror novel.

Thinking of horror in general, I've heard a bunch of people say NOS4A2 has been Joe Hill's best book so far, and it made me yawn the whole way through. Violence just doesn't interest me.

Heck, I've never even made it through a full Quentin Tarantino movie, and he's one of the most popular directors out there.

(Not saying that the horror/violence in this is anything like NOS4A2 or a Tarantino film -- just saying tastes differ greatly.)

I'd love to know an explanation on this book as well.