Ha Anh Anh থেকে নিউ ইয়র্ক
লেখকরা ভেবেছিলেন যে তারা সত্যই তার চেয়ে আরও চালাক এবং বুদ্ধিমান। বেশিরভাগ ক্ষেত্রেই এই বইগুলি ছিল কৌতুকপূর্ণ এবং বিরক্তিকর এবং থিমগুলির একটি পুনরুদ্ধার যা অন্যান্য বহু জায়গায় বহুবার অন্বেষণ করা হয়েছিল। এই সত্যটি উল্লেখ করার দরকার নেই যে পুরো ট্রিলজিটি এমন কোনও বিশাল বিশ্ব-পরিবর্তনকারী ইভেন্ট তৈরি করার ভান করে যা আসলে কখনই ঘটে না। এটি লেখকের অবশেষে 3 টি বইয়ের পরে বুঝতে পেরেছিল যে তারা কী বলতে চাইছে বা কোথায় তারা প্লটটি যেতে চেয়েছিল তা তারা সত্যিই জানে না, তাই তারা কেবল এটি শেষ করার সিদ্ধান্ত নিয়েছে। একটি বিশাল, নিখুঁত, সময় অপচয়।
I’ve just come back from the amazing experience I had at the Poison Diaries Event up in Alnwick Castle where we were presented with an ARC of Nightshade, the next instalment in the poison diaries series. To see the castle grounds in person and Hulne Abbey where Jessamine lived was awe inspiring, not to mention the real life poison garden. I was so wrapped up in the experience that I read the book on the very long train ride home and let me tell you, if you thought The Poison Diaries was dark, then wait until you read Nightshade which plunges further into the blackness. It goes without question to say that if you haven’t read The Poison Diaries yet (which I reviewed here) then please read that first before going any further. If you’re still with me, then here is the synopsis for Nightshade: “A dark, gothic tale of romance… and murder. Our heroine, Jessamine, has lost her faith in the men she loved, and her innocence as well. She turns to the dark side and plots to kill her father, using his own poisons, before becoming an assassin, a poisoner for hire. Can she recover from her heartache and reunite with her true love, Weed? Find out in this thrilling story where poisons, darkness and horror are a part of everyday life, and love is the only cure.” Jessamine is all grown up and a far cry from the figure she cut in the first book. She’s more confident than ever in her skills and is no longer the vulnerable little girl she once was. Believing that Weed left her in her hour of need was pretty devastating but you can’t keep the truth hidden forever and this causes a series of cataclysmic events resulting in Jessamine leaving town trying to forge a new identity. She tries desperately not to use the skills that she’s learnt but she can’t help it and before she knows it, she’s tangled up in an assassination plot. I’ve really enjoyed watching Jessamine’s character grow albeit into something darker than she once was. I don’t blame her, I mean how could she not be changed by her experiences? She is definitely more of an interesting character now though. And what of poor Weed? Well, Weed is more human than ever and of course, his thoughts are never far away from Jessamine. I did particularly enjoy his journey to Padua, Italy in this book where he learned about how plants were used for medicinal purposes. Of course, there were reasons why he went there but I shall say nothing more of it. Nightshade introduces us to some new characters, most of which are transitory but one of my favourites was Rye. You’ll see what I mean when you read it ;) What’s interesting about how the story has developed is the character’s view of themselves. I was reminded of Pinkie from Brighton Rock by Graham Greene who thought that because he committed an unspeakable act, that there was no way back from that. He believed he was damned and if that was the case, he should just continue doing what he wanted and I kind of got that vibe, especially from Jessamine. I do believe that Jessamine has become somewhat of a poison to herself (ironically) and I just hope she realises that the cure is inside her. At least that’s what I think. I thought this was a great sequel and I love that I have absolutely no idea where the story is heading. I get the feeling that Maryrose Wood is going to continuously surprise me and I’m all for that.
An interesting premise: In the prologue, one William Bailey enters a Euthanasia Center, is injected with the death drug and begins to fade into dying. The five stories that follow imagine what might happen to Bailey following that event. They are quite divergent, but it is interesting to note that in none of them does the entity "William Bailey" actually die. These stories are not tasked with imagining the afterlife. Most would be completely spoiled were I to divulge any plot points, but I'd like to say that I enjoyed the first the most because I am a Social Worker. The second is the least memorable, as I've just had to refer back to the book to see what it was about, and I've just finished the volume a few minutes ago. I find, remembering, I have nothing more to say, except that it was also the most explanatory. The third story was the most confusing, as I tried to figure out exactly what was going on, but it was also the most emotional and touching. The fourth tale, 'The Region Between' is interesting to me mostly because I just finished "House of Leaves" by Mark Z. Danielewski. Before reading Danielewski's book, I'd never encountered the device of arranging the text on the page (backwards, sideways, upside-down, etc.) to convey and reinforce a message contained therein. This story was written quite some time ago, in 1970, and I wonder if Danielewski was aware of it when writing "House of Leaves." I found the final offering to be the most compelling, and also the most intricate. I was confused by the jargon and customs employed by the characters more than any other story in the book, but I found by the end that I had really internalized these aspects and got into the story so much that I wished there would be more. It certainly had the best payoff at the end. It was an excellent finale for the collection. Possible pattern gathering: It seems to me that there are also 'five fates' contained within each of these five stories. I might be making that up, but if I'm not, I'm pleased that I caught that. If anyone else reads this book, let me know if you thought that too.
Seems I have been on a religious ficitonal bend, by chance. This is a scary novel because events that take place in this 'fictional' book aren't far from actual history. Thinking about the time when many inocents were burned as heretics often doesn't reach us to the core, because we have not witnessed such horror (sure we have our modern day forms of witchfinding I suppose) but to envision through text the horrid fact that someone could have their own family member, etc burned at the stake and with pure intentions, believing their GOD willed it so is very disturbing? Again, religion sure is scary in the wrong hands as is any form of power. We begin the novel with a young Jenette Stearne studying natural history with her beloved Aunt Isobel, while her father witchfinder Walter Stearne, along with his son Dunstan travel the country on their quest to test out suspected satanists (and we can recall from history how ridiculously impossible such tests were to 'pass' so to speak). What befalls her aunt at her father's hand causes her outrage and having promised her aunt to see that the witchcraft act is destroyed Jenette's life opens up to adventure. We see her living life after being abducted by the Nimacooks and deciding to live the relative peace there to return again to the mission of bringing down the witchfinders. In her quest she is aided by great men such as Ben Franklin and Sir Isaac Newton. I would have given this book four stars if not for the sections where I felt it dragged. Wonderfully written and a 'GOOD' read.