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Lady of the Shades
Ed, an American author on the hunt for a story for his next book, arrives in London looking for inspiration. A stranger in a strange city, he's haunted by a deadly secret that refuses to stay buried, and no matter how hard he tries he cannot escape the manifest sins of his past.
What Ed wants is answers, what he finds is something he definitely didn't bargain for: the beautiful and untouchable Andeanna Menderes. Andeanna is a woman who is dangerously bound to one of London's most notorious crime lords, and if they are caught together it could mean death for them both.
Ensnared in an illicit affair that can only be conducted in the shadows, Ed's world is turned upside down as a series of shattering revelations blurs the line between what's real and what's not...
What Ed wants is answers, what he finds is something he definitely didn't bargain for: the beautiful and untouchable Andeanna Menderes. Andeanna is a woman who is dangerously bound to one of London's most notorious crime lords, and if they are caught together it could mean death for them both.
Ensnared in an illicit affair that can only be conducted in the shadows, Ed's world is turned upside down as a series of shattering revelations blurs the line between what's real and what's not...
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
31 people are currently reading
1448 people want to read
About the author
Darren Shan
244 books8,286 followersLibrarian's note: Also writes books for adults under the name Darren Dash. And in the past he has released books for adults under the names D.B. Shan and Darren O'Shaughnessy.
Darren Shan (born July 2, 1972 in London, England) is the pen name of the Irish author Darren O'Shaughnessy, as well as the name of the protagonist of his book series The Saga of Darren Shan, also known as The Cirque Du Freak Series in the United States. He is the author of the series The Demonata, The Saga of Larten Crepsley, and Zom-B. He has also released the stand-alone novel, The Thin Executioner, and the stand-alone short novels, Koyasan, and Hagurosan. Plus, for adults, he released The City Trilogy (originally under the name of D.B. Shan), and Lady of the Shades..
Darren Shan (born July 2, 1972 in London, England) is the pen name of the Irish author Darren O'Shaughnessy, as well as the name of the protagonist of his book series The Saga of Darren Shan, also known as The Cirque Du Freak Series in the United States. He is the author of the series The Demonata, The Saga of Larten Crepsley, and Zom-B. He has also released the stand-alone novel, The Thin Executioner, and the stand-alone short novels, Koyasan, and Hagurosan. Plus, for adults, he released The City Trilogy (originally under the name of D.B. Shan), and Lady of the Shades..
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October 1, 2023
☆ ۵ ستاره طلایی با اسپارکهای طلایی☆
▪︎آیا این کتاب زادهی ذهن نویسندهست یا یه اعترافنامه؟
"بانوی سایهها" اولین کتابیه که از دارنشان میخونم.
میدونم که داستانای دیگهی دارنشان برای نوجووناس و بیشتر ژانر وحشته. اما بانوی سایهها یه داستان جنایی_عاشقانه پرکشش برای بزرگساله با پیچوخمهای جذاب و غیرقابل پیشبینی، تا صفحه ۲۵۰!
>> پسررررررر بعد صفحهی ۲۵۰ دیوانهوار میشه.
یه ریتم جذاب و تند متفاوت و پررر از توئیست.
دارن شان دیوونهس! یعنی به ۲۵۰ که میرسید میگید اکی دیگه داستان تموم شد و الان پشت پرده یه سری چیزا مشخص میشه و همین. اما انگار یهو سوار یه ترن هوایی میشی و همهش پیچ و خم. مرزهای توهم و واقعیت اونقدر کمرنگ میشه که به همهچی شک میکنه و بعد شوکهت میکنه. طوری که دلت میخواد کتاب رو پرت کنی تو دیوار و بگی "وات د فااااک" :))))
[ من از همین تریبون از همهی حضار فرهنگی و دوستان اهل ادب معذرت میخوام به خاطر واژهای که نوشتم، اما همینه]
▪︎ بذارید یه جور دیگه کتاب رو براتون توصیف کنم:
کتاب دو بخش داره، بخش اول یه داستان عاشقانه_جنایی با ریتم خوب که اونقدر کشش داره که بشینید پاش و داستان اِد و دلینا رو بخونید.
فکر نکنم دارنشان عاشفانهنویس باشه اما انصافا بخش عاشقانه رو خیلی تمیز و قشنگ درآورده. ^^ و البته هر چی باشه دارنشانه، پس اشباح هم داره...
و بعد ۷۰ صفحه آخر پر از چالشه، انگار آقای دارنشان با خودش گفته: "بذار حالا که این شخصیتا رو خلق کردم، یکم بیشتر باهاشون بازی کنم."
و بعد ۴ صفحهی آخرش... یعنی لعنتی تا ثانیهی آخر ول نمیکنه خواننده رو :))) [چهجوری مجوز ارشاد گرفته :-؟ :)) ]
کتاب غیرقابل پیشبینیای بود، حقیقتا یه تیکه رو حدس زدم ولی با خودم گفتم امکان نداره اینقدر مریض باشه ولی دارنشان ثابت کرد همونقدر مریضه [وقتی دلم میخواد در مورد کتاب حرف بزنم اما نمیخوام اسپویلش کنم.]
در کل دوستش داشتم، وسوسه شدم برم تکجلدی دیگهی دارنشان "جلاد لاغر" رو هم بخونم اما میترسم زیادی تینیجری باشه و بخوره تو ذوقم. T_T
تو اوج با آقای دارنشان خداحافظی کنم یا چی؟
در آخر: بخونیدش! ترجمهش هم بسی دلپذیر بود.
▪︎خلاصهی داستان بدون اسپویل:
اِد نویسندهی کتابای وحشت و ماوراطبیعیه (شبیه آقای دارنشان!) و برای کتاب جدیدش به پیشنهاد یکی از مخاطبهاش به لندن سفر میکنه و اونجا با زنی به اسم دلینا آشنا میشه.
اِد خیلی زود دلش رو به دلینا میبازه اما میفهمه زنی با این هویت وجود نداره... نه تنها کسی زنی با این نام رو نمیشناسه، بلکه هیچکس هم اون رو ندیده...
حالا اِد مجنونوار به دنبال زنی که عاشقشه میگرده و به رازهای تاریکی پی میبره که جونش رو به خطر میندازه و دوباره گذشتهی تاریکش دوباره گریبان گیرش میشه...
▪︎آیا این کتاب زادهی ذهن نویسندهست یا یه اعترافنامه؟
"بانوی سایهها" اولین کتابیه که از دارنشان میخونم.
میدونم که داستانای دیگهی دارنشان برای نوجووناس و بیشتر ژانر وحشته. اما بانوی سایهها یه داستان جنایی_عاشقانه پرکشش برای بزرگساله با پیچوخمهای جذاب و غیرقابل پیشبینی، تا صفحه ۲۵۰!
>> پسررررررر بعد صفحهی ۲۵۰ دیوانهوار میشه.
یه ریتم جذاب و تند متفاوت و پررر از توئیست.
دارن شان دیوونهس! یعنی به ۲۵۰ که میرسید میگید اکی دیگه داستان تموم شد و الان پشت پرده یه سری چیزا مشخص میشه و همین. اما انگار یهو سوار یه ترن هوایی میشی و همهش پیچ و خم. مرزهای توهم و واقعیت اونقدر کمرنگ میشه که به همهچی شک میکنه و بعد شوکهت میکنه. طوری که دلت میخواد کتاب رو پرت کنی تو دیوار و بگی "وات د فااااک" :))))
[ من از همین تریبون از همهی حضار فرهنگی و دوستان اهل ادب معذرت میخوام به خاطر واژهای که نوشتم، اما همینه]
▪︎ بذارید یه جور دیگه کتاب رو براتون توصیف کنم:
کتاب دو بخش داره، بخش اول یه داستان عاشقانه_جنایی با ریتم خوب که اونقدر کشش داره که بشینید پاش و داستان اِد و دلینا رو بخونید.
فکر نکنم دارنشان عاشفانهنویس باشه اما انصافا بخش عاشقانه رو خیلی تمیز و قشنگ درآورده. ^^ و البته هر چی باشه دارنشانه، پس اشباح هم داره...
و بعد ۷۰ صفحه آخر پر از چالشه، انگار آقای دارنشان با خودش گفته: "بذار حالا که این شخصیتا رو خلق کردم، یکم بیشتر باهاشون بازی کنم."
و بعد ۴ صفحهی آخرش... یعنی لعنتی تا ثانیهی آخر ول نمیکنه خواننده رو :))) [چهجوری مجوز ارشاد گرفته :-؟ :)) ]
کتاب غیرقابل پیشبینیای بود، حقیقتا یه تیکه رو حدس زدم ولی با خودم گفتم امکان نداره اینقدر مریض باشه ولی دارنشان ثابت کرد همونقدر مریضه [وقتی دلم میخواد در مورد کتاب حرف بزنم اما نمیخوام اسپویلش کنم.]
در کل دوستش داشتم، وسوسه شدم برم تکجلدی دیگهی دارنشان "جلاد لاغر" رو هم بخونم اما میترسم زیادی تینیجری باشه و بخوره تو ذوقم. T_T
تو اوج با آقای دارنشان خداحافظی کنم یا چی؟
در آخر: بخونیدش! ترجمهش هم بسی دلپذیر بود.
▪︎خلاصهی داستان بدون اسپویل:
اِد نویسندهی کتابای وحشت و ماوراطبیعیه (شبیه آقای دارنشان!) و برای کتاب جدیدش به پیشنهاد یکی از مخاطبهاش به لندن سفر میکنه و اونجا با زنی به اسم دلینا آشنا میشه.
اِد خیلی زود دلش رو به دلینا میبازه اما میفهمه زنی با این هویت وجود نداره... نه تنها کسی زنی با این نام رو نمیشناسه، بلکه هیچکس هم اون رو ندیده...
حالا اِد مجنونوار به دنبال زنی که عاشقشه میگرده و به رازهای تاریکی پی میبره که جونش رو به خطر میندازه و دوباره گذشتهی تاریکش دوباره گریبان گیرش میشه...
August 11, 2023
پایان چالش مطالعاتی امسال گودریدز 🤗
________________________________________________
ریویوهای پر از شگفتزدگی کاربران ایرانی گودریدز چیزی بود که باعث شد بعد سالها، دوباره یه کتاب از دارن شان رو دستم بگیرم.
اما خب... 😞
میتونم بگم برای دارن شانی که نویسنده ژانر فانتزی و وحشته (طبیعتا برای گروه سنی کودک و نوجوان)، نوشتن چنین کتابی با ژانر معمایی پیشرفت خوبی محسوب میشه، اما خب ایراداتی هم بهش وارده.
مهمترینشون اینکه پلات توییستی که همه رو شگفتزده کرد و گفتن که نمیتونستن حدسش بزنن، چیز جالبی نبود. نمیشه بیای یه چیز "غیر منطقی" رو این وسط بذاری و توقع داشته باشی خواننده بعد از فهمیدنش کلی شوکه بشه. با وجود اینکه من قطعا از کتابی که توییستش رو نتونم حدس بزنم استقبال میکنم، اما در مورد "بانوی سایهها" بعد از برملا شدن حقیقتی که نتونسته بودم پیشبینیاش کنم نه تنها شگفت زده نشدم، بلکه سرخورده هم شدم. خلاصه اینکه هنر نویسنده زمانیه که خواننده نتونه معمای کتاب رو در حالی حل کنه که توییست داستان به اندازه تمام بخشهای کتاب "منطقی و بر اساس واقعیت" باشه.
در مورد روند داستان هم، بجز ۱۰۰ صفحه آخر آنچنان پرکشش نبود که آدم رو میخکوب خودش کنه. خلاصه اینکه با توقع بالا سراغش نرید که بتونید ازش لذت ببرید.
________________________________________________
ریویوهای پر از شگفتزدگی کاربران ایرانی گودریدز چیزی بود که باعث شد بعد سالها، دوباره یه کتاب از دارن شان رو دستم بگیرم.
اما خب... 😞
میتونم بگم برای دارن شانی که نویسنده ژانر فانتزی و وحشته (طبیعتا برای گروه سنی کودک و نوجوان)، نوشتن چنین کتابی با ژانر معمایی پیشرفت خوبی محسوب میشه، اما خب ایراداتی هم بهش وارده.
مهمترینشون اینکه پلات توییستی که همه رو شگفتزده کرد و گفتن که نمیتونستن حدسش بزنن، چیز جالبی نبود. نمیشه بیای یه چیز "غیر منطقی" رو این وسط بذاری و توقع داشته باشی خواننده بعد از فهمیدنش کلی شوکه بشه. با وجود اینکه من قطعا از کتابی که توییستش رو نتونم حدس بزنم استقبال میکنم، اما در مورد "بانوی سایهها" بعد از برملا شدن حقیقتی که نتونسته بودم پیشبینیاش کنم نه تنها شگفت زده نشدم، بلکه سرخورده هم شدم. خلاصه اینکه هنر نویسنده زمانیه که خواننده نتونه معمای کتاب رو در حالی حل کنه که توییست داستان به اندازه تمام بخشهای کتاب "منطقی و بر اساس واقعیت" باشه.
در مورد روند داستان هم، بجز ۱۰۰ صفحه آخر آنچنان پرکشش نبود که آدم رو میخکوب خودش کنه. خلاصه اینکه با توقع بالا سراغش نرید که بتونید ازش لذت ببرید.
August 6, 2023
⭐4.5
پایان این کتاب واقعا منو توی شک فرو برد... خیلی شنیده بودم که این کتاب پایان غیرقابلپیشبینی داره و از وسطای کتاب مشغول حدس زدن ماجرای اصلی بودم... و وقتی که پایانشو خوندم با خودم گفتم واقعا هیچجوره نمیتونستم حدسش بزنم!!!
