Ragged Man by Jack Priest Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Ragged Man
Book Review: A globe-trotting genre jumper
Summary: 4 Stars
When the author asked me to read and review three of his horror books I really didn't know what to expect. . I'd only read one book in the genre, one by Stephen What'sHisName. So I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Jack Priest books are fun, well-written, tightly plotted and entertaining. Ragged Man begins in the Australian desert and bounces around the globe, finding metaphysical beasties, real-time music black-marketers and investigators gone postal. Priest does a great job of weaving his great-big-ugly-thingamajig into a volatile human setting. There's something here for everyone. Readers knowledgeable about metaphysical pursuits will find aspects of the plot and characters to be uncomfortably close to certain other realities, getting the juices flowing in ways they didn't anticipate. Young readers will enjoy the book for the adrenalin rushes.
I don't believe you'll regret buying this book, even if you think you don't like horror genre.
Book Review: Awfully Good
Summary: 5 Stars
From the opening scene racing in Australia to the end of the book where the hero is racing to save lives the action never lets up. The bad thing from the Dreamtime is a great villain. JP is a great kid, who has a good head on his shoulders, but he's in trouble plenty. Lots of tension. A good read.Book Review: Be wary of the Reviews
Summary: 1 Stars
The book is not good at all. If you notice, and read carefully, it is apparant that the majority of reviews and listmania recommendations are done by Jack Priest himself, or his freinds. I bought it based on all of the hype when comparing it to Dean Koontz and other thrillers I like, but there is a reason this book has never made a bestseller list.Book Review: Don't Believe the Hype
Summary: 1 Stars
I picked this up because I enjoy the occasional thriller and the reviews were so good it seemed like a `can't miss'. That expectation soon crumbled in the face of reading the generic prose. It is just so poorly written I could not subject myself to it for much more than a few chapters.
The writing was bad enough, but the unfortunate part of the book is the characters. They are cookie cutter caricatures of people I don't think I could ever bring myself to care about. In terms of edge of your seat suspense, it was more an exercise in silliness than anything that could be considered frightening. Very disappointing, indeed.
For those who like Dean Koontz, you may get into this.
Please take advantage of the `search inside' feature associated with this book before purchasing.
Book Review: Eh.... Ok I guess....MAY HAVE SPOILERS....
Summary: 3 Stars
"The Ragged Man" by Jack Priest is a supernatural thriller that offers an intriguing idea that really fails to deliver a solid story all the way through.
This story starts in Australia, aborigine country. A couple, Rick and Ann Gordon are part of a cross-country race when their vehicle breaks down beyond service. They come across a jeep with an elderly, aborignal couple moments from death. As Rick and Ann feverishly try to help them, the older couple ask only one thing of them..... bury them. They oblige. Later in the night they are attacked by a shabbily dressed man (or ragged?) and a demonic dog. Only to be saved by a good samaritan conveneintly nearby.
Time passes on and it becomes clear Rick was part of some shady, less-than-legal business: Bootlegging music (give me a break). The spirit of the Ragged Man now made its way to the states and took over the barrel-chested body of the man hunting Gordon for his business dealings. This man turns into a remorseless killing machine who is not only hell-bent on killing Gordon and his wife but everybody on his bounty list who he should be putting behind bars for making phony records. And anybody who gets in his way. One of those people is little JP Donovan. JP is 7 years old but he must 75 in experience because it seemed like he's Macguyver, Rambo, Indiana Jones, and Jimmy Page (JP is not a coincidence by the way) all wrapped into one.
I was really disappointed in this book especially after all of the praise it received on this website. And I really wanted to like Bootleg publishing because I enjoyed their story very much. But character development was poor, loose-ends left untied, ridiculous story lines (even for a supernatural thriller), and just overall very amateur writing. I would stay away. Sorry.