The Complete and Essential Jack the Ripper by Paul Begg and John Bennett is split into three main parts; the first part deals with the victims, including those who are sometimes dismissed from Ripper canon; the second part deals with the different theories put forward over the years on the identity of Jack the Ripper; the third part deals with the “myth” of Jack – how popular culture has seized upon the eponymous murderer, sometimes in a less than tasteful manner. For me, this book […]
Clown disquiet
I bought this monster of a book quite a while ago and finally decided to get my act together and read it on my two week holiday. I have read some of Stephen King’s books before and really enjoyed his writing style, especially Carrie. I would cautiously label his style ‘intellectual horror’. It did not disappoint. Clown disquiet aside, the idea that It could take on the shape of any of the children’s fears was fascinating. I loved the line drawn between adult and child […]
Beware the white whale
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started reading this book. I was very surprised to find myself actually enjoying it. Melville is obviously keen to impart his whaling knowledge as the book is very anecdotal, going into a lot of detail about the period knowledge of whales and whale hunting. The actual hunt for Moby Dick is drawn out by these so the book isn’t the fast paced action thriller that a lot of film adaptations would have you believe. The narrative meanders, […]