داستان راجب نویسندهای به اسم "اد سیوکینگ" هستش که برای نوشتن کتاب جدیدش، سری به لندن میزنه تا با محیط اطراف لندن آشنا بشه و لوکیشن کتاب جدیدش رو در لندن بنا کنه... و توی این شهر دوست تازهای به اسم "جو" پیدا میکنه که توی نوشتن کتاب خیلی کمکش میکنه
توی یکی از همین روزها که اد برای استراحت به جشن تولدی که روی کشتی برپا بوده میره، با بانویی زیبا به اسم "دلینا امرسون" آشنا میشه و داستان اصلی شروع میشه...
این کتاب رو با ترجمه آقای امین بهرهمند از نشر ویدا مطالعه کردم که واقعا ترجمه روون و خوبی داشت
اولین کتابی بود که از دارن شان میخوندم و حقیقتا این کتاب یه هدیه از طرف دوستم بود و واقعا قصدی برای خرید و خوندن این کتاب نداشتم اما خوشحالم که این کتاب رو هدیه گرفتم
شخصیت پردازی کتاب خوب بود، یه کم طول میکشید تا توی روند اصلی داستان قرار بگیریم اما کتاب به هیچوجه برای من خستهکننده نبود
توضیحات و توصیفاتی که نویسنده استفاده کرده بود برای من گیرایی خاصی داشت، جوری که دوست داشتم بیشتر و بیشتر بخونم
پایان کتاب عالی بود... کتاب جوری بود که خواننده مدام با خودش فکر میکنه که بالاخره حقیقت برملا شد... و درست همون لحظه دارن شان تمام ذهنیت خواننده رو بهم میریزه! کار به جایی میرسه که چه خواننده و چه شخصیت اصلی کتاب متوجه مرز بین حقیقت و خیال نمیشن
در کل از خوندن کتاب لذت بردم، نمیتونم ژانر خاصی برای کتاب درنظر بگیرم اما شاید بگم کتاب ژانر معمایی خاصی داره... اگه دنبال یه کتاب معمایی هستین که ذهنتون رو درگیر کنه، این کتابو بهتون پیشنهاد میدم
پایان این کتاب واقعا منو توی شک فرو برد... خیلی شنیده بودم که این کتاب پایان غیرقابلپیشبینی داره و از وسطای کتاب مشغول حدس زدن ماجرای اصلی بودم... و وقتی که پایانشو خوندم با خودم گفتم واقعا هیچجوره نمیتونستم حدسش بزنم!!!
داستان راجب نویسندهای به اسم "اد سیوکینگ" هستش که برای نوشتن کتاب جدیدش، سری به لندن میزنه تا با محیط اطراف لندن آشنا بشه و لوکیشن کتاب جدیدش رو در لندن بنا کنه... و توی این شهر دوست تازهای به اسم "جو" پیدا میکنه که توی نوشتن کتاب خیلی کمکش میکنه
توی یکی از همین روزها که اد برای استراحت به جشن تولدی که روی کشتی برپا بوده میره، با بانویی زیبا به اسم "دلینا امرسون" آشنا میشه و داستان اصلی شروع میشه...
این کتاب رو با ترجمه آقای امین بهرهمند از نشر ویدا مطالعه کردم که واقعا ترجمه روون و خوبی داشت
اولین کتابی بود که از دارن شان میخوندم و حقیقتا این کتاب یه هدیه از طرف دوستم بود و واقعا قصدی برای خرید و خوندن این کتاب نداشتم اما خوشحالم که این کتاب رو هدیه گرفتم
شخصیت پردازی کتاب خوب بود، یه کم طول میکشید تا توی روند اصلی داستان قرار بگیریم اما کتاب به هیچوجه برای من خستهکننده نبود
توضیحات و توصیفاتی که نویسنده استفاده کرده بود برای من گیرایی خاصی داشت، جوری که دوست داشتم بیشتر و بیشتر بخونم
پایان کتاب عالی بود... کتاب جوری بود که خواننده مدام با خودش فکر میکنه که بالاخره حقیقت برملا شد... و درست همون لحظه دارن شان تمام ذهنیت خواننده رو بهم میریزه! کار به جایی میرسه که چه خواننده و چه شخصیت اصلی کتاب متوجه مرز بین حقیقت و خیال نمیشن
در کل از خوندن کتاب لذت بردم، نمیتونم ژانر خاصی برای کتاب درنظر بگیرم اما شاید بگم کتاب ژانر معمایی خاصی داره... اگه دنبال یه کتاب معمایی هستین که ذهنتون رو درگیر کنه، این کتابو بهتون پیشنهاد میدم
November 23, 2018
My thoughts: Introduction
Let us commence on this review by conversing on the fact that this book is extremely underrated and underappreciated. Honestly, this is a book that deserves many readers because of the amount of effort and work put into it. Everything from the storytelling to the writing to the structure of the characters stood out among the pile of the books that are in the similar genre and I will be ticking off the list today on why you should read this wondrous novel.
The ambience around this novel had the azure of suspense, excitement and most of all, goosebumps plummeting down on your skin. My reading experience for this novel was enhanced by these determinants and it will give you all an assistance on interpreting the novel and concede its readers to be addicted to it until the very end of the novel. However, the first 30 pages or so had a dearth of atmosphere but from there on, it swells up and steers the ambience into your eyes.
The pacing for this novel which we will be talking about next had a quintessential balance between the segments of the story where the author felt should take it slow and other parts where the author took the story in a rollercoaster ride. This book took me two days to finish due to how addicted I was to the story and how fast the pages and words flew passed my eyes and brains. Genuinely, I wonder how my brain cells were able to take in the information but either way, it was a pleasant ride to be in.
Diving further into the review, I would like to discourse on the world building that this book had bestowed upon itself. The world, like what the synopsis of the blockbuster had stated, was set in London and there were not any real ‘world-building’ needed as it was set in our world, however, the description of the streets and the pavements were described marvellously, it felt as though I was a visitor of London, pondering on its streets and looking for direction from locals. Therefore, I thoroughly enjoyed how the author set up and described its location and surrounding.
Now, we will be counterbalancing on the plot, the plot twists and the plot holes of the novel. The plot centres around a writer who has disembarked on a trip to London to acquire ideas from the surrounding to receive new information that would be useful for his upcoming novel. However, as time passes by, he fell in love with a woman named ‘Daleena’ and slowly but surely, he uncovers the truth beneath her and understands that she has a sort of motivation getting close to him.
Even that mini description of the book makes me wary of delivering the foremost plot and its plot twists away. So, I have decided to stop describing and move on with the segment where I confer on the plot twists.
The plot twists which were the most consequential strength of the novel, mess with your brain until you challenge yourself on which is valid and which is altered. The complexity of the well-crafted plot twists was astutely managed and they were strung together and tied to a knot in the end. It was pretty bizarre how they all tied up perfectly because there were so many plot twists and it launches readers off their tracks and oftentimes when I thought I had the flimsiest idea of what was going on and Darren accomplished to twist the story around again. The writer contrived to keep track of all the twists and turns he had inscribed and therefore, we shall applause Darren for such crazy twists.
Before we reach the final paragraph of this section, I would like to discuss the relationships factor of this novel. Ed and Daleena affection for each other was too much of an insta-love for me considering the fact that the author described the main character as secretive and ‘keep-to-himself’ type of person. However, I enjoyed the friendship between Ed and Joe (not going to spoil but something definitely happen here) and thought that Joe was a good friend for Ed’s mental health. I, for once, loved the bad blood between Ed and Dash, it definitely was entertaining to see the sub-plot driving the story forward and provided such a significant amount of work for the primary plot. Therefore, I enjoyed the relationship factor of the novel.
Finally, I will be giving out some iconic quotes that I found in the novel that are instantly my favourite as my eyes landed on them:
“John Nilson dos Linos was brushing dandruff from his hair when he was executed.”– Darren Shan, Lady Of The Shades.
“I’ve been grinding away on the plot of the book, trying to figure out why my lead character was killed. It can’t be random. The story is crying out for a reason that will drive the narrative forward, but I can’t decide what it should be.”– Darren Shan, Lady Of The Shades.
Writing: Middle Section Of The Review
Just a side note, I would not recommend people who are under the age of 15 to read this novel as it contained a plethora of vulgar language and plenty of ‘scenes’ that were unpleasant to the children poor eyes. So, do keep that in mind if you are picking this novel up.
The style of writing for this novel was lyrical, easy to read and sometimes, messy. It was lyrical and easy-to-read because of the way it was written. I should now present to you a snippet of the passages from the novel to allow you all to view on the wondrous writing style:
This conversation made me laugh out loud and it was such a good time between the characters and the interaction was marvellous before everything began to fall between them, starting from the trust factor to the relationship factor.
This was amusing as well but the tone of the novel had eclipsed over here. The story went from all sunbeams to a cryptic and dreary day in London. They were conversing on their past and the number of deaths that the characters were responsible for and how in the world they would be able to live and cope with it and what would their future hold for them?
However, the writing style was a little all over the place due to the phonetics used. Sometimes, I had to grasp what the author was trying to shed light on but other than that, I thought it was a very well-written novel.
Finally, I would love to discuss the ending of the novel. I did not like the epilogue of this novel because it ended on a note that does not make sense and it almost ruined the story for me but I thought 95% of the novel was gorgeous and the last 5% messed it up for me. Therefore, I am taking 10% away from the rating mainly because the epilogue frustrated me to no end.
Character: 4/5 Section Of The Review
Edward was a reticent person who had an obscure history and he could perceive the horrifying spirits that delved and loitered around him. He would sometimes be an absolutely vicious person when he dissed on Joe’s scars that were caught from the fire and threatened to murder the humans that were getting in his way. He had also loomed on the fact that he aspired to maltreat Daleena, a person that he loved, for not showing up on a specific occasion. I would add that he was a grey character as he knew what was wrong when it was performed and sworn not to do it again unless it was necessary. Given his violent history, it would not be surprising to see it being re-enacted on the people he loved but he definitely had some character arc that was perfect for the story.
Joe and Daleena, uprightly, I do not even know how to speak about their characters because these characters screwed me up so badly that they made everything hard to converse on. Well, I’ll try!
*sips ginger tea*
Joe was smart, witty and is obsessed with Ed’s books. He was a friend that Ed made in London and they loved to exchange plot devices and discussed on the places where Ed could visit to make a new perspective on his book. He was covered in beard because he wanted to conceal the scars that burned his body when he was younger. He does not have a character arc because he does not need it because at the end of the novel, everything will be explained and you will understand what I meant by it.
Daleena was a beautiful young lady who was also obsessed with Ed’s books, was very ‘said-to-be-naive’ and pressured. Her abusive husband often laid hands on her and she could not get away because he was part of the mafia and would find her if she had gotten away. She had a son named Greygo and would risk anything to protect him until Ed came along and she fell unconditionally in love with him and if you thought that was the end of the story, well, it’s not. Daleena was manipulative and would do anything to get what she had wanted- revenge. She plotted everything to allow her husband to be killed and framed on innocent people to escape from the crime that she had produced. Thus, I would call her a grey character as well.
Overall: The Ending
I am giving this novel an 80% rating for its combination of excitement, suspense and how clever this novel was created. However, it has its flaws and therefore, the rating. I will be checking out more of Darren Shan works as he is an absolutely fantastic writer. I think you guys should check this novel out as well!
|Goodreads|WordPress|Twitter|Instagram|
Let us commence on this review by conversing on the fact that this book is extremely underrated and underappreciated. Honestly, this is a book that deserves many readers because of the amount of effort and work put into it. Everything from the storytelling to the writing to the structure of the characters stood out among the pile of the books that are in the similar genre and I will be ticking off the list today on why you should read this wondrous novel.
The ambience around this novel had the azure of suspense, excitement and most of all, goosebumps plummeting down on your skin. My reading experience for this novel was enhanced by these determinants and it will give you all an assistance on interpreting the novel and concede its readers to be addicted to it until the very end of the novel. However, the first 30 pages or so had a dearth of atmosphere but from there on, it swells up and steers the ambience into your eyes.
The pacing for this novel which we will be talking about next had a quintessential balance between the segments of the story where the author felt should take it slow and other parts where the author took the story in a rollercoaster ride. This book took me two days to finish due to how addicted I was to the story and how fast the pages and words flew passed my eyes and brains. Genuinely, I wonder how my brain cells were able to take in the information but either way, it was a pleasant ride to be in.
Diving further into the review, I would like to discourse on the world building that this book had bestowed upon itself. The world, like what the synopsis of the blockbuster had stated, was set in London and there were not any real ‘world-building’ needed as it was set in our world, however, the description of the streets and the pavements were described marvellously, it felt as though I was a visitor of London, pondering on its streets and looking for direction from locals. Therefore, I thoroughly enjoyed how the author set up and described its location and surrounding.
Now, we will be counterbalancing on the plot, the plot twists and the plot holes of the novel. The plot centres around a writer who has disembarked on a trip to London to acquire ideas from the surrounding to receive new information that would be useful for his upcoming novel. However, as time passes by, he fell in love with a woman named ‘Daleena’ and slowly but surely, he uncovers the truth beneath her and understands that she has a sort of motivation getting close to him.
Even that mini description of the book makes me wary of delivering the foremost plot and its plot twists away. So, I have decided to stop describing and move on with the segment where I confer on the plot twists.
The plot twists which were the most consequential strength of the novel, mess with your brain until you challenge yourself on which is valid and which is altered. The complexity of the well-crafted plot twists was astutely managed and they were strung together and tied to a knot in the end. It was pretty bizarre how they all tied up perfectly because there were so many plot twists and it launches readers off their tracks and oftentimes when I thought I had the flimsiest idea of what was going on and Darren accomplished to twist the story around again. The writer contrived to keep track of all the twists and turns he had inscribed and therefore, we shall applause Darren for such crazy twists.
