Dark Matter

Sep 14, 2011 Michael rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, ghost-story, historical-fiction, horror

Review from Badelynge
Michelle Paver's Dark Matter is a chillingly accomplished ghost story that takes place in the dark isolation of a snowbound base-camp of a small but ambitious scientific expedition, as the long dark night of an Arctic Winter sets in. The year is 1937. Unbeknown to the youthful group, their new home already has a black history and a reputation that makes the hardened seamen and trappers of the region reluctant to even speak of it.
Paver's love of the Arctic, first hand knowled...more Review from Badelynge
Michelle Paver's Dark Matter is a chillingly accomplished ghost story that takes place in the dark isolation of a snowbound base-camp of a small but ambitious scientific expedition, as the long dark night of an Arctic Winter sets in. The year is 1937. Unbeknown to the youthful group, their new home already has a black history and a reputation that makes the hardened seamen and trappers of the region reluctant to even speak of it.
Paver's love of the Arctic, first hand knowledge and experience of the region shine through the narrative. When A.C.Doyle wrote classic's like The Captain Of The Polestar, his experiences on Arctic Whalers' fueled the authentic tone and similarly Algernon Blackwood's tales of isolation and fear drew on his extensive trekking through the various wild places.There is an art to writing a good ghost story and one of the absolutes is in the appearance of authenticity. If the reader can't forget that the story is a fiction then the story loses its power. Paver certainly succeeds in that regard. Jack is well realised character, that I had no problem investing my interest in along with his horrific travails.
The narrative is in the form of a journal by the expedition's newest member and here again Paver excels in the form, using a journal's natural economy to provide ambiguity when needed but also to ride closely the mental battle taking place as our faithful scribe Jack details the occurrences. I've read other similar types of story that have been ridiculously large tomes, supposedly the diary of a few weeks stretched out to 700 page monstrosities, as if the narrator could possibly do the work that a professional author would have to chain themselves to the desk to achieve. There is a sort of infectious anxiety that slowly builds as the days slowly advance and the ill-fated expedition goes from one set back to the next. The ambiguity I mentioned has nothing to do with questions of whether the haunting is real or imagined - take it from me - the place is Haunted as Hell, no rather I ascribe it to the visual descriptions of the more visceral episodes. The scenes are painted with as few strokes as possible, so that in true classic style the reader has room to draw on their own nightmare imagery.
You could easily read Dark Matter in one sitting, though I spread it out over four. This is the sort of book you don't see too often these days, indeed you might be fooled into thinking it was written contemporaneously. Recommended. (less)

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Mar 13, 2013 Rhys rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review was originally posted on ThirstforFiction.com

January 1937, and London is on the brink of a new world war. Life for Jack Miller is not going good; he has no family, no friends and lives in a grimy part of London. How could he say no when he's offered a chance to join an expedition to the Arctic Circle, away from the fog and dirt of London? The expedition starts well, but gradually it seems that something, or someone does not want them, as the land of the midnight sun becomes the land...more

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Feb 10, 2012 Diletta rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"E' di nuovo tutto immobile. Sono immerso nel buio freddo, senza vento, morto. E' questa la verità: il buio. E noi siamo l'anomalia. Piccole scintille sfavillanti sulla crosta di questo pianeta che gira, mentre tutt'intorno regna l'oscurità."

Jack Miller è un giovane laureato in fisica che sta cercando l'occasione della sua vita, quella che gli permetterà di mettere a frutto i suoi studi sollevandolo dalla miseria di ogni giorno; per questo quando gli si presenta un progetto, un fantastico proget...more "E' di nuovo tutto immobile. Sono immerso nel buio freddo, senza vento, morto. E' questa la verità: il buio. E noi siamo l'anomalia. Piccole scintille sfavillanti sulla crosta di questo pianeta che gira, mentre tutt'intorno regna l'oscurità."

Jack Miller è un giovane laureato in fisica che sta cercando l'occasione della sua vita, quella che gli permetterà di mettere a frutto i suoi studi sollevandolo dalla miseria di ogni giorno; per questo quando gli si presenta un progetto, un fantastico progetto di una spedizione scientifica della durata di un anno, non riesce a credere alla sua fortuna. Certo, la meta è un luogo a 500 km dal Circolo polare artico, e siamo nel 1937. Ma Jack accetta, e nel giro di qualche mese si ritrova con quattro sconosciuti proiettato a Spitsbergen, un'isola a nord della Norvegia, dove la forma di vita più intelligente che possiate trovare è una renna.
Non proprio il massimo. Soprattutto considerando che nel giro di pochi giorni e per circostanze del tutto imprevedibili, due compagni sono costretti a ritirarsi dalla spedizione.
Ora, immaginate questo posto.
La calotta polare, le foche, i ghiacciai a fior d'acqua. Il vento freddo che di notte porta la temperatura a scendere di diversi gradi sotto lo zero. Immaginate il sole che a queste latitudini è poco più che un'ombra, un pallido sole che intorno ad ottobre sparisce per quattro mesi, facendo sprofondare la realtà in una gelida notte infinita.
Immaginate questo mondo - che non può essere lo stesso in cui viviamo noi, non può - infestato da un'ombra. Uno spettro forse. Un'entità che si aggira in questo posto immerso nel nulla più totale facendoti perdere il lume della ragione.
Poi, uno degli uomini si ammala. L'altro è costretto a riportarlo nel mondo civilizzato. Jack resta solo ad affrontare le notti che si allungano ad una velocità inquietante, e una presenza che si fa sempre più vicina. E che, una cosa è certa, non appartiene alla schiera dei vivi.

