A review by johnwillson
Wylding Hall by Elizabeth Hand
4.0
Wonderfully creepy... in parts, but the book makes you wait for it. Documentary-style novel about an English psychedelic folk band that holes up in a sprawling ancient cottage to write their next album. They find inspiration, and something finds them.
The portrayal of the early-70s counterculture and music scene is so spot-on, it feels like real history. Clearly, Jimmy Page was a touchstone for this tale.
There are six or eight narrator characters, and the viewpoint switches often. The voices aren't distinct enough that we needed so many, and sometimes it gets frustrating, hearing about the same events over and over from different people.
Not a perfect book, but a great read if you like some rock history with your ghost story.
The portrayal of the early-70s counterculture and music scene is so spot-on, it feels like real history. Clearly, Jimmy Page was a touchstone for this tale.
There are six or eight narrator characters, and the viewpoint switches often. The voices aren't distinct enough that we needed so many, and sometimes it gets frustrating, hearing about the same events over and over from different people.
Not a perfect book, but a great read if you like some rock history with your ghost story.