Customer Reviews

The List of Seven

5 star:		(58)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

There are books that are OK, books you like, books you love, and then there a another whole class of very special uber-books that you flat-out enjoy, devour every page, and feel devastated when they are finished. The List of Seven is one of the latter types of books and I whole-heartedly recommend it to others. It gets a six star review from me. Set in Victorian England this book has everything a rollicking good adventure yarn should. Follow a young Arthur Conan Doyle as he gets swept up into a grand adventure with secret agent Jack as they race desperately around the country trying to foil a devilish plot against the crown. Murder, magic, mayhem, zombies, the occult, recidivist arch-nemeses, crazed aristocrats, beautiful girls, reformed second-story men, the British Museum....this is one crackerjack of a novel that will leave you panting for more.

This book features AC when he is still a struggling doctor and before he has penned the Sherlock Holmes stories. Indeed, as you read, you begin to see that the future Sherlock Holmes is built upon AC's experiences with his secret agent friend Jack, who himself is the model for Holmes. This is one of the most inventive, enjoyable and wonderful books I've read in recent years, a superior example of magic realism that thrills you to the last page. Make sure you don't miss the sequel, The 6 Messiahs.

The author, Mark Frost, apparently had a hand in the Twin Peaks series. Whether you enjoyed that series or not, don't miss out on this book. They are as much fun as you can have with a novel in my estimation. I am not sure why Mr. Frost has not written more novels but I surely wish he would. If this book, and the sequel, leave you wanting more fictional accounts of Arthur Conan Doyle battling with dark occult forces then don't miss Thomas Wheeler's The Arcanum either. It's another very enjoyable book in the same vein.

If you haven't read Conan Doyle, you'll love this novel anyway. It's full of non-stop adventure, twists and turns, bigger than life characters, mysticism, and all out fun. If you HAVE read Conan Doyle, it's even more fun (if that's possible). Here Frost gives us the 'prototypes' for all the main characters that appear in the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, and it's a delight to recognize them in their other guises. For complete and total escapist fun, this is the book to take on vacation this, or any other, summer.

If you have any interest in victorian adventure...heck, in ANY kind of adventure that involves breakneck chases, dastardly fiends, undead warriors, suspenseful escapes, a plot to conquer the world AND a pit filled with giant leeches...well, you can't go wrong!

It has been many years since I was so addicted to the book I could NOT put it down until I raced through it. My wife mocked me to no end, but if I could write half as good as this guy I'd be a happy fella. The only reason why it's not 5 stars is that the action does get a little absurd, written with broad strokes as if meant to be translated into a screenplay, and inadvertantly jostles the reader back into reality. But the rest is so pervasive it's hard to stay away for long.

Again, if you're not sure to purchase this or not--DO IT!

1. Because even though this is a "sleeper" book it's right up there with the Da Vinci Code in terms of not being able to put it down. Except for one thing...it's a much better written book.

2. Because you can read it once a year and still feel the same sense of "the game is afoot" adventurous pleasure. I've read it about 6 times since I bought it years ago (in the bargain bin no less).

3. Because Mark Frost weaves a supernatural thriller, "Sherlock Holmes meets the mummy" kind of tale that keeps you hooked from page one. The characters and emotions are strong, the action and occult mystery keeps you on edge and you can't help but stay up at night turning pages (nestled in that huge cozy high-backed leather armchair next to a crackling fire in the library whilst sipping a snifter of brandy wearing a velvet robe); it's the kind of book I love to read. In the right hands this book could be a fantastic movie and a good bet for blockbuster success (I think Universal bought the rights in 1997 but so far it's never been green-lit).

4. Because at 7.99 it's a steal. I'd get the hardcover edition if you can though, because it belongs in your permanent library.

5. Because if you read most of these reviews you'll see that I'm not the only one who feels this way about this book (fifty 5 star reviews at the time I wrote this).

After reading one of the reviews on this site complaining of 'big words' in this novel, I had to write in with my own review, because to complain about the language used in this particular novel is an absolute travesty. The tattered paperback version of this book has been in my collection since I first read it years ago. It is one of the few mass market adventure novels I've read where the language itself is woven through the narrative like a tapestry, and reading the book just for the sake of watching the words flow is an absolute pleasure. The prose is beautifully written, the kind to which any writer would aspire, and since the language is perfectly evocative of the era in which the book is set, it pulls you in with vivid descriptions that do nothing but embellish character and story. The writing in some novels(Dean Koontz's The Taking, for example) seems littered with the most obscure synonyms in the thesaurus just for the sake of appearing more literary than it really is. I'd like to sit all of those authors down and make them read this book so they could watch a true master at work. The action in this novel, as well as its premise, is original and quite engaging, but it is the writing that really wraps the whole story up into a very compelling package. I am incredibly saddened that Mr. Frost's foray into novel writing seems to have ended with the sequel to this book, The Six Messiahs. I would very much like to see more of this very talented author.

As you have probably read, Mark Frost co-wrote Twin Peaks with David Lynch. Being a fan of the TV series I decided to purchase "The List of 7" after recognising the name on the cover. It was one of the best blind purchases I have made.

"The List of 7" is extremely well-written by an author who has an excellent grasp of suspense writing. Set in Victorian England, the main character (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle!) is set up by an occult who believe he knows too much about them. Thrilling events ensue thanks to the dashing Jack Sparks and his associates who rescue Doyle and throw him into a world full of twists and turns.