Ho davvero amato questo libro, scritto sotto forma di diario, dal linguaggio semplice e diretto, ma non per questo meno efficace. Man mano che sfogli le pagine, ti sembra di avvertire uno spiffero freddo dietro il collo, delle labbra gelide che ti spirano addosso l'atmosfera dell'Oceano Artico, e che insieme a quell'entità che all'inizio non sai se ricondurre all'autosuggestione o un'effettiva presenza, ti percorrono la schiena di brividi sottili.
La materia oscura assume i contorni di una ghost story pur mantenendosene a distanza; complice la forma a diario, che ci permette un'analisi approfondita del protagonista e dei suoi sentimenti. Le parole scorrono, e noi lo vediamo pian piano impazzire, senza che lui se ne renda conto. La routine assume un'importanza fondamentale, attraverso la routine tutto ha senso. Perché il tempo non ha più valore, se non c'è la luce a scandirlo.

Credo che la solitudine sia la nemica più temibile dell'essere umano. Lo è nella vita di tutti i giorni, quando siamo circondati da una moltitudine di persone che fiocca intorno a noi in turbini indifferenti: noi siamo soli.
E' una sensazione che aderisce a noi come un abito troppo stretto.

Ma proviamo a portare ora questo sentimento all'estremo.
Immaginiamo di essere avvolti nel buio, nel freddo, nel non-tempo, nessuna forma di vita nel raggio di kilometri; è un abisso senza fondo, attorno e dentro di noi. Un abisso in cui la mente sbraita per farsi sentire, urla per smorzare il silenzio che ci assorda. E forse è la mente la cosa che più dobbiamo temere. Forse è il baratro dentro di noi quello che più ci fa paura. Noi stessi siamo la cosa più spaventosa che possiamo immaginare.

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Feb 23, 2012 Richard Stacey rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A good read but I thought this novel could have been (and needed to be) a lot longer in key places.

The story is strong and simple. In the 1930s, three Englishmen called Gus, Jack and Algie go to stay in an isolated and possibly haunted cabin in the artic. It has a very amteurish Shackleton expedition atmosphere at the beginning which I loved. Three "jolly good chaps off for a jaunt in the artic." It reminded me of how even famous English explorers of the time like Scott made ludicrous decisions...more A good read but I thought this novel could have been (and needed to be) a lot longer in key places.

The story is strong and simple. In the 1930s, three Englishmen called Gus, Jack and Algie go to stay in an isolated and possibly haunted cabin in the artic. It has a very amteurish Shackleton expedition atmosphere at the beginning which I loved. Three "jolly good chaps off for a jaunt in the artic." It reminded me of how even famous English explorers of the time like Scott made ludicrous decisions to take small ponies to the Artic instead of sled dogs. English public schoolboys off for japes. "Good show" and all that.

We hear the tale from Jack's point of view alone in a diary form which works well.

Once they arrive in the artic and settle into the cabin the problems start and result in Jack being left alone. Or is he? The place is haunted! And that's the basic story without giving more away than the back cover will tell you.

And it is an extremely polished ghost story. I got the feeling the novel must have gone through more drafts than most. There was no roughness around the edges, no passage where you thought 'this author is just filling the pages with unnecessary stuff'. But being so tightly written and edited gave it an artificial feel.

The relationship between the 3 main characters in Gus, Algie and Jack is key to the success of this book but I felt that the author didn't spend enough time establishing them as a trio before she yanked two of them out of sight.

It was then hard for me to believe that Jack had such strong feelings for Gus later among other things. I just felt that there wasn't enough fleshing out of the characters or their relationship with each other to make me care when all hell breaks loose. And because I didn't care that much this ghost story lost a lot of its' power as I wasn't really too bothered if Jack or the other "old chaps" made it to the final page alive.

Still, it is well-researched and interesting especially if you, like me, loved that period early last century when amatuerish public schoolboys went off on mad and rather ill-prepared expeditions.(less)

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Apr 19, 2011 Janette Fleming rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In 1937 Jack Millar is working as a clerk after his dream of a career in research physics looks likely not to be realised. Lonely and dissatisfied he jumps at the chance to join an Arctic expedition, as a radio operator. The other four members of the team are well to do amateur Oxbridge explorers. Jack is more than aware of the social gulf between him and his fellow companions best illustrated by the mortification he feels when he says 'OK' instead of 'Grand'.

Jack cuts a lonely, awkward figure,...more

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Oct 31, 2010 Mike rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A quick, satisfying, dread-inducing ghost story, perfect for the night before Halloween as the season shifts, portending the long frigid Minnesotan evenings to come.

It was a wee bit slight, and given that I read Dan Simmons' The Terror last year, Paver had a helluva task trying to reach that book's nerve-wracking exploration of the impact of a spooky Artic landscape.... but it was still enjoyable. (If you really want to get those chewin'-jerky-cabin-fever-Shackletonian shivers, go Simmons.)

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Mar 23, 2013 Zoe Millward rated it 3 of 5 stars

Ghost stories are not my usual choice of reading, but every now and then it is good to try something new.
I can see that as a ghost story this was well written. I began to regret reading it last thing at night as I went to bed and my heart was racing at the end f the book.
However, it doesn't rate that highly with me, simply because I confirmed that this type of story is not for me. It didn't grab me in the way a thriller that made my heart race in this way would have done.