Before we reach the final paragraph of this section, I would like to discuss the relationships factor of this novel. Ed and Daleena affection for each other was too much of an insta-love for me considering the fact that the author described the main character as secretive and ‘keep-to-himself’ type of person. However, I enjoyed the friendship between Ed and Joe (not going to spoil but something definitely happen here) and thought that Joe was a good friend for Ed’s mental health. I, for once, loved the bad blood between Ed and Dash, it definitely was entertaining to see the sub-plot driving the story forward and provided such a significant amount of work for the primary plot. Therefore, I enjoyed the relationship factor of the novel.
Finally, I will be giving out some iconic quotes that I found in the novel that are instantly my favourite as my eyes landed on them:
“John Nilson dos Linos was brushing dandruff from his hair when he was executed.”– Darren Shan, Lady Of The Shades.
“I’ve been grinding away on the plot of the book, trying to figure out why my lead character was killed. It can’t be random. The story is crying out for a reason that will drive the narrative forward, but I can’t decide what it should be.”– Darren Shan, Lady Of The Shades.
Writing: Middle Section Of The Review
Just a side note, I would not recommend people who are under the age of 15 to read this novel as it contained a plethora of vulgar language and plenty of ‘scenes’ that were unpleasant to the children poor eyes. So, do keep that in mind if you are picking this novel up.
The style of writing for this novel was lyrical, easy to read and sometimes, messy. It was lyrical and easy-to-read because of the way it was written. I should now present to you a snippet of the passages from the novel to allow you all to view on the wondrous writing style:
‘Oh stop.’ I grimace, and lay my free hands over hers. ‘How’d you like to become my agent?’
‘What’s the starting salary?’
‘Nothing.’
‘I’ll take it.’- Lady Of The Shades, Darren Shan.
This conversation made me laugh out loud and it was such a good time between the characters and the interaction was marvellous before everything began to fall between them, starting from the trust factor to the relationship factor.
‘Simon Dale?’ I gasped.
‘Wait,’ Andeanna interrupts. ‘The guy who killed your friend in the army?’
‘Yes.’
‘What the hell was he doing there?’- Lady Of The Shades, Darren Shan.
This was amusing as well but the tone of the novel had eclipsed over here. The story went from all sunbeams to a cryptic and dreary day in London. They were conversing on their past and the number of deaths that the characters were responsible for and how in the world they would be able to live and cope with it and what would their future hold for them?
However, the writing style was a little all over the place due to the phonetics used. Sometimes, I had to grasp what the author was trying to shed light on but other than that, I thought it was a very well-written novel.
Finally, I would love to discuss the ending of the novel. I did not like the epilogue of this novel because it ended on a note that does not make sense and it almost ruined the story for me but I thought 95% of the novel was gorgeous and the last 5% messed it up for me. Therefore, I am taking 10% away from the rating mainly because the epilogue frustrated me to no end.
Character: 4/5 Section Of The Review
Edward was a reticent person who had an obscure history and he could perceive the horrifying spirits that delved and loitered around him. He would sometimes be an absolutely vicious person when he dissed on Joe’s scars that were caught from the fire and threatened to murder the humans that were getting in his way. He had also loomed on the fact that he aspired to maltreat Daleena, a person that he loved, for not showing up on a specific occasion. I would add that he was a grey character as he knew what was wrong when it was performed and sworn not to do it again unless it was necessary. Given his violent history, it would not be surprising to see it being re-enacted on the people he loved but he definitely had some character arc that was perfect for the story.
Joe and Daleena, uprightly, I do not even know how to speak about their characters because these characters screwed me up so badly that they made everything hard to converse on. Well, I’ll try!
*sips ginger tea*
Joe was smart, witty and is obsessed with Ed’s books. He was a friend that Ed made in London and they loved to exchange plot devices and discussed on the places where Ed could visit to make a new perspective on his book. He was covered in beard because he wanted to conceal the scars that burned his body when he was younger. He does not have a character arc because he does not need it because at the end of the novel, everything will be explained and you will understand what I meant by it.
Daleena was a beautiful young lady who was also obsessed with Ed’s books, was very ‘said-to-be-naive’ and pressured. Her abusive husband often laid hands on her and she could not get away because he was part of the mafia and would find her if she had gotten away. She had a son named Greygo and would risk anything to protect him until Ed came along and she fell unconditionally in love with him and if you thought that was the end of the story, well, it’s not. Daleena was manipulative and would do anything to get what she had wanted- revenge. She plotted everything to allow her husband to be killed and framed on innocent people to escape from the crime that she had produced. Thus, I would call her a grey character as well.
Overall: The Ending
I am giving this novel an 80% rating for its combination of excitement, suspense and how clever this novel was created. However, it has its flaws and therefore, the rating. I will be checking out more of Darren Shan works as he is an absolutely fantastic writer. I think you guys should check this novel out as well!
|Goodreads|WordPress|Twitter|Instagram|
February 16, 2023
"Maybe the mad don't need to sleep. Maybe their insanity is all they require to sustain them."
Throughout this entire novel, I was debating whether this book deserved 3 stars or 4 stars. Ultimately, the last two chapters finalised my decision to give it 4 stars. This book is definitely very underrated, I'm glad I picked it up at a secondhand store for less than a dollar. No regrets. I read a few reviews and for me, it wasn't quite the fanatic page-turner I anticipated it to be but nevertheless, I kept reading and I finished it in no time. The story is not a complex one, yet it's intriguing. What I especially liked about it is that the ending wasn't predictable. I also feel like the last page was fulfilling and it wasn't just an abrupt ending, I personally really dislike how some authors write good novels but then ruin the story at the end. Shan definitely did a good job.
However, the book wasn't as descriptive as I had hoped. Had it been richer in detail, I'd have given it 5 stars. The plot was excellent but unfortunately, I just had no connection with the characters and it was hard to imagine them because of the lack of description. I'm not entirely sure what Shan wanted the focal point of this novel to be but perhaps he wrote this book with the intention of being very narrative; in that case, description is indeed not needed. In any case, I would have preferred it if he described the characters and world in more detail. Anyhow, a very good book still!
Instagram: @helnemisis
Throughout this entire novel, I was debating whether this book deserved 3 stars or 4 stars. Ultimately, the last two chapters finalised my decision to give it 4 stars. This book is definitely very underrated, I'm glad I picked it up at a secondhand store for less than a dollar. No regrets. I read a few reviews and for me, it wasn't quite the fanatic page-turner I anticipated it to be but nevertheless, I kept reading and I finished it in no time. The story is not a complex one, yet it's intriguing. What I especially liked about it is that the ending wasn't predictable. I also feel like the last page was fulfilling and it wasn't just an abrupt ending, I personally really dislike how some authors write good novels but then ruin the story at the end. Shan definitely did a good job.
However, the book wasn't as descriptive as I had hoped. Had it been richer in detail, I'd have given it 5 stars. The plot was excellent but unfortunately, I just had no connection with the characters and it was hard to imagine them because of the lack of description. I'm not entirely sure what Shan wanted the focal point of this novel to be but perhaps he wrote this book with the intention of being very narrative; in that case, description is indeed not needed. In any case, I would have preferred it if he described the characters and world in more detail. Anyhow, a very good book still!
Instagram: @helnemisis
July 27, 2023
(باید تحت تأثیر پایانش قرار نگیرم و برای نمرهدهی کلیت کتاب رو درنظر بگیرم)
4.5
خب واووو😐😂وایییی.
وای این چی بود؟ رومنس و فانتزی و جنایییی؟!
ایده داستان جالب و متفاوت بود. قلم و سبک روایت رو زیاد نپسندیدم. و اینو بگم که نیمه اول کتاب معمولی و گنگ بود اما از اواسط واقعا جالب شد و در ادامه جذاب و چقدر پیچیدهههه. فصول آخر اینجوری بود که الان چی واقعی و چی خیالی هست؟!😑 مرز بین واقعیت و تخیل انگار از بین رفته بود.
دارن شان به این نکته خیلی خوب پرداخته بود که خواننده با خودش میگفت اوکی الان دیگه حل شد ولی اوه نه...
خیلی وقت بود چنین جنایی نخونده بودم و خیلی کیف داد. روانی طور بود و قطعا پسندیدمش.
4.5
خب واووو😐😂وایییی.
وای این چی بود؟ رومنس و فانتزی و جنایییی؟!
ایده داستان جالب و متفاوت بود. قلم و سبک روایت رو زیاد نپسندیدم. و اینو بگم که نیمه اول کتاب معمولی و گنگ بود اما از اواسط واقعا جالب شد و در ادامه جذاب و چقدر پیچیدهههه. فصول آخر اینجوری بود که الان چی واقعی و چی خیالی هست؟!😑 مرز بین واقعیت و تخیل انگار از بین رفته بود.
دارن شان به این نکته خیلی خوب پرداخته بود که خواننده با خودش میگفت اوکی الان دیگه حل شد ولی اوه نه...
خیلی وقت بود چنین جنایی نخونده بودم و خیلی کیف داد. روانی طور بود و قطعا پسندیدمش.
February 10, 2017
What on earth is going on.
The whole book's practically just plot twists after plot twists after plot twists--so many god damn plot twist. I'd be annoyed if not for that fact that I was too impressed. Every time I'd come up with a solid idea, an explanation of sorts, Shan goes ahead and dismantles it.
So when I finally learned the truth--and gods, it was more fucked up that I could ever imagine--I just felt like banging my head on the table or flinging myself to the pacific. (In a good way.) I just really did not see that coming. I had my suspicions about Greygo, but I never expected that.
The protagonist, Ed, once stated: "It just seems to get crazier the further I run along with it."
And that's the whole book in a nutshell.
The whole book's practically just plot twists after plot twists after plot twists--so many god damn plot twist. I'd be annoyed if not for that fact that I was too impressed. Every time I'd come up with a solid idea, an explanation of sorts, Shan goes ahead and dismantles it.
So when I finally learned the truth--and gods, it was more fucked up that I could ever imagine--I just felt like banging my head on the table or flinging myself to the pacific. (In a good way.) I just really did not see that coming. I had my suspicions about Greygo, but I never expected that.
The protagonist, Ed, once stated: "It just seems to get crazier the further I run along with it."
And that's the whole book in a nutshell.
August 23, 2018
Καιρό είχα να πιασω τέτοιο βιβλίο στα χέρια μου. Σχιζοφρενικα ευφάνταστο με ωραια πλοκη και ένα τελος που τουλαχιστον μεχρι και 40 σελιδες πριν δεν πήγε το μυαλό μου με τίποτα. Έχει έντονο το στοιχείο του μεταφυσικού χωρίς ομως να τρομαζει τον αναγνώστη. Αν πέσει στα χέρια σας μην το αφήσετε.
September 12, 2023
همچنان فقط میتونم بگم واووو :)))
واقعا دوسش داشتم. با تمام کارای دیگه ای که از دارن خوندم شدیدا متفاوت بود اما بازم اون رد خونین کلمات دارن توی این کتاب هم دیده میشد.
منو تا یه حدی یاد فیلم vertigo انداخت و واقعا برام لذت بخش بود.
پلاتی که خیلیا میگن حدس نمیزدن برای من از ۶۰ صفحه اخر قابل حدس بود. به نظرم همه چیز کتاب (نسبت به ژانری که داره) واقعا به جا بود و قطعات پازل همه درست سرجای خودشون چیده شده بودن.
یه کتابی مثل سنگ کاغذ قیچی هم وایب این مدلی داشت (که ترکیب واقعیت و چیزای تخیلی مثل روح باشه) ولی من عمرا به اون ۵ نمیدم چون یه سری چیزاش دیگه بیش از حد پرت بود.
شاید چون دارن رو دوست دارم دارم یکم دست و دلبازی میکنم، ولی حتی اگه کتاب دارن هم نبود حداقل ۴ رو بهش میدادم.
خلاصه خیلی لذت بردم. دلم واقعا برای دارن تنگ شده بود.
واقعا دوسش داشتم. با تمام کارای دیگه ای که از دارن خوندم شدیدا متفاوت بود اما بازم اون رد خونین کلمات دارن توی این کتاب هم دیده میشد.
منو تا یه حدی یاد فیلم vertigo انداخت و واقعا برام لذت بخش بود.
پلاتی که خیلیا میگن حدس نمیزدن برای من از ۶۰ صفحه اخر قابل حدس بود. به نظرم همه چیز کتاب (نسبت به ژانری که داره) واقعا به جا بود و قطعات پازل همه درست سرجای خودشون چیده شده بودن.
یه کتابی مثل سنگ کاغذ قیچی هم وایب این مدلی داشت (که ترکیب واقعیت و چیزای تخیلی مثل روح باشه) ولی من عمرا به اون ۵ نمیدم چون یه سری چیزاش دیگه بیش از حد پرت بود.
شاید چون دارن رو دوست دارم دارم یکم دست و دلبازی میکنم، ولی حتی اگه کتاب دارن هم نبود حداقل ۴ رو بهش میدادم.
خلاصه خیلی لذت بردم. دلم واقعا برای دارن تنگ شده بود.
October 26, 2023
۱۴۰۲/۸/۴
اقا چقدر باحال بودددد من اصلا فکر میکردمش یه چیز دیگهای باشه ولی خیلی جالب بود
قشنگ با مغز من کار میکردم هر لحظه هم یه چیزی جدید میفهمدیم میگفتم ها؟ هاا؟ هاااااااا؟؟؟؟؟
من ترجمهی نشر ویدا رو نخوندم و حسم شدید میگه سانسور داره😐
(با چیزهایی که نوشته بود نویسنده و از اونجایی که ما در کشور ایران زندگی میکنیم و نشر ویدا هم ساسنور انجام میده احتمال خیلی کمی داره که سانسور نشه)
اقا چقدر باحال بودددد من اصلا فکر میکردمش یه چیز دیگهای باشه ولی خیلی جالب بود
قشنگ با مغز من کار میکردم هر لحظه هم یه چیزی جدید میفهمدیم میگفتم ها؟ هاا؟ هاااااااا؟؟؟؟؟
من ترجمهی نشر ویدا رو نخوندم و حسم شدید میگه سانسور داره😐
(با چیزهایی که نوشته بود نویسنده و از اونجایی که ما در کشور ایران زندگی میکنیم و نشر ویدا هم ساسنور انجام میده احتمال خیلی کمی داره که سانسور نشه)
July 31, 2023
"بعضی وقت ها حقیقت همینقدر عجیب و غریبه .گاهی برای اینکه دستت بهش برسه مجبوری روی پنجههات وایسی و دستت رو اونقدر دراز کنی تا بتونی لمسش کنی."