Normally I'm not a fan of the classic literature based in Victorian England, but I really appreciated the way London and the other settings were portrayed in this novel. I felt a connection to this time period for the first time ever while reading "The List of 7". It actually gave me the desire to try some of the classics again, especially the ones which are slightly off-centre. For example, the Sherlock Holmes novels and those written by Shelley. I even read 'Tess of the D'urbervilles'!

If you are interested in Victorian England but would prefer to read a riviting fanatsy tale with non-pretentious male characters, then try this great little novel. Even if you are not a fan of the time period, "The List of 7" is an extremely enjoyable read.

Drawn to this book by Frost's work on Twin Peaks, I expected nothing more than an above average novel. It is, however, far above average. A story dealing with murder, mystery, adventure, and the occult, The List of 7 is an excellent read. The story is long, intricate, and complex, but not to the point that you don't follow what's going on. The book has very few slow points-there is a constant sense of motion throughout. The characters are intriguing, although it was less than necessary to use Arthur Conan Doyle as a character in my opinion (another historical character in the novel's epilogue is also welcome, but again unnecessary). Frost's style is very vivid, easily painting a detailed picture in the reader's mind, without being overbearing. While reading it, I couldn't help but think how wonderful a screenplay of it would be. All in all, I recommend this book to fans of Twin Peaks, Sherlock Holmes, or those of you who are just suckers for fast paced mystery/adventure novels.

I read this book back when it was first published and was totally swept away in this wonderful tribute to a genre I couldnt get into before-Victorian Era London. This is not your grandparents detective story.

The supernatural elements were all there as well a well researched historical facts. I loved it. I was rapidly swept accross the British landscape with little disruption. then the climax was eerie and stunning!

I liked the sequel-6 Messiahs. But then it stopped. I was waiting for the Hollywood treatment with Gary Oldman as the star, but this never happened either. Maybe it was too dark or too old fashioned for todays audience. Come on, Mr. Frost-give me the next installment this year!

When I found out Frost's background as co-writer of Twin Peeks' script, I knew I was going to enjoy this novel. At first I encountered my doubts when I found out about Doyle's heavy role on the book, but after a few chapters into the novel I realized this was going to be a nice ride.

I just can't seem to describe how good this book is. Really, that good it is. The characters are alive and the tension they are forced to endure will grip you and won't let go of you. I'm not making this up, just when you thought things couldn't go any worse Frost twists the story into something darker. And I believe it is rightly justified to say this book introduces a criminal with such an evil and complex mind that he easily rivals the likes of Hannibal Lecter.

The last chapters are some of the best I've read in modern horror fiction, introducing us to the real goals of the secret society and the results of their doings. They read like something Arthur Machen could have wrote and I have no doubt the society was lightly inspired on the members of the Golden Dawn. (Of which Arthur Machen was a member)

So why then four instead of five stars? Well, the last line of the book (Yes, I mean it, the LAST line of the whole book) is a bit of a cliché.

Highly recommended.

Christmas Day, 1884. A young man, struggling to establish a medical practice in London, receives a mysterious note begging for help. A note begging for the doctor's assistance in ascertaining the veracity of a medium's ability to contact the spirit world.

The young doctor is none other than Arthur Conan Doyle.

And as he attempts to merely debunk a medium, he is pulled into a serpentine plot by seven mysterious conspirators, and is enlisted to fight them by an even more mysterious dark man.

"The List of 7" snagged me from the very first page and my interest never flagged. Mark Frost expertly creates a rich, spooky atmosphere of Victorian England -- a world which brims with both progress and despair on the surface, yet lays over another, darker world, of spirits and powers most people know nothing of. I was reminded somewhat of Caleb Carr's "The Alienist," in that both novels powerfully immerse you into their time periods and the menacing atmospheres of the story.

Frost writes with an eye for great detail, yet the story never bogs down on meandering exposition or description. Through both dialogue and text, he quickly and expertly paints amazing scenes and images. The book is filled with characters historical and fictional, and he does a very nice job when they interact. All the characters feel real and three dimensional, despite the fantastic events and abilities of two of the characters.

Where Frost's writing really shines is the action-packed sequences: Doyle's first breathless escape from the mysterious hooded figures, his panicked scrabbling for an exit from an all-too-real gargoyle, and a blood-freezing confrontation at a snowbound, ruined abbey.

Some reviewers have said that the ending is somewhat anticlimactic. I will agree tentatively. Frost wrote a sequel, "The Six Messiahs," which appears to be out of print. "Messiahs" as a whole does not hold up as well as "List," but has the better ending -- one more emotionally and spiritually satisfying. I think this was planned by Frost; it seems fairly obvious he planned on making it a two-book story. Still, you can read "List" by itself and come away happy. "Messiahs" is a nice way to bring closure to some story points, but isn't necessary to enjoy "List."

I cannot speak for Sherlock Holmes fans (as I am not a Doyle reader); but as a lover of the Indiana Jones movies, the X-Files, and anything with well-written dialogue, I can heartily recommend this book.

As a postscript, Guillermo Del Toro (director of "Mimic," "Chronos," "Blade 2") has optioned the book for a film (and his visual style would be a wonderful match for the story), but so far no studio has had the guts to translate this book into a film.