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Jan 31, 2013 Stevedutch rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I’m a big fan of stories featuring occult goings on and ghosts etc. and I expected a lot of this novel. Alas, my expectations were not to be fulfilled. The story begins quite promisingly against the backdrop of a gloomy, foggy pre-war London in which lives our intrepid protagonist, one Jack Miller, a physics graduate, who has been invited, by several would be chums, because of his ability with communications equipment, to join an expedition to the frozen north to study weather patterns glaciatio...more I’m a big fan of stories featuring occult goings on and ghosts etc. and I expected a lot of this novel. Alas, my expectations were not to be fulfilled. The story begins quite promisingly against the backdrop of a gloomy, foggy pre-war London in which lives our intrepid protagonist, one Jack Miller, a physics graduate, who has been invited, by several would be chums, because of his ability with communications equipment, to join an expedition to the frozen north to study weather patterns glaciation and other such stuff. He is down in the dumps because he is poor and wants, desperately, to go and play with the rich kids on their romp to the arctic. The problem is, he resents, bitterly, the lot that life has dumped on him and never misses an opportunity to whinge and let the reader know what an unfortunate fellow he truly is. Thus, he almost declines the offer but the sight of a body washed up on the Thames shoreline, for some reason, convinces him that this is just the opportunity he has been waiting for to leave his humdrum job and avoid, potentially, decades of boring middle class existence.

In due course the expedition sets off on its way north with Jack among its number as said communications expert. Along the way they pick up a pack of huskies, sledges and all the stuff one imagines would be necessary to live safely in such a bleak environment whilst, gradually, Jack begins to notice ‘feelings’ for his handsome expedition leader, Gus.

Paver describes the terrain over which they travel and eventually settle in, Gruhuken, a fictitious long ago deserted mining and trapping region way beyond the Arctic Circle, well. As might be expected, soon after they arrive, strange goings on begin to occur, leading Jack to suspect that something nasty once happened during the time in which the region hadn’t been quite so deserted.

However, what spoils the whole thing, aside from the whiny, petulant, sulky protagonist, is the prosaic build up to things that eventually go bump in the long arctic night all told in a slightly ‘twee’ way; possibly reflecting Paver’s predominantly, writing for children, experience. Frustratingly, it’s a ripping yarn without much rip and I found myself being slightly bored with Jack’s plight and instead of rooting for the plucky ‘hero’, really rather hoping that he’d get his ghost inflicted comeuppance by having his stupid head ripped off! In short, you’d be much better entertained by watching the ‘The Curse of the Claw’ a superb episode from Michael Palin’s BBC series, Ripping Yarns, which one might be forgiven for thinking, inspired this tepid effort!

But if it’s a book you are after and you really do want to be completely unsettled by a true occult masterpiece you could do no better than turn to ‘The Matrix’ by the shamefully neglected Jonathan Aycliffe, a brilliantly written novel set in contemporary Edinburgh, that really will have you scuttling around to make sure every door and window are bolted as securely as they possibly could be before settling in for the night!
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May 06, 2013 Valerie Derbyshire rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I did enjoy reading this story, but as I progressed through the story I felt that it was trying too hard. Suggested further reading at the back of the book points the reader in the direction of Susan Hill and the ghost stories of M R James and I couldn't help but feel that this story wanted to be like the works of those authors, but something was somehow lacking to put it in that class. The story itself tells the tale of class-conscious Jack who joins an expedition to the Arctic and then, after...more I did enjoy reading this story, but as I progressed through the story I felt that it was trying too hard. Suggested further reading at the back of the book points the reader in the direction of Susan Hill and the ghost stories of M R James and I couldn't help but feel that this story wanted to be like the works of those authors, but something was somehow lacking to put it in that class. The story itself tells the tale of class-conscious Jack who joins an expedition to the Arctic and then, after several mishaps befall the group, ends up on his own with a bunch of huskies (who soon abandon him) with just the resident ghost. There are some nice parallels in the story - I couldn't help but compare the boy's own hero of Gus, the expedition leader, to the unfortunate, maligned, "God-forgotten", character of who the ghost had been in life; and there is a nice circularity in the way the tale ends because of these parallels (I won't spoil it). There was an awful lot of compare and contrast in the novel and after a bit it all started to strike me as being a bit self-conscious (hence my criticism of "trying too hard"). There is some good writing and good description, but I've read other books in the past setting out an Arctic setting and I didn't get the same feeling of "chill" from this book which I have found in other author's descriptions of a similar landscape. Geraldine McCaughrean's The White Darkness, for instance, will have you reaching for a duvet on a summer's day; as will any Willa Cather's frontier tales. It's a quick easy read and won't take too much of your time, but on the whole, I found it all a bit average. Plus, I've got to say, I don't know how easily scared the critics from the Observer are, but their comment of "The ultimate test of a good ghost story is, surely, whether you feel panicked reading it in bed at midnight; two-thirds through, I found myself suddenly afraid to look out of the windows,.." must make them the biggest wusses out there - and I thought I was easily scared. This book I found to be not scary at all - I thought it struggled to raise enough atmosphere to render it even a little bit chilling (but that's just my opinion).(less)

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Apr 13, 2013 Lezanne Clannachan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If ever there was a book to remind me of the unexpected pleasure of reading outside of the genres I normally favour, it is Dark Matter. If I had known it was a ghost story – a truly terrifying one at that – I would never have picked it up. It’s not my kind of thing. But as the chosen read of my book group, I had no choice. It now ranks as one of my all time favourites.
The story follows Jack Miller on an expedition to the fringes of the Arctic in the 1930’s. One by one, his companions are forced...more

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Mar 11, 2013 Dillwynia Peter rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I listened to this as an audiobook as I crossed the Nullabor Plain of southern Australia. Incongruous, I'm sure you as saying. But this is not so - in summer, there is little traffic & one quickly feels isolated and on the edge of something. Something mighty, terrible and you are at the mercy of one false action.

