Usher's Passing

by Robert R. McCammon | Horror |
ISBN: 0671769928 Global Overview for this book
Registered by wingperryfranwing of Elk Grove, California USA on 7/21/2007
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10 journalers for this copy...
Journal Entry 1 by wingperryfranwing from Elk Grove, California USA on Saturday, July 21, 2007
Amazon.com
In this most gothic of Robert McCammon's novels, setting is key: the continuing saga of the Usher family (descended from the brother of Roderick and Madeline of Edgar Poe's "Fall of the House of Usher") takes place in the weird and picturesque heart of the North Carolina mountains. The haughty, aristocratic Ushers live in a mansion near Asheville; the poor but crafty mountain folk (whose families are just as ancient) live on Briartop Mountain nearby. At harvest time, when the book's action unfolds, the mountains are a blaze of color. Add to the mixture a sinister history of mountain kids disappearing every year, a journalist investigating those disappearances, a monster called "The Pumpkin Man," moldy books and paintings in a huge old library at the Usher estate, and a secret chamber with a strange device involving a brass pendulum and tuning forks--and you've got a splendid recipe for atmospheric horror.


I really enjoyed this very intense horror novel. McCammon does a great job of updating Poe's story of the Usher family. I have enjoyed other McCammon novels including Mine, Boy's Life, and Gone South. McCammon's style reminds me a lot of Stephen King and this novel compares favorably with some of King's best. This is the second in my Poe-related bookrays. I highly recommend this one!

Journal Entry 2 by wingperryfranwing from Elk Grove, California USA on Thursday, July 26, 2007
Bookray
Starting a bookray for this book. Please PM me if interested. Bookray will remain open until last person has the book.

Participants so far:

. TwiggySC1973 from South Carolina, USA (anywhere)
. sarradee from Texas, USA (North America only)
. babsdotter from Missouri, USA (USA only)
. JennyC1230 from Georgia, USA (USA preferred - international if needed)
. geniedances from Texas, USA (USA only)
. ExemploDucemus from Georgia, USA (international)
. LyekkaMarengo from Pennsylvania, USA (anywhere)
. adeps from New Zealand (international)
. ielfling from New Zealand (international)<----Book is here

Note: Order is subject to change based on shipping preferences and others joining the bookray.

How the bookray works:
* Someone will PM you for your address, PM them back and provide your address
* When you receive the book, please make a journal entry letting everyone know that you received it
* Put the book at the top of your TBR pile (under other rings/rays that arrived first)
* Read the book (take your time and enjoy the book, don't feel rushed to finish it but try to pass it on within a couple of months - others are waiting!)
* When the end is in sight, check the book's journal and PM the next person to get their address
* Finish the book, make another journal entry and let everyone know what you thought of the book
* Send the book to the next person on the list (please use the cheapest shipping method available), make release notes (Controlled Release) or journal entry to let everyone know that it's in the mail
* END OF THE RAY, The last person on the ray could try and continue the ray or just give/mail the book to someone else who might like to read it, perhaps a RABCK - look at cliff1976.com wish list web site, or release it into the wild.

Please feel free to PM me at any time with questions.

Bookray is now completed. Thanks everyone for participating!



Released 16 yrs ago (9/5/2007 UTC) at To the next participant in Bookring/Bookray, -- By post or by hand/ in person -- Canada

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

On its way to TwiggySC1973 in Spartanburg, SC to start this bookray. This is the second in my bookrays that relate to Edgar Allan Poe. Enjoy!

Journal Entry 4 by TwiggySC1973 from Woodruff, South Carolina USA on Monday, September 10, 2007
Received in the mail today and can't wait!

Journal Entry 5 by TwiggySC1973 from Woodruff, South Carolina USA on Monday, September 17, 2007
Ok so when I started reading it, I had nightmares and that's when I knew it was going to be good. Once again Robert McCammon just takes you and throws you into the story. I was very pleased with how the book went and enjoyed it immensely. It was definitely a book you couldn't put down. Thanks so much for including me in this ring!

Journal Entry 6 by TwiggySC1973 from Woodruff, South Carolina USA on Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Controlled Release:
Mailed to Saradee today.

Journal Entry 7 by sarradee from Mansfield, Texas USA on Monday, September 24, 2007
Arrived today. Don't think I've read this one of McCammon's books yet. I really enjoyed several of his other books so I have very high hopes for this one.

Journal Entry 8 by sarradee from Mansfield, Texas USA on Friday, October 5, 2007
I will come back and make more detailed notes on my thoughts after work tonight.

I did want to mention that the book is in the mail to babsdotter as of this morning.

Journal Entry 9 by babsdotter from Sparta, Missouri USA on Friday, October 12, 2007
It's here yea! I've already started it. I like a scary read for Halloween.

Journal Entry 10 by babsdotter from Sparta, Missouri USA on Friday, December 21, 2007
I tried but couldn't really get into this. I thought it would be fun. I've had it forever and tried. I guess that's why I don't usually read books from this genre. PMd JennyC for address...will send along. Hope she'll like it...sorry for the delay

Journal Entry 11 by babsdotter from Sparta, Missouri USA on Friday, December 28, 2007
on way to JennyC1230.....finally. sent 12/27/07 the tracking number is 0307 1790 0005 4307 7036

Journal Entry 12 by JennyC1230 from Woodstock, Georgia USA on Saturday, December 29, 2007
I received this book in the mail today! I am about halfway through Entombed by: Linda Fairstein so I will start this one right after I am finished reading Entombed!