واقعا نمیدونم چجوری بدون اسپویل بگم پس مارک اسپول رو میزنم
به شدت اسپویله
خیلی اسپویله
لذت کتاب رو از خودت نگیر فقط بدون هزار بار ارزش خوندن داره و بعدش بیا نظرمو بخون
خب بعد از مدت ها کتابی خوندم که به شدت جذاب بود، اگر کتابی دوست دارین بخونین که پایانش رو نتونین حدس بزنین بانوی سایه ها خیلی خیلی مناسبه
کتاب داستان یه نویسنده ژانر وحشته که اشباحی رو اطرافش میبینه و قصد داره وجود شبح رو ثابت کنه
اد برای الهام گرفتن برای کتابش به تشویق یکی از طرفداراش به لندن میاد
فصل اول کتاب قراره شبح شکار کنیم و خب این ذهنیت به وجود میاد که کتاب قراره فانتزی و پر از ارواح باشه🫠 اما کتاب کاملا جناییه😌
داستان بعد از اشنایی اد و اندیانا کاملا مسیر متفاوتی رو طی میکنه
از عشق اد به اون و علاقه ی متقابلش صحبت میکنه
از مشکلات اندیانا و سختی بیش از حد اون و ....
خب و
وقتی به پایان کتاب نزدیک میشیم تقریبا کلی ایده برای پایان کتاب ب ذهنتون میرسه
از خوش ترین پایان تااا ترسناکترینشون
و هر فصل اینجوریه که به خودت میای میبینی نویسنده داره کتاب رو تموم میکنه و دقیقا سطر اخر فصل سوالی رو به وجود میاره که تمام تصورت بهم میریزه و دوباره این روند ۳ ۴ بار انجام میشه تا پایان واقعی کتاب رو ببینی
دارن شان از همون سراغاز خشن کتاب امضای خودش رو پای کتاب زده
⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️
توصیفات ترسناک و خشنی که مخصوص خودشن
کتاب جوریه که با اد کتاب مینویسی ، با اد عاشق میشی. با اد ادم میکشی با اد نقشه میکشی و با اد قلبت میشکنه
وقتی اد از گذشتش میگه ترسناکه، اینکه اون ادی ک داری زندگی میکنه و انقدر عاشقه قبل چه کارهایی کرده
وقتی تیمارستان رو توصیف میکنه (و زیبا توصیف میکنه) شوک بزرگی به خواننده وارد میشه و فصل بعدی فصلیه که حقیقت رو میکوبونه توی صورتت و همراه اد میشکنی
وقتی راجب زندگی اندیانا میگه تو حس میکنی زندگی با یه شوهر خطرناک و شکاک و خائن چجوریه
وقتی اد منتظر مرگشه توی خواننده میدونی ی روزی بوند اونو گیر اورده و کشته💔
و من حتی بوند رو هم درک میکردم اون عاشق اندیانا بود با وجود علاقه اش به میکیس اون عاشق اندیانا بود
میکیس که یه زن عالی داشت برای جلوی دوربین و زندگی پر از خیانتش رو هم مخفیانه ادامه میداد
گرگوری با اینکه دل اد رو شکوند (بخصوص سر قسمت جو) ولی برای من محبوب ترین و مظلوم ترین شخص رمان بود،اون با یه پدر سختگیر و خشن ک باعث اسیب دیدن مادرش شده زندگی میکرد، شاید عاشقش بود ولی نمیتونست بلایی ک سر مادرش اومده بود رو نادیده بگیری
با وجود اینکه گرگوری راجب اندیانا حرف میزد من حس میکردم اگر خودش هم بود همین نظرات رو داشت
گرگوری هنرمند بود ک هنرش توی ایجاد شخصیتای مختلف به خوبی ب تصویر کشیده شده بود
و نکته ی مهم اینه شان، گرگوری رو توی پنهان ترین قسمتای کتاب گذاشته بود هیچ وقت تا لحظات اخر وجود نداشت
فقط گاهی اسمش میومد و جوری نشون داده شده بود که انگار یه شخصیت کم اهمیته🫤
و در نهایت رتبه دوم منفور ترین شخصیت رمان(اولیش مسلما میکیسه) سباستین دش خیلی نفرت انگیز و احمق و در عین حال سعی شده بود حرفه ای نشونش بدن ولی احمق بود دیگه
واقعا نمیدونم چجوری بدون اسپویل بگم پس مارک اسپول رو میزنم
به شدت اسپویله
خیلی اسپویله
لذت کتاب رو از خودت نگیر فقط بدون هزار بار ارزش خوندن داره و بعدش بیا نظرمو بخون
خب بعد از مدت ها کتابی خوندم که به شدت جذاب بود، اگر کتابی دوست دارین بخونین که پایانش رو نتونین حدس بزنین بانوی سایه ها خیلی خیلی مناسبه
کتاب داستان یه نویسنده ژانر وحشته که اشباحی رو اطرافش میبینه و قصد داره وجود شبح رو ثابت کنه
اد برای الهام گرفتن برای کتابش به تشویق یکی از طرفداراش به لندن میاد
فصل اول کتاب قراره شبح شکار کنیم و خب این ذهنیت به وجود میاد که کتاب قراره فانتزی و پر از ارواح باشه🫠 اما کتاب کاملا جناییه😌
داستان بعد از اشنایی اد و اندیانا کاملا مسیر متفاوتی رو طی میکنه
از عشق اد به اون و علاقه ی متقابلش صحبت میکنه
از مشکلات اندیانا و سختی بیش از حد اون و ....
خب و
وقتی به پایان کتاب نزدیک میشیم تقریبا کلی ایده برای پایان کتاب ب ذهنتون میرسه
از خوش ترین پایان تااا ترسناکترینشون
و هر فصل اینجوریه که به خودت میای میبینی نویسنده داره کتاب رو تموم میکنه و دقیقا سطر اخر فصل سوالی رو به وجود میاره که تمام تصورت بهم میریزه و دوباره این روند ۳ ۴ بار انجام میشه تا پایان واقعی کتاب رو ببینی
دارن شان از همون سراغاز خشن کتاب امضای خودش رو پای کتاب زده
⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️
توصیفات ترسناک و خشنی که مخصوص خودشن
کتاب جوریه که با اد کتاب مینویسی ، با اد عاشق میشی. با اد ادم میکشی با اد نقشه میکشی و با اد قلبت میشکنه
وقتی اد از گذشتش میگه ترسناکه، اینکه اون ادی ک داری زندگی میکنه و انقدر عاشقه قبل چه کارهایی کرده
وقتی تیمارستان رو توصیف میکنه (و زیبا توصیف میکنه) شوک بزرگی به خواننده وارد میشه و فصل بعدی فصلیه که حقیقت رو میکوبونه توی صورتت و همراه اد میشکنی
وقتی راجب زندگی اندیانا میگه تو حس میکنی زندگی با یه شوهر خطرناک و شکاک و خائن چجوریه
وقتی اد منتظر مرگشه توی خواننده میدونی ی روزی بوند اونو گیر اورده و کشته💔
و من حتی بوند رو هم درک میکردم اون عاشق اندیانا بود با وجود علاقه اش به میکیس اون عاشق اندیانا بود
میکیس که یه زن عالی داشت برای جلوی دوربین و زندگی پر از خیانتش رو هم مخفیانه ادامه میداد
گرگوری با اینکه دل اد رو شکوند (بخصوص سر قسمت جو) ولی برای من محبوب ترین و مظلوم ترین شخص رمان بود،اون با یه پدر سختگیر و خشن ک باعث اسیب دیدن مادرش شده زندگی میکرد، شاید عاشقش بود ولی نمیتونست بلایی ک سر مادرش اومده بود رو نادیده بگیری
با وجود اینکه گرگوری راجب اندیانا حرف میزد من حس میکردم اگر خودش هم بود همین نظرات رو داشت
گرگوری هنرمند بود ک هنرش توی ایجاد شخصیتای مختلف به خوبی ب تصویر کشیده شده بود
و نکته ی مهم اینه شان، گرگوری رو توی پنهان ترین قسمتای کتاب گذاشته بود هیچ وقت تا لحظات اخر وجود نداشت
فقط گاهی اسمش میومد و جوری نشون داده شده بود که انگار یه شخصیت کم اهمیته🫤
و در نهایت رتبه دوم منفور ترین شخصیت رمان(اولیش مسلما میکیسه) سباستین دش خیلی نفرت انگیز و احمق و در عین حال سعی شده بود حرفه ای نشونش بدن ولی احمق بود دیگه
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2012
This is one of Darren Shan's adult books and it feels very different to the children's work. It revolves around Ed, a horror writer who comes to London to work on a new book, with his own personal ghosts tagging along, quite literally. There he falls in love with a woman who turns out to be a gangster's wife. Ed falls head over heels for her but from the day he meets her, nothing is as it seems.
The first half of the book is well written but quite slow-going, but it's necessary to build up to the second half. I can see that Shan has taken some of his experiences of being a horror writer and given them to his main character and it works well.
The second half is pretty crazy as there is revelation after revelation as nothing is as it seems. Is the whole thing set up by a genius somewhere or is it supernatural and ghostly? We don't find out the answer to that question properly right until the end, though we think we know many times before that. It's complicated yet fairly easy to follow as a desperate man tries to find out the truth. It's a supernatural/crime thriller though you're never really sure which way it leans more until the final reveal.
It's not really what I expected from Shan but it's a fantastic novel and it's great it has so many twists and turns. Brilliant book.
The first half of the book is well written but quite slow-going, but it's necessary to build up to the second half. I can see that Shan has taken some of his experiences of being a horror writer and given them to his main character and it works well.
The second half is pretty crazy as there is revelation after revelation as nothing is as it seems. Is the whole thing set up by a genius somewhere or is it supernatural and ghostly? We don't find out the answer to that question properly right until the end, though we think we know many times before that. It's complicated yet fairly easy to follow as a desperate man tries to find out the truth. It's a supernatural/crime thriller though you're never really sure which way it leans more until the final reveal.
It's not really what I expected from Shan but it's a fantastic novel and it's great it has so many twists and turns. Brilliant book.
October 30, 2013
I am disappointed. Perhaps because I expected more from Darren Shan. The character seems naive and juvenile, in spite of his past. He got conned oh so many times. Even though he is supposed to be mature... 40? I somehow feel like Ed is in his teens or early twenties.
Even the twists are too obvious. It's OK if the book is for teens or children, but for adults, I was expecting more subtle hints.
Even the twists are too obvious. It's OK if the book is for teens or children, but for adults, I was expecting more subtle hints.
October 26, 2013
Darren Shan has done it again!!
This is one hell of a book. Fascinating, twisted, geniously plotted and awesome!!!
LOVE this!!!
SPOILERS. DO NOT READ.
OK. This starts with an assassin called Dash murdering a guy he was hired to kill, then he gets this message from one of his previous employers to kill a loved one or her lover or both.
The scene shifts to Ed, a writer who is haunted by ghosts (we later know why). He goes to London and starts meeting up with a guy he met over the internet, who helps him to plot his book.On one night, at a party,he meets up with a woman, called Deleena.They spend time together and promise to meet up again. So they start meeting up and they fall in love. then turns out she is a married woman to one of the most dangerous gangster in the city. Ed gets over that fact because he loves her a lot. To note, he and Andeanna always meet in the shades.. And she and Joe never MEET.....
Then..Ed and Andeanna decide to meet at her mansion. A guard finds them and Ed has to kill him. We then know he was an assassin. Ed hides the body and throws it at the sea. Then he and Andeanna decide to murder Turk. They decide to put Dash, the guy from the first scene and put him as if he killed Turk. Oh and they are the ones who sent him that letter as if from the Turk.
So then all goes well and Ed murders the Turk. Then everything goes to hell. Because Darren can't make a happy ending. It is not allowed in his ingenious mind manifesto or something.
Ed sees a pic of Turk and his wife (Andeanna) who above the picture is written in BOLD letters: The Turk and His Late Wife
Yeah.. turns out Andeanna is dead. Dead from 10 years. She was murdered by the Turk who set her car on fire and killed her because she was cheating on him with Axel(note that this was the guard Ed killed. The same name).
So Ed wanders, thinking Andeanna the woman he loved was a ghost, and he goes to her son Greygo, and he tells him to go to a medium crazy woman to speak to Andeanna for the last time through the woman.
He goes and meets up with her, she speaks to him as Andeanna.
(I'm posting the scene)
'I'm Andeanna Menderes,' she sighs, 'but I called myself Deleena Emerson the night we met at Shar's party.'
'You died,' I whisper. 'Years ago. You're dead.'
'Yes, Ed. I know.'
'But you were real!' I shout. 'I touched you. Kissed you. We made love.'
'No,' she corrects me. 'We couldn't. I would have, if I'd been able, but there are limits.'
'Who sets them?' I croak, but she only smiles and shakes her head.
'How have you been?' she asks, as if we'd parted the day before.
'How do you fucking think?' I snarl, no longer seeing Etienne Anders, no longer doubting, chatting with Andeanna the same way I did when she was alive. When I thought she was alive. All the doubts blown away. Adjusting with surprising ease to the resettlement of my axis of reality.
