Customer Reviews

Symphony

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The Rev. Casey Chisolm lives in Maple Landing, a small New Jersey town located on the banks of the Delaware River. A complex man who enjoys serving the needs of his small flock, he functions as a sort of moral compass for the people of the village. It is a responsibility he gladly accepts, since it distracts him from his weighty personal problems.

Outwardly a quiet town, Maple Landing has its secrets. Middle aged women lust for teenage boys; drug money is being used to corner the town's small real estate market; a father mercilessly beats his young daughter. Chisolm deals with these problems as best he can, despite his feelings of inadequacy.

Recently recovered from walking pneumonia, Chisolm finds himself at the center of a strange series of events. Miraculously, he seems to command a swarm of angry bees to cease their savage attack on a van full of tourists. Then, he briefly resurrects the corpse of a burn victim. Chisolm and the people of Maple Landing are stunned by his unexplained power. Already unnerved by endless days of sweltering heat, the unexplained sound of hoofbeats on the streets of their town, and by a church bell that tolls by itself, the townspeople look to Casey for answers.

Pondering the significance of these events, Chisolm muses that they may be linked to the end of the Millennium. Some of the town folk scoff; others embrace the notion. Unfortunately for them all, Chisolm's theories prove to be true.

Death, in the form of a white Continental, is approaching Maple Landing. The huge car, a ghost from a bygone era, slowly makes its way across the United States. The driver of the car, known only as Susan, knows her purpose--to meet and do battle with Rev. Chisolm. To that end, she has gathered a group of social outcasts who help her wreak havoc across America.

In preparation for her confrontation with Chisolm, Susan unleashes her death squad in Arkansas and West Virginia. These attacks leave dozens dead, homeless, and shell shocked. But these events are only preludes to the destruction planned for Maple Landing. Susan, the embodiment of one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, longs to battle her real foe, the unsuspecting Rev. Chisolm. The two finally clash, nearly leveling Maple Landing in the process.

Symphony is the first in a planned quartet dealing with the Four Horsemen described in Revelations. Grant mines the rich vein of apocalyptic legend to good advantage, updating and modernizing the legends to suit his purposes. For instance, Susan, who I presume is Death, drives a white Continental. From the opening scene, it is clear the car is lumbering towards a date with destiny. Grant manages to use its slow approach to Maple Landing to increase the tension by degrees--I haven't been this unnerved by an automobile since I encountered the black sixty-six Chevy featured so prominently in Joe Lansdale's The Nightrunners.

Once again, Grant demonstrates his mastery of understated, subtle horror. In Symphony, he takes the overwhelming concept of the Apocalypse and reduces it to a smaller, more human scale. Instead of dealing with global cataclysm, Symphony focuses on the struggles of a single man whose worst enemy may turn out to be himself. The intimacy of the action involves the reader on a level that a large scale epic could not match. The horror, as seen through the eyes of a few participants, is all the more compelling because of this.

Ultimately, Symphony does not answer all the questions it poses. It does, however, set up several intriguing concepts for the next three volumes to explore.

Another on my list of Post Apocalyptic tales, Symphony is the first book of a four part series dealing with the four horsemen of the apocalypse. While the characters are interesting, the story is filled with subplots and tangents that just go nowhere. The writer has a penchant for placing characters in interesting situation, then leaving you to assume you know what happened. Yet, at many times, you guessing, which is not good. Grant takes an interesting course with humanizing the horseman, this time War, but this was done much better in Gaimen and Pratchett's Good Omens. Here, it basically humorless. The book's ending is ambiguous at best, and while this may be OK for some series, here it just makes you want to avoid picking up the next installment.

Death, the first horseman of the Apocalypse, and who is actually a woman tooling around in a car with a hood ornament shaped like a horse, comes riding into a small town to do battle with an apparently paranormally gifted minister. Author Charles Grant, as has been his style for years, pays closer to building an atmosphere of mystery and impending doom than any kind of actual story. Those looking for something that speaks in whispers and enigmas will find something to like here, others wanting something more focused on plot and answering the questions it raises should look elsewhere.

FINALLY! I've loved Grant's prose and subtle horror ever since I discovered it, but one thing that I've hard a time with: his endings. I can deal with edgy stories that are realistic and not necessarily "happy"; I have a tough time with nihilistic, "there is no point to anything; we're all gonna die anyway" endings, and so far that's all Grant's work has offered. This one, however, had characters I could really root for - especially Rev. Chilsom - and an ending I could root for, too.

This book is great, I have now read it 7 times and it gets better every time. It is my favorite book of the series although chariot is a close second. Everybody in the world can see a themselves in this book. Every character represents us as people and I believe that is why some people may be turned off by the book. Stephen King wish he could write this good, this blows "the stand" out of the water. Thank you Mr. Grant for writing the milennium quartet.

I enjoyed Grant's style and did not find it to be a confusing book at all. The characters are drawn clearly, remain true and seem entirely believeable. I went out and immediately hunted down In the Mood - which I found to be even better and more foreboding. I am definitely ready for the next installment. The only thing I'm confused about is that it's been referred to as a trilogy, a quartet and even a tetrology. However many volumes - I'm game. The only trilogy I am enjoying more than this is Dean Koontz's Fear Nothing, followed by Sieze the Night, both of which were excellent. The 3rd installment is yet another anxiously-awaited printing. I say - Read Charles Grant's Millenium series - it's worth it!

A cover blurb states that reading 'Symphony' is a lot like watching 'The X-Files.' Maybe it was the bees, but I think it more appropriate to compare it to Chris Carter's other series 'Millennium.'
It's nearing the turn of the century, and millennium fever has come to a rural Pennsylvania town, heralded by four mysterious strangers in a long, pale car. 'Symphony' is confusing at times, where the exposition comes off very vague, but I like Grant's style. The story is suffused with quiet mystery and a subtle tension that comes to a head in the final chapters. It's a very good setup and opening for what will follow, and I'm looking forward to 'In the Mood.'

I feel this book, although confusing at times, was well worth the read. It definitely keeps you guessing, yet still interested in who has to do with what. Give it a chance, Charles Grant is my uncle and needs the money.

I enjoy fictional books that use Biblical themes as a basis. This book was written using a biblical theme but not from a biblical perspective. The lead character was far from a biblical hero. But my biggest complaint was - I wasn't sure who was speaking during the dialogue portions or who they were speaking to. Many times the characters would be in a group and the author used "he said" or "she said." Who's speaking to whom? I dunno. I don't want to be unkind but I'm not interested in finding out what happens in the sequel.

I thought this book was good. I'll admit, it's not the best, and at times can be confusing, but the confusion fits the format. It's definitely an interesting read. I'm interested in the next, mainly because this book seemed to be mostly about setting the scene for the next three. It's the first of four, and should be treated as such.