Customer Reviews

The Purification Ceremony

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I read this book simply because it is nearly impossible to find solid novels centered upon hunting. It has always intrigued me that though millions of Americans hunt, very little quality fiction embraces the subject. Reasons? I don't think it has anything to do with the media stereotype of hunters as illiterate rubes, because well-studied statistics generated for marketing purposes demonstrate that most avid hunters have degrees beyond highschool diplomas. Rather, I believe that hunting is an exceedingly difficult topic to realistically render into good fiction. Anyone who hunts, as does the author Mark Sullivan, knows that the hunt is a visceral experience. Those of us who hunt, whether we admit it or not, have chosen to unroof instincts that, while at the very core of human existence, lay utterly dormant in most modern folk. There is precious little writing after which a hunter/author can model his or her work. If this book seems to beat the old hunter-as-psychopath-man-as-most-dangerous-predator/prey bit to death for the umteenth time, it's likely because that's the only well-established formula out there. I think Mr. Sullivan's characters seem a bit wooden, and the scenes a bit disjointed and clumsy, precisely because he is struggling to break free of this tired storyline. I hope he tries again, because he's really onto something.

This book completely blew me away, it was so brilliantly written. The author is a master of suspense, and his method for intertwining the main character's tender past with the murder plot was extremely compelling. I'm a voracious reader and read across all genres -- romance, mystery, suspense, fantasy and science fiction -- and I have to say this is the most remarkable example of the thriller genre that I've read in years. Plus the bonus of Mark's talent for creating vivid imagery is unsurpassed.

It's difficult to find any book worth reading these days, and I usually toss them aside after the first five or six chapters (if I even get that far). But Mark is a step above the average author. He's now one of the few authors on my "must buy!" list. I highly, highly recommend this novel!

I picked this book up because it had a great cover (hard cover). I bought it because it sounded interesting and fun. You know what I was right. This is a wonderful book. I do not feel that this is a "guy" book. The main character is female, just different from most females. Diana is a strong and powerful female lead. The kind that you have to have in a book like this to make it work. I think that Mr. Sullivan did a great job in working out the plot. I was totally engrossed in this fine piece of work from the beginning. OK the author did mess up with the scalp thing. But some times that is a part of the fun. Finding a mistake that everyone missed and they get paid the big bucks! (No pun intended.) This did not take away from the story and was not important to the plot. So you are forgiven Mr. Sullivan for one little bitty mistake. I'm looking forward to more by this wonderful author. Keep them coming, Mr. Sullivan. I highly recommend "The Purification Ceremony.

I picked up this book on a whim, and I'm glad I did. This is a fast, engrossing read. The mystery was fairly easy to figure out early on, but it was interesting to see the characters process the clues and find the answers. A very strong female main character didn't overwhelm the story but pulled it all together. A fair amount of violence is involved, so if that bothers you, you might want to skip this one.

I bought this book without knowing about the author. I am glad I did. The plot is very interesting and except for the last part where I thought it got a little hokey with the killer being able to get everyone else for all that time and then just become human/normal. But it was a good book and I was interested the whole time. It also helped some parts were based in Maine where I am from. All in all I wouldnt tell someone not to buy it. But read it and make your own judgements.

Gosh, I usually love adventure/suspense reads, but this one just couldn't grab my interest. If the author had put half the effort into characterization that he put into describing the act of hunting a deer, it might have been worth something. All the characters were cookie-cutters except for Diana Jackman and she was so screwed up I thought for a while she was the killer (coulda been a nice twist, parts of her behavior seemed very manic depressive to me). By the time Diana confronts the killer, I didn't even care. Also, I thought it was pretty stupid that the killer is targeting evil deer hunters up north in Canada, when we get about 250,000 deer hunters each fall in Michigan-- they'd have made a hell of a lot more logical target. So the killer stalks some rich hunters way north somewhere white and cold. So it's got an Indian, peyote flavor to it. Go back to the 70's if you still think that's neat. Or better yet, save your money.

This is, without a doubt the worst mystery I have read in recent memory. It features an unlikely plot and poorly defined characterizations wrapped in excessive description. Who really cares about the color of the drapes in her cabin(green), the color of her long underwear (green), or the color of the pants of a half dozen men standing around a cabin (also green)? The author seems to be of the school which believes that where one word will suffice, use ten. ie: "Phil's shoulders seemed to become part of his ears." could maybe be "Phil shrugged." Edited in this manner this would have been only a bad short story instead of an awful novel. I don't write a lot of reviews but in this case I felt the public should be warned.

Mark T. Sullivan's The Purification Ceremony examines a number of themes, any of which could stand alone: hunting vs. anti-hunting, obsession, ignoring our natures and the natural world, the relationships between families, the disntegration of society's mores in the face of death. Diane Jackman, a Micmac and Penobscot Indian, seeks salvation in the pursuit of white tail deer on the estate of an enigmatic, deceased student of game management. Dealing with the death of her father, a fifteen year deception of her husband, and the recent disintegration of that marriage, the software writer finds herself one of two women (the other is the wife of a computer nerd and obnoxious trophy hunter) on a hunt for record white tail. Though marred by some stereotypical characters, Sullivan deftly portrays the central characters. During the first day's hunt, Diane comes on the body of one of the guides, gutted, scalped, and hung in a tree. The hunting party, cut off from civlization and rescue deep in British Columbia, now are the targets of a different breed of hunter, one who seeks to "purify" their hunt by killing them all. Diane confronts the killer and her own demons. The ending is ambiguous, with many issues unresolved, and in that the book reflects life. Sullivan paints a sparkling picture of the outdoors and the excitement of the hunt. Even those who find themselves on the "anti" side of the issue, or have little in hunting, will find the book to be a great read. It is hard to slip this novel into a specific genre: part thriller, part psychological study, part naturalism, part mystical.

This book started out fast paced and exhilerating, and I could not put it down. Yet once in the middle, it became cliche and overexaggerated. Why do authors feel they have to expand on the impossible to keep a reader interested. Once a novel loses it's credibility, it loses my attention. I did continue reading though, but would not reccommend this book to a friend.

This book was suspense, action, and had very good descriptions of the winter landscapes. The hunters get hunted....the tension mounts....the chase is on....survival of the fittest. Great for anyone who enjoys thrillers.