Thank you perryfran for sharing your book and thank you babsdotter for mailing to me! :-)


Journal Entry 13 by JennyC1230 from Woodstock, Georgia USA on Monday, December 31, 2007
I tried really hard to get into this one, but just couldn't! Maybe I'm not in the mood or something. I'm sorry! I have geniedances address so I will be sending in a couple of days!

Happy New Year!

Journal Entry 14 by JennyC1230 from Woodstock, Georgia USA on Thursday, January 3, 2008
Mailed to geniedances today! USPS Delivery Confirmation #03070020000131411267

Journal Entry 15 by geniedances from Houston, Texas USA on Monday, January 7, 2008
Arrived in the mail today.

Journal Entry 16 by geniedances from Houston, Texas USA on Thursday, February 28, 2008
Mailed out on Saturday night. My schedule has been on overload since before Christmas. There just wasn't time to get this book read in a reasonable amount of time. Its on its way to the next reader on the list.

Journal Entry 17 by ExemploDucemus on Friday, February 29, 2008
Arrived in the mail today.

Journal Entry 18 by ExemploDucemus on Wednesday, March 5, 2008
I thought I would glance through the first pages of this the day it arrived, just to see if it was my kind of thing... What a mistake that was. The other book I was reading (thankfully not a ring or ray book) was put to one side while I plowed through this. It was the traditional horror in the sense of the word, it was more subtle, and as a great fan of Poe, I thought it carried on the story of Rderick and Madeline very well.

Thanks for the great read peeryfan, I'm looking forward to the next one.

I've PM'd the next on the list and will edit this with the DC# when I mail it on.

Journal Entry 19 by LyekkaMarengo from Warriors Mark, Pennsylvania USA on Sunday, March 30, 2008
Received a few days ago, but it got "cleaned" out of sight for company. It's next on my list. Thanks for sending it on, I really enjoyed the previous book on this ring "Entombed".

Journal Entry 20 by LyekkaMarengo from Warriors Mark, Pennsylvania USA on Tuesday, May 13, 2008
I noticed a few people mentioning that they don't usually read this genre and then someone else comparing the author to Stephen King so I feel the need to digress for a moment and explain my "requirements of a good ending" rules. I like a book to have a definite ending, where most of the loose ends are tied up, mystery explained, conflicts resolved, universe saved, etc. I don't require a happy ending (but don't we all usually prefer them?), I don't require it to be the ending I had in mind, I don't even require the good guy to win. I just want the author to do what I consider to be their "job" and write me an ending. I don't want to be left hanging in the air to make my own decision about what the ending was or what it means. Anyone familiar with "The Lady or the Tiger?" where you are supposed to conjecture what was behind the door, that's what I mean. That may be a good way to start a discussion in a class or book club but it's not for me. Having seen the mention of Stephen King, I was a little worried as I consider him to be one of the primary offenders of my "rules" above. I started his recent book "Cell" but because he uses this kind of cop out often I had to skip to the end and sure enough he didn't really end the story. So I had to give up on what was a promising premise and good start. But I digress on my disgression. I should mention that I can make allowance in an ending for the set-up of a sequel so that not everything is ended.

Now, all that said I'll get to this particular book. I loved it. The ending had just a hint of a non-ending, so that I gave it the benefit of my sequel set-up allowance. The characters were fascinating, the mood very H.P. Lovecrafty and gothic, and I got sucked in from the start. The story was gruesome and scary. I liked it so much that at the booksale I went to today I snatched up another McCammon. I would recommend re-reading the original Poe "Fall fo the House of Usher story (it's only a short story)not so much that you need to but it gives you the background feel of the characters and situation.

Thanks for the ring. I'll get this off in the mail as soon as I get an address.

Journal Entry 21 by LyekkaMarengo from Warriors Mark, Pennsylvania USA on Friday, June 20, 2008
Mailed off today to adeps in Sweden.

Journal Entry 22 by adeps from Göteborg, Västergötland Sweden on Tuesday, September 16, 2008
On the other side of the world, but I'll read and pass on ASAP as usual :)
Many thanks!

Journal Entry 23 by adeps from Göteborg, Västergötland Sweden on Monday, January 26, 2009
I didn't like this book, I found it rather boring, and not scary at all. It took me ages to go through, but I just can't give up on a book... Sorry for the delay!!

Journal Entry 24 by adeps at Auckland, Auckland Province New Zealand on Monday, January 26, 2009

Released 15 yrs ago (1/26/2009 UTC) at Auckland, Auckland Province New Zealand

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Sent to NZ today. Hopefully it will be liked over there this time...
Sorry for the delay!

Journal Entry 25 by ielfling on Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Thanks for this, I'm looking forward to it, despite the mixed reviews...cheers for sending it, adeps!

Journal Entry 26 by ielfling on Sunday, March 8, 2009
I'm still loving the idea of Poe-related reads, but I was disappointed with this one. It was like there was a scary book inside, waiting to get out, but all the promise of the mysterious lodge, with it's shifting corridors and secrets, was pretty much buried until the end of the book. I would have loved to have read a book set INSIDE the lodge, rather than have a main character too freaked out to go near it for most of the story. Also, that main character - Rix just annoyed me. The very swift, blood-soaked and action-packed end chapters were kind of fun (satanists!! cannibalism!! - I hope spoilers are ok now we're at the end of the bookray) but it was a bit of a slog at times to get there. Thanks perryfran though, for setting this up!

I'm going to add this and 'For Edgar' to Bookmooch and send them on to anyone who is keen, as I think I'm last in line with both.

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