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Cast a Cold Eye
The remote western coast of Ireland: a place of rock and mist and lashing waves, where the old customs and the oldest fears are still alive. Jack Quinlan, an American writer, is researching a book on the horrors of the Irish Famine. As the days pass, and the longer nights, the darkness of history parts ... only to reveal an even greater darkness in the present.
351 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
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980 people want to read
About the author
Alan Ryan
90Ìýbooks40ÌýfollowersAlan Peter Ryan was an American author and editor, known for his work in the horror genre in the 1980s.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
March 28, 2016
This was one of the very best ghost story novels I've read in recent years. It's extremely quiet and understated, but the unsettling atmosphere slowly builds at an almost pitch-perfect pace. It concerns an American writer who decides to rent a house in a remote and insular coastal village in Ireland while he works on his book about the Great Famine of the mid-19th century, which the village had been hard-hit by. Little does he know that some traumatic events are etched in the earth's memory, not to be forgotten.
Though it's been nearly three years since I'd read Cast a Cold Eye, every time I catch a glimpse of it on my shelves, I'm struck with the same feeling as when I was enveloped in the story. That feeling can best be described as melancholy and despair mixed with unnerved and, oddly, the sensation of coldness. Once you've read it and experienced the icy chill of the town's air, its rain, its foggy nights, its rocky shore's ocean spray, its residents (and their "old ways"), its stone houses, its crumbling fences, its sad history, its restless ghosts, and the entire vibe of the book in general, you'll see what I mean.
Not to be missed by fans of ghost tales. Too bad Alan Ryan didn't write much fiction after this, as his storytelling abilities and graceful prose were finally coming into their own.
4.5 Stars
Though it's been nearly three years since I'd read Cast a Cold Eye, every time I catch a glimpse of it on my shelves, I'm struck with the same feeling as when I was enveloped in the story. That feeling can best be described as melancholy and despair mixed with unnerved and, oddly, the sensation of coldness. Once you've read it and experienced the icy chill of the town's air, its rain, its foggy nights, its rocky shore's ocean spray, its residents (and their "old ways"), its stone houses, its crumbling fences, its sad history, its restless ghosts, and the entire vibe of the book in general, you'll see what I mean.
Not to be missed by fans of ghost tales. Too bad Alan Ryan didn't write much fiction after this, as his storytelling abilities and graceful prose were finally coming into their own.
4.5 Stars
June 19, 2016
Feast your eyes upon this super creepy cover! What horror fan wouldn't want to read this book?
A seanachie in ancient Ireland was an historian and storyteller. It's a word mentioned to Jack Quinlan, an American visiting Ireland to research a book he's writing about the Irish potato famine. Jack sets himself up in a rental house for 3 months so he can explore the area and get to writing. The Irish towns he visits are small with old buildings, and the townspeople are all simple folk with simple traditions. However, these towns often have secrets and rituals and Jack is about to stumble onto some of them. Will he survive the encounter? You'll have to read Cast A Cold Eye to find out!
This book drips with atmosphere. A ghost story set in October, on the western shores of Ireland. There's fog, there's moors nearby, there's the sea bashing the rocky land day and night. Alan Ryan's prose when describing the delights of the Irish scenery was rich and vivid. It created a contrast in my mind with the horrible facts about the Irish potato famine: Such natural beauty in the scenery yet many people starved to death in the middle of it.
Unfortunately, I felt that the atmosphere did not deliver in the end. I was somehow expecting more of a bang and when the denouement arrived it somehow felt anti-climactic. However, that does not mean that I didn't enjoy the journey because I did.
Recommended to fans of atmospheric ghost stories and beautiful prose!
*Thanks to Valancourt Books for providing a free e-copy in exchange for my honest review. This is it!*
A seanachie in ancient Ireland was an historian and storyteller. It's a word mentioned to Jack Quinlan, an American visiting Ireland to research a book he's writing about the Irish potato famine. Jack sets himself up in a rental house for 3 months so he can explore the area and get to writing. The Irish towns he visits are small with old buildings, and the townspeople are all simple folk with simple traditions. However, these towns often have secrets and rituals and Jack is about to stumble onto some of them. Will he survive the encounter? You'll have to read Cast A Cold Eye to find out!