I enjoyed the story & it worked for me: the culture & class clash (the grammar school boy against the public school boy), the Nordic mythology (in sorts) and the helplessness...more

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Dec 03, 2012 Rurae rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, modern-fiction

I loved this book. It was one of the most atmospheric reads I've come across in a very long time. It's very simply written but that takes nothing away from the book and indeed compliments the stark environment the story is set in. In many ways this book reminds me of that other seminal ghost story; The Woman In Black. Not because the plot is similar but because the feel of the two novels are quite alike. They both have a dark atmosphere that really grips you.

The author researched the setting for...more

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Nov 27, 2012 Pete Ames rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dark Matter is, first a foremost a ghost story. A really, really good ghost story.

Like, I didn’t like sleeping with the light off type good. And I’m a grown man.

It’s power lies, I think, in its subtlety. Michelle Paver, the author, has clearly paid attention to her movies and seen that the unbearable terror lies in the build up; when the what and the why and the who are still unknown and all is that you do know is that something is going on and it’s not right.

The story itself is set around a g...more

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Oct 07, 2012 Samaire Provost rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A ghost story that put shivers up my spine!

Oh! This story is written very well, the suspense is so well timed, and you feel as if you are there with Jack. It was brilliant to have Isaak there as well, he was a great character and the way his movements are described you feel the fright so keenly. Very elegantly written, a fantastic scary, spooky story. I could not put it down, the climax is so perfect. Very well done, Ms. Paver. Loved your books for kids, and when this book Dark Matter was recom...more

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Oct 06, 2012 Geranium Cat rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Paver has pulled off two real achievements: first, she perfectly recreates the explorer’s diary, with its combination of matter-of-fact relation of everyday detail, the excitement of discovery and the loneliness of exile; second, she has written a “classic” ghost story, a creepy, chilling tale that will linger unsettlingly with the reader.

It’s 1937, and Jack Miller’s plans to become a physicist have been hit by the Depression, so he is working in a dead-end job when he hears of an expedition to...more Paver has pulled off two real achievements: first, she perfectly recreates the explorer’s diary, with its combination of matter-of-fact relation of everyday detail, the excitement of discovery and the loneliness of exile; second, she has written a “classic” ghost story, a creepy, chilling tale that will linger unsettlingly with the reader.

It’s 1937, and Jack Miller’s plans to become a physicist have been hit by the Depression, so he is working in a dead-end job when he hears of an expedition to the High Arctic in need of a radio operator. He’s initially put off by the four ex-public schoolboys he meets, but realising how important the expedition might be in shaping the rest of his life, agrees to go.

From the outset, however, the expedition seems fated, and by the time they arrive in Norway, they are already one person down – the doctor of the team has had to stay in England following the death of his father. Nonetheless, the remaining members decide to go ahead – after all, how could they possibly guess that before long only Jack would be left to face the Arctic winter alone? The first obstacle is overcoming the reluctance of Eriksson, the skipper of the boat they have chartered, to land them at Gruhuken, the site they have chosen for their camp. He won’t give reasons, but insists that it’s not a good place. It’s not a virgin site, there is a ruined mine there, with the remains of a cabin, and a “bear post”, used to attract polar bears so that they could be shot.

From the very start, the bear post makes Jack uneasy, something he puts down at first to his distaste for fellow expedition-member Algie’s evident pleasure in killing animals. Gradually, however, he comes to a conviction that the post is the focus of…not a haunting – the rational Jack can’t entertain that idea – but a memory, an echo of something from the past. And alone and afraid in the Arctic night, Jack is at risk, not just from whatever may or may not be outside the cabin, but also of the loss of routine induced by his own fear.

Paver strikes a perfect balance between describing the beauty of the Arctic and the creeping paranoia of the people at Gruhuken. The chill is cracklingly tangible as winter settles in to the remote bay, and more so when it becomes clear that even the dogs are afraid of something. Paver’s background in writing for young adults shows to the good, I think: at 200-odd pages, it’s a tightly written story, ideal for one so hard to put down and, with its pre-war setting, feels like a book from an earlier tradition of story-telling. I found myself thinking of M.R. James while I was reading, and at times, of John Buchan’s Sickheart River, or some of his supernatural tales. This is a story not just for one deliciously creepy Hallowe’en, but for many to come. (less)

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Aug 31, 2012 Esme rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arctic-antarctica, horror-fantasy-scifi

1937 machen sich drei junge Londoner auf den Weg in die Arktis, um das Wetter aufzuzeichnen und Gletscherforschungen zu betreiben. Gruhuken in Spitzbergen ist der Ort ihrer Wahl. Keine sehr gute. Dem Kapitän und der Mannschaft des Schiffes, das sie dorthin bringt, ist es nicht geheuer, es gibt Gerüchte, seltsame Erscheinungen und eine grausame Vergangenheit.

Dark Matter (Dein Ende wird dunkel sein) von Michelle Paver ist eine perfekt komponierte Geistergeschichte. Sie besteht aus dem Tagebuch von...more

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Jul 17, 2012 Bethany Macdonald rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dark Matter begins in a way that is somewhat reminiscent of Bram Stoker's Dracula, the first person narrative in diary format with hints of foreboding and obvious ill-omen's makes the reader want to call out to the ill-fated explorers and tell them to turn around!

