krispijn's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
matssee's review against another edition
I could not stand the gruesomeness of chopped limbs and disabled people used for sex.
Otherwise, it was well written, and it was fascinating reading about Stockholm several hundred years ago.
Otherwise, it was well written, and it was fascinating reading about Stockholm several hundred years ago.
gabbiec's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
gyttja's review against another edition
5.0
Det här kan vara den äckligaste bok jag läst, men också en av de bästa. Den grep tag i mig från första stund och släppte inte. Gillar man svensk historia och deckare kan jag inte rekommendera den nog.
luciabooksnstuff's review against another edition
2.0
Estive praticamente um mês a ler este livro. Não foi mesmo tarefa fácil.
Para começar temos o tamanho de letra, minúsculo. Não estou habituada a ler com uma fonte tão pequena e não é que veja mal, mas incomoda. A juntar a isso temos a histórica que me pareceu pouco apelativa e até incongruente.
Como o próprio título do livro indica, a história é passada no final do século XVIII e tem como protagonistas dois polícias. A ação decorre em Estocolmo, mas nem mesmo por ser a cidade que é me pareceu que por aquela altura já se investigavam crimes daquela forma.
Teve partes que achei confusas e com pouco interesse para a história.
Aproveita-se a escrita que vai cativando ao longo do livro e não me fez desistir.
Para começar temos o tamanho de letra, minúsculo. Não estou habituada a ler com uma fonte tão pequena e não é que veja mal, mas incomoda. A juntar a isso temos a histórica que me pareceu pouco apelativa e até incongruente.
Como o próprio título do livro indica, a história é passada no final do século XVIII e tem como protagonistas dois polícias. A ação decorre em Estocolmo, mas nem mesmo por ser a cidade que é me pareceu que por aquela altura já se investigavam crimes daquela forma.
Teve partes que achei confusas e com pouco interesse para a história.
Aproveita-se a escrita que vai cativando ao longo do livro e não me fez desistir.
oliviah22's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
jmatkinson1's review
5.0
When a body is found in the lake on the outskirts of Stockholm, watchman Cardell must bring it to shore. However the body is barely that, missing limbs, eyes and tongue it is the remains of a young blond man. Stockholm at the end of the 18th Century is fearful, the aftermaths of the great fire that razed the city to the ground are evident, veterans of the naval war against Russia throng the streets and all are watching the revolutionary events in Paris with fear and trepidation. Behind all this the rich live their lives of indulgence and, in the case of the Eumenides, debauchery and evil while the poor fight poverty and accusations. Teaming up with dying lawyer Winge, Cardell vows to solve the mystery of the torso and so he is drawn into the rancid underbelly of Swedish society.
At firs this seems a relatively straightforward piece of historical fiction but it takes ever increasingly dark turns. The characters are all flawed and shaped by their lives - Cardell in the war, Winge by his illness, Anna by illegitimacy and betrayal, Blix by poverty - and all link together in this sordid tale. The translation is clear and simple, the writing shines and the sense of time and place are outstanding.
At firs this seems a relatively straightforward piece of historical fiction but it takes ever increasingly dark turns. The characters are all flawed and shaped by their lives - Cardell in the war, Winge by his illness, Anna by illegitimacy and betrayal, Blix by poverty - and all link together in this sordid tale. The translation is clear and simple, the writing shines and the sense of time and place are outstanding.
challe232's review
4.0
The Wolf and the Watchman is a great historical thriller. It is 1793 in Stockholm, Sweden. Cecil Winge and Mickel Cardel try to solve a murder when a mutilated body is found in the lake. Cecil works for the police, but is limited by consumption and is quite physically weak. Cardel is a war veteran and ex-watchman, who likes to drink hard and often.
This novel is vividly written and quite gruesome – but great. It is so well written that it is your imagination that makes it so difficult at times. There are other notable characters as well that completely absorb you into their lives. I am unwilling to spoil the story so I am keeping this review quite short.
It was a little difficult to follow the political aspects, but that is not the fault of the novel. Prior to this novel, I knew very little of Sweden and the time period. Anyone who loves historical fiction and mystery/thriller will like this novel.
Throughout the book I kept thinking, ‘Who is the wolf?’ It was made brilliantly clear by the end.
4 out of 5 stars. Thank you so much Atria Books and Netgalley for an advanced copy.
This novel is vividly written and quite gruesome – but great. It is so well written that it is your imagination that makes it so difficult at times. There are other notable characters as well that completely absorb you into their lives. I am unwilling to spoil the story so I am keeping this review quite short.
It was a little difficult to follow the political aspects, but that is not the fault of the novel. Prior to this novel, I knew very little of Sweden and the time period. Anyone who loves historical fiction and mystery/thriller will like this novel.
Throughout the book I kept thinking, ‘Who is the wolf?’ It was made brilliantly clear by the end.
4 out of 5 stars. Thank you so much Atria Books and Netgalley for an advanced copy.
thisotherbookaccount's review
1.0
Note to self: next time, read the labels.
