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A review by manwithanagenda
War in Heaven by Charles Williams
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Well, I feel a bit cheated. This book had a brilliant opening line and scenes that were pregeniters of Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett. I thought I had stumbled onto something rich.
Unfortunately the book gets weighted down with theology and overwriting along the lines of unneeded explanations. It just got so boring, and how old it is is no excuse. I suspect Charles Williams merely had lapses of old fuddy-duddyness. Or he let good ol' J.R.R. act as his editor on some chapters. We don't quite get to endless treks across Hollin but some scenes got close.
Because, you see, Charles Williams was a member of the Inklings, that 'informal' literary club that also boasted J.R.R. Tolkein and C.S. Lewis as members. So when this little hot pink number crossed my desk I was intrigued.
The humor comes only in spurts, whole scenes can be narrated with a light touch of social satire and wit and absurdity that made me smile; other scenes verged on paint drying, or worse, preaching. OK, so that last bit is a trifle unfair. You have a story involving the holy grail, a struggle between an Archdeacan and a group of Satanists you should really expect some religion to play a part. But it did go on sometimes.
What Williams really did well were the transitions from everyday life or light humor into seriously creepy scenes involving a sinister older man trying to win over a young boy for the devil. Some of that though might be from a modern lens where I try to comprehend an intelligent young couple consigning their little boy over to an eccentric old man for hours on end full of 'secret games' without batting an eye. Its not like the old man's a relative, or even a friend of the family. He's the retired father of their boss. "Oh yes, do take Adrien into London for the weekend. That sounds lovely!"
What? No! That's a terrible idea. Different times I suppose, but it just adds an extra layer of creepiness onto a novel full of sinister and unnerving events. Just be prepared to gloss over some theological exposition and there's a fine early supernatural thriller here, with funny in.
Unfortunately the book gets weighted down with theology and overwriting along the lines of unneeded explanations. It just got so boring, and how old it is is no excuse. I suspect Charles Williams merely had lapses of old fuddy-duddyness. Or he let good ol' J.R.R. act as his editor on some chapters. We don't quite get to endless treks across Hollin but some scenes got close.
Because, you see, Charles Williams was a member of the Inklings, that 'informal' literary club that also boasted J.R.R. Tolkein and C.S. Lewis as members. So when this little hot pink number crossed my desk I was intrigued.
The humor comes only in spurts, whole scenes can be narrated with a light touch of social satire and wit and absurdity that made me smile; other scenes verged on paint drying, or worse, preaching. OK, so that last bit is a trifle unfair. You have a story involving the holy grail, a struggle between an Archdeacan and a group of Satanists you should really expect some religion to play a part. But it did go on sometimes.
What Williams really did well were the transitions from everyday life or light humor into seriously creepy scenes involving a sinister older man trying to win over a young boy for the devil. Some of that though might be from a modern lens where I try to comprehend an intelligent young couple consigning their little boy over to an eccentric old man for hours on end full of 'secret games' without batting an eye. Its not like the old man's a relative, or even a friend of the family. He's the retired father of their boss. "Oh yes, do take Adrien into London for the weekend. That sounds lovely!"
What? No! That's a terrible idea. Different times I suppose, but it just adds an extra layer of creepiness onto a novel full of sinister and unnerving events. Just be prepared to gloss over some theological exposition and there's a fine early supernatural thriller here, with funny in.