The story follows Jack, a somewhat lonely Englishman who studied Physics but was too poor to follow his dreams of becoming a renowned scientist. Jack agrees to explore Gruhuken, a relatively untouched area in the Arctic, but soon wishes...more

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Jul 12, 2012 Anne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have hear Michelle talk about her research for the Wolf Brother books, and decided to buy this adult title for her to sign on the night. Don't often read ghost stories, but like a good scare and not keen on the bloodthirsty. Absolutely loved Woman in Black stage play which had me screaming out loud with the best of them! Was disappointed with The Mist in the Mirror - just didn't drag me into the story and so not scary. So Dark Matter was a welcome move into a world-away.

I want to be scared by...more

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Apr 04, 2012 malaikat rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Tamna materija" je vrlo dobra knjiga i fin horor, koji sa svojih kompaktnih dvestotinjak strana pruža izvanredno zabavno čitanje.

Po stilu se lako vidi da je Mišel Pejver "bivši" dečiji pisac. Rečenice su kratke, brikte, radnja je linearna i ravna kao strela i tekst protiče u neprestanim događanjima. Štucavice u pisanju su minorne i možda i previše retke da bi se spominjale, ali se primeti da Pejverova ima problema sa ili previše statičnim ili sa previše dinamičnim scenama. Statični opisi uplov...more "Tamna materija" je vrlo dobra knjiga i fin horor, koji sa svojih kompaktnih dvestotinjak strana pruža izvanredno zabavno čitanje.

Po stilu se lako vidi da je Mišel Pejver "bivši" dečiji pisac. Rečenice su kratke, brikte, radnja je linearna i ravna kao strela i tekst protiče u neprestanim događanjima. Štucavice u pisanju su minorne i možda i previše retke da bi se spominjale, ali se primeti da Pejverova ima problema sa ili previše statičnim ili sa previše dinamičnim scenama. Statični opisi uplovljavanja na Severni pol deluju možda i suviše dečiji u svojoj naivnosti (kada se ukombinuje sa povremenom upotrebom onomatopeja, čitava stvar i previše naliči nekom srednjoškolskom radu) i jednostavnosti; dok su povremene intenzivnije akcione scene otišle u drugu krajnost: u želji da što bolje predstavi borbu sa neprirodnim silama, Pejverova nepotrebno počinje pisati apstraktnije i kriptičnije, što izgleda nespretno i u neskladu sa ostatkom romana. Mada, to su povremene smetnje koje ne smetaju mnogo pri čitanju, jer nekoliko loših strana lako pregazi nekoliko desetina odlično napisanih.

Radnja "Tamne Materije" nije originalna (priča o duhovima + Severni pol), ali je majstorski izvedena. Fabula se odvija sporo i tmurno, i knjiga ne pokušava da zastraši, već pre da uznemiri čitaoca svojim mrtvačkim tempom i povremenim sablasnim nagoveštajima onoga što će doći na sledećim stranicama, što je neverovatan uspeh za kratki roman poput ovog. Pejverova je za svoju povest o ukletom zalivu Gruhukenu koristila formu dnevnika (omaž Lavkraftu?) koji piše jedan od članova ekspedicije - iako na prvi pogled deluje kao kliše i ako na prvih dvadesetak strana sve deluje kao već viđeno, sumornost Pejverinog hladnog pisanja vrlo brzo stvari postavlja na svoje mesto, čineći da knjiga postepeno biva sve zanimljivijai generalno sve bolja. Zapravo, na prste jedne ruke bi se mogle izbrojati horor romani koji ovako efektno koriste formu dnevnika u svrhu sablažnjavanja čitaoca.

Međutim, izvesni problemi i dalje postoje. Sve iole snažnije emocionalne reakcije Džeka Milera deluju previše ekstremno: na početku će glavni junka zvučati kao emo-klinac, kasnije će izgledati kao da je na injekcijama adrenalina, dok će na kraju padati u kliničku depresiju. Promene kroz koje lik prolazi odgovaraju radnji i imaju svakog smisla, ali jednotavno izgledaju prejako i "preglumljeno", i utisak se stiče da je "Tamna materija" najbolja tamo gde Mišel Pejver piše automatski, gde se ne trudi da dodaje ili smanjuje intenzitet scenama, i gde se ne trudi da objašnjava svaku činjenicu vezanu za radnju. Neposredno objašnjavanje svega i svačega je nešto što se verovatno mora raditi u dečjoj književnosti, ali Pejverova ponekad preteruje u tome, što je skoro pa smrtni greh u romanu čiji je cilj zastrašivanje nepoznatim.

Koliko god mana postojalo u Pejverinom pisanju, primeti se da je ona ipak preveliki majstor da je to omete u pričanju priče, a "Tamna materija" priča sjajnu i zastrašujuću priču. Iskusniji čitaoci će primetiti suptilna igranja sa horor žanrom (očigledno je da u određenom trenutku spisateljica parodira onaj horor-kliše u kom grupu junaka jednog po jednog ubija neko/nešto) što će im verovatno izmamiti pokoji osmeh, ali finale knjige će teško ostaviti čitaoca nesablažnjenim. Neobičan kraj, očekivano zastrašujuć ali neočekivano emocionalan, jeste dostojna kruna knjige koja je zaista bolja sa svakom novom stranicom, i koja uprkos povremenim nezgodacijama ipak do kraja zadovoljava svog čitaoca. Mišel Pejver možda treba da dotera svoj stil iskaljen na dečjim knjigama, ali joj je osećaj za stravično izuzetan.

