Review of The Devil's Eclipse
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Sarah C McHum
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Review of The Devil's Eclipse
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Devil's Eclipse" by Christopher Williams.]
The Devil's Eclipse is a collection of eight short tales written by Christoper Williams. As the title suggests, the themes of the stories are typically found in most stories with the horror genre. Those include black magic, bizarre occurrences, unnatural beings, and strange tales. This book is a form of an anthology. Therefore, one story isn’t related to the others.
I think Williams is really good at making the characters alive. In every story, he never fails to describe each character’s feelings, thoughts, and behavior. He does not need to use a long description to describe their personality in each story. Not many writers can do this in such a brief story, so I really appreciate the writer.
However, a good description of a character isn’t enough to make a good horror story. Williams fails to vividly describe the setting and the characters’ physical appearance (be it in a human or unnatural being). When reading the story, especially when a character appears, I have to stop reading and think about how to imagine that character. For example, if an unnatural being has wings or a tail, he doesn’t give me a vivid description of how they look, so I have to stop and think of how I will imagine the creature’s shape in my head. I think it’s going to be enjoyable for some people, but for me, if it is a horror, I like to be given vivid and clear description, so I can easily imagine how the creatures look like. In addition, I don’t think that the story is frightening or suspended in any way. I even read the stories at midnight, but again, as it doesn’t provide vivid descriptions about the character’s appearance and setting, I don’t think it’s scary or frightening.
I will give this book 2 out of 4 stars. The reason is that there are so many grammar errors, which also decreases my enjoyment when I read the book. It will be just fine if the book is proofread again.
If you love reading horror stories, you will definitely love this book, especially if you prefer to create or imagine the characters’ appearance in your head rather than being told in detail. I also love to imagine the character’s appearance, especially in a romantic story (you know what I mean, the female character is always me). However, in a horror story, I prefer to be given a detailed description. Almost forget, just a reminder, some stories contain sexual content and curse words. If you are not happy with that, I suggest you don't read this book.
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The Devil's Eclipse
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The Devil's Eclipse is a collection of eight short tales written by Christoper Williams. As the title suggests, the themes of the stories are typically found in most stories with the horror genre. Those include black magic, bizarre occurrences, unnatural beings, and strange tales. This book is a form of an anthology. Therefore, one story isn’t related to the others.
I think Williams is really good at making the characters alive. In every story, he never fails to describe each character’s feelings, thoughts, and behavior. He does not need to use a long description to describe their personality in each story. Not many writers can do this in such a brief story, so I really appreciate the writer.
However, a good description of a character isn’t enough to make a good horror story. Williams fails to vividly describe the setting and the characters’ physical appearance (be it in a human or unnatural being). When reading the story, especially when a character appears, I have to stop reading and think about how to imagine that character. For example, if an unnatural being has wings or a tail, he doesn’t give me a vivid description of how they look, so I have to stop and think of how I will imagine the creature’s shape in my head. I think it’s going to be enjoyable for some people, but for me, if it is a horror, I like to be given vivid and clear description, so I can easily imagine how the creatures look like. In addition, I don’t think that the story is frightening or suspended in any way. I even read the stories at midnight, but again, as it doesn’t provide vivid descriptions about the character’s appearance and setting, I don’t think it’s scary or frightening.
I will give this book 2 out of 4 stars. The reason is that there are so many grammar errors, which also decreases my enjoyment when I read the book. It will be just fine if the book is proofread again.
If you love reading horror stories, you will definitely love this book, especially if you prefer to create or imagine the characters’ appearance in your head rather than being told in detail. I also love to imagine the character’s appearance, especially in a romantic story (you know what I mean, the female character is always me). However, in a horror story, I prefer to be given a detailed description. Almost forget, just a reminder, some stories contain sexual content and curse words. If you are not happy with that, I suggest you don't read this book.
******
The Devil's Eclipse
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Altitude Journals by David J Mauro
