The Cormorant
'[An] artful first novel, reminiscent of the tales of Poe . . . Gregory uses a low-key style and subtle lyricism to build an atmosphere of nightmarish horror in a tale that could become a classic.' - Publishers Weekly '[A] first-class terror story with a relentless focus that would have made...
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'[An] artful first novel, reminiscent of the tales of Poe . . . Gregory uses a low-key style and subtle lyricism to build an atmosphere of nightmarish horror in a tale that could become a classic.' - Publishers Weekly '[A] first-class terror story with a relentless focus that would have made Edgar Allan Poe proud.' - New York Times '[N]o summary can do justice to the subtlety of Gregory's first novel, with its fresh, vivid, sensual prose and its superb descriptive and evocative power. An extraordinary novel - original, compelling, brilliant.' - Library Journal 'A work of tremendous self-assurance that leaves the reader with a lingering sense of unease and announces the arrival of a considerable new talent.' - British Book News A young family receives a welcome surprise when old Uncle Ian dies and leaves them a cottage in north Wales. For Ian's nephew and his wife Ann, it seems a stroke of incredible good fortune, enabling them to leave their unfulfilling lives in the city for a newfound freedom in the remote seaside cottage. There's just one catch. Uncle Ian's will has a strange condition: the couple must care for his pet cormorant or forfeit the bequest. They think nothing of it at first: Uncle Ian was eccentric, and the bird is amusing in a way. But when the cormorant begins to show a violent and malevolent side, they soon find that Uncle Ian's gift may not be a blessing, but a curse. Stephen Gregory's first novel, The Cormorant (1986), received widespread critical acclaim, winning the prestigious Somerset Maugham Award and earning comparisons to the works of Poe. This edition includes a new introduction by the author, in which he reveals how this enduring and haunting tale had its origins in his own experiences during a bleak Welsh winter.
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Format: paperback
ISBN:
9781939140371 (1939140374)
ASIN: 1939140374
Publish date: June 18th 2013
Publisher: Valancourt Books
Pages no: 132
Edition language: English
Whew, what a ride! A young couple inherits a house from a recently deceased uncle with one twist: they must also take the man's pet Great Cormorant that he rescued and keep it alive and healthy. They readily accepted without thinking that the bird will be much of a burden and were they in for a sur...
It is a rare event when a book not only stuns me speechless, it refuses to loosen it's grip upon my subconscious, coloring my nightmares and haunting my waking moments.This is a work that must be read to bear witness to it's power, there are no words that can adequately describe the creeping sense o...