Scan barcode
chapman's review against another edition
3.0
Based around the Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner and the curse of killing the Albatross. An engaging story of the unknown mysteries and terrors of the unknown oceans. I enjoyed the storytelling perspective of the young boy, the warnings that hover round the tale from the beginning. Well worth reading for an enjoyable tale of ancient sea misadventures.
I will go back and read the original poem too as it's been a long time. I'm looking forward to comparing the two.
I will go back and read the original poem too as it's been a long time. I'm looking forward to comparing the two.
sharon_geitz's review against another edition
4.0
Compelling re-telling of The Rime of the ancient Mariner. I read this rather quickly over the weekend it was compelling but I think I enjoyed Tales of Terror from the Black Ship more. Still I definitely must seek out more books by Chris Priestly.
sharon4d046's review
4.0
Compelling re-telling of The Rime of the ancient Mariner. I read this rather quickly over the weekend it was compelling but I think I enjoyed Tales of Terror from the Black Ship more. Still I definitely must seek out more books by Chris Priestly.
rinn's review
3.0
I received a copy of this book for free from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. Also posted on my blog, Rinn Reads.
The Dead Men Stood Together was, perhaps, not quite what I was expecting. I actually ended up reading this in print, rather than the e-galley originally from Netgalley, and the cover of the finished version gave the impression of a book for much younger readers than I’d originally thought. This is supported by the size of the font (HUGE), which for some reason was all in bold, a choice I found rather odd.
Formatting aside, this was a strange book. It is based on The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, an odd choice considering the book’s intended audience – and especially when, on reading, I think I would have appreciated the book a lot more had I prior knowledge of the poem, which I expect most middle grade/teen readers won’t have. It is not entirely clear when the book is set, the prologue is clearly the late 19th century but the majority of the story is centuries before that – from the elements of the story I would hazard a guess at the 1700s, which is also when Ancient Mariner was published.
The Dead Men Stood Together tells of a young boy who joins his uncle on a supply ship, but their ship gets lost in a storm and ends up in frozen and foggy waters. They are soon frequently visited by an albatross, whom the crew begin to see as a beacon of hope. However, the boy’s uncle, who is possibly mad and completely untruthful, kills the albatross, and the crew turns on him. Fortunately, just before they can kill him, the ice and fog begin to clear, and they are free. It just gets weirder from there – although this is all a direct retelling of the Ancient Mariner, the poem in prose form. The only original element is the narrator, the young boy on a journey with his uncle.
This was an easy and quick read, but a very odd one. I would definitely have appreciated it a lot more if I’d previously read The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and I have a feeling the book will suffer a lot for much of its target audience being unfamiliar with the poem. I have to admit, whilst I’d heard of it, I knew very little about it before now. There were no names in the book – as with the poem, I believe – but this only meant that I had no chance to ‘get to know’ the characters. And now that I know that the book is pretty much the poem exactly, with a few additions at beginning and end, it feels almost lazy.
The Dead Men Stood Together was, perhaps, not quite what I was expecting. I actually ended up reading this in print, rather than the e-galley originally from Netgalley, and the cover of the finished version gave the impression of a book for much younger readers than I’d originally thought. This is supported by the size of the font (HUGE), which for some reason was all in bold, a choice I found rather odd.
Formatting aside, this was a strange book. It is based on The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, an odd choice considering the book’s intended audience – and especially when, on reading, I think I would have appreciated the book a lot more had I prior knowledge of the poem, which I expect most middle grade/teen readers won’t have. It is not entirely clear when the book is set, the prologue is clearly the late 19th century but the majority of the story is centuries before that – from the elements of the story I would hazard a guess at the 1700s, which is also when Ancient Mariner was published.
The Dead Men Stood Together tells of a young boy who joins his uncle on a supply ship, but their ship gets lost in a storm and ends up in frozen and foggy waters. They are soon frequently visited by an albatross, whom the crew begin to see as a beacon of hope. However, the boy’s uncle, who is possibly mad and completely untruthful, kills the albatross, and the crew turns on him. Fortunately, just before they can kill him, the ice and fog begin to clear, and they are free. It just gets weirder from there – although this is all a direct retelling of the Ancient Mariner, the poem in prose form. The only original element is the narrator, the young boy on a journey with his uncle.
This was an easy and quick read, but a very odd one. I would definitely have appreciated it a lot more if I’d previously read The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and I have a feeling the book will suffer a lot for much of its target audience being unfamiliar with the poem. I have to admit, whilst I’d heard of it, I knew very little about it before now. There were no names in the book – as with the poem, I believe – but this only meant that I had no chance to ‘get to know’ the characters. And now that I know that the book is pretty much the poem exactly, with a few additions at beginning and end, it feels almost lazy.
bethkemp's review
4.0
Really enjoyed this reimagining of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (which doesn't require knowledge of the poem to enjoy). I loved the new character of the Mariner's nephew (who relates the tale) and the voice created for him. The main plot points are all taken from the original poem - Priestly has just added in some explanation for the nephew being on board the ship with the mariner and some additional details that make the story more logical (without losing any of the unworldly creepiness) or add texture/depth to support it becoming a novel rather than a long poem. The structural elements of the frame and the seven parts are also retained and used really well. While there is clearly plenty for those familiar with the original text to enjoy, I would definitely recommend this as a story in its own right for lovers of horror/chiller novels.
More...