Drood [B1085]

2010 PB in nice clean condition, 771-pages! - On June 9, 1865, while traveling by train to London with his secret mistress, 53-year-old Charles Dickens--at the height of his powers and popularity, the most famous and successful novelist in the world and perhaps in the history of the world--hurtled into a disaster that changed his life forever. Did Dickens begin living a dark double life after the accident? Were his nightly forays into the worst slums of London and his deepening obsession with corpses, crypts, murder, opium dens, the use of lime pits to dissolve bodies, and a hidden subterranean London mere research . . . or something more terrifying? Just as he did in The Terror, Dan Simmons draws impeccably from history to create a gloriously engaging and terrifying narrative. Based on the historical details of Charles Dickens's life and narrated by Wilkie Collins (Dickens's friend, frequent collaborator, and Salieri-style secret rival), Drood explores the still-unsolved mysteries of the famous author's last years and may provide the key to Dickens's final, unfinished work: The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Chilling, haunting, and utterly original, Drood is Dan Simmons at his powerful best.

From the mixed recent-ish Amazon/GoodReads reviews, you'll either love it or hate it: "An atmospheric, suspenseful, and eerie tale of madness. This book just hooked me from literally page 1. It was a joy to read, and to get such an intimate portrait of The Inimitable himself. The first person POV of Wilkie Collins was just really enjoyable to read. This whole book just stayed strong, the story moved and kept me enthralled, it was in every way a five-star read for someone whose primary reading genres are historical and horror."; "A novel of heroic proportions. Dan Simmons can write in any genre he chooses and get it right every time. He writes as a contemporary of Charles Dickens, and is indeed his friend. This novel is very much in a Dickensonian style and has an excellent plot."; "What a journey! Incredible writing, as expected from Dan. Deep dark story with twists and developments that had me hanging on until the end."; "Drivel.... Nothing but 770 pages of pointless ramblings, garbled plot lines, insufferable narrative techniques."; "Drood is not just a novel. It's a journey. A journey through a gothic underworld with Egyptian decor. This novel is a master wordsmith at play and is an underrated Simmons novel that won't be the last one of his I'll read."