'Much has been said of the strumpets of yore
Of wenches and bawdy house queens by the score
But I sing of a baggage that we all adore,
The Landlord's Daughter . . . '

'. . . Her ale it is lively and strong to the taste
It is brewed with discretion and never with haste
You can have all you like
If you swear not to waste
The Landlord's Daughter . . .'

 

So this book, I remember watching brief clips of the film on channel 4 years ago, but never quite got round to getting the book, although The wicker man is a book I've wanted to get for my Book collection for ages I finally got it.

Took me really less than two days to read this it's a strange tale set in the isles of Scotland,

 

Neil Howie, a Scots police Sergeant and fine upstanding Christian fellow, receives an anonymous letter saying that a girl has gone missing on Summerisle, a small island only barely under Scot protection, thirty-eight miles west of the last of the Outer Hebrides. Howie goes out to investigate, and finds that, while all the inhabitants of the island are seemingly quite forthcoming with what they know (save the none of them acknowledge the missing girl so much as exists), Howie is torn between his desire to see the case through and his offence at the various heathen goings-on on the decidedly non-Christian island.

 

This book blew my mind quite frankly, and after watching the film again. I was highly impressed. It flows though a strange, surreal sort of way. And I'm not going to lie, I didn't like the main protagonist Neil Howie, I think the that the author just made him very dislikeable and prune like.

 

 

Give this a read some time it's one of those horror classics that Makes you think the end will stay with you for a long time.

 

     

From Scottish island Summerisle an anonymous note alerts the mainland police to the disappearance of young girl Rowan Morrison. The deeply religious Sergeant Neil Howie takes on the case, travelling by seaplane and then rowboat to the privately-owned island. Lord Summerisle is the Justice of the Peace, and Howie needs his permission when it comes to conducting legal matters, and the sergeant's dead certain that numerous illegalities are rife on Summerisle.Based on the British 1973 film written by Anthony Shaffer and directed by Robin Hardy, the director himself penned this novel, published in 1978. To sum up the theme in one word: rooting, a term with many meanings. The townsfolk practise a form of paganism, with deep worship for nature and fertility. Disturbingly deep, it seems to Howie. All signs point to an upcoming human sacrifice and it's a race against time to find Rowan and protect her from the people.Okay, so the characters are unlikable, but the plot is fascinating, and even fun. The weird shiz factor (and my word, there's a lot of it) is undeniable and clearly its drawcard, making for a suspenseful, kooky read. It's simply bloody entertaining.

Heh... was okay. I've read worse books so I cant give one star. I'd rather give 1,5 stars but... oh, well...

The Wicker Man: A Novel by Robin Hardy, Anthony Shaffer