The Uncanny

A wealthy Hollywood cowboy-cum-movie-producer travels to England in the hope of seeing a ghost, or a voice from beyond: "Something uncanny, you know. Anything. One lousy uncanny thing." He hangs out with a marvellous old woman--a professional sceptic armed with a sword cane and an ever- puffing pipe with a skull-shaped bowl--and the other staff of a semi-tabloid rag called Bizarre! He meets the woman of his dreams, who is billed as being utterly inaccessible and frigid to boot. Then before you can say "conspiracy theory", Andrew Klavan has whipped all of them into a humorous confection with elements of German Romantic art, English Gothic architecture, 19th-century ghost stories, Norse mythology, South American cult leaders, Nazi witchcraft and the Holy Grail. Even the ghost of M.R. James has a key role in the plot.

It's not a deep novel--you get the sense that Klavan doesn't take one iota of it seriously--but it's good supernatural fun. --Fiona Webster

The book itself has a constantly surprising storyline; as soon as you feel you have discovered something, another event occurs and your left questioning your initial assumptions.

The story unfolds as a Hollywood producer named Richard Storm travels to England in the hope of finding some kind of evidence pointing towards a truth behind ghost stories, however ... he discovers much more than he originally anticipates.

Okay, not a very wonderful overview, but it is almost impossible to write one without giving away any of the plot. Just know this: This book is definitely worth the money ... if you're looking for something different as I was, then I would highly recommend this book. It is a dark and disturbingly wonderful read, practically flawless. Buy it and find out for yourself … (if you want any specific info on the book’s storyline, then e-mail me at milagro_arcadia@yahoo.com) Enjoy! =)>


traditional ghost story?   January 18, 2001
woolaspence@supanet.com (cumbria, england)
i pcked this title up by chance having seen it before and passed over it in favour of other more tried and tested authors. thankfully i was not disappointed. this novel has all the hallmarks of a traditional english ghost story(which is strange coming from an american author) but as the plot develops it begins to transcend that restricting genre and transmutes into an enthralling mystical novel encompassing love revenge violence horror and detection. the characters are beautifully crafted in a strangely cliched sense which makes them all the more accessible and the villain of the piece iago ,although remaining a mystery (and without wanting to spoil the ending) and alive (here comes the sequel), provides a malignant presence which pervades the novel. the only criticism is that the book finishes without any sort of closure and one is left wondering about the futures of the characters particularly the lead richard storm. the plot devices are tightly knit and although the book is relatively short by comparison to the works produced regularly by koontz and king it is densely packed and barrels along at a fine old pace. i would heartily recommend this novel to anyone who reads classic horror in the james herbert vein.