Aus Zeitgründen spare ich mir mal eine eigene Rezi und setze diese ein, da sie es genau trifft.
Der vierte Corbett Roman ist mit 400 Seiten der bis jetzt dünnste aber er donnert von der ersten Seite los wie ein Serial und Cliffhanger gibts ohne Ende.
Man hat bei diesen Büchern ein Gefühl als wäre man wieder ein Kind, so viel Action, Spass und Spannung gibts nur noch selten. Und was sich McCammon an Figuren ausdenkt geht auf keine Kuhhaut mehr.
Wer diese Bücher einmal kongenial verfilmen würde könnte Kohle ohne Ende Scheffeln.
McCammon schreibt einfach wie kein Zweiter.
The Providence Rider by Robert McCammon; Subterranean Press; 2012; 416 pgs; $26.95 US
Robert McCammon reinvented himself ten years ago, lifting himself from the ashes of the 80′s horror boom and even though he always set himself apart from the crowd with distinctive writing, stories of non-horror (Boy’s Life & Gone South), he decided to delve into a frightening new realm. Speaks The Nightbird, a monstrous tome in size alone, revitalized his career and bought him a new legion of fans. Set in the dawn of the eighteenth century, the tale introduced readers to Matthew Corbett, a young clerk who fancied himself a “problem solver” in the witch trials of Salem.
The Queen of Bedlam and Mister Slaughter followed, each standing on their own with aplomb and stylistic treasures found in too few thrillers these days, and furthered the developed McCammon’s imagining of the world over three hundred years ago.
This time around, Matthew Corbett finds himself recuperating from the near fatal encounter with the titular serial killer in Manhattan.
He relaxes in the local tavern with partner Hudson Greathouse and would be redheaded lover Berry when a bomb goes off and suddenly finds himself mired in the midst of a mystery. His name is scrawled at the scene, making him the prime suspect. He has been called by Professor Fell for a meeting far away on Pendulum Island. Fell had previously marked him for death so why would he be attempting to enlist Corbett’s help?
Through an ingenious and truly thrilling turn of events, Corbett finds himself on the boat headed south. On the boat exist a strange group of enemies. Sirki, an East Indian assassin and Fell’s main man, Aria, the beautiful companion of Dr. Gentry, a master of poisons, and Minx Cutter, who, well, read the book for this smoking deadly woman. He is told he must take on the identity of another, a fellow criminal, and master the undertaking if he is to survive the job.
Upon the island, a sheer fortress built for Professor Fell himself, Corbett battles for his life and others with a cast of nearly all adversaries. This alone lifts the novel above the others in the series as it compels the lead character to grow well beyond his years and draws substance from him not found in many stories anymore.
For those already fans of the series, Fell’s identity is finally revealed and it is worth waiting for. For those new readers, I dare you to not become a fan. Historical fiction is rarely better, by anyone, but in the hands of a legend in the horror world, one knows he or she will be taken willingly into a dark world that will fully immerse said reader into an environment tough to shake from memory.
One hopes that Matthew Corbett lives to enjoy many more adventures. One of the best books of the year – of any genre – and hopefully, Providence Rider will be embraced by the masses for the masterpiece thriller it truly is.