This book drips with atmosphere. A ghost story set in October, on the western shores of Ireland. There's fog, there's moors nearby, there's the sea bashing the rocky land day and night. Alan Ryan's prose when describing the delights of the Irish scenery was rich and vivid. It created a contrast in my mind with the horrible facts about the Irish potato famine: Such natural beauty in the scenery yet many people starved to death in the middle of it.
Unfortunately, I felt that the atmosphere did not deliver in the end. I was somehow expecting more of a bang and when the denouement arrived it somehow felt anti-climactic. However, that does not mean that I didn't enjoy the journey because I did.
Recommended to fans of atmospheric ghost stories and beautiful prose!
*Thanks to Valancourt Books for providing a free e-copy in exchange for my honest review. This is it!*
October 29, 2024
this is a thoughtful, deeply compassionate novel about a rural Irish village haunted by spirits from the Famine. "haunted" may not be the right word for what is happening: these spirits are more like ghastly but mainly very sad reminders of the terrible past; they may appear and disappear, but touch them and they feel just as human as the living. an Irish-American author and his very new Irish love interest come to this village and are caught up in its music, its ceremonies, its many unexplained mysteries, its ghosts and legends. the blood of sacrifice and the blood of Jesus are ever-present. this quiet novel unfurls slowly. there is death at the start and at the finish, but no moments of true terror, only an eerie sadness and ruminations on mortality and tragic history. there's a granular account of the author's gradual understanding of this place that's both prosaic and dreamlike. the book is all mood. there is also a sweet love story that only somewhat lightens all of the melancholy. the only misstep in this perfectly executed novel is the title, which implies a dispassionate perspective. quite the opposite of the book itself, which makes clear that neither the village nor its newest residents can detach themselves from the past. it cannot be ignored; it must be understood, embraced. and so an understanding is reached...
June 18, 2016
While this novel was rich in atmosphere and steeped in local tradition, I found the pace to be a bit slow.
3.5 stars
3.5 stars
June 19, 2016
CAST A COLD EYE, by Alan Ryan is a "slow-burn" horror story. If you're looking for a gory splatterfest, you won't find that here.... What you WILL find is an intensely creepy feeling that continues to build up with the suspense up until the very end. The atmosphere is both beautiful, and oppressive--a combination that fits naturally into the story--making you both wish you could be there in person, and yet, dreading what the final outcome might bring.
In my opinion, this is an old-fashioned ghost story of the best kind. One that brings many questions to mind, while steadily building that expectation of something horrible yet to come.
Highly recommended!
In my opinion, this is an old-fashioned ghost story of the best kind. One that brings many questions to mind, while steadily building that expectation of something horrible yet to come.
Highly recommended!
February 22, 2018
ah this book! how could I not love it? Traditions of our ancestors being kept alive and being shown some of the magic they hold? yes all over this book! Alan Ryan creates a beautiful rich Ireland (is it really like that?) and gets you all cozy and starts throwing in creepy, creepy stuff. Then! he throws in the priest. uh oh! you just know this is no good but i don't think anyone in the book was bad or evil. they were keeping traditions alive and i will always fall for a story with that in the plot.
July 12, 2016
Cast a Cold Eye is a perfect storm of a novel, bringing together atmosphere, location and mystery in one of the finest ghost stories it has been my pleasure to read.
An American author travels to a remote village in Ireland to gather background for a book on the Irish Famine, and discovers that the past is closer than he thinks.....and it does not lie quietly.
A beautifully constructed example of literary ghost story that doesn't burn slowly....it creeps up on you like the mists off the moors, slow and relentless, running chill fingers down the back of your neck. The suspense builds just as slowly, ratcheting up the reader's unease to the breaking point.
Kudos to Valancourt Books for bringing this masterwork by an underappreciated author back into print.
Highly recommended.
An American author travels to a remote village in Ireland to gather background for a book on the Irish Famine, and discovers that the past is closer than he thinks.....and it does not lie quietly.