With The Wolf and the Watchman by Niklas Natt Och Dag, I thought I was getting into a historical crime fiction about a grisly murder in 18th century Sweden. What it is instead is a gratuitous showcase of blood and gore, with not much else beneath the surface. I should have known, if I had read the label of this book, because it's been compared 'favourably' to one of my most detested book from last year, Perfume, a book that's similarly depraved and almost gleeful about the sex and violence it depicts. The descriptions feel juvenile almost, like a high schooler trying to come up with the most offensive or repulsing thing on paper. Like, it wasn't enough that the body that our protagonists find at the beginning of the book was dismembered. Niklas, the author, had to also include the fact that the body was without eyes and tongue, and that, in a different section of the book, the victim ate its own shit to stay alive — you get the point.
The book is also poorly sectioned and paced. The entire book is basically split into four sections.
Parts 1 and 4 form the same narrative and involve the same characters. In these parts, our protagonists find the body and thus have to investigate the identity of the victim and those responsible for his death. It operates like a conventional crime novel, essentially.
The problem with this arrangement is that none of the sections are particularly book. Although parts 1 and 4 are supposed to be about how our protagonist find clues to solve crimes, this is 18th century Sweden we are talking about here. Forensic science hadn't yet been invented yet, so a lot of revelations in this book were either based on coincidences or conveniences. None of the detective work feel particularly smart or earned. These flat, non characters spot clues to the victims and the perpetrators because they mostly just happen to be in the right place at the right time. As a crime novel, parts 1 and 4 already fail miserably.
Part 2 is just pure torture porn. The story is told from the perspective of the person forced to dismember this poor bastard over the course of days, and you basically get a beat by beat narration of his 'process'. Again, it's just misery porn cranked up to its limits. There is nothing redeemable about this section whatsoever. It feels like it was written by a teenager trying to twirl his nonexistent moustache at the back of a classroom. "Hee hee! I wonder what perverse shit I can come up with," he seems to be saying.
Part 3 is actually the most interesting, in a way. The story is about a woman who's been wrongfully accused of being a prostitute, and has to serve out her time in a mill. She then has to plot a way to escape the mill, thus making this a bit like a prison break story. The problem with this section is two-folds. One, it is irrelevant to the larger story by the time you reach the end. You can literally skip this section and still understand what the hell is going on; two, the violence against women is on full display here and, again, for no reason other than to make characters suffer. It's gratuitous, egregious and just downright offensive.
Again, I should have known, going into this book. If your book is mentioned along the same lines as Perfume, then I really shouldn't be surprised that it turned out just as hollow and meaningless at the end of it all. And if this — THIS — is the crown jewel of so-called Swedish crime fiction, it's almost become a parody of itself.
With The Wolf and the Watchman by Niklas Natt Och Dag, I thought I was getting into a historical crime fiction about a grisly murder in 18th century Sweden. What it is instead is a gratuitous showcase of blood and gore, with not much else beneath the surface. I should have known, if I had read the label of this book, because it's been compared 'favourably' to one of my most detested book from last year, Perfume, a book that's similarly depraved and almost gleeful about the sex and violence it depicts. The descriptions feel juvenile almost, like a high schooler trying to come up with the most offensive or repulsing thing on paper. Like, it wasn't enough that the body that our protagonists find at the beginning of the book was dismembered. Niklas, the author, had to also include the fact that the body was without eyes and tongue, and that, in a different section of the book, the victim ate its own shit to stay alive — you get the point.
The book is also poorly sectioned and paced. The entire book is basically split into four sections.
Parts 1 and 4 form the same narrative and involve the same characters. In these parts, our protagonists find the body and thus have to investigate the identity of the victim and those responsible for his death. It operates like a conventional crime novel, essentially.
The problem with this arrangement is that none of the sections are particularly book. Although parts 1 and 4 are supposed to be about how our protagonist find clues to solve crimes, this is 18th century Sweden we are talking about here. Forensic science hadn't yet been invented yet, so a lot of revelations in this book were either based on coincidences or conveniences. None of the detective work feel particularly smart or earned. These flat, non characters spot clues to the victims and the perpetrators because they mostly just happen to be in the right place at the right time. As a crime novel, parts 1 and 4 already fail miserably.
Part 2 is just pure torture porn. The story is told from the perspective of the person forced to dismember this poor bastard over the course of days, and you basically get a beat by beat narration of his 'process'. Again, it's just misery porn cranked up to its limits. There is nothing redeemable about this section whatsoever. It feels like it was written by a teenager trying to twirl his nonexistent moustache at the back of a classroom. "Hee hee! I wonder what perverse shit I can come up with," he seems to be saying.
Part 3 is actually the most interesting, in a way. The story is about a woman who's been wrongfully accused of being a prostitute, and has to serve out her time in a mill. She then has to plot a way to escape the mill, thus making this a bit like a prison break story. The problem with this section is two-folds. One, it is irrelevant to the larger story by the time you reach the end. You can literally skip this section and still understand what the hell is going on; two, the violence against women is on full display here and, again, for no reason other than to make characters suffer. It's gratuitous, egregious and just downright offensive.
Again, I should have known, going into this book. If your book is mentioned along the same lines as Perfume, then I really shouldn't be surprised that it turned out just as hollow and meaningless at the end of it all. And if this — THIS — is the crown jewel of so-called Swedish crime fiction, it's almost become a parody of itself.
itsallgood711's review against another edition
2.0
#historicalmystery
#disgustingdetails
#NOTforthefaintofheart
#notforme
#disgustingdetails
#NOTforthefaintofheart
#notforme