Having read three Dan Simmons novels (ENDYMION, THE RISE OF ENDYMION and TERROR) and thoroughly enjoying them I was surprised that it took me to page 444 (out of 771 total) to actually be engaged with this story. By the time I got to this point I figured I needed to finish the novel since I had invested my time up to this point and I wanted to find out the truth about what was going on between Drood the Mysterious and Charles Dickens.
Dan Simmons weaves a peculiar tale around the remnants and folklore surrounding actual events in the last days of Charles Dickens’ life which have remained, for the most part, a mystery. The narrator of the story is supposedly a friend and competing author named Wilkie Collins, who writes a tell all that is only supposed to be read after he and Dickens are gone.
I enjoyed the Victorian era, and love reading anything set in London. DROOD is a big, slow moving vehicle, with an ending that left me with more questions than I started with… However I do enjoy the writing style of Simmons. If you like stories set in the Victorian era or in London in general or even like spooky titles filled with “weirdness” then give this one a shot. I would not recommend this as the only book to read by Simmons since TERROR is personally one of my favorites and I would suggest you start with that one.
Reviewed by Jae Anderson