Preporuka: knjigu, po savetu sa zadnjih korica, zaista vredi čitati noću, poželjno zimi, naročito drugi deo romana. Samo iskustvo je vredno dodatnih pola zvezdice. (less)

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Mar 12, 2012 Anneth Strinnholm rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Det här är något så ovanligt som en arktisk spökroman som utspelas i slutet av 1930-talet. För er som sett John Carpenters klassiker "The Thing" (1982) känns upplägget till viss del igen - ett gäng forskare utsända att studera väderförhållanden, flora och liknande diffusa saker råkar ut för hemskheter och blir allt mer isolerade och skrämda, allt medan snöstormar viner, minusgraderna sjunker och natten varar i flera månader.

Vi får följa berättelsen genom fattige Jack Millers ögon: den dagbok ha...more

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Feb 07, 2012 Gerre rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Michelle Paver’s “Dark Matter” is the story of Jack Miller, told in epistolary narrative form through Jack's journal entries detailing his time at Gruhuken (a fictious place) on an Arctic expedition in 1937.

Michelle Paver modelled Jack’s expedition on the 1935 Oxford University Arctic Expedition and that of her own trip to the Arctic and experiencing the Polar night. Whilst Michelle’s prose is simple, it was engaging.
There’s an unsettling element to the novel created by the Arctic’s desolation...more

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Jan 04, 2012 Jeanette rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: the-brits

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Jack Miller, a poor, lonely Londoner is selected to join five men and a group of huskies on an expedition to the Arctic for a year. The group arrives during the idyllic and bright summer months, naive and excited to begin work. As winter approaches, Jack Miller finds himself left alone at the camp and must brace the long dark weeks ahead by himself with only the dogs to keep him company.

As night devours the land, Jack starts to see a "malevolent" man in the distance, a presence that haunts him...more

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Nov 05, 2011 Philip Jackson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This dark ghost story has largely been likened to the works of MR James, but it also shares a lot of common ground with that modern ghostly masterpiece, The Woman in Black. Both stories feature male protagonists who are put to the mercy of a malevolent spirit while suffering the profoundest degree of isolation (one in a house marooned across a coastal causeway, the other trapped in a hut in the Arctic accessible only by boat). The cause of the the haunting is, in both novels, a result of earlier...more

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May 04, 2011 Stacey rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A very easy read that I finished in 2 days. The story is well written and fairly simple. I loved watching Jack's changing character and how he dealt with life in the Arctic. In the beginning he is desperate for adventure. He is rather snobbish and highly emotional, especially in regards to his sad past. This is important, as the past is incredibly important in this novel.

Jack 'grows up' in a few ways as the novel progresses. He learns not to judge a book by its cover, and to trust more in others...more

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Feb 18, 2011 Colin Leslie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Award winning children's author Michelle Paver has turned her attention away from the prehistory of The Chronicles Of Ancient Darkness series to something much darker, a ghost story. "I didn't tell anyone except my agent that I was writing a ghost story" she says in a fascinating article on her website (here). The opportunity to write without a deadline meant she could refine the text over time and at the right time. "I felt it was important to get back into the rewrite at the time when the nigh...more Award winning children's author Michelle Paver has turned her attention away from the prehistory of The Chronicles Of Ancient Darkness series to something much darker, a ghost story. "I didn't tell anyone except my agent that I was writing a ghost story" she says in a fascinating article on her website (here). The opportunity to write without a deadline meant she could refine the text over time and at the right time. "I felt it was important to get back into the rewrite at the time when the nights were lengthening and winter was coming on, because this is the proper time for ghost stories", it's clear that technique has had a major effect on the atmosphere of the story.

It's 1937 and against a background of impending war, a group of Oxbridge graduates are planning a scientific expedition to Spitsbergen in the high arctic, "halfway between Norway and the pole". They are joined by the distinctly lower class Jack Miller, who despite his difficult background is determined to prove himself as a worthy scientist. Eventually after months of planning the group make their way to the deserted mining village of Gruhuken (despite advice that this area is unsuitable as a camp, have these folk never seen Scooby Doo). The vastness and wildness of the area is awe inspiring, "it made humanity irrelevant".

Things are proceeding well and Jack has even managed to bond with at least one of his team mates, Gus until a series of incidents conspire to leave Jack alone in the camp. Alone, that is if you don't include the sleddogs and a ghostly figure which seems to appear with increasing frequency. Not only that but Jack has been left alone just as the everlasting darkness of an arctic winter (the "dark time") sets in. "Only you in this cabin and beyond it the dark" Jack tells himself.

The book is as much about psychological terror as supernatural terror. Indeed the supernatural threat appears to be real (as it's observed by multiple witnesses) but as it's only ever glimpsed through the veil of darkness, both physical and psychological, it is never truly revealed or made real. This gives the tale an M. R. James feel as the implied threat begins to dominate the characters actions without losing any of it's power or intensity which may have followed its revelation.

The book is also very much about relationships. Gus and Jack in particular resolve their very different backgrounds to form a close bond which in Jack's case takes the form of unrequited love. Jack also forms a close bond with one of the sled dogs who helps maintains Jack's grip on reality when it seems he may be losing it. It's also a book about the landscape itself. This is a place which dominates man till he becomes insignificant. The darkness erodes the senses and the vastness is incomprehensible. When Jack gets lost in the dark at one point the scene becomes both claustrophobic and agoraphobic at the same time.

