132,957
edits
Changes
The Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin (view source)
Revision as of 06:41, 17 June 2012
, 06:41, 17 June 2012no edit summary
{{infobox
|title=The Masque of the Red Death|sort=Masque of the Red Death
|author=Bethany Griffin
|reviewer=Robert James
I'm rather split on this one, to be honest. I'm incredibly impressed by the way that Griffin has taken on one of Edgar Allan Poe's most famous short stories and developed it into a two-book series here. I think Poe himself would have approved of the incredible atmosphere she creates, and her setting is brought to life vividly without actually giving that many details. I'm not sure whether this is best classed as dystopian, steampunk, or sci-fi, but I know that I wouldn't want to visit the city Araby lives in - and believe me, you'll almost feel you are there with Griffin's evocative prose. In fact, if you have a vivid imagination, I'd recommend avoiding this like the plague (sorry, couldn't resist) if you're feeling ill...
As atmospheric and well-developed as the setting was, though, I didn't feel we got the characters to match that. I'll admit that I'm not the biggest fan of love triangles - but even if I had been, I'd still have been annoyed by April's brother Elliot, who seems to be too domineering and obnoxious for anyone to tolerate him for long. Having said that, Araby isn't that much better herself. She's tragic without being particularly interesting and her vow not to experience anything her brother didn't didn't really hold water that well. Will, on the other hand, who's trying to protect his younger siblings is a far more well-rounded character, and some of the supporting cast are really strong - I especially liked April, while Prospero was a chilling dictator. It also has one of the biggest cliffhanger endings in recent memory - I don't mind some things being left open but I like there to be some resolution and didn't feel there was anywhere near enough here.
Mild recommendation on the strength of the prose and setting, which are good enough to have me anticipating book two despite my issues with Elliot and Araby.