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juushikaTitle: Hemlock Grove
Author: Brian McGreevy
Published: New York: FSG Originals, 2012
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 320
Total Page Count: 169,729
Text Number: 497
Read Because: fan of the television adapatation, ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: Two strangers are drawn together by the death of a young woman to an apparent animal attack: Peter, Romani, outsider, and perhaps a werewolf, and Roman, heir to Hemlock Grove's medical empire and gifted with strange powers of his own. The Netflix adaptation is surprisingly faithful, so fans of the show will find this familiar. I prefer the show, but only by bare margin. All the best dynamics and lines come directly from the book, the McGreevy's voice is a delight, abrupt in pacing, florid in wording, perfect for the reluctant but intense desires of the cast. I found this absorbing, and while Hemlock Grove carries inherent caveats (for the representation of Romani people, and for its indulgent grotesquery) I recommend it.
No one told me that Hemlock Grove (television) was so faithful to Hemlock Grove (novel)!* Other things no one told me: the book is fantastic.
I prefer the first season of the show, and not just because it was my first exposure. Normally, written source material contains extra depth or detail, but here the book has less (the glory of television adaptation as opposed to film)—and fleshing out fringe characters in particular does a world of good. And all the changes that the show makes, most especially to Shelley's unique biology (the whole boxes-full-of-soil-worn-as-shoes thing is particularly ridiculous, and doesn't lend well to her surprisingly ability for action), I think are well-considered; save the ending, on which I can go either way: the changes at the end of the first season are necessary to open the story to a direct sequel, but I do love the balance of the book end, the pessimistic finality of Roman's fate, the bittersweet optimism of Peter's.
But all the best dynamics, the best lines, the strong sense of place and the unique style which in the show is atmosphere and in the book is voice—and I love McGreevy' voice, as underwritten and as emotionally transparent as his characters, stumbling headfirst into the occult and into intimacies—are from the book. In fact, on an emotional level the book is surperior: Peter's reluctance and Roman's nervous need are both stronger, without overwhelming the narrative with emotional confessions.
I've watched the first season of Hemlock Grove *mumbles* times, and the novel is near-identical in content and pacing, and yet it was utterly absorbing, almost more intense an experience for being condensed and pure.
* To be fair, when I plan to consume a piece of media I try to go into it with as little foreknowledge as possible, because I don't like to expend energy on anticipation or taint my consumption with biases/spoilers. But still!
Author: Brian McGreevy
Published: New York: FSG Originals, 2012
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 320
Total Page Count: 169,729
Text Number: 497
Read Because: fan of the television adapatation, ebook borrowed from the Multnomah County Library
Review: Two strangers are drawn together by the death of a young woman to an apparent animal attack: Peter, Romani, outsider, and perhaps a werewolf, and Roman, heir to Hemlock Grove's medical empire and gifted with strange powers of his own. The Netflix adaptation is surprisingly faithful, so fans of the show will find this familiar. I prefer the show, but only by bare margin. All the best dynamics and lines come directly from the book, the McGreevy's voice is a delight, abrupt in pacing, florid in wording, perfect for the reluctant but intense desires of the cast. I found this absorbing, and while Hemlock Grove carries inherent caveats (for the representation of Romani people, and for its indulgent grotesquery) I recommend it.
No one told me that Hemlock Grove (television) was so faithful to Hemlock Grove (novel)!* Other things no one told me: the book is fantastic.
I prefer the first season of the show, and not just because it was my first exposure. Normally, written source material contains extra depth or detail, but here the book has less (the glory of television adaptation as opposed to film)—and fleshing out fringe characters in particular does a world of good. And all the changes that the show makes, most especially to Shelley's unique biology (the whole boxes-full-of-soil-worn-as-shoes thing is particularly ridiculous, and doesn't lend well to her surprisingly ability for action), I think are well-considered; save the ending, on which I can go either way: the changes at the end of the first season are necessary to open the story to a direct sequel, but I do love the balance of the book end, the pessimistic finality of Roman's fate, the bittersweet optimism of Peter's.
But all the best dynamics, the best lines, the strong sense of place and the unique style which in the show is atmosphere and in the book is voice—and I love McGreevy' voice, as underwritten and as emotionally transparent as his characters, stumbling headfirst into the occult and into intimacies—are from the book. In fact, on an emotional level the book is surperior: Peter's reluctance and Roman's nervous need are both stronger, without overwhelming the narrative with emotional confessions.
I've watched the first season of Hemlock Grove *mumbles* times, and the novel is near-identical in content and pacing, and yet it was utterly absorbing, almost more intense an experience for being condensed and pure.
Who am I? What's my dog in this fight?
I'm the killer.
Boo.
* To be fair, when I plan to consume a piece of media I try to go into it with as little foreknowledge as possible, because I don't like to expend energy on anticipation or taint my consumption with biases/spoilers. But still!