Michelle Paver has created a great ghost story without really stretching the boundaries of the genre to any great extent. The intricate and well researched historical detail, a solid plot and an excellent cast of characters satisfy but more importantly the book works as a chilling exploration of the landscape not only of the Arctic wilderness but also of the human mind.(less)

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Apr 30, 2013 Jitka Štupáková rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Kroky v temnotě od M.Paver

Anotace: Píše se rok 1937. Nad Londýnem zahaleným v mlze se sbírají mraky. Osmadvacetiletý Jack je chudý, osamělý a příliš zoufalý, než aby dokázal změnit svůj život. A tak když se mu naskytne šance stát se radistou na arktické expedici, skočí po ní. Na lodi vládne vzrušení a nedočkavost, když opouští Norsko: pět mužů a pět psů cestuje napříč Barentsovým mořem za svitu půlnočního slunce. Konečně doplují k zapadlému, neobydlenému zálivu, kde mají strávit celý příští rok....more Kroky v temnotě od M.Paver

Anotace: Píše se rok 1937. Nad Londýnem zahaleným v mlze se sbírají mraky. Osmadvacetiletý Jack je chudý, osamělý a příliš zoufalý, než aby dokázal změnit svůj život. A tak když se mu naskytne šance stát se radistou na arktické expedici, skočí po ní. Na lodi vládne vzrušení a nedočkavost, když opouští Norsko: pět mužů a pět psů cestuje napříč Barentsovým mořem za svitu půlnočního slunce. Konečně doplují k zapadlému, neobydlenému zálivu, kde mají strávit celý příští rok. Gruhuken. Jenže arktické léto je krátké. Když se noc vrací, aby se znovu chopila vlády nad zemí, Jack pociťuje zvláštní neklid. Jeho druhové jsou postupně, jeden po druhém, nuceni odejít. I on se musí rozhodnout. Zůstat, nebo jít. Brzy spatří poslední paprsky slunce a pak na celé měsíce pohltí tábor polární noc. Brzy dosáhne bodu, z nějž už není návratu - to když moře zamrzne a znemožní mu útěk. A Gruhuken není tak neobydlený. Jack není sám. Něco se potuluje temnotou.

Děj – Kniha je psaná formou deníku. Jack si zde sepisuje své zážitky a pocity z polární výpravy na Arktidu. Původně měla 5 členů (a 5 psů, ale v knize je zmiňováno 8), ale jednomu ještě před odjezdem umřel rodinný příbuzný a on zdědil statky. Druhý Hugo si nešťastnou náhodou zlomil nohu, když zakopl o smotané lano. A tak, z 5-ti člené posádky zbyli jen tři. Po další době opustí tábor i Gus a Algie. Jack s vervou bojuje, že nezničí výpravu kvůli svému strachu z „ozvěn minulosti“, ale co jsou ty ozvěny zač? jak zvládne samotu na opuštěném místě kde kraluje jen a jen tma?

Na výpravu se dosti připravili, nakoupili zásoby a projeli týdny lodí, aby se dostali do cíle, Gruhunkenu. Na lodi se je všemožně snažil odradit kapitán, říkaji mu Nor. Jejich místo je podle něj posedlé, a navíc čeká je 4 měsíční nepřetržitá tma, ze které mnoho výprav nedorazilo, nebo přišlo o rozum…

Příběh má budit hrůzu ze samoty, tmy, avšak na mě to moc nepůsobilo. Nevím, jestli je to stylem psaní nebo pro mě moc vzdálené. Ale prostě do děje mi nedokázal vtáhnout….

Postavy - Jack Miller – Muž ze střední vrstvy. Po strastiplném životě se dostal, skoro, až na dno. Avšak má jistou sílu bojovat, touhu dostat se výš než se nachází. Je celkem zásadový. Zjistí o sobě věci, které se bál přiznat sám sobě. Věci, které nemůže ovlivnit, a to ho táhne a nutí jít dál….
Gus – človíček, který přirostl Jackovi k srdci, má pocit, že mohou být i přátelé. Ač je rozděluje společnost, ze které pocházejí. Avšak Gus budí dojem dobráka, byl mi sympatický.
Algie – velký, tlustý, hromotluk, který se bojí ticha. Neustále zapíná rádio nebo si aspoň prozpěvuje. Leze zbývajícíma dvěma na nervy. Má řeznické sklony. Podle mě neutrál, ale bez něj by to nebylo ono.

Závěr – Knihu jsem si vybrala v knihovně namátkou. Zaujal mi podnadpis „Hrůzostrašný příběh“.
No popravdě jsem očekávala víc. Kniha se dá přečíst jako zajímavost, ale jelikož se rozhodně na Arktidu nechystám tak mi na něm nic tak hrůzostrašného nepřišlo. Celkově pojat jako strach ze tmy, samoty, halucinací…. Hodnotím maximálně za 3 …..
(less)

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Nov 13, 2012 Ingrid Fasquelle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"J’adore cet endroit. J’aime aussi la clarté et la désolation du lieu. Oui, même sa cruauté. Parce qu’elle est authentique et qu’elle fait partie de la vie".

Rien que cette phrase résume tout du roman de Michelle Paver. On se représente aisément l'immensité et le sentiment de liberté qui prédominent en Arctique, mais on imagine moins facilement la solitude et le combat qu'il faut mener chaque jour pour préserver sa santé mentale. Cette solitude fait pourtant partie du quotidien de Jack et Michell...more "J’adore cet endroit. J’aime aussi la clarté et la désolation du lieu. Oui, même sa cruauté. Parce qu’elle est authentique et qu’elle fait partie de la vie".

