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Oh, Whistle, And I'll Come To You, My Lad (1904)

by M.R. James(Favorite Author)

3.7 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1409914488 (ISBN13: 9781409914488)

languge

English

genre

Horror

publisher

Dodo Press

review 1: This short story came very well recommended by a gentleman (there was no other way to describe him, really) of many winters as well as a girl in her mid-twenties. Well, I thought, if a text spans a gap like that and comes out on top, surely it's worth a look. The first thing that struck me about the story is that it is very well written and very classically crafted - and so made me feel immediately impatient. The opening few pages take the form of a pretty stilted conversation between the protagonist, Professor Parkin, and his peers at a university dinner (banquet) table. The scene definitely manages to establish Parkin's personality (which is satisfyingly rather unlikable, at first), but it does read stiffly and unnaturally, having the unfortunate effect of coming across ... moreas quite Literary. But this is the only thing that I found even a little tedious about the story.The rest of the narrative is very atmospheric and engaging, drawing you in in the way a good ghost story should. The, shall we say, "vision" sequence that is described when Parkin closes his eyes one night is one of the best and most eerie scenes I have ever read - the description came to life in my mind instantly and I absolutely relished it, seeing it as a moving painting or spine-tingling zoetrope (specifically, it put me in mind of the type of fast-moving, unsettling and almost stop-motion filming style that was used in the old King Arthur film - although I forget what the method and film are actually called).Lets just say that I had to be accompanied around the house for the rest of the evening. Without going into spoiler territory, let me just say that if you like a good horror story, read this one - it isn't very long, but it's oh so very good. And it will, deliciously, haunt you.
review 2: I wasn't really expecting much out of this audiobook since I had got it for free, what with being an audible.com member but I ended up enjoying it. I thought the voice of the narrator really suited the plotline of the book. It ended up really sucking me into the book I could not stop listening it, even though it is only less than an hour long, it makes it perfect as you can sit and listen to it in one take. less

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