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Review #15404 - Dated: 29th of December, 2015 Author: savta |
I was aware before I started reading "Thirteen Chairs" that the book would consist of a series of short tales linked together in some way by a back story told by a narrator - this is a well-established technique which has been around for centuries. "One Thousand And One Nights", which could date back as far as the ninth century, used this style; so did Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales" which was written in the fourteenth century! And there have been many since - and, in nearly all cases, the Frame Story rewards the narrator with a special prize. In "One Thousand and One Nights" the prize was the girl's life; in "The Canterbury Tales", the prize was a slap-up meal. In "Thirteen Chairs" the "prize" is not revealed till the end of the book although there are numerous clues along the way.
There are 13 tales within the frame of the story. The pale man (identified as Mr Osterley only at the conclusion of the first tale) is the organiser of the group, and Jack is a boy who is curious to find out what is going on at the meeting and is also the narrator. It is clear that the other 12 have been expecting him, and they welcome him to their gathering. Initially he does not know the purpose of the meeting, but he quickly realises that everyone is expected to tell a tale in his or her turn, and that he too will need to contribute one when the time comes.
As the story progresses, each of the guests tells his or her tale. A clue is added at the end of each tale until the finale is reached. The reaction among the storytellers is starting to heighten and become sinister by the time the seventh tale has been told. I did like the way that the scary factor built up so that in the end I was hoping I had correctly guessed the ending. (I had!) The first clue, of course, is in the book title itself because the number 13 is said to be unlucky.
I found the individual tales intriguing although they varied in quality. In some the conclusion was obscure, leaving me to wonder what exactly happened. In others, there was a definite ending. There was a common theme of revenge in several of them, while others relied on shock value to cause a little tingle down the spine of the reader.
I think the two I enjoyed least were "Tick, Tick, Tick" and "Snowstorms" because for me they did not maintain the momentum which is the hallmark of a good horror story. Having said that, I am aware that the author deliberately wrote each tale in a style that suited that character's personality. My favourites, on the other hand, were "The Girl in the Red Coat" and "Unputdownable" because they were complete in themselves and had a good solid, if predictable, ending.
If you want a horror story that is not TOO scary and think you are a good detective so you can pick up the clues along the way, then this is a book for you. I liked the idea of a challenge to the reader to figure out exactly what was going on, and because the book is divided into sections, you do not have to read it all in one go. Unless, like me, you want to find out what finally happened!
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