'I've kept track of you as best I could,' Andeanna says as my ghosts drift into the background, sullen, disappointed, and also confused-looking. 'I've been with you much of the time. I tried letting you know I was present, but I don't have that power any longer. If you hadn't come here, we could never have spoken with each other again. That's why I told you about Etienne. I didn't know what was going to happen when Mikis died, but I guessed it might be like this. I didn't want to leave without explaining.'
I feel tears building, but I blink them back. 'Explain that you made a fool of me? That you used and discarded me? That you forced me to kill your ex-husband, promising it would make you mine, knowing it would only drive us apart?'
'I'm sorry,' she mutters, dropping her head with shame. 'There was no other way. I had to have him killed. Just like he killed me.'
I push my anger aside and concentrate on this immediate part of the puzzle. 'The Turk killed you?' I ask, and she nods. 'But Greygo said - '
'Greygo started coming here when he was nineteen,' she interrupts. 'I'd been with him since I died, as your ghosts are always with you, but that wasn't enough. He'd only known me as a child knows. He yearned to learn more about me. He did the rounds of mystics and seers, longing to talk with me and hear me tell him that I loved him. Etienne was the only one I could speak through. She's special, the way you are. You both have connections to the dead which most of the living lack.
'Greygo had harboured suspicions for a long time. Mikis was careful never to let his secret slip, but sometimes he'd drink too much, moan my name in his sleep and beg forgiveness. Greygo wondered what his father had to feel guilty about.
'It took him a long time to build up to the question.' The mystic's face lifts, filled with Andeanna's pride. 'Did my father kill you? It almost destroyed him as he asked it. I meant to tell him the truth and turn him against the monster who took my life. But there was so much fear in his eyes, fear that I'd say yes . . . ' Her face clouds over. 'As much as I hated Mikis, I loved Greygo and couldn't bear to destroy him. I made up a suicide story, mixing in enough truth to explain Mikis's guilt. It hurt Greygo, but not as much as the truth would have.'
'And killing his father - don't you think that hurt?'
'Of course,' she sighs, 'but I had no choice. I had to kill Mikis. I couldn't know peace until I did.'
'Tell me how you did it,' I whisper. 'Tell me how you assumed human form and tracked me down.'
Etienne shrugs, exactly the way Andeanna used to when I asked a question she couldn't answer. 'I don't know.'
'Bullshit,' I snarl.
'The truth,' she says gently. 'This is the real world, Ed, not one of your books. There aren't answers to every question. For years I was a bodiless entity, haunting the mansion. I glimpsed fellow spirits from time to time, but I had no way of communicating with them. I was alone, and lonely, but at least there was Greygo. I watched him grow up. I was there when he brought his first date home. I kept an eye on him and spoke to him, even though he couldn't hear me.
'One night I felt myself changing. Forming. I was terrified. I didn't know what was happening. I was feeling things again, smelling, hearing, seeing. After the initial shock, it was wonderful. But now that I was solid - visible - I had to leave before I was seen. So I grabbed some of Greygo's clothes and fled.
'I wandered the city, bones and flesh strengthening while I walked, and if you think that was painless, you couldn't be more wrong. I was cold and scared, in agony. Then, when the sun rose, I disintegrated like a vampire. Sunlight always undid me. That's why I never met you in the day, always late in the evening when the sun's power was fading.
'I re-formed the next night, in the place where I'd come apart. Naked and defenceless, I hid, only coming out when the city was asleep. I returned to the mansion and raided my old room. I sold jewellery - my own, items that Mikis had held on to, so I didn't feel bad for stealing it - and set myself up in a small apartment, where I retired each night before dawn, so that I could rematerialize somewhere familiar and safe the next evening.
'Shortly after that, my thoughts turned to revenge.' Her expression hardens. I'm amazed by how much of Andeanna there is in the mystic's face. It's as if she's taken over Etienne Anders from the inside, making the medium's features her own, moulding them to mirror hers. 'I wasn't driven by hatred. Killing Mikis was just something I had to do. Without knowing how I'd re-formed, I knew instinctively why - to make Mikis pay.'
'How did you know?' I ask.
'I just did. It's . . . ' She grins sickly. 'It's a dead thing. You'd have to die and come back like I did to understand.'
'I'm not that eager to find out,' I deadpan, and for a few seconds we smile at one another the way we used to, like it's a big joke.
'Anyway,' she says, 'I knew I couldn't kill Mikis by myself. I didn't have murder in me. I had to find somebody else.'
'Which is where I came in,' I growl, and she nods glumly. 'Why me?'
'Pure misfortune,' she sighs.
'Don't lie. You tracked me down and tricked me into an affair. You used me like a puppet.'
'No.' She shakes her head vehemently. 'It wasn't like that. I know that's how it looks, but I swear on all that's sacred, on Greygo, I didn't set out to trap you.'
'I don't believe you,' I mutter.
A pained expression crosses her face. 'I was at that boat party by chance,' she says. 'I crashed a lot of parties. Given who and what I was, I couldn't mingle with those who'd known me when I was alive. I'd fall in with groups on their way to a party, pretend to be human for a few hours, slip away like Cinderella before the break of day.
'The only thing I had on my mind that night was fun. Like so many other nights, that proved elusive, which is why I wound up on deck, to brood about the cruel twist of fate that had placed me there. Then I found myself next to you.' Although the mystic's eyes don't open, the lids fix on me as if the spirit of Andeanna sees through the thin layers of flesh. 'I knew instantly that you were a man of violence. I saw your ghosts and sensed their hatred of you. I knocked the glass overboard to start a conversation with you, and . . . you know the rest.'
'I thought I did. But why don't you tell me how it really was? It was never about love. You saw me as a tool from the start, didn't you, a way to kill Mikis?'
She sighs. 'My interest was wholly mercenary that first night. But that changed as we spent more time together. I forgot what I was. I fell in love with you. It was crazy, and it messed up everything, but I couldn't help myself. When I was with you, I was real, alive, desperate for love. That wasn't a sham, Ed. I couldn't have faked those emotions.'
'You're lying.'
'I'm not!' she cries. 'Listen to me. Hear me. I know you hate me, and you've every right to, but don't turn your ears against the truth. I love you, Ed, and if you ever loved me the way you claimed, you'd know in your heart that I'm not lying.'
The terrible thing is - I do.
'What about Axel Nelke?' I ask, anxious to steer talk away from love.
She stares through her closed eyelids, disappointed by my reaction, then shrugs. 'Axel was my lover. Mikis killed him. What more do you want to know?'
'The guard I killed. You said he was Axel Nelke.'
'I lied. When you saw through my first disguise - Deleena Emerson - I knew I had to make my next seem as genuine as possible. I had to tell you as much of the truth as I dared. If I'd invented a name for my fictitious bodyguard, you might have sensed the lie. I felt safe using Axel's name. I knew I wouldn't blurt out the wrong surname by mistake, or tell you he had red hair then turn round later and say he was blond.'
'But the man I killed . . . '
'A guard. I don't know his name. There was one on duty most nights. They usually knocked off at ten or eleven if Mikis and Greygo weren't home.'
'You didn't set me up to kill him?'
'Of course not. I wanted Mikis's head, nobody else's. I don't know why the guard returned when he did.'
Is she telling the truth? I don't know. If I could see her eyes,
I'd have a better idea. 'Greygo hadn't heard of a guard going missing,' I note.
She smiles bitterly. 'Greygo didn't want to know about Mikis's business, so he was kept in the dark whenever possible. If he'd been home around that time, he would have noticed that the guard had disappeared. Since he was absent, Mikis saw no reason to share the troubling news with him.'
'Why did you invite me there?' I ask, reluctant to let it drop. 'What was with the battered face? Was that faked?'
'Self-inflicted,' she mumbles. 'By then I'd fallen in love with you. On the boat, I thought I might be able to hire you to kill Mikis. But I now knew that whatever you'd done in the past, you weren't a killer any more. Yet you remained my best hope. I thought you could be encouraged to kill. So I used your love for me to turn you against Mikis.'
'Then you did manipulate me!' I shout.
'Yes and no,' she sniffs.
'You can't have it both ways, Andeanna.'
'But I did,' she protests. 'I loved you, Ed - that was real. But I had to kill Mikis. My first priority, my very reason for existing, was to make Mikis pay. So, yes, I used you. But I didn't fake love to win you over.
'My plan was for you to see that Mikis had hurt me, lose your temper and target him. Afterwards I'd have told you the truth. Or if, as I suspected, I faded away when Mikis was dead, I'd try to contact you via Etienne, as I'm doing now. Then the guard turned up, you killed him and a new plan formed. You revealed the truth about your past, you asked to eliminate Mikis, you dreamt up the assassin angle. I didn't want that - it was complicated, and it implicated you too deeply - but I was powerless to turn you from your path.'
'You could have told me the truth,' I contradict her.
A wan smile flickers across her lips. 'That I was a ghost? A shade of the night? Would you have believed me?'
'Probably not,' I mutter. 'But if you'd let me see your form unravel one night . . . '
'I considered that,' she says. 'But if I'd let you see me for what I truly was, I didn't think you'd be able to love me any more. I was worried I'd scare you off.'
'It takes a lot to scare me,' I grunt.
'Don't I know it,' she grins. Then she tickles my left wrist with one of her fingers. 'If it's any consolation, I did what I could to protect you. I lied to suit my purposes, but also to suit yours. I could have betrayed you to Bond, planted evidence to condemn you. But I wanted you to escape.'
'Very thoughtful of you,' I snap.
Silence descends. I mull over what Andeanna has told me. It's too insane to be true. I want to reject it out of hand. But what's the alternative? Andeanna Menderes was murdered twenty years ago - fact. I fell in love with a woman who shares her looks - fact. I have it on good authority that the woman's ghost has roamed the halls of her home since her death - fact. That woman is now speaking to me through a medium - fact.
Too many facts to ignore. When there's no sane answer, a man must accept the insane. As impossible as it is, as crazy as it sounds, the truth is undeniable. 'I fell in love with a ghost,' I groan.
'Yes.' Andeanna smiles sadly. 'And a ghost fell in love with you.'
Incredibly, my mood is lifting. The truth has been revealed. It's an awful, twisted truth, but now I can begin to deal with it. It won't be easy, but I don't have to chase around wildly any longer, pursuing false threads, driving myself mental in search of an answer.
'It's asking a lot,' Andeanna murmurs, 'but do you think you can forgive me?'
'I don't know,' I reply. 'This has thrown my world out of whack. I don't know what I feel for you, or what I'll feel a week from now, a month, a year. If I said I could, I'd be lying.'
'That's fair,' she nods.
'I was always fair with you,' I note pointedly.
'And I wasn't with you,' she agrees.
'So.' I settle back, studying the face of the channelling mystic. 'Where do we go from here?'
'Our separate ways,' she answers promptly.
I feel a strange pang of regret. Even after all she put me through, I still love her, and the thought of parting for ever fills me with dread. 'Can't we . . . isn't there some way we can . . . ?'
'No,' she says softly. 'I have to move on. Mikis's death released me. I'm being called. There's another world or dimension where I'm supposed to be. I have to go. I want to go. I think I'll enjoy it.'
I feel something running down my cheeks. At first I think spiders have dropped from the ceiling. But as I blink, I realize they're only tears.
'Can't you come back?' I weep, managing a weak smile to show I know how dumb my request is. 'On a weekend pass, perhaps?'
'I doubt they have those where I'm going,' Andeanna giggles. 'But if they do, I'll apply for one.'
I wipe my right sleeve across my cheeks, careful not to break contact with the medium, wishing the tears had held off for a while, so that I could focus on Andeanna's face, clearer than ever in the features of Etienne Anders.
Andeanna puts her lips to my cheek and removes a tear with the tip of her tongue. I moan, and she draws back from me, her smile fading. 'I have to go now. Etienne can't maintain this link indefinitely.'
'Just a few more . . . ' I begin, but she shakes her head slowly.
'Before I leave,' she says, 'can I make a final request?'
'Sure,' I reply, fresh tears falling.
'One last kiss, Ed?'
'I could never refuse a lady,' I laugh brokenly.
'But promise you won't tell Etienne.' She smirks. 'I don't want her thinking we took advantage of her body.'
'I'll never tell anyone about tonight,' I vow.
'Not even Joe?'
'I'll fill him in on the essentials. No more. He deserves to know the truth - he guessed it before I did - but I won't discuss it in depth with him. I couldn't.'
'I'll go with the kiss, Ed,' she says, leaning forward. 'No prolonged goodbyes. One last kiss and - puff - I'm fairy dust.'
'I love you, Andeanna,' I cry.
'I love you too,' she whispers, then thrusts her lips against mine, devouring them with a hunger born of impending finality. I clutch her to me, holding her as close as I can, our fingers linked, tears splashing down my face, wishing I could vanish into her lips and make her journey with her, praying that one day I can follow and taste her sweet flesh again.
Then it's over. I feel it before we break, the way she goes limp, the fluttering of her eyelashes against my cheek, the diminishing action of her lips. Slowly I let her go, and she sinks back in her chair, Andeanna no more, just Etienne Anders, medium, channeller, bridge between worlds.
'Goodbye,' I whisper. And maybe it's an echo, or my imagination, or wishful thinking, but it seems to me that the air shimmers and the faintest voice carries to me on the lightest of breezes.
'Goodbye, Ed.'
Yeahh so that's pretty much it. BUT there are more pages in the book..
Which means..
Ed decides to leave London and while doing so he is kidnapped by Dash and Bond (a guy who works with Turk and he told him about the cheating thing).
Instead of killing Ed, Bond kills Dash.
Oh and? Ed became a killer cause he loved a woman who pretended to have cancer to take his money. He had to work as a killer to "cure" her. He later carved her face with a knife. Sick bastard.