A beautifully constructed example of literary ghost story that doesn't burn slowly....it creeps up on you like the mists off the moors, slow and relentless, running chill fingers down the back of your neck. The suspense builds just as slowly, ratcheting up the reader's unease to the breaking point.
Kudos to Valancourt Books for bringing this masterwork by an underappreciated author back into print.
Highly recommended.
July 25, 2019
Not for me thanks...
Jack Quinlan is an American writer that decides to travel to Ireland for the span of three months in order to gather information for his new book that he is writing on the potato famine of Ireland. While he is there he witnesses some very strange things and starts seeing apparitions.
This book is far too stereotypical. And what I mean by that is it's like looking at Ireland through an American lens. The people and the countryside are exactly what people in America think that it looks like and how they act which coming from a person who's actually read books on Ireland by people from Ireland, makes this entire book one big eye roll.
While Jack's cocky American attitude makes him an interesting character and his love interest and the banter that they have between the two also very interesting, I found this book to be little more than dry and boring. Most of the book is of Jack driving around, seeing his apparitions, and going to the pub.
Speaking of Jack and his love interest let's talk about that for a moment... Jack seems to be absolutely obsessed with her breasts and mentions them more than several times throughout the book. Their sex scene was also completely overdone in my opinion and the writing seems to be completely outlandish at this point in the book. Not to mention the fact that at this point they had only met up with each other a few times and now all of a sudden they're having sex in the rain after just seeing a ghost.... like WTF?
The last thing that I had a problem with was there really seems to not be any danger aspect in this book. I mean yes he is seeing ghosts and that is pretty creepy but they are not doing anything and nothing really happens throughout the book. It just comes off as very foolish and pointless.
All in all I will give this book 2 stars for the author's effort and because I didn't hate the book but I really didn't like it either. Can't say I'd recommend this one.
Jack Quinlan is an American writer that decides to travel to Ireland for the span of three months in order to gather information for his new book that he is writing on the potato famine of Ireland. While he is there he witnesses some very strange things and starts seeing apparitions.
This book is far too stereotypical. And what I mean by that is it's like looking at Ireland through an American lens. The people and the countryside are exactly what people in America think that it looks like and how they act which coming from a person who's actually read books on Ireland by people from Ireland, makes this entire book one big eye roll.
While Jack's cocky American attitude makes him an interesting character and his love interest and the banter that they have between the two also very interesting, I found this book to be little more than dry and boring. Most of the book is of Jack driving around, seeing his apparitions, and going to the pub.
Speaking of Jack and his love interest let's talk about that for a moment... Jack seems to be absolutely obsessed with her breasts and mentions them more than several times throughout the book. Their sex scene was also completely overdone in my opinion and the writing seems to be completely outlandish at this point in the book. Not to mention the fact that at this point they had only met up with each other a few times and now all of a sudden they're having sex in the rain after just seeing a ghost.... like WTF?
The last thing that I had a problem with was there really seems to not be any danger aspect in this book. I mean yes he is seeing ghosts and that is pretty creepy but they are not doing anything and nothing really happens throughout the book. It just comes off as very foolish and pointless.
All in all I will give this book 2 stars for the author's effort and because I didn't hate the book but I really didn't like it either. Can't say I'd recommend this one.
July 31, 2021
Wow. A really haunting and chilling ghost story with a real sense of place. Loved this.
December 4, 2016
What great atmosphere!
There are two stories at work here that will, given time and above all circumstance, ultimately converge. The novel begins with a scene that launches the first of these, as four men are waiting in a shabeen trying to keep warm while awaiting a funeral procession before going on to an ancient graveyard to perform some strange rites. As good writers will, Ryan gives us no explanations, so the question of what's going on here and why is planted in the reader's head from the outset and stays in the back of the mind throughout the novel until all is revealed. Great way to start a horror novel, if you ask me. The second storyline belongs to Jack Quinlan, who has come to Ireland, home of his ancestors, to do some research on a novel he's writing about the Famine. More specifically, his book is about
"a family and its struggles to survive through the Famine of 1846 and 1847, and about the horrible thing ... that happened to three members of his family in particular."
