Matters of Mortology has 33 ratings and 14 reviews. Katy said: Book Info: Genre: Horror Reading Level: AdultMy Thoughts: First of all, thanks to Coral.
Table of contents
Hellboy In Hell Mike Mignola. The Silent Companions Laura Purcell. The Walking Dead Volume New World Order Robert Kirkman. The Chalk Man C. The Horror in the Museum H. Gwendy's Button Box Richard Chizmar. The Outsider Stephen King. Berserk Volume 39 Kentaro Miura. The Gunslinger Stephen King.
Boy In Darkness Mervyn Peake. Double Cross Carolyn Crane. The Waste Lands Stephen King.
Matters of Mortology : T M Camp :
Head Rush Carolyn Crane. Guilty Pleasures Laurell K. The Laughing Corpse Laurell K. Storm Front Jim Butcher. Rose Madder Stephen King. Dolores Claiborne Stephen King. The Dark Tower II: Fool Moon Jim Butcher. The Shining Stephen King. I wasn't sure quite what to expect.
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- Bestselling Series.
That's always the case with a new author. Camp's work has come highly recommended to me by some friends, so I was pretty certain I'd enjoy it. I'm pleased to say that I was right and my friends have come through yet again. The first thing that struck me about this book was that I felt like I was reading something akin to Edgar Alan Poe's work. This is written in first person and the melancholy narrator would fit well in Poe's oeuvre. The further I got into it the more I saw how true this was and yet how much it was its own work.
This takes place in a world that's much like our own and yet, like something from The Twilight Zone, has its own history, gods, and sources of conflict. I wouldn't call this a work of fantasy or science fiction per se, but it's a world all its own. I think that will be helpful for you going in, since for me at least it lead to a few moments of confusion.
Like Poe's works, the building sense of dread as the monster in the above description begins its unholy work, and the atmosphere that Mr. Camp builds all happen at a slow pace. I like that quite a bit.
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- Professionalitätsentwicklung in der Weiterbildung (Theorie und Empirie Lebenslangen Lernens) (German.
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I'm a fan of the slow burn, so long as the candle doesn't flicker out. There's no danger of that here.
The book is short and the pace almost languid, but Mr. Camp uses that space to good effect. It's a much richer work than stories twice its length. That also makes the few scenes of violence that much more intense. I won't tell you what's tearing this world apart, or why, but the reveal is more than satisfactory and he gives the tropes in play a freshness that I appreciate. I give this book five headstones and I highly recommend that you check it out.
I received a signed paperback copy in a giveaway from the Alchemy of Scrawl blog; although there was no expectation, I think it is only fair to provide an honest review. Alone in a crumbling manor, an aging undertaker recounts a horrifying episode from the early days of his career.
First of all, thanks to Coral Russell, who runs the blog Alchemy of Scrawl, for the giveaway in which I won this fascinating book; and thanks to the author for providing a signed copy of his book for this giveaway. If there is one thing I love to collect, it is signed copies of books! This book is very strange.
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As I read the book, I wondered where it was supposed to be set - my final thought on that matter is that while the world is very similar to our own, it is not, in fact, the world in which we live. Another thing that confuses me is how, if morticians are not supposed to have contact with women who are of child-bearing years, did the narrator's father end up with two children? Because it is specifically mentioned that his children were born after he became a mortician I suppose there must be some sort of rituals involved, as the narrator later discusses some of the reasons he chooses to remain alone rather than find a wife.
What I can say is that while the book is strange, it is also strangely beautiful, the language often very much like poetry, and with a building sense of dread. The small village setting very realistically creates the feeling of a small-town environment - something with which I am very much familiar, having grown up in such a place. I loved the book; if I hadn't been busy editing for most of the week, I probably would have devoured it in just a few hours - you were right, Coral!
"Matters of Mortology"
Horror aficionados will love this; those who enjoy a beautifully written book will likewise. Three stars from me means that I found the book very readable and am glad I have read it, but probably won't read it again. This is the record of a mortician's memory. A very specific and horrible event during his career. Told in the first person, it hints and suggests the evil to come, letting you gather the evidence for the ending of the tale.
I thought this well written. Camp is able to evoke good pictures in your mind with his words. The story and the characters were intriguing. Not being a big fan of first person stories, I did struggle at the beginning with the many hints and allusions and never enough facts to get a firm grip on.
Matters of Mortology
In fact, that is the only thing which left me dissatisfied with this story; I never knew, even at the end, just where I was. It was not clear whether it was on this earth or another world or perhaps another time or culture.
There were also some vague bits about the lives and living arrangements of morticians which I couldn't understand. I would have liked a bit more clarity on just how they were able to have families given the description of their lot in life. I suspect the author intended this, but for me, it was frustrating.
Camp has obviously read Dracula, and Frankenstein.