Bond tells Ed that the whole ghost thing is bullshit cause.. cause Andeanna is alive. She is at a madhouse. She caught her husband cheating on her and killed (actually butchered his mistress).
the body who burnt in the car was the dead body of his mistress.
She then got sent to a madhouse and everybody thought she died. Oh and she was having an affair with Bond not Axel.
Oh then Ed goes to see her and see her holding a baby doll. A girl baby doll..
In shock, he goes to find Greygo and then we know the shocking truth. Greygo is Andeanna. He is gay. He is an actor. A good actor. He tricked Ed by dressing up as a woman and makeup and hair and voice.Oh also he was Joe and the meduim woman!!! Son of a bitch!Ed then goes mad and crawls through the dark streets of London waiting to die.
And really I have no more characters to type ha-ha This book was awesome. One of Darren Shan's best! Poor Ed.
This is one hell of a book. Fascinating, twisted, geniously plotted and awesome!!!
LOVE this!!!
SPOILERS. DO NOT READ.
OK. This starts with an assassin called Dash murdering a guy he was hired to kill, then he gets this message from one of his previous employers to kill a loved one or her lover or both.
The scene shifts to Ed, a writer who is haunted by ghosts (we later know why). He goes to London and starts meeting up with a guy he met over the internet, who helps him to plot his book.On one night, at a party,he meets up with a woman, called Deleena.They spend time together and promise to meet up again. So they start meeting up and they fall in love. then turns out she is a married woman to one of the most dangerous gangster in the city. Ed gets over that fact because he loves her a lot. To note, he and Andeanna always meet in the shades.. And she and Joe never MEET.....
Then..Ed and Andeanna decide to meet at her mansion. A guard finds them and Ed has to kill him. We then know he was an assassin. Ed hides the body and throws it at the sea. Then he and Andeanna decide to murder Turk. They decide to put Dash, the guy from the first scene and put him as if he killed Turk. Oh and they are the ones who sent him that letter as if from the Turk.
So then all goes well and Ed murders the Turk. Then everything goes to hell. Because Darren can't make a happy ending. It is not allowed in his ingenious mind manifesto or something.
Ed sees a pic of Turk and his wife (Andeanna) who above the picture is written in BOLD letters: The Turk and His Late Wife
Yeah.. turns out Andeanna is dead. Dead from 10 years. She was murdered by the Turk who set her car on fire and killed her because she was cheating on him with Axel(note that this was the guard Ed killed. The same name).
So Ed wanders, thinking Andeanna the woman he loved was a ghost, and he goes to her son Greygo, and he tells him to go to a medium crazy woman to speak to Andeanna for the last time through the woman.
He goes and meets up with her, she speaks to him as Andeanna.
(I'm posting the scene)
'I'm Andeanna Menderes,' she sighs, 'but I called myself Deleena Emerson the night we met at Shar's party.'
'You died,' I whisper. 'Years ago. You're dead.'
'Yes, Ed. I know.'
'But you were real!' I shout. 'I touched you. Kissed you. We made love.'
'No,' she corrects me. 'We couldn't. I would have, if I'd been able, but there are limits.'
'Who sets them?' I croak, but she only smiles and shakes her head.
'How have you been?' she asks, as if we'd parted the day before.
'How do you fucking think?' I snarl, no longer seeing Etienne Anders, no longer doubting, chatting with Andeanna the same way I did when she was alive. When I thought she was alive. All the doubts blown away. Adjusting with surprising ease to the resettlement of my axis of reality.
'I've kept track of you as best I could,' Andeanna says as my ghosts drift into the background, sullen, disappointed, and also confused-looking. 'I've been with you much of the time. I tried letting you know I was present, but I don't have that power any longer. If you hadn't come here, we could never have spoken with each other again. That's why I told you about Etienne. I didn't know what was going to happen when Mikis died, but I guessed it might be like this. I didn't want to leave without explaining.'
I feel tears building, but I blink them back. 'Explain that you made a fool of me? That you used and discarded me? That you forced me to kill your ex-husband, promising it would make you mine, knowing it would only drive us apart?'
'I'm sorry,' she mutters, dropping her head with shame. 'There was no other way. I had to have him killed. Just like he killed me.'
I push my anger aside and concentrate on this immediate part of the puzzle. 'The Turk killed you?' I ask, and she nods. 'But Greygo said - '
'Greygo started coming here when he was nineteen,' she interrupts. 'I'd been with him since I died, as your ghosts are always with you, but that wasn't enough. He'd only known me as a child knows. He yearned to learn more about me. He did the rounds of mystics and seers, longing to talk with me and hear me tell him that I loved him. Etienne was the only one I could speak through. She's special, the way you are. You both have connections to the dead which most of the living lack.
'Greygo had harboured suspicions for a long time. Mikis was careful never to let his secret slip, but sometimes he'd drink too much, moan my name in his sleep and beg forgiveness. Greygo wondered what his father had to feel guilty about.
'It took him a long time to build up to the question.' The mystic's face lifts, filled with Andeanna's pride. 'Did my father kill you? It almost destroyed him as he asked it. I meant to tell him the truth and turn him against the monster who took my life. But there was so much fear in his eyes, fear that I'd say yes . . . ' Her face clouds over. 'As much as I hated Mikis, I loved Greygo and couldn't bear to destroy him. I made up a suicide story, mixing in enough truth to explain Mikis's guilt. It hurt Greygo, but not as much as the truth would have.'
'And killing his father - don't you think that hurt?'
'Of course,' she sighs, 'but I had no choice. I had to kill Mikis. I couldn't know peace until I did.'
'Tell me how you did it,' I whisper. 'Tell me how you assumed human form and tracked me down.'
Etienne shrugs, exactly the way Andeanna used to when I asked a question she couldn't answer. 'I don't know.'
'Bullshit,' I snarl.
'The truth,' she says gently. 'This is the real world, Ed, not one of your books. There aren't answers to every question. For years I was a bodiless entity, haunting the mansion. I glimpsed fellow spirits from time to time, but I had no way of communicating with them. I was alone, and lonely, but at least there was Greygo. I watched him grow up. I was there when he brought his first date home. I kept an eye on him and spoke to him, even though he couldn't hear me.
'One night I felt myself changing. Forming. I was terrified. I didn't know what was happening. I was feeling things again, smelling, hearing, seeing. After the initial shock, it was wonderful. But now that I was solid - visible - I had to leave before I was seen. So I grabbed some of Greygo's clothes and fled.
'I wandered the city, bones and flesh strengthening while I walked, and if you think that was painless, you couldn't be more wrong. I was cold and scared, in agony. Then, when the sun rose, I disintegrated like a vampire. Sunlight always undid me. That's why I never met you in the day, always late in the evening when the sun's power was fading.
'I re-formed the next night, in the place where I'd come apart. Naked and defenceless, I hid, only coming out when the city was asleep. I returned to the mansion and raided my old room. I sold jewellery - my own, items that Mikis had held on to, so I didn't feel bad for stealing it - and set myself up in a small apartment, where I retired each night before dawn, so that I could rematerialize somewhere familiar and safe the next evening.
'Shortly after that, my thoughts turned to revenge.' Her expression hardens. I'm amazed by how much of Andeanna there is in the mystic's face. It's as if she's taken over Etienne Anders from the inside, making the medium's features her own, moulding them to mirror hers. 'I wasn't driven by hatred. Killing Mikis was just something I had to do. Without knowing how I'd re-formed, I knew instinctively why - to make Mikis pay.'
'How did you know?' I ask.
'I just did. It's . . . ' She grins sickly. 'It's a dead thing. You'd have to die and come back like I did to understand.'
'I'm not that eager to find out,' I deadpan, and for a few seconds we smile at one another the way we used to, like it's a big joke.
'Anyway,' she says, 'I knew I couldn't kill Mikis by myself. I didn't have murder in me. I had to find somebody else.'
'Which is where I came in,' I growl, and she nods glumly. 'Why me?'
'Pure misfortune,' she sighs.
'Don't lie. You tracked me down and tricked me into an affair. You used me like a puppet.'
'No.' She shakes her head vehemently. 'It wasn't like that. I know that's how it looks, but I swear on all that's sacred, on Greygo, I didn't set out to trap you.'
'I don't believe you,' I mutter.
A pained expression crosses her face. 'I was at that boat party by chance,' she says. 'I crashed a lot of parties. Given who and what I was, I couldn't mingle with those who'd known me when I was alive. I'd fall in with groups on their way to a party, pretend to be human for a few hours, slip away like Cinderella before the break of day.
'The only thing I had on my mind that night was fun. Like so many other nights, that proved elusive, which is why I wound up on deck, to brood about the cruel twist of fate that had placed me there. Then I found myself next to you.' Although the mystic's eyes don't open, the lids fix on me as if the spirit of Andeanna sees through the thin layers of flesh. 'I knew instantly that you were a man of violence. I saw your ghosts and sensed their hatred of you. I knocked the glass overboard to start a conversation with you, and . . . you know the rest.'
'I thought I did. But why don't you tell me how it really was? It was never about love. You saw me as a tool from the start, didn't you, a way to kill Mikis?'
She sighs. 'My interest was wholly mercenary that first night. But that changed as we spent more time together. I forgot what I was. I fell in love with you. It was crazy, and it messed up everything, but I couldn't help myself. When I was with you, I was real, alive, desperate for love. That wasn't a sham, Ed. I couldn't have faked those emotions.'
'You're lying.'
'I'm not!' she cries. 'Listen to me. Hear me. I know you hate me, and you've every right to, but don't turn your ears against the truth. I love you, Ed, and if you ever loved me the way you claimed, you'd know in your heart that I'm not lying.'
The terrible thing is - I do.
'What about Axel Nelke?' I ask, anxious to steer talk away from love.
She stares through her closed eyelids, disappointed by my reaction, then shrugs. 'Axel was my lover. Mikis killed him. What more do you want to know?'
'The guard I killed. You said he was Axel Nelke.'
'I lied. When you saw through my first disguise - Deleena Emerson - I knew I had to make my next seem as genuine as possible. I had to tell you as much of the truth as I dared. If I'd invented a name for my fictitious bodyguard, you might have sensed the lie. I felt safe using Axel's name. I knew I wouldn't blurt out the wrong surname by mistake, or tell you he had red hair then turn round later and say he was blond.'
'But the man I killed . . . '
'A guard. I don't know his name. There was one on duty most nights. They usually knocked off at ten or eleven if Mikis and Greygo weren't home.'
'You didn't set me up to kill him?'
'Of course not. I wanted Mikis's head, nobody else's. I don't know why the guard returned when he did.'
Is she telling the truth? I don't know. If I could see her eyes,
I'd have a better idea. 'Greygo hadn't heard of a guard going missing,' I note.
She smiles bitterly. 'Greygo didn't want to know about Mikis's business, so he was kept in the dark whenever possible. If he'd been home around that time, he would have noticed that the guard had disappeared. Since he was absent, Mikis saw no reason to share the troubling news with him.'
'Why did you invite me there?' I ask, reluctant to let it drop. 'What was with the battered face? Was that faked?'
'Self-inflicted,' she mumbles. 'By then I'd fallen in love with you. On the boat, I thought I might be able to hire you to kill Mikis. But I now knew that whatever you'd done in the past, you weren't a killer any more. Yet you remained my best hope. I thought you could be encouraged to kill. So I used your love for me to turn you against Mikis.'
'Then you did manipulate me!' I shout.
'Yes and no,' she sniffs.
'You can't have it both ways, Andeanna.'
'But I did,' she protests. 'I loved you, Ed - that was real. But I had to kill Mikis. My first priority, my very reason for existing, was to make Mikis pay. So, yes, I used you. But I didn't fake love to win you over.
'My plan was for you to see that Mikis had hurt me, lose your temper and target him. Afterwards I'd have told you the truth. Or if, as I suspected, I faded away when Mikis was dead, I'd try to contact you via Etienne, as I'm doing now. Then the guard turned up, you killed him and a new plan formed. You revealed the truth about your past, you asked to eliminate Mikis, you dreamt up the assassin angle. I didn't want that - it was complicated, and it implicated you too deeply - but I was powerless to turn you from your path.'
'You could have told me the truth,' I contradict her.
A wan smile flickers across her lips. 'That I was a ghost? A shade of the night? Would you have believed me?'
'Probably not,' I mutter. 'But if you'd let me see your form unravel one night . . . '
'I considered that,' she says. 'But if I'd let you see me for what I truly was, I didn't think you'd be able to love me any more. I was worried I'd scare you off.'
'It takes a lot to scare me,' I grunt.
'Don't I know it,' she grins. Then she tickles my left wrist with one of her fingers. 'If it's any consolation, I did what I could to protect you. I lied to suit my purposes, but also to suit yours. I could have betrayed you to Bond, planted evidence to condemn you. But I wanted you to escape.'
'Very thoughtful of you,' I snap.
Silence descends. I mull over what Andeanna has told me. It's too insane to be true. I want to reject it out of hand. But what's the alternative? Andeanna Menderes was murdered twenty years ago - fact. I fell in love with a woman who shares her looks - fact. I have it on good authority that the woman's ghost has roamed the halls of her home since her death - fact. That woman is now speaking to me through a medium - fact.
Too many facts to ignore. When there's no sane answer, a man must accept the insane. As impossible as it is, as crazy as it sounds, the truth is undeniable. 'I fell in love with a ghost,' I groan.
'Yes.' Andeanna smiles sadly. 'And a ghost fell in love with you.'
Incredibly, my mood is lifting. The truth has been revealed. It's an awful, twisted truth, but now I can begin to deal with it. It won't be easy, but I don't have to chase around wildly any longer, pursuing false threads, driving myself mental in search of an answer.
'It's asking a lot,' Andeanna murmurs, 'but do you think you can forgive me?'
