Drowned #2 (The Hollow) [Paperback]

Christopher Golden (Author), Ford Lytle Gilmore (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 18, 2005 | Series: The Hollow (Book 2)

Having stopped the Horseman in his tracks— at least for now—Aimee and Shane must face the other evils tormenting Sleepy Hollow, including an enchanted oak tree and cackling cornfield imps. But the greatest threat is the naiads—beautiful and deadly sirens that have infested the Hudson River, drowning their\ victims on dry land.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Christopher Golden is the bestselling author of numerous Buffy the Vampire Slayer titles and winner of the Bram Stoker award. Ford Lytle Gilmore is a film producer and comic book writer.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Razorbill (August 18, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595140255
• ISBN-13: 978-1595140258
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #150,274 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

CHRISTOPHER GOLDEN is the award-winning, bestselling author of such novels as The Myth Hunters, Wildwood Road, The Boys Are Back in Town, The Ferryman, Strangewood, Of Saints and Shadows, and (with Tim Lebbon) The Map of Moments. He has also written books for teens and young adults, including Poison Ink, Soulless, and the thriller series Body of Evidence, honored by the New York Public Library and chosen as one of YALSA's Best Books for Young Readers. Upcoming teen novels include a new series of hardcover YA fantasy novels co-authored with Tim Lebbon and entitled The Secret Journeys of Jack London.

A lifelong fan of the "team-up," Golden frequently collaborates with other writers on books, comics, and scripts. In addition to his recent work with Tim Lebbon, he co-wrote the lavishly illustrated novel Baltimore, or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire with Mike Mignola. With Thomas E. Sniegoski, he is the co-author of the book series OutCast and The Menagerie, as well as comic book miniseries such as Talent, currently in development as a feature film. With Amber Benson, Golden co-created the online animated series Ghosts of Albion and co-wrote the book series of the same name.
As an editor, he has worked on the short story anthologies The New Dead and British Invasion, among others, and has also written and co-written comic books, video games, screenplays, the online animated series Ghosts of Albion (with Amber Benson) and a network television pilot.

The author is also known for his many media tie-in works, including novels, comics, and video games, in the worlds of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Hellboy, Angel, and X-Men, among others.

Golden was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his family. His original novels have been published in more than fourteen languages in countries around the world. Please visit him at www.christophergolden.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars "Drowned" Lacks Original Appeal And "The Hollow" Itself, July 25, 2006

By 

John Miller (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Drowned #2 (The Hollow) (Paperback)

The premise of the first novel of "The Hollow" series was that shortly after moving into Sleepy Hollow NY, brother and sister Shane and Aimee Lancaster witnessed the old spooky legends and lore of the town come back to life: they witnessed talking trees, an unnaturally large hell-hound by the name of Hizzoner, and the Headless Horsemen himself. While the first book barely spooked the reader, it made up for its shortcomings in spook-factor with mystery and an appealing new approach to the old legends originally written by Washington Irving. But "Drowned", the second novel, ditches those appealing efforts and continues to suffer from the old problems making it a hollow and less exciting Round 2.

The storyline this time around follows Shane and Aimee (including supporting characters) solving mystery and battling paranormal activity in the form of two new types of creatures: imps that lurk in cornfields and beautiful-but-deadly creatures called naiads that disguise themselves as nude women but are really homicidal water nymphs (of sorts). "Drowned" actually accomplishes to feature even less frightening creatures than the original: the imps make a brief but annoying cameo and the naiads become droll and dense as they progress through the novel. And really, how scary is a nude woman if she's portrayed as the most beautiful woman ever? Shane and Aimee also retry looking for a tree that can reveal secrets you're not supposed to know about. However, they ditch the effort within one chapter and move on. Perhaps the characters themselves became tired of lacking a scare?

I'm not convinced Christopher Golden is writing in a tone of horror but more in a tone of mystery with this series. The mystery (or lack of) this time around focuses on the homicidal naiads and why they're committing acts of murder. Their methods are unorthodox: they drown victims without needing ample supplies of water around them (a man is discovered in his bed at home "drowned", researchers at a laboratory suffer the same fate but are surprisingly no where near a body of water, etc). The same type of murders occur with a few more victims but Golden writes too openly to have a good mystery brewing. The original novel was predictable at times, others murky. I had dismissed it because it didn't upset me too much - I guess being confused is better than knowing everything too early. However, book #2 is too obvious and at times intentional making it a sad mystery if it ever was one. If Golden clearly isn't intending full-out horror and is convincing me he's not interested in a mystery, then what exactly is he striving for? Plausibility?!

And what about Sleepy Hollow and it's true legends: the Headless Horseman and Icabod Crane? Well, the novels' answer to that is: Who cares? Golden has seemed to have lost interest in continuing his version of Irving's original story. I had mentioned in my review of the first novel that Golden's take on the lore was darker and more sinister and that's what made the novel appealing when it was feeling weak. In "Drowned", however, that appeal is lost. "Drowned"'s plot doesn't require the lore to play a part and without that appeal the novel suffers. For all I cared, the paranormal events occurring didn't pertain to Sleepy Hollow in any way other than the fact that it is located near the Hudson River. Golden is basically taking the Sleepy Hollow out of "The Hollow". Or is it the other way around?

I had high hopes for the second novel, I really did. The cover was creepier than the first and I figured so too would be the storyline. But no, it's not. In fact, to me, "Drowned" disappointed in every aspect of the original novel. For the most part of the novel Shane, Aimee, and the rest of the hoodlums are either sleuthing slowly or running back and forth with teen angst and mild drama (Is a romance brewing? Are the teens REALLY drinking?!How shocking!).

Which brings up another quick point: while I dismissed it with the last novel, Golden's characters and "voice" are unconvincing. The teens really aren't that believable and their dialogue borderlines on camp. The adults are even worse: they are painted and portrayed with many stereotypes and cliches.

Does this mean I will not continue reading the rest of the series? No, because there's not too many Sleepy Hollow-related books out there. But if Golden continues on a path of stories that really doesn't focus on Sleepy Hollow's unique charm then "yes". The next novel, "Mischief", involves vandalism and crime as the basis for the plot. Oh right, because Sleepy Hollow is the only town suffering from that problem. How unique?

For all its lack of conviction in a good sequel, "Drowned" did succeed in a (very) brief moment: it sent a slight chill up my spine. Aimee, Shane, and Stasia (their friend) are walking through a forest (possibly enchanted) and come upon an abandoned park next to a small lake. Within the lake, they witness a haunting young ghost skating back and forth reaching his arms up for something. A better novel perhaps? That doesn't seem like too much of a stretch.