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Alan Blood

Författare till Cry of the Machi

1 verk 8 medlemmar 4 recensioner

Verk av Alan Blood

Cry of the Machi (2011) 8 exemplar

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I just could not get into this one. With a scrambled Prologue, confusing time shifts, point of view shifts and unknown settings, I gave up 10% in. The general idea was good though.
 
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catya77 | 3 andra recensioner | Jun 19, 2014 |
I was really looking forward to reading this book based in the rural England of most of my life. It concerns Thorpe Amberley a village in rural Suffolk that has 2 serial killers. I found the chracters unbelievable and annoying, and the plot not especially interesting, and so I found it difficult to finish the book, but managed it..
I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review
 
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Vesper1931 | 3 andra recensioner | Dec 2, 2013 |
It was obvious a considerable amount of work went into the writing of this book. It was written intelligently and had aspects that were interesting. Personally I found it difficult to remain interested enough to finish reading although I do feel the premise for the book has interesting aspects. I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
 
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Jenn.S | 3 andra recensioner | Dec 1, 2013 |
Cry of the Machi is about a picturesque rural town in the quiet Suffolk countryside, where the townsfolk thrive in their traditions. Some of them find peace in the tradition of watching the Morris Men perform the English folk dances, while a select few find it in darker, secretive rituals no one in the town can comprehend. Life there continues as it always does, watching the Morris Men and drinking at the pub, until a beautiful American woman comes to their quaint village, and turmoil hides in her shadow. Not long after, the once peaceful village is met with sadistic murders, ancient ways of the Machi being performed by one of their own, and a quiet killer hiding among them – his dark, evil practices feeding his hunger to kill again.

Alan Blood wastes no words, doesn’t fill the pages with fluff or empty words, he jumps right into a world most can only imagine. Deep inside the heart of Chile, where strange rituals are performed, and those practices live on in one of Thorpe Amberely’s own proud Morris Men dancers. You then jump into the peaceful life of Thorpe Amberely, the beautiful village on the outskirts of the countryside, where in a single day the news of an American woman moving in has swept through the entire town.

I found Blood’s description of the village, their townsfolk, and the peacefulness of its simple life quite pleasing. He gives enough description to spring images alive in your mind, yet not so much detail that it hampers your imaginations freedom to paint its own picture of living in the British countryside.

As you come to know the town’s residents, you can easily see their own personalities, habits, and voice come to life on the page. I rather enjoyed getting a glimpse of British life, how they speak, how they seem to love simplicities – in contrast to America’s constant craving for more technology and constant busyness. Many of the characters are rather lively, quirky, and fun people to get to know. And coming from an Englishman, I think Blood did a rather good job at portraying the American characters that come into the story; right down to the New Yorkers somewhat gritty tongue. The only aspect that sometimes jarred me out of the story was the occasions when the American characters spoke like the Brits. The average American, I personally don’t think, would be saying things like “Bollocks” in their first week or two of visiting the country. Yet despite those instances, you quickly dove back into the story. I don’t think it was enough to make the characters unrealistic or un-relatable. Even with that in mind, I appreciated that each character was their own, none blending into the other, and all colorful and adding to the story.

The ways of Morris Men plays a heavy role in this book, it’s very intertwined in the lives of everyone in the town. While I thoroughly enjoyed this for the most part (because it is something I had never heard of before – a quick search on Youtube will show you the athleticism and beauty of the dances), I wish that the mystery aspect (that comes full force later) came to the forefront of the story a tad earlier on. It came in bits for roughly the first half, I just wish the bits were a smidgen more prominent from the start. That being said, when the plot twists kick in, the intensity really picks up. You’re then quickly wrapped up in these gruesome murders, suspecting everyone in the town, and trying like hell to figure out who the mysterious murderer is – and if he’ll be discovered.

The ending of the novel was perfectly paced, the suspense building at just the right moments, and keeping you turning the pages. And while this was a quick read (only 152 pages), I never felt let down, or as if the story had more to play out, or left anything unfinished. For being such a short novel, Blood did a fine job at keeping an even, steady plot pace, and fleshing out the story to its fullest potential.

Overall this was a pretty good read for me. I really loved getting a glimpse of British life, having a beautiful picture painted of the country I would love to someday visit, and getting to know the quirky people of Thorpe Amberely. And the mystery buff in me was more than satisfied with the devilish murders and secret killer. There's no denying that Alan Blood is a talented writer, surely to thrill many readers! This book is a mix of the strange, fascinating ways of the Machi, the ways of Morris dancers, and a dash of evil with a side of murder. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a quick, enjoyable read!

My review from my blog, Crazy Lady with a Pen
… (mer)
 
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DarianWilk | 3 andra recensioner | Jun 17, 2012 |

Statistik

Verk
1
Medlemmar
8
Popularitet
#1,038,911
Betyg
2.8
Recensioner
4
ISBN
2