'I don't know,' I reply. 'This has thrown my world out of whack. I don't know what I feel for you, or what I'll feel a week from now, a month, a year. If I said I could, I'd be lying.'
'That's fair,' she nods.
'I was always fair with you,' I note pointedly.
'And I wasn't with you,' she agrees.
'So.' I settle back, studying the face of the channelling mystic. 'Where do we go from here?'
'Our separate ways,' she answers promptly.
I feel a strange pang of regret. Even after all she put me through, I still love her, and the thought of parting for ever fills me with dread. 'Can't we . . . isn't there some way we can . . . ?'
'No,' she says softly. 'I have to move on. Mikis's death released me. I'm being called. There's another world or dimension where I'm supposed to be. I have to go. I want to go. I think I'll enjoy it.'
I feel something running down my cheeks. At first I think spiders have dropped from the ceiling. But as I blink, I realize they're only tears.
'Can't you come back?' I weep, managing a weak smile to show I know how dumb my request is. 'On a weekend pass, perhaps?'
'I doubt they have those where I'm going,' Andeanna giggles. 'But if they do, I'll apply for one.'
I wipe my right sleeve across my cheeks, careful not to break contact with the medium, wishing the tears had held off for a while, so that I could focus on Andeanna's face, clearer than ever in the features of Etienne Anders.
Andeanna puts her lips to my cheek and removes a tear with the tip of her tongue. I moan, and she draws back from me, her smile fading. 'I have to go now. Etienne can't maintain this link indefinitely.'
'Just a few more . . . ' I begin, but she shakes her head slowly.
'Before I leave,' she says, 'can I make a final request?'
'Sure,' I reply, fresh tears falling.
'One last kiss, Ed?'
'I could never refuse a lady,' I laugh brokenly.
'But promise you won't tell Etienne.' She smirks. 'I don't want her thinking we took advantage of her body.'
'I'll never tell anyone about tonight,' I vow.
'Not even Joe?'
'I'll fill him in on the essentials. No more. He deserves to know the truth - he guessed it before I did - but I won't discuss it in depth with him. I couldn't.'
'I'll go with the kiss, Ed,' she says, leaning forward. 'No prolonged goodbyes. One last kiss and - puff - I'm fairy dust.'
'I love you, Andeanna,' I cry.
'I love you too,' she whispers, then thrusts her lips against mine, devouring them with a hunger born of impending finality. I clutch her to me, holding her as close as I can, our fingers linked, tears splashing down my face, wishing I could vanish into her lips and make her journey with her, praying that one day I can follow and taste her sweet flesh again.
Then it's over. I feel it before we break, the way she goes limp, the fluttering of her eyelashes against my cheek, the diminishing action of her lips. Slowly I let her go, and she sinks back in her chair, Andeanna no more, just Etienne Anders, medium, channeller, bridge between worlds.
'Goodbye,' I whisper. And maybe it's an echo, or my imagination, or wishful thinking, but it seems to me that the air shimmers and the faintest voice carries to me on the lightest of breezes.
'Goodbye, Ed.'
Yeahh so that's pretty much it. BUT there are more pages in the book..
Which means..
Ed decides to leave London and while doing so he is kidnapped by Dash and Bond (a guy who works with Turk and he told him about the cheating thing).
Instead of killing Ed, Bond kills Dash.
Oh and? Ed became a killer cause he loved a woman who pretended to have cancer to take his money. He had to work as a killer to "cure" her. He later carved her face with a knife. Sick bastard.
Bond tells Ed that the whole ghost thing is bullshit cause.. cause Andeanna is alive. She is at a madhouse. She caught her husband cheating on her and killed (actually butchered his mistress).
the body who burnt in the car was the dead body of his mistress.
She then got sent to a madhouse and everybody thought she died. Oh and she was having an affair with Bond not Axel.
Oh then Ed goes to see her and see her holding a baby doll. A girl baby doll..
In shock, he goes to find Greygo and then we know the shocking truth. Greygo is Andeanna. He is gay. He is an actor. A good actor. He tricked Ed by dressing up as a woman and makeup and hair and voice.Oh also he was Joe and the meduim woman!!! Son of a bitch!Ed then goes mad and crawls through the dark streets of London waiting to die.
And really I have no more characters to type ha-ha This book was awesome. One of Darren Shan's best! Poor Ed.
October 9, 2012
Although this book is anything but standard crime fiction fare, I've come to realize that sometimes pulling away from the formulaic and reading outside the box can produce some eye-opening moments. Lady of the Shades turned out to be as twisty as a sack full of Philly pretzels; I actually thought I'd had it figured out a couple of times but alas it was not to be. Sadly I can't really get into why this book is so twisty without giving away the show, but I will say that just when you think things are one way, the rug is twitched out from underneath your feet leaving you flat on your can in surprise.
I'll offer just a brief synopsis because I don't want to kill it for anyone else. Lady of the Shades is ultimately a novel about how a person's past continues to have a strong bearing on his/her present, and it's also a rather odd story about the power and hold of love. Ed Sieveking is an American author who, much like the hero of Stuart Neville's series that begins with Ghosts of Belfast, carries ghosts around with him where ever he goes. He understands that his ghosts are "probably the workings of a deluded mind," and likely "the projections of a deeply troubled psyche." He doesn't want to accept that he's "a loon," and is looking to find a way back to normality. In London, where his newest horror novel (involving Human Spontaneous Combustion) is set, he finds himself at a party where he bumps into a beautiful woman named Deleena Emerson. Ed's previous books are not ones you'd find on the bestseller lists at any time, so he's very flattered when he realizes Deleena knows who he is and that she's read his books. From that meeting on, Ed is severely smitten, boinged straight through the heart by Cupid's arrow, but any hopes of the two of them becoming a permanent item are quickly put on hold when Ed discovers a well-guarded secret about her. Like Ed, Deleena's present is very much affected by her past, and Ed soon finds himself caught up in a very strange predicament or two or three, where anything can happen and where nothing is at all like it seems. All he wants is the truth -- but that's not going to be so easy, as the line between what is real and what is not begins to blur and get hazier as the novel proceeds, continually testing Ed's ability to "make sense of the world."
Actually, Lady of the Shades tests the reader's ability to understand things as well. The first half of this novel introduces all of the players, especially the intriguingly-flawed Ed, who comes from a very troubled past that he is trying to forget. Ed is basically a good person, hopeful for his future, but when love hits, it hits him hard and it tends to screw up his decision-making processes. It's very easy sometimes to groan out loud over some of Ed's choices, which aren't always that smart. The pace of the book is a bit slow at first, but quickly picks up, and in the second half, the author takes his readers into hyperdrive as one revelation after another comes flying off the pages. Much of what you find out frankly stops the show; other times you just find yourself laughing at the craziness. Then you reach the bizarre ending, which, considering the context of this novel, does actually work. It's strange, but it does fit. And if you've ever wanted to read a novel where you don't mind being manipulated, this one is perfect. Seriously.
I truly wish I could say more about this book, but then these paragraphs would be filled with unforgivable spoilers and someone somewhere might be upset. I will say that this is one of the screwiest (in a good way) novels I've ever read, especially in terms of crime fiction, where twists and turns are the general rule of thumb; here, Shan's imagination elevates them well beyond the norm. This book is not going to be everyone's cup of tea, especially crime readers who like to go from point A to point B in a well-ordered fashion. It also strains the credulity that most crime fiction readers, including me, look for in their reading. But frankly, this book is just plain fun and even better, it gets the better of you. Lady of the Shades is a treat, and is perfect for times when you want a break from the serious and just feel like going with the flow.
I'll offer just a brief synopsis because I don't want to kill it for anyone else. Lady of the Shades is ultimately a novel about how a person's past continues to have a strong bearing on his/her present, and it's also a rather odd story about the power and hold of love. Ed Sieveking is an American author who, much like the hero of Stuart Neville's series that begins with Ghosts of Belfast, carries ghosts around with him where ever he goes. He understands that his ghosts are "probably the workings of a deluded mind," and likely "the projections of a deeply troubled psyche." He doesn't want to accept that he's "a loon," and is looking to find a way back to normality. In London, where his newest horror novel (involving Human Spontaneous Combustion) is set, he finds himself at a party where he bumps into a beautiful woman named Deleena Emerson. Ed's previous books are not ones you'd find on the bestseller lists at any time, so he's very flattered when he realizes Deleena knows who he is and that she's read his books. From that meeting on, Ed is severely smitten, boinged straight through the heart by Cupid's arrow, but any hopes of the two of them becoming a permanent item are quickly put on hold when Ed discovers a well-guarded secret about her. Like Ed, Deleena's present is very much affected by her past, and Ed soon finds himself caught up in a very strange predicament or two or three, where anything can happen and where nothing is at all like it seems. All he wants is the truth -- but that's not going to be so easy, as the line between what is real and what is not begins to blur and get hazier as the novel proceeds, continually testing Ed's ability to "make sense of the world."
Actually, Lady of the Shades tests the reader's ability to understand things as well. The first half of this novel introduces all of the players, especially the intriguingly-flawed Ed, who comes from a very troubled past that he is trying to forget. Ed is basically a good person, hopeful for his future, but when love hits, it hits him hard and it tends to screw up his decision-making processes. It's very easy sometimes to groan out loud over some of Ed's choices, which aren't always that smart. The pace of the book is a bit slow at first, but quickly picks up, and in the second half, the author takes his readers into hyperdrive as one revelation after another comes flying off the pages. Much of what you find out frankly stops the show; other times you just find yourself laughing at the craziness. Then you reach the bizarre ending, which, considering the context of this novel, does actually work. It's strange, but it does fit. And if you've ever wanted to read a novel where you don't mind being manipulated, this one is perfect. Seriously.
I truly wish I could say more about this book, but then these paragraphs would be filled with unforgivable spoilers and someone somewhere might be upset. I will say that this is one of the screwiest (in a good way) novels I've ever read, especially in terms of crime fiction, where twists and turns are the general rule of thumb; here, Shan's imagination elevates them well beyond the norm. This book is not going to be everyone's cup of tea, especially crime readers who like to go from point A to point B in a well-ordered fashion. It also strains the credulity that most crime fiction readers, including me, look for in their reading. But frankly, this book is just plain fun and even better, it gets the better of you. Lady of the Shades is a treat, and is perfect for times when you want a break from the serious and just feel like going with the flow.
January 9, 2019
کاملا شکه کننده
March 27, 2017
Είναι ένα μεταφυσικό αστυνομικό θρίλερ που δεν το βαριέσαι ούτε στιγμή. Ένας αμερικανός συγγραφέας θρίλερ πηγαίνει στο Λονδίνο για να βρει έμπνευση για το καινούργιο του βιβλίο, με τις ερινύες να τον κυνηγούν σε κάθε του βήμα. Εκεί θα βρεί τον έρωτα, την απογοήτευση και θα βυθιστεί ακόμη περισσότερο στις σκιές του ψέματος και του θανάτου. Από τη μέση και μετά του βιβλίου οι ανατροπές είναι τόσο γρήγορες και αναπάντεχες, που μαζί με τον πρωταγωνιστή χάνεις τα αυγά και τα πασχάλια. Κι εδώ φαίνεται η μαεστρία του συγγραφέα. Το πως δικαιολογεί και τεκμηριώνει όλες αυτές τις ανατροπές. Δεν έχω διαβάσει βιβλίο τόσο ανατρεπτικό. Το τέλος εξαιρετικό. Το όλο στήσιμο του βιβλίοτ μου θύμισε λίγο "Τα φαντάσματα του Μπέλφαστ" του Νεβίλ (για όσους το έχουν διαβάσει μπορεί να καταλάβουν τι εννοώ). Διαβάστε το. Είναι δυνατό.!!!!!!!!
August 9, 2023
WOW
الان هیچی ندارم بگم
خیلی عالی بود
فعلا تو شوک ام
ولی دوباره میام و ریویو میزارم ازش
الان هیچی ندارم بگم
خیلی عالی بود
فعلا تو شوک ام
ولی دوباره میام و ریویو میزارم ازش
September 10, 2024
از آخرین باری که ریویو نوشتم یک سال و اندی میگذره.ولی لازم دونستم برای خودم(وقتی که دوباره برگشتم و یه نگاه به کتاب هام کردم) یادآور بشم که چه حس فوق العاده ای بعد از اتمام این کتاب داشتم.
پس این یه ریویو نیست، کمابیش یک خاطره از یک تجربه هیجان انگیزه.
تقریبا ۵(۶؟) سال از آخرین باری که یکی از کتابهای دارن شان رو خوندم میگذشت و نمیدونستم چطور باید واکنش نشون بدم وقتی یکی از دوستانِ دور، یهو این کتاب رو جلوم گرفت و گفت"اینو بخون مطمئنم عاشقش میشی" حقیقتا فکر میکردم سنم از خوندن کتاب های دارن شان گذشته و قرار نیست اون حسی که باید رو ازش بگیرم. ولی بعد از ۳۰ ص تمام اون افکار پوچ رو برداشتم و توی سطل زباله ی ذهنم انداختم.
و به خودم اومدم و دیدم توی زنجیره ی دیوانه وار اتفاقات گیر افتادم.
و همش دارم از خودم میپرسم" پس بانوی سایه ها دقیقا کیه؟"
یادم نیست آخرین بار که یک کتاب اینجور منو درگیر خودش کرده بود کی بود. بخصوص این چند سال اخیر که پایان کتاب ها رو از همون مقدمه کتاب میدونستم و صرفا جهت تفنن میخوندمشون. ولی این کتاب اون چرخه پایان داد. پایانی که تا ص۳۰۰ کتاب(۲۸ ص آخر کتاب) به ذهنم خطور نمیکرد، بطوری که از هیجان جیغ زدم(واقعا زدم)چند لحظه به در و دیوار زل زدم که"حتما شوخیت گرفته...نه...امکان نداره!"
