Customer Reviews

Jinn: A Novel

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

This novel is great; well-written, tight, intelligent, and creepy in the best sense. It is a terrible shame that it is also one of the most poorly edited books I've run across. In addition to the missing articles, hanging sentences, dropped plots, and poor spelling, there are content errors as well. A small example comes in the opening pages: chimpanzees are apes, not monkeys. And this point is moot anyway, since they live only in Africa, and not Southeast Asia. It's as jarring as describing polar bears roaming freely around Arizona. I do not hold Mr. Delaney responsible; the onus for professional editing rests squarely with St. Martin's Press. Delaney's fine work deserved better than it got, and here's hoping these errors are corrected by the time the paperback comes out. Grit your teeth and read this book anyway, it's well worth it.

This is one of the best books I have ever read, and I read a lot of books. I couldn't put it down and was late for a lot of things during the time I read it.

Its a combination of thriller and mystery. The research in past times and places is very thorough and added a lot to the book for me. There is a romance, but it isn't gooey and it works into the overall resolution of the story.

I don't usually recommend books, films or CDs as much of what I like others might not. However, I would recommend this book to anyone who isn't faint of heart and likes a good mystery\thriller. If Mr. Delaney hasn't sold it to the films yet, he will. However, don't wait for the movie, read the book.

And, I can't wait for his next book.

A Great Read, combination of Straub, Cannell and King. poignant and forceful narrative gives a strong urgency to the narrative. I finished the novel in two pleasant sittings. Mr Delaney's salient observations and strong story line leaves me eagerly awaiting his next tome. I felt the chapterless format a bold leap forward from such a young author. May this be e pluribus unum.

As a rule, novelists are a generous breed.

We tend to welcome, with open arms, any new author who emerges in our midst -- especially when he's young and good looking, fresh from an Ivy League college, in possession of a multi-book, major-house publishing contract, has had a glowing review in People Magazine, and already has inked a profitable movie deal.

In such cases, we graciously stand aside, smiling and nodding and adding our applause to that of the literary/cultural world at large.

Uh-huh. Of course we do. And did I mention that what we write is fiction?

Well, in JINN, his debut novel, Matthew B. J. Delaney is sure to infuriate a great number of us suddenly-aging authors; though uneven in parts, JINN is that good.

JINN is a hybrid, an ambitious blending of several genres. It incorporates elements of science fiction, suspense and police-procedural into a sprawling story of an ancient horror arising to stalk the modern world.

In his writing, Delaney skillfully utilizes imagery that has become ingrained into popular culture. His opening scenes --of a bloody World War II amphibious landing by Marines in the face of withering fire from Japanese defenders-- will be particularly horrific and vivid in the mind's-eye of many readers, in part because it draws so effectively upon Steven Spielberg's similar opening in the film Saving Private Ryan.

In much the same way, Delaney crafts the post-invasion sequences so as to chillingly lead the reader to superimpose the jungle-manhunt scenes from the movie Predator, though Delaney delivers here in a far more effective way. When the book fast-forwards to present-day Boston, where police are baffled by a series of ghastly murders, Delaney's writing evokes, adeptly, such cinematic classics as Seven and Silence of the Lambs.

This cinematic-oriented writing style is an exceptionally savvy strategy, and Delaney executes it with an unerring precision. It's an approach that makes JINN one of the most visually effective novels I've read in a very long time.

There are a few regrettable lapses in the editing --in one example, I winced when a passage noted that a photographer tripped his camera's "shudder;" but I imagine Delaney winced too, as have all writers who see such typos make it into the final book itself. More of an issue is the wish that the editor had tightened up the writing a bit, particularly in the narrative sandwiched between the action -- if only so we could eliminate any delay in arriving at the next shockingly well-written action scene.

For when it comes to these money-shots, Delaney clearly excels. His writing becomes crisp and compelling, descriptive in a way that dares the reader not to turn the page, and the next, and the next. He is clearly in his element in these passages; just as clearly, he is in complete control of his story.

Delaney writes with a confidence that more seasoned writers can only envy, and he is possessed of a writer's voice that delivers on his promises. Throughout JINN, I was struck by the beautiful writing of so many passages-- they were lyrical, mellifluous prose-poems in their wealth of description and insight.

Delaney clearly loves the written word and already shows a mastery in his use of language. This is a writer we can expect to hear from in the future; he's the real thing, and he is here to stay.

As a rule, novelists are a generous breed.

We tend to welcome, with open arms, any new author who emerges in our midst -- especially when he's young and good looking, fresh from an Ivy League college, in possession of a multi-book, major-house publishing contract, has had a glowing review in People Magazine, and already has inked a profitable movie deal.

In such cases, we graciously stand aside, smiling and nodding and adding our applause to that of the literary/cultural world at large.

Uh-huh. Of course we do. And did I mention that what we write is fiction?

Well, in JINN, his debut novel, Matthew B. J. Delaney is sure to infuriate a great number of us suddenly-aging authors; though uneven in parts, JINN is that good.