Rien que cette phrase résume tout du roman de Michelle Paver. On se représente aisément l'immensité et le sentiment de liberté qui prédominent en Arctique, mais on imagine moins facilement la solitude et le combat qu'il faut mener chaque jour pour préserver sa santé mentale. Cette solitude fait pourtant partie du quotidien de Jack et Michelle Paver l'a magnifiquement exploitée.

D'un côté, elle rend un hommage vibrant, magnifique et plein de vie à la beauté grandiose du Grand Nord. Le lecteur se sent irrésistiblement entraîné à la suite de Jack et de ses compagnons d'expédition. Grisé par des descriptions magnifiques, on tremble d'impatience, tout comme Jack, à l'idée de découvrir les grands espaces et la beauté sauvage de ce continent neuf et plein de promesses ! Dans cette première partie, le soleil de minuit inonde le récit d'une lumière éblouissante, réveille l'enthousiasme et excite les sens engourdis par le froid ! Impossible alors de rester insensible à la beauté étourdissante de ces lieux ! On comprend tout à fait l'état d'esprit de Jack. Sa motivation, ses attentes deviennent nôtres, tout comme ses moments de joie et d'espoir lorsqu'il foule le sol glacé mais prometteur de l'Arctique. On vit l'expédition comme un nouveau départ, comme une renaissance, plongé dans une sorte de contemplation hypnotique de l'Arctique : la beauté de ce lieu pourtant coupé de toute civilisation exerce une attraction telle qu'on en oublie l'extrême rigueur du climat et la rudesse des conditions de vie. C'est magnétique ! On se sent ivre de liberté !

Pourtant, chapitre après chapitre, à mesure que la lumière décroît et que l'obscurité s'installe, Michelle Paver décrit un environnement radicalement différent : l'ambiance se fait glaciale, le vocabulaire plus dur. Soudain, c'est l'enfer au paradis !

"La peur du noir. Avant de venir ici, je croyais qu'elle ne concernait que les enfants; qu'en grandissant, on s'en défaisait. En réalité, elle n'est jamais bien loin. Elle reste là, tapie au fond de soi. La peur la plus ancienne de toutes. Une peur primitive".

L'auteure profite de l'enthousiasme et de l'insouciance du lecteur pour instiller la peur et jouer peu à peu avec ses nerfs ! C'est habile, intelligent. Elle utilise la peur primitive et viscérale du noir pour plonger les lieux dans une nuit sans fin, qui déforme la perception et intensifie les évènements les plus anodins. On parle alors de "ténèbres". De l'Arctique prometteur et accueillant des débuts, il ne reste qu'un désert glacé, inhumain, où tout peut arriver... C'est terrifiant !

Grâce à la force suggestive de sa plume, Michelle Paver installe une tension implacable et ouvre une brèche pour les évènements étranges et inexpliqués qui surviendront dans la dernière partie de son roman. C'est davantage cette tension que j'ai appréciée, plutôt que le tour surnaturel que l'auteure a choisi de donner à son récit, et auquel je n'ai pas malheureusement pas totalement adhéré. Pourtant, Michelle Paver a eu la bonne idée de ne pas sombrer dans le "tout-paranormal". Elle mise plutôt sur l’ambiguïté et explore les anciennes croyances et superstitions locales pour semer le doute dans l'esprit du lecteur : on peut alors se demander si Jack est victime d'hallucinations ou si ce qu'il a vu est bel et bien réel... C'est habile mais pour ma part, Michelle Paver n'aura pas réussi à ébranler mes certitudes, mon esprit rationnel ayant préféré interpréter l'expérience surnaturelle de Jack comme un "trouble" ou un syndrome lié à son isolement extrême.

Quoi qu'il en soit, l'incursion du surnaturel dans ce récit d'aventure n'aura pas gêné un seul instant ma lecture ! J'ai adhéré totalement à cette intrigue troublante, poignante et terriblement humaine, et j'ai surtout été bluffée par l'aisance avec laquelle Michelle Paver manipule son lecteur. Son roman est sombre, oppressant, en un mot, digne des meilleurs thrillers !(less)

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Dec 27, 2011 Lesley rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Just brief notes on my initial response to the book.
The cover bills 'Dark Matter' as a ghost story; this isn't my usual type of read - I tend to avoid anything genre based. However, I fancied a change & thought a ghost story might be good for a long winter's night.
I quite enjoyed the book and found it well-written. It was a quick read & I read it in one sitting. For me, it was successful at building suspense - you knew for sure something was going to happen, but not quite what or when....more

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Jan 05, 2011 Kirsty Henderson rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The only thing I liked about this book was the setting. The story takes place in Spitsbergen - a beautiful and unusual setting for any piece of fiction. However, this is literally the only positive about the book.

To dive right in with its flaws - the plot, characters and the writing style all felt forced, amateurish and perhaps most importantly - implausible. I don't know about you but when I'm reading a book I have to believe that the characters can exist and that the story could actually happe...more

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Nov 21, 2010 ALPHAreader rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have heard of Michalle Paver, or at least her critically acclaimed ‘The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness’ series (which I have been meaning to read!). So when her latest novel dropped in my lap I was ecstatic. And after reading, I can safely say that I now believe the hype surrounding Ms Paver. . .

The year is 1937. Jack Miller’s life is going nowhere fast. He lives alone in London, where the city is on pins and needles awaiting outbreak of World War. When Jack is offered the once-in-a-lifetime c...more

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