Jack takes a house in the rather isolated village of Doolin, planning to stay for three months, and it isn't too long before he sets up a nice routine of research, writing, and sometimes hanging out at the local pubs, where traditional music is played of an evening. He's met a girl, Grainne, to whom he's very much attracted, and all seems to be well with him right up until the moment when he starts to see and hear some very disturbing things which seem to follow him whenever he's out and about. And then one night he witnesses something he knows is real, but has no explanation for. The only person he can talk to about it is the local priest Father Henning, the local seanachie who loves telling eerie stories, yet is reluctant at best to talk with Jack about his experiences. The question becomes whether or not Jack's actually experiencing these horrific things -- is the research he's doing getting to him, or is it the remoteness and isolation of the place that's affecting him? And if it is true that Jack is not going off his rocker but is really seeing what he thinks he's seeing, why him?
Reading Cast a Cold Eye is to find yourself in the middle of an eerie mystery that grows darker and creepier along the way, one that is not solved up until the last minute. A lot of readers have noted, like the Kirkus reviewer of this book, that the story "doesn't add up," that there are too many loose ends, yada yada yada, but it all made perfectly good sense to me. I won't say why, since I'm sure many people will want to read this novel, but the answers really are all there. My regular habit is to finish a novel and then go back and reread the first chapter, and in this case, it's a hugely eye-opening moment, stunningly circular in nature. It may not scare the bejeebies out of modern horror readers, but for those of us who aren't looking for chainsaw-wielding killer clowns or the like, it's a delightful tale of ghostly horrors that will stay in your head for a long time after turning that last page.
There are two stories at work here that will, given time and above all circumstance, ultimately converge. The novel begins with a scene that launches the first of these, as four men are waiting in a shabeen trying to keep warm while awaiting a funeral procession before going on to an ancient graveyard to perform some strange rites. As good writers will, Ryan gives us no explanations, so the question of what's going on here and why is planted in the reader's head from the outset and stays in the back of the mind throughout the novel until all is revealed. Great way to start a horror novel, if you ask me. The second storyline belongs to Jack Quinlan, who has come to Ireland, home of his ancestors, to do some research on a novel he's writing about the Famine. More specifically, his book is about
"a family and its struggles to survive through the Famine of 1846 and 1847, and about the horrible thing ... that happened to three members of his family in particular."
Jack takes a house in the rather isolated village of Doolin, planning to stay for three months, and it isn't too long before he sets up a nice routine of research, writing, and sometimes hanging out at the local pubs, where traditional music is played of an evening. He's met a girl, Grainne, to whom he's very much attracted, and all seems to be well with him right up until the moment when he starts to see and hear some very disturbing things which seem to follow him whenever he's out and about. And then one night he witnesses something he knows is real, but has no explanation for. The only person he can talk to about it is the local priest Father Henning, the local seanachie who loves telling eerie stories, yet is reluctant at best to talk with Jack about his experiences. The question becomes whether or not Jack's actually experiencing these horrific things -- is the research he's doing getting to him, or is it the remoteness and isolation of the place that's affecting him? And if it is true that Jack is not going off his rocker but is really seeing what he thinks he's seeing, why him?
Reading Cast a Cold Eye is to find yourself in the middle of an eerie mystery that grows darker and creepier along the way, one that is not solved up until the last minute. A lot of readers have noted, like the Kirkus reviewer of this book, that the story "doesn't add up," that there are too many loose ends, yada yada yada, but it all made perfectly good sense to me. I won't say why, since I'm sure many people will want to read this novel, but the answers really are all there. My regular habit is to finish a novel and then go back and reread the first chapter, and in this case, it's a hugely eye-opening moment, stunningly circular in nature. It may not scare the bejeebies out of modern horror readers, but for those of us who aren't looking for chainsaw-wielding killer clowns or the like, it's a delightful tale of ghostly horrors that will stay in your head for a long time after turning that last page.
