The Necromancer (Cosimo Classics)

This part of the review is for the Cosimo Classics paperback edition: The story may be great, the first page or two seemed interesting. The trouble, for me, is the tiny, unreadable, microscopic print. I challenge anyone, with vision no matter how sharp, or top of the line reading glasses, to be able to read and enjoy this book. The pages appear to be photocopied from some larger source, then shrunk down to book size. New review: Very happy with the Valancourt edition! Wonderful story, I cannot put It down. This can easily be in my top 10 favorite books of all time. Rich, complex, interwoven narratives where the many characters come alive through dialogue and masterful use of the English language. With atmosphere, dread, supernatural powers, hero and heroine, Reynolds takes Gothic Romance to a whole new level!!

If you have read Reynolds in the past, you know that he is brilliant at turning a 100-page story into a 400 page slog through numbing repetition, and this book is a great example of the author at the height of his art. Reynolds tells a story you will figure out one-third of the way through, told through the eyes of five distressed fathers whose daughters have been swept away by an evil seducer in exactly the same way, yet we must hear each father's story in painful detail to get to the predictable conclusion. And as usual, every woman looks exactly the same (SPOILER: if the villain of the piece must capture the souls of six women in a certain amount of time, why does he only go after stunningly lovely women? Why not seduce scullery maids and the daughters of peasants, seems like they would be more susceptible...?) because Reynolds doesn't know how to describe females who don't resemble grecian statues. Yawn. Fine for Reynolds fans (I loved Mysteries of London,) but overall a bore.

Thanks to Valancourt books for bring back another overlooked Gothic treasure! Curl up in a dark corner, light a candle and immerse yourself in this wonderfully creepy tale that spins through the ages- Dick Collins' into is excellent! This is a wonderfully informative edition- (perfect for late winter nights!) and is a must read for all Gothic lit. fans!