Customer Reviews

Dance of the Dwarfs

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

From the first sentence --- "It will be remembered that the death of Dr. Owen Dawnay was attributed to partisans of the Columbian National Liberation Army" --- one is aware of the protagonist's fate. And yet how easily we forget that Dawnay is doomed. Once immersed in the compelling personal journal that records his methodical investigation of an ominous enigma and his manly confrontation of a final, fatal emergency, the reader is captivated by Dawnay's vigorous personality and intently inquiring mind. Rarely does the hero of a "thriller" inspire the spontaneous sympathy and admiration that readers of "Dance of the Dwarfs" will tribute to this valiant young scientist who goes down to defeat, in the end, through a purely human, noble, reactive impulse of duty and love. The last interrupted word in his diary comes as a heart-wrenching shock to those who had forgotten the ample warning conveyed by the preface. Geoffrey Household is best known for his novels of adventure and suspense, of which "Rogue Male" is one of the more successful. But here he subtly crosses the border into a neighbouring genre and writes what can only be called a story of authentic horror --- and one that has few, if any, equals for intensity and credibility. Owen Dawnay is an agronomist working at a remote experimental station in southwestern Columbia, on the edge of vast, unexplored jungles. During an unusual dry season, having time on his hands, he becomes intrigued by an incoherent local superstition and boldly brings his trained scientific mind to bear on the unknown, only to take ever more harrowing lessons on the nature of fear as he pursues and discovers the mystery's ferocious natural cause. The reader will participate fully in that fear with every journey Dawnay makes into the gloomy forest, and even when the source of dread is revealed, the tension will refuse to abate. This is a well-written and powerful story that can be reread numerous times with the same keen attention and emotion as on a first encounter. And once read, it is unlikely to be forgotten.

A splendid, terrifying mystery. An agricultural scientist in the back-blocks of Columbia comes across a strange "blank" fear among the locals.Why are there no guitars in the village? Why does the idea of dancing jaguars terrify the locals? Gradually the terror comes closer. Like all Household's works it has wonderful descriptive writing and believable and often attractive characters, celebrating a strange stoic courage. After reading it for the first time at the age of 30, I had to sleep with the light on, as I did after reading his The Spanish Cave. A superb example of the story-tellers' art! Beg borrow or steal a copy!

What a spell-binder! From start to end this is an excellent read that has you on the edge of your seat wondering what the hey will happen next. It reminded me a bit of Llosa which means Household really did get into the spirit of South America. It deserves to be among the all-time best horror stories, but like much of Household remains undiscovered by much of today's readership. Buy it!

I find it hard to write a review for this book - it's slow-paced and hard to define. Akin in some ways to a Tarkovsky film - in that it contains carefully crafted, pondering details that linger in the mind. A supernatural thriller perhaps or science fiction/fantasy thriller?

Taking a diary entry format this is an extraordinary, atmospheric story that unfolds in the most believable manner. If you are prepared to allow an author to slowly (but in fascinating detail) build up his story, gradually ratcheting up the tension to almost unbearable levels, then this book is for you.

However though I really enjoyed it - and have gone back to repeat readings it does require somewhat of a determined and sustained effort (paricularly if you like your books fast and action packed).

As a huge fan of the author's famous novel Rogue Male I have searched his catalgoue for novels that might match Rogue's high standards. This novel probably comes closest and in some ways has a hero/narrative style that resembles Rogue Male. On the other hand while Rogue Male is a superior popular thriller, Dance with Dwarfs is quite 'intellectual' in style and has a quality that in my view rivals the work of some of americas greatest writers - Hemingway,Steinbeck for instance. A rugged 'man's man of a hero' - self reliant, calm under pressure and able to look after himself - pitted amidst a revolutionary south american climate intrigued by a scientific discovery that might explain the mysterious and frightening incidents that seems to have plagued the locals for generations.

A kind of high quality Midnight Shaleyman (please forgive spelling) - reminded me in part of his film The Village in the way it builds up a sense of slow forboding and fear. Indeed if the plot was to be taken and filmed with the craft and patient skill applied by the author then it would make an amazing, scary film.

In many ways this Dance of Dwarfs is a forgotten classic that demands a wider audience and if on reading this review you are even slightly interested in reading this book then I strongly recommend it to you as I can imagine once read, it could become one of your favourite all time reads. Hard to define,realistic and scary with images that linger in the mind and draw you back in. A classic.

For those like me who enjoyed Rogue Male and are looking for other good reads by the author I offer the following rating for some of the other books I have read should you wish to try them:

Rogue Male 5 stars

Watcher in the Shadows 3-4 stars

Rogue Justice 2-3 stars

Time to Kill 3 stars

Fellow Passenger 3-4 stars

Courtesey of Death 1 star

Against the Wind 3 stars

So not exactly highly rated though Rogue Male and Dance of the Dwarfs are both definite 5 stars and well worth the read if tou want to try an old-style thriller. It just amazes me that an authors quality of writing can vary so much from genius to so-so.

I like scientific science fiction, and this is my all-time-favorite in that category. Parts of this classic still make the hackles rise on the back of my neck when I read it. Techies note, however, that it has a biological rather than a technological perspective to it.

This book was a major letdown because I thought it was supposed to be a horror story. I stumbled across this book, and this author, by searching for lists of the scariest novels ever written. While the book was interesting, and there were plenty of details which hinted at future mysteries and terror, they never arrived. Even the other reviews here talk about how scary this book is...it's no scarier than an old Hardy Boy mystery.

If you read this book, don't read it expecting to enjoy a scary story, and you'll probably be satisfied.

In many ways Geoffrey Household's best. Household, who practically invented the genre -- one man, usually English, always a gentleman and minimally armed, who must outwit his hunters. In this one he brings it to a brilliant (and terrifying) completion. I re-read it every few years, just to enjoy the skillful telling of the tale.

It's been almost 40 years, but I still cannot forget this book. The scariest fiction I've ever read, by far. If a copy were to materialize before me, I would hesitate to open it.