Sunday, January 27, 2008

No. 4 - Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

edited by Robert L. Mack

Started: January 27
Finished: February 14

Notes: I expected this to be a modern novelization of the Johnny Depp movie, but was pleasantly surprised to find out this is actually a reprinting of the original "penny dreadful" tales from a British magazine in the mid-19th century. The same original publisher was also known for printing the "Varney the Vampire" story (a pre-cursor to Dracula by 50 years), so I'm expecting some good, bloody reading from this one.

Mini review: A pretty fun read, especially if you like 19th-century versions of horror. This one isn't really gothic, but more "penny dreadful," a bit more outrageous. The only problem was this one meandered around a bit in the middle, going off on tangents with side characters and the like. But it starts well and ends with a fine shock.

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