Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful, tough, and disturbing, March 18, 2003
Nick Mamatas infuses this "weird tale" that intersects New York's Civil War Draft Riots with a contemporary gay black man's life in Greenwich Village with a smart, and clearly politicized viewpoint. The inexorable play of events seems pitiless on the surface, but the subtly creeping horror works so well because Mamatas refuses to make demons out of the people who are caught in this storm of events. Skip "Gangs of New York" (well, for lots of reasons), and read this instead. It will get under your skin and engage your mind for days afterward.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
What? That's it?, September 20, 2006
Northern Gothic is a good example. In many ways.
It's a good example of an interesting ghost story where the author actually has managed to create something that indeed does feel like a, more or less, unique angle of approach. The ghost genre is not what you'd want to call an easy genre to work with, and really, how many reasons can you come up with for having ghosts return to haunt the living? Not very many. Yet Mamatas has come up with a story that definitely feels quite fascinating.
Still, it's also a good example of a ghost story where reason(s) for the appearance of the ghosts feels somewhat unclear, even thought the whole thing remains - as mentioned above - very fascinating.
It's a good example of a story that's not very easy to understand, yet still manages to be attractive enough for the reader to keep reading. Even though one doesn't really know what's going on. One of the most boring things you can ever do in the world is reading a book you don't understand, but sometimes you find this book that you insist on keep reading, despite the fact that you don't know who's who, what's what, and why whatever is happening happens. The story in Northern Gothic is strange, to say the least, but will you be able to stop reading? I doubt it.
It's also a good example of a book with a title that remains a complete mystery.
And finally, it's a good example of a book that unfortunately ends just when you're beginning to understand it.
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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
An interesting first novel, August 20, 2003
Nick Mamatas will probably gain popularity in increments and remain a cult writer for many years before achieving widespread recognition. This is a more an interesting first novel than a great work of literature. It has its moments, but for the most part it's an interesting failure. The 1860s Draft Riot scenes deliver a nice tension. Will Patten is a scary character simply because you initially identify with him. Unfortunately Patten gets lost in the ghost story and the main character - Ahmadi Jenkins - gay dancer and victim of circumstances - takes over. Ahmadi is a dull character. He has no personality. Most of the book involves nasty things happening to Ahmadi and the lack of characterization undercuts any tension. Buy this book if you're a diehard fan. If you're merely curious, buy another Mamatas book.
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