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In these stories, Connolly ratchets up the tension to almost unbearable -- and irresistible -- levels. Nocturnes is a deliciously chilling collection from "one of the best thriller writers we have" (Harlan Coben).

Average Customer Rating:

A great read

Customer Rating:

It has been a while since I read a book that drew me into it the way "Nocturnes' did. Full of short stories, each could be expanded into a book length, but John Connolly made the wise decision to keep them short and thorough enough to deliver the final blow at the end at the right time. I liked all of the stories, but my favorite is "The Wakeford Abyss." I think the despair at the end of the story - so vaguely described yet stated clearly -- did it for me. I totally recommend this book for someone who's into elegant horror.

Half-baked?

Customer Rating:

I picked this up really hoping to enjoy it. I came to Connolly a few years back, picking up a Charlie Parker novel at the airport. I enjoyed it but remember thinking it wasn't hugely distinctive from its brethren in the same genre. Since then I read the Book of Lost Things, and was stunned by the difference. Clearly an imaginative author with story upon story hidden up his sleeves. Unfortunately I think he should put Nocturnes back in the oven and let it cook a little longer. The only story I actively enjoyed was the Charlie Parker novella, presumably because the characters needed less development. It was compelling and drew me in quickly. The others were a great disappointment. The characters bleed into each other, as mostly male well-to-dos who have a history of lost loves. The settings are almost entirely quaint little backwaters in the English countryside. The premises of each story also seem tiresomely repetitive: some combination of a ghoul locked deep within the earth, a man/couple/priest moving to a new home/church, and/or body possession of a loved on by a malign force. Consequently each story felt like a rehashed retelling of the last. Added to that is the disapponting fact that few stories employed Connolly's obvious (at least from his previous works) knack for the chillingly creepy. The antagonist from the first story was not believable, and the veiled moralism behind his descent into hell tackles an issue too modern to be frightening. The other stories were either sadly predictable or had climaxes resembling a rolling knoll rather than a heart-stopping summit. So, Mr Connolly, put it back in the oven. Combine a few of the stories, come up with some new characters, settings and plots, and I believe you'd have a contender. As always, quality rather than quantity is the key.

If you like Hellboy, you will love this

Customer Rating:

These wonderfully polished stories of the supernatural appealed to me instantly the moment I opened the book. I started with "The Underbury Witches", which is written in a quasi-victorian style and is truly a detective story in the style of a Sherlock Holmes yarn, only this one involving supernatural elements. Another story, "The Reflecting Eye," is also a detective story in which the protagonist, Charlie Parker, is facing off with a supernatural evil. Hellboy is a detective of sorts who deals with supernatural threats, and this very element kept coming up in the stories. I hope that someday Mr. Connolly will do us the honor of penning a Hellboy story for us. I think he is uniquely suited to give us some very compelling Hellboy tales. Many of the stories, like Hellboy stories, involve mythical themes, like ancient pagan entities in "The Shifting of the Sands," and the demonic monster imprisoned beneath an ancient chapel in "Mr. Pettinger's Daemon." Not every writer can write well about myth. I think it can be difficult to recreate myth and folklore in your fiction. But as you can see, Connolly writes very much in the same vein as the Hellboy stories. It is easy to envision Hellboy making an appearance in any of these "nocturnes." However, none of the stories really needs Hellboy in them. They stand on their own and I am happy to recommend them as fine reading for fans of supernatural and gothic fiction.

Nocturnes, and some preludes ...

Customer Rating:

This is a wonderful collection of short stories and two novellas. I was unfamiliar with Connolly's work before someone recommended this collection, and I'm glad I picked it up. This is horror in the British mold, which means it relies far less on the gross-out details and more on mood and setting. Some of the stories are a little predictable but the narratorial voice (many are written in the first person but none of them sound exactly the same) makes up for that. There are some wonderfully surprising twists and a couple of really funny moments that take the edge off. And at least one of the novellas feels like it's leading into something longer ("The Cancer Cowboy Rides.") Definitely worth reading!

A mixed bag

Customer Rating:

Connolly is one of my favorite authors, but his novels are much stronger than his short stories. There are some winners in the mix, but many of the stories left me thinking there should have been something more. However, the Charlie Parker novella more than made up for any shortcomings. Connolly is one of the greatest thriller writers around not because of his scary plots, but because the characters he draws exude evil. In the short stories, he doesn't always have the time to draw them as well. In "The Reflecting Eye," the Charlie Parker story, he is as strong as ever. A few of the short stories also shined more brightly than the others--"The Underbury Witches," "The Inkpot Monkey," "Miss Frome, Vampire" and "Mr. Gray's Folly" all were commendable.