و خب احتمالا قراره برای مدت طولانی ای توی لیست پیشنهادی هام باقی بمونه... و همیشه مدیون اون دوست میمونم که کتابشو بهم داد و گذاشت همچین تجربه ی فوقالعاده ای رو از سر بگذرونم.
در آخر،
*این حرفم اسپویل داره*
ولی بنظرم اد باید توی تصمیمش تجدید نظر کنه...(｡•̀ᴗ-)✧ (البته مطمئنم بعدا خودش پشیمون میشه برمیگرده)
پس این یه ریویو نیست، کمابیش یک خاطره از یک تجربه هیجان انگیزه.
تقریبا ۵(۶؟) سال از آخرین باری که یکی از کتابهای دارن شان رو خوندم میگذشت و نمیدونستم چطور باید واکنش نشون بدم وقتی یکی از دوستانِ دور، یهو این کتاب رو جلوم گرفت و گفت"اینو بخون مطمئنم عاشقش میشی" حقیقتا فکر میکردم سنم از خوندن کتاب های دارن شان گذشته و قرار نیست اون حسی که باید رو ازش بگیرم. ولی بعد از ۳۰ ص تمام اون افکار پوچ رو برداشتم و توی سطل زباله ی ذهنم انداختم.
و به خودم اومدم و دیدم توی زنجیره ی دیوانه وار اتفاقات گیر افتادم.
و همش دارم از خودم میپرسم" پس بانوی سایه ها دقیقا کیه؟"
یادم نیست آخرین بار که یک کتاب اینجور منو درگیر خودش کرده بود کی بود. بخصوص این چند سال اخیر که پایان کتاب ها رو از همون مقدمه کتاب میدونستم و صرفا جهت تفنن میخوندمشون. ولی این کتاب اون چرخه پایان داد. پایانی که تا ص۳۰۰ کتاب(۲۸ ص آخر کتاب) به ذهنم خطور نمیکرد، بطوری که از هیجان جیغ زدم(واقعا زدم)چند لحظه به در و دیوار زل زدم که"حتما شوخیت گرفته...نه...امکان نداره!"
و خب احتمالا قراره برای مدت طولانی ای توی لیست پیشنهادی هام باقی بمونه... و همیشه مدیون اون دوست میمونم که کتابشو بهم داد و گذاشت همچین تجربه ی فوقالعاده ای رو از سر بگذرونم.
در آخر،
*این حرفم اسپویل داره*
ولی بنظرم اد باید توی تصمیمش تجدید نظر کنه...(｡•̀ᴗ-)✧ (البته مطمئنم بعدا خودش پشیمون میشه برمیگرده)
February 4, 2024
نمیتونید حدس بزنید ۳۰ صفحه آینده قراره چه چیزی شکتون کنه!
.
و بازم دارن شان. بعد از چندین سال دوباره کتابی ازش خوندم و دوباره فهمیدم که چقدر این قلم و فکر پخته و زیباست.
روندی روان و هیجان انگیز که از کنجکاوی اتفاقات پیش رو نمیتونید جلوی خودتونو بگیرید.اتفاقات بسیار غیر منتظره که در عین عجیب بودن بسیار قابل پذیرشن.(البته که تخیلی هم هست)
تو این داستان تا لحظات آخر ریتم داستان حفظ میشه و نمیزاره کتابو زمین بزارید.بنظر من یکی از امضاهای دارِن آوردن قسمتی از خودش تو کرکتراشه که اینسری نویسندگی خودش رو وارد نقش اصلی کرد.شخصیت پردازی خوبی داشت و با اینکه عاشقانه نویس نیست صحنه های رمانتيک رو خوب دراورد.
اِد تا یک جاهایی با خودش شمارو میکشونه تو قعر همه چیز که مرزهارو از دست میدید. مرز بین واقعیت و خیال و مرز بین انسان ها.
مترجم امین بهرهمند بسیار به متن اصلی کتاب وفادار بود به طوری که باعث تعجب میشد چطوری امکان داره؟
نویسنده یه وجه متفاوتی از خودش رو نشون داده و بعد از ده سال هنوز مورد علاقمه و ناامیدم نمیکنه.
اگر طرفدار این ژانر هستید حتما بخونیدش.
.
و بازم دارن شان. بعد از چندین سال دوباره کتابی ازش خوندم و دوباره فهمیدم که چقدر این قلم و فکر پخته و زیباست.
روندی روان و هیجان انگیز که از کنجکاوی اتفاقات پیش رو نمیتونید جلوی خودتونو بگیرید.اتفاقات بسیار غیر منتظره که در عین عجیب بودن بسیار قابل پذیرشن.(البته که تخیلی هم هست)
تو این داستان تا لحظات آخر ریتم داستان حفظ میشه و نمیزاره کتابو زمین بزارید.بنظر من یکی از امضاهای دارِن آوردن قسمتی از خودش تو کرکتراشه که اینسری نویسندگی خودش رو وارد نقش اصلی کرد.شخصیت پردازی خوبی داشت و با اینکه عاشقانه نویس نیست صحنه های رمانتيک رو خوب دراورد.
اِد تا یک جاهایی با خودش شمارو میکشونه تو قعر همه چیز که مرزهارو از دست میدید. مرز بین واقعیت و خیال و مرز بین انسان ها.
مترجم امین بهرهمند بسیار به متن اصلی کتاب وفادار بود به طوری که باعث تعجب میشد چطوری امکان داره؟
نویسنده یه وجه متفاوتی از خودش رو نشون داده و بعد از ده سال هنوز مورد علاقمه و ناامیدم نمیکنه.
اگر طرفدار این ژانر هستید حتما بخونیدش.
December 13, 2017
I hadn't read any Darren Shan since his Cirque du Freak days, so I was excited to be revisiting one of my favourite childhood authors.
It reminded me a lot of 'The Woman in the Fifth' (Douglas Kennedy) at times, and overall it was a decent read. It pretty much only slipped from being 4 stars for me, as the constant twists and turns got a little exhausting after a while.
That said... I really, really, wanted to find out the conclusion of it all... And damn, it's a good one.
It reminded me a lot of 'The Woman in the Fifth' (Douglas Kennedy) at times, and overall it was a decent read. It pretty much only slipped from being 4 stars for me, as the constant twists and turns got a little exhausting after a while.
That said... I really, really, wanted to find out the conclusion of it all... And damn, it's a good one.
August 7, 2021
کتاب مثل بقیه کارهای دارن شان نبود که البته به خودی خود چیز بدی نیست ولی خب انقدر که باید شاید شخصیت ها گیرا نبودن البته پایان داستان باعث میشه همه اینا منطقی باشه و این موضوع احتمالا عمدی هم بوده اما خب لذت خوندن کتاب رو کم میکنه. اما در کل از کتاب راضی بودم و هرچی بیشتر پیش میرفت هیجان بیشتری هم داشت. من نسخه صوتی رو گوش دادم که خیلی هم خوب بود.. برای شروع دارن شان خوندن کتاب خوبی نیست اما اگه بقیه کارها رو دوست داشتید این هم کتاب خوبیه
April 17, 2017
FIVE STARS THRILLER.
I found the book with £1 in a bookshop and I liked the cover, but didn't expect to be that good.
Great action with a lot of humps and bumps. I love it.
I found the book with £1 in a bookshop and I liked the cover, but didn't expect to be that good.
Great action with a lot of humps and bumps. I love it.
December 30, 2017
پیشرفت بسیار کند
متن تا ۷۰ درصد ابتدایی بسیار لوس و خشک
۳۰ درصد پایانی بسیار تلاش شد پیچیدگیهای دارن شانی داشته باشه که خیلی افتضاح ناکام موند
یک لکه ضعف درست حسابی تو کارتامه دارن شان به نظرم
متن تا ۷۰ درصد ابتدایی بسیار لوس و خشک
۳۰ درصد پایانی بسیار تلاش شد پیچیدگیهای دارن شانی داشته باشه که خیلی افتضاح ناکام موند
یک لکه ضعف درست حسابی تو کارتامه دارن شان به نظرم
May 3, 2018
I loved it! Crime usually isn't my thing but it was just so twisty and so well written. (Seriously it's so twisty!)
August 19, 2021
Holy sh**. What a phenomenal book! Oh boy... Wow...
Read
July 22, 2018DNF at about 30%.
I just don't really like books like this. It's kind of meh, I feel it's predictable and just not very exciting.
I just don't really like books like this. It's kind of meh, I feel it's predictable and just not very exciting.
December 31, 2023
نظر من:اولین نقطه قوت این کتاب کتاب شخصیت پردازی بسیار خوبش هست
شخصیت ها خیلی با دقت نوشته شده بودن و کاملا حس آدم های واقعی رو به من میدادن💫
بخوام درباره ی روند داستان بگم خب روند داستانی نسبتا متوسطی داره یه جاهایی اتفاقات پشت سر هم و بدون فاصله اتفاق میوفتن و یه بخشی از کتاب هم روند کند داره که نیاز به صبر هست ✒️
قسمت های عاشقانه ی داستان کم کم جون میگیره و بنظرم اصلا از اون عشق های لوس طور و یه دفعه ای نبود و واقعا رمنس داستان به دلم نشست 🫶
درباره ی قسمت معمایی کتاب باید بگم
شما هر صفحه ای میخونید یه سری چیز جدید کشف میکنید و هیچی تکراری نیست همه ی قطعات پازل در طول خوندن این کتاب جلوی شما قرار داره و فقط نیاز به چینش درست داره
در واقع از این کتاب هایی نیست که اخرش یه چیز غیر منطقی کشف کنید
وقتی به داستان نگاه کلی میکنید میبینید همه ی اینها تمام این مدت بین کلمات کتاب مدفون بودن✨
پایان کتاب پایانی بود که واقعا سوپرایز کننده بود و واقعا خواننده رو چند لحظه در شوک نگه میداشت
من از نشر ویدا این کتاب رو خوندم و با ترجمه آقای بهره مند
ترجمه ی کتاب بسیار خوب بود و ممنون ازمترجم خوب این کتاب📚
در کل این کتاب رو پیشنهاد میکنم و بنظرم کاملا ارزش خوندن داره📚
شخصیت ها خیلی با دقت نوشته شده بودن و کاملا حس آدم های واقعی رو به من میدادن💫
بخوام درباره ی روند داستان بگم خب روند داستانی نسبتا متوسطی داره یه جاهایی اتفاقات پشت سر هم و بدون فاصله اتفاق میوفتن و یه بخشی از کتاب هم روند کند داره که نیاز به صبر هست ✒️
قسمت های عاشقانه ی داستان کم کم جون میگیره و بنظرم اصلا از اون عشق های لوس طور و یه دفعه ای نبود و واقعا رمنس داستان به دلم نشست 🫶
درباره ی قسمت معمایی کتاب باید بگم
شما هر صفحه ای میخونید یه سری چیز جدید کشف میکنید و هیچی تکراری نیست همه ی قطعات پازل در طول خوندن این کتاب جلوی شما قرار داره و فقط نیاز به چینش درست داره
در واقع از این کتاب هایی نیست که اخرش یه چیز غیر منطقی کشف کنید
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پایان کتاب پایانی بود که واقعا سوپرایز کننده بود و واقعا خواننده رو چند لحظه در شوک نگه میداشت
من از نشر ویدا این کتاب رو خوندم و با ترجمه آقای بهره مند
ترجمه ی کتاب بسیار خوب بود و ممنون ازمترجم خوب این کتاب📚
در کل این کتاب رو پیشنهاد میکنم و بنظرم کاملا ارزش خوندن داره📚
September 24, 2012
Lady of the Shades is Darren Shan’s return to writing for adults. Shan is more well known for his children's series Cirque Du Freak and Demonata, but has previously written The City trilogy for adults and mature teens.
Lady of the Shades is a standalone title and skirts the edges of a number of genres, making it an interesting and enjoyable piece with wide appeal.
The Times lauded it as “Utterly unputdownble”, an appellation or sentiment much overused in the marketing of books. It was, however, a very quick and enjoyable read for me.
Apart from the prologue, the novel is delivered in the first person. It’s a choice that I think works well if the author is trying to play on the possibility that the ghosts are just a figment of the protagonist’s imagination or an indicator of their state of mind.
I like stories that leave the reader unsure of the reality of ghosts and Shan performs a great balancing act with between the mundane and paranormal elements, to keep the reader on edge and guessing right until the last chapter.
I thought I had the mystery figured out about three quarters of the way through the novel but Shan was practised enough to make me doubt myself and keep reading with a keen desire to know the ending.
The action is fast paced and brutal the mystery elements well constructed. Whether you are a fan of crime, mystery or ghost stories it will be a compelling read. On the strength of this work I am inclined to check out Darren’s other novels.
This book was provided by the publisher at no cost to myself.
Lady of the Shades is a standalone title and skirts the edges of a number of genres, making it an interesting and enjoyable piece with wide appeal.
The Times lauded it as “Utterly unputdownble”, an appellation or sentiment much overused in the marketing of books. It was, however, a very quick and enjoyable read for me.
Apart from the prologue, the novel is delivered in the first person. It’s a choice that I think works well if the author is trying to play on the possibility that the ghosts are just a figment of the protagonist’s imagination or an indicator of their state of mind.
I like stories that leave the reader unsure of the reality of ghosts and Shan performs a great balancing act with between the mundane and paranormal elements, to keep the reader on edge and guessing right until the last chapter.
I thought I had the mystery figured out about three quarters of the way through the novel but Shan was practised enough to make me doubt myself and keep reading with a keen desire to know the ending.
The action is fast paced and brutal the mystery elements well constructed. Whether you are a fan of crime, mystery or ghost stories it will be a compelling read. On the strength of this work I am inclined to check out Darren’s other novels.
This book was provided by the publisher at no cost to myself.
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