Alan Nicholas > Recent Status Updates

I enjoy the prologue as a flashback beyond even the first book. Reminds us of the main characters and their dynamic while simultaneously setting the placemat for the larger story.

Dense, a chore to read, broken up by nuggets of gold. The type of novel that really demands multiple readings to fully grasp but also seems to be actively written to dissuade such action.

Drood is a slow burn, perfect for fans of Dickens' style of writing. Simmons is pretty excellent at emulating that style and keeping the story going.

This total page count is very deceptive. The "novel" as it were sprawls over 709 pages, but not all those pages are fully writ on or even comprehensible to some degree. I can't say more really without beginning to analyze the novel, which I'm not prepared to do just yet.

plus part of the index...truly a fascinating read, if also disjointed and convoluted. Ironicly the format says something about the modern brain (or perhaps my own) as I'm really having no problems following it, DESPITE it's apparent convolutions.

I'm seeing why is considered his seminal work, but that doesn't make it accessible in the least.

Mr. Straub has at last struck with a twist I did not see coming. Devilish fun!