JINN is a hybrid, an ambitious blending of several genres. It incorporates elements of science fiction, suspense and police-procedural into a sprawling story of an ancient horror arising to stalk the modern world.

In his writing, Delaney skillfully utilizes imagery that has become ingrained into popular culture. His opening scenes --of a bloody World War II amphibious landing by Marines in the face of withering fire from Japanese defenders-- will be particularly horrific and vivid in the mind's-eye of many readers, in part because it draws so effectively upon Steven Spielberg's similar opening in the film Saving Private Ryan.

In much the same way, Delaney crafts the post-invasion sequences so as to chillingly lead the reader to superimpose the jungle-manhunt scenes from the movie Predator, though Delaney delivers here in a far more effective way. When the book fast-forwards to present-day Boston, where police are baffled by a series of ghastly murders, Delaney's writing evokes, adeptly, such cinematic classics as Seven and Silence of the Lambs.

This cinematic-oriented writing style is an exceptionally savvy strategy, and Delaney executes it with an unerring precision. It's an approach that makes JINN one of the most visually effective novels I've read in a very long time.

There are a few regrettable lapses in the editing --in one example, I winced when a passage noted that a photographer tripped his camera's "shudder;" but I imagine Delaney winced too, as have all writers who see such typos make it into the final book itself. More of an issue is the wish that the editor had tightened up the writing a bit, particularly in the narrative sandwiched between the action -- if only so we could eliminate any delay in arriving at the next shockingly well-written action scene.

For when it comes to these money-shots, Delaney clearly excels. His writing becomes crisp and compelling, descriptive in a way that dares the reader not to turn the page, and the next, and the next. He is clearly in his element in these passages; just as clearly, he is in complete control of his story.

Delaney writes with a confidence that more seasoned writers can only envy, and he is possessed of a writer's voice that delivers on his promises. Throughout JINN, I was struck by the beautiful writing of so many passages-- they were lyrical, mellifluous prose-poems in their wealth of description and insight.

Delaney clearly loves the written word and already shows a mastery in his use of language. This is a writer we can expect to hear from in the future; he's the real thing, and he is here to stay.

I can't tell you how disappointed I was in this book. The writing is amatuerish, the story is predictable and the editing...well what can I say about the editing? It is my firm belief that the only editing done here was a run through spell-check.

The story started interestingly enough, in the jungles during WW2, but once it jumped to present day, it lost it's flow. It was like he was trying too hard to write it for a movie script. If Delaney were to write an all period horror story, I might pick him back up. Also, I'm no editor, but neither was the editor who got paid to edit this book.

I thought this was an excellant and engaging novel in which the author seems to play with several different genres and writing styles. Some sections reminded me of Richard Price or Tom Wolfe,authors who capture urban environs, while other chapters were more Dean Koontz and Steven King. In either case, Delaney certainly has a mastery of the written language, completing a story that is compelling, at times moving and almost always more than a little scary.

Much has been made of the editing, I did see a few rather glaring errors, but otherwise the passages were beautifully crafted, especially by such a young author. I'm looking forward to other works by Matthew Delaney. A great summer or anytime read.

Jinn is a genuine power punch of a novel that left me dazzled at its pace, vividly depicted scenery, and array of people. Brogan, McKenna and Jefferson are characters which jump from the pages. An original and unforgettable story which stayed with me for days afterwards, especially after dark, the only real drawback was not getting enough sleep! While the story line is quite involved, the end chapter is a final master stroke which brings everything together. I originally came across Jinn while reading about its film rights option to Touchstone some time ago and can honestly say it was well worth the wait...can't imagine it not becoming a film sometime soon, think Russell Crowe as Jefferson. Looking forward to seeing this one on the NY Times Bestseller list soon!

Though I'm just 85 pages pages into it, this book's amateurish execution and complete lack of editing compelled me to post this early review.

Apologies to all the fans, but this has to be one of the worst-written books I've seen in a long time.

The pacing is leaden; the language is overwrought. I have to wonder if the author was being paid by the word, since he writes as though there's no adjective or adverb he won't cram into a sentence. The majority of passages I've seen so far suffer from a repetitiveness that makes reading this seem like hard work. There's hardly a paragraph that wouldn't benefit from being cut 30% and revised for clarity.

One example of these faults occurs at the end of a major section on page 64. At this point the author has painstakingly described a Marine company's discovery of several grisly murders on a remote island, and how a mysterious creature has already picked off several of them one by one. The section ends: "Alabama sighed, turned to Davis, and said slowly, 'Something's wrong about this island.' He breathed in the hot, fetid air. 'I can feel it.'

"He slung his rifle over his shoulder and turned back toward the lines of trees. 'Something's wrong.""

Wow. Talk about your shocking revelations and cliffhanger endings.

This book may have some great ideas and scenes in it, but getting to them will present a challenge to any reader who's accustomed to a minimum amount of competency from an author. Ultimately, I don't believe I'll have the patience or stamina for it myself. It truly seems "Jinn" went from a fevered first draft directly to print.

The real mystery and horror in this book is how St. Martin's ever released it in this state, and how many well-written books were passed over in its favor.