| By: Damien Walters Grintalis |
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| Type: Paperback |
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| Genre: Horror |
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| Artist: Scott Carpenter |
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| Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd. |
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| Publication Date: 12-04-2012 |
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| Length: 312 Pages |
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| ISBN: 978-1-61921-072-1 |
I was thrilled to find Damien Grintalis was finally getting a novel published as I had read numerous short stories published by her over the recent years. In this debut novel, her voice really does come through, and it leaves one with a feeling that they've just read what a horror novel is supposed to be.
Not that this is a conventional novel or story, but that she builds the mood at the right pace--something that seems to lack in a number of novels. And by the time you realize what is happening, you're emotionally invested in the characters so you'll have to turn the page. The mood-building and atmosphere reminds me a bit of M.R. James and how the characters find themselves strapped in for the long-haul.
All told, this was very well executed.
Something else that needs to be said about Ink: There is a certain purity about it I appreciate. All too often I've read novels where the writer wants to tell me about how they voted, or what they think about the environment, or some labor issue. It's always thinly veiled as if spoken by their characters, but always comes off as a preachy sermon. Okay, we get it--you have the same opinions as 99% of the writers out there and 80% of your readers. Fine. Can we please move the damn story along? I've gotten tired of it, honestly. Somebody needs to get the message out that this might have been "brave" in the 60's and 70's but if everybody does it, it becomes mindless. Thankfully, Ms. Grintalis keeps this story on-target.
This is a good read and I recommend it to everyone.
I feel a sort of agreeable-disagreement in regards to your comment on personal viewpoints in literature. While often it pisses me off to no end, I can appreciate it (and rarely, even enjoy it) IF it is done with some sense of wit and intelligence. Too often, I've found, I feel stupider and stupider for each word.
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