Helpful Score: 2
After thinking long and hard about this book, I decided I hated it. The first 200 pages were hard to follow as the author is British and there was a lot of reference to British/Irish pop culture and slang. The story began by alluding to some terrifying event that had happened years before and the reader does not find out exactly what it was until page 243! From there, the story had great potential and I thought I might actually really enjoy the book, however, the writing just killed any glimmer of hope for this story for me.
Well, this book had a lot of negative reviews both here and on amazon, but I actually loved it. It's not your typical horror novel. It stretches out the story much longer than a horror novel would. I feel it's more like one of those Gothic novels but without some great love story. Plus the main character is a guy and not some female governess. But there is quite a bit of Gothic like dark and brooding descriptions and hints of the full story. The full story won't be reveled till very near the end. So if you are looking for a fast pace horror novel this isn't the book for you. But if you like to be teased and finally given a really good story plot then you just might like this one.
Paul Seaton gets wrapped up in a mystery because of love, and then he becomes tormented with the darkness that surrounds this mystery. The backstories seemed to lose my attention, but in the end, you'll see that they are all connected... The way they are connected is a big surprise, and I felt they were a bit dull but necessary. I think they could have lost some of the unnecessary description to get to the present day plot. You really do like Seaton, and you want him to be devoid of what is haunting him and to finally be happy. What lost me the most is some historical references that were placed throughout the book. Some of these, however, caused me to want to do research and I have learned some new things. Overall it was a good story with a satisfying ending that could have just lacked the vast, though expertly written, details that sometimes lost my attention.
This was one of the featured books on paperbackswap and I bought it through Amazon. I was expecting more. The story was vague and I ended up more confused than scared. I am still not sure what happened.
I really savored every page of this haunting novel. I especially enjoyed Cottam's multilayered story, his descriptions, characters, and his use of the English language to tell the story. The novel starts out at a funeral of a young girl who had committed suicide after visiting a house on the Isle of Wight with a group of other young women. The house was formerly owned and used by Klaus Fischer who was the head of a coven of spiritualists or witches. The funeral is attended by the brother of another of the young women who also attempts suicide. Cottam goes on to tell the story of the history of the house and the people who used it during the 1920's. He also tells the story of Paul Seton, who visited and was haunted by the house in the 1980's and the story of Pandora Gibson-Hoare, an obscure photographer who Seton is researching for his girlfriend. Seton finds a diary left by Gibson-Hoare that details the diabolical affairs at the Fischer house in 1927.
Members of the coven included actual historical figures such as Dennis Wheatley, Aleister Crowley, and Hermann Göring. Wheatley was a writer of occult fiction and Crowley was an occultist who was later considered "the wickedest man in the world." I had never heard of Wheatly but he was evidently a best-selling author in Britain for many years. I need to seek out and read some of his books. I would also like to read more about Crowley.
Overall, this novel really capture the imagination and has an overall tone of foreboding. I would highly recommend this one!
Members of the coven included actual historical figures such as Dennis Wheatley, Aleister Crowley, and Hermann Göring. Wheatley was a writer of occult fiction and Crowley was an occultist who was later considered "the wickedest man in the world." I had never heard of Wheatly but he was evidently a best-selling author in Britain for many years. I need to seek out and read some of his books. I would also like to read more about Crowley.
Overall, this novel really capture the imagination and has an overall tone of foreboding. I would highly recommend this one!
In the 1920s - a decade known for its incredible decadence and opulence - Klaus Fischer built himself a residence that would soon come to rival all other homes of the period. Yet, such a magnificent house can still hide its own dark secrets. And, while many were certainly charmed by the Fischer House - and awed by its mysterious occupant - they would also come to realize that some doors are just too dangerous to open...
Seventy-five years later, the Fischer House has been reawakened to claim the innocent and unsuspecting souls who dare to unlock its door. In 1995, four university students and their professor cross the threshold of the derelict Fischer House. What starts out as a simple class field study and an in-depth discussion on the nature of true evil, soon turns into a waking nightmare for the participants.
Just weeks after the four philosophy students and their professor return home, one young woman has committed suicide and the other three are slowly descending into madness. Nicholas Mason's sister Sarah was one of the participants in that impromptu lecture-study at Fischer House. Determined to find a way to save her, Nick seeks help from Paul Seaton - the only person to have visited the house and to have survived. Yet Paul is also a deeply troubled man, haunted by otherworldly visions which even now threaten his sanity.
Although Paul is fearful of ever returning to Fischer House, Nick is desperate to protect his sister. He forces Paul to go back into his past - to try and recall his own dark memories of a time that Paul would much prefer remained buried. So in order to help Nick, Paul must return to Fischer House to fulfill an unfinished duty: he must find the secret journal of the tragically beautiful photographer Pandora Gibson-Hoare. Although not much is known of the young woman's life, Pandora's journal is rumored to have been kept during a particularly dark period in her life - when she became acquainted with Klaus Fischer.
Paul learns from Pandora's personal diary that Fischer House was a mansion created for debauchery - a decadent house that catered to every hedonistic desire. She describes a secretive gathering in the 1920s which was presided over by a malevolent figure. It was during this gathering of depravity where the dark legacy of Klaus Fischer was born - as the master of the unspeakable crime and diabolical proceedings that have haunted the mansion ever since. Now Fischer House is beckoning, and some old friends have gathered to welcome Paul back...
I must say that The House of Lost Souls was exactly the type of book that I have always enjoyed reading. The pacing of the story was just perfect - there was always something happening in the plot and to me, the horror never seemed forced. I thoroughly enjoy reading books about haunted houses and in my opinion, this book was actually quite brilliant. I give this book a definite A+!
Seventy-five years later, the Fischer House has been reawakened to claim the innocent and unsuspecting souls who dare to unlock its door. In 1995, four university students and their professor cross the threshold of the derelict Fischer House. What starts out as a simple class field study and an in-depth discussion on the nature of true evil, soon turns into a waking nightmare for the participants.
Just weeks after the four philosophy students and their professor return home, one young woman has committed suicide and the other three are slowly descending into madness. Nicholas Mason's sister Sarah was one of the participants in that impromptu lecture-study at Fischer House. Determined to find a way to save her, Nick seeks help from Paul Seaton - the only person to have visited the house and to have survived. Yet Paul is also a deeply troubled man, haunted by otherworldly visions which even now threaten his sanity.
Although Paul is fearful of ever returning to Fischer House, Nick is desperate to protect his sister. He forces Paul to go back into his past - to try and recall his own dark memories of a time that Paul would much prefer remained buried. So in order to help Nick, Paul must return to Fischer House to fulfill an unfinished duty: he must find the secret journal of the tragically beautiful photographer Pandora Gibson-Hoare. Although not much is known of the young woman's life, Pandora's journal is rumored to have been kept during a particularly dark period in her life - when she became acquainted with Klaus Fischer.
Paul learns from Pandora's personal diary that Fischer House was a mansion created for debauchery - a decadent house that catered to every hedonistic desire. She describes a secretive gathering in the 1920s which was presided over by a malevolent figure. It was during this gathering of depravity where the dark legacy of Klaus Fischer was born - as the master of the unspeakable crime and diabolical proceedings that have haunted the mansion ever since. Now Fischer House is beckoning, and some old friends have gathered to welcome Paul back...
I must say that The House of Lost Souls was exactly the type of book that I have always enjoyed reading. The pacing of the story was just perfect - there was always something happening in the plot and to me, the horror never seemed forced. I thoroughly enjoy reading books about haunted houses and in my opinion, this book was actually quite brilliant. I give this book a definite A+!
