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 enlarge | Author: Michael Marshall Smith
Publisher: Eos
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy Used: $5.01
You Save: $9.94 (66%)
New (37) Used (20) from $5.01
Avg. Customer Rating:  92 reviews
Sales Rank: 128957
Media: Paperback
Edition: Reprint
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5 x 0.7
ISBN: 006149416X
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN: 9780061494161
ASIN: 006149416X
Publication Date: September 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 A Modern Ghost Story November 24, 2008
Michael Marshall Smith's "The Servants" is a modern ghost story, set in the bleakness of off-season Brighton in England. Beautifully written, and the main character, a child, is very accurately depicted.
Smith truly captures the sense of gloom of Brighton when it's cold and grey. At the same time, it was an imaginative ghost story that conjured up incredible imagery. I kept thinking Tim Burton should make this into a film, it has that sort of off-kilter quirkiness to it.
If you like realistic stories with a supernatural overtone (i.e., the films The Others, or The Orphanage) then The Servants is a terrific read. (Now, someone buy the movie rights!!!)
 "Behind the Attic Wall" only with a boy and no attic November 20, 2008
It's not really that much like Behind the Attic Wall when it comes down to it. But as I read "The Servants" it had the same sort of "ambiance" as that book.
For reasons that I can't explain, I had difficulty sympathizing with the main character, Mark, but I did recognize him as a real person.
I think that a young reader who's recently gone through a move or something like it would really enjoy this book.
 I don't get it...... November 20, 2008
You know, I think there are some people out there who just don't do well with lyrical writing. Like me. I don't huge metaphors either, or books (especially fantasy) where something happens so out of the blue that you have to put the book down, stop, and make sure you weren't hallucinating.
Because "The Servant's" had all of the above qualities it wasn't a book I enjoyed very much. If more of what was going on was explained instead of just being this obscure, "mystical happenings are a-foot" story I'm sure I would have liked it more. But as it stands, I don't like things I don't understand and I didn't understand this book.
Interesting, OK read November 14, 2008
First of all (and most seem to agree) the ending seems a little rushed when it finally gets there. Expect that up front. The main character is a bit of a pain (somewhat understandably) but that feeling wore off after a while. Overall, though, I did like it. I am a sucker for ghost stories and while this is not your traditionally scary ghost tale, it does a good job with that mystical, other-worldly feel. A quick and fairly enjoyable read.
 Perplexing November 11, 2008
I'm not sure what to do with "The Servants." It feels like a young adult novel, but it's not being marketed as one. (Other than the swear words, which aren't really necessary to the plot or the characters, it would be totally appropriate for the Harry Potter set.) Michael Marshall Smith does an excellent job of capturing the self-absorption of youth without making his main character, 11-year-old Mark, at all unlikeable. That's quite a feat.
The ending is a little unbelievable, and I was never entirely clear on what was the deal with the house and its benign haunting, but I enjoyed the story and the characters. I will probably share this one with my nephew when he's a little older (he's 9 now).
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