February 9, 2017
Alan Ryan's CAST A COLD EYE is atmospheric and engrossing, a read well worth your while. And while I really dug the book, here's the biggest revelation I experienced while reading it:
Valancourt Books has become my first stop when looking for something great to read. Sure, there are tons of great publishers, and yeah, I like all sorts of variety. But what Valancourt is doing is nothing short of remarkable, and if you aren't mining from their catalogue, you're doing yourself a disservice.
Just a few of the names I've enjoyed over the several months:
Michael McDowell
Bernard Taylor
Robert Westall
Michael Talbot
Ken Greenhall
Alan Ryan
Throw in Charles Beaumont, Gerald Kersh, John Metcalfe, Oliver Onions, David Case, and Robert Marasco, and you have a roster that can go toe-to-toe with any publisher's dark fiction list.
So read CAST A COLD EYE. It's a slow burn, but it's an immersive read. And support Valancourt Books. They're doing something unique and wonderful, and I, for one, am thankful for it.
Valancourt Books has become my first stop when looking for something great to read. Sure, there are tons of great publishers, and yeah, I like all sorts of variety. But what Valancourt is doing is nothing short of remarkable, and if you aren't mining from their catalogue, you're doing yourself a disservice.
Just a few of the names I've enjoyed over the several months:
Michael McDowell
Bernard Taylor
Robert Westall
Michael Talbot
Ken Greenhall
Alan Ryan
Throw in Charles Beaumont, Gerald Kersh, John Metcalfe, Oliver Onions, David Case, and Robert Marasco, and you have a roster that can go toe-to-toe with any publisher's dark fiction list.
So read CAST A COLD EYE. It's a slow burn, but it's an immersive read. And support Valancourt Books. They're doing something unique and wonderful, and I, for one, am thankful for it.
October 21, 2019
If I’m being totally honest I was let down by this one a little. It started off strong but I thought it floundered a bit after that. I wanted to have my socks blown off but all I felt was a strong breeze. It was a passable ghost story but it didn’t really scare me or make me FEEL. I did very much enjoy the setting, I thought it added some extra spookiness to the story where it otherwise lacked. I did also really enjoy our main character and his accomplice as well. This book really was just average, not bad but not great either and still worth a read in my opinion!
March 20, 2008
Probably the best "ghost" novel of recent years, and all the better for it for having a rarely seen setting.
Ryan sets his tale on a remote corner of Ireland, and captures the feeling of desperation in the community perfectly.
It starts with a meeting with a phantom by the roadside, then steadily ratchets up the tension as the protagonist finds out the true cost of living in the community, and what must be done to placate those who don't sleep easily in their graves.
There are many genuinely suspenseful scenes, well developed characters, and sympathetic ghosts who are only doing what has to be done.
Creepy as hell, well constructed, beautifully written. It's a great pity that Ryan didn't write more in the genre.
Ryan sets his tale on a remote corner of Ireland, and captures the feeling of desperation in the community perfectly.
It starts with a meeting with a phantom by the roadside, then steadily ratchets up the tension as the protagonist finds out the true cost of living in the community, and what must be done to placate those who don't sleep easily in their graves.
There are many genuinely suspenseful scenes, well developed characters, and sympathetic ghosts who are only doing what has to be done.
Creepy as hell, well constructed, beautifully written. It's a great pity that Ryan didn't write more in the genre.
June 22, 2016
CAST A COLD EYE, by Alan Ryan is a "slow-burn" horror story. If you're looking for a gory splatterfest, you won't find that here.... What you WILL find is an intensely creepy feeling that continues to build up with the suspense up until the very end. The atmosphere is both beautiful, and oppressive--a combination that fits naturally into the story--making you both wish you could be there in person, and yet, dreading what the final outcome might bring.
In my opinion, this is an old-fashioned ghost story of the best kind. One that brings many questions to mind, while steadily building that expectation of something horrible yet to come.
Highly recommended!
In my opinion, this is an old-fashioned ghost story of the best kind. One that brings many questions to mind, while steadily building that expectation of something horrible yet to come.
Highly recommended!
April 7, 2020
4 stars--I really liked it.
This isn't a perfect novel--the plot is really sparse, and though there are a couple gruesome scenes, it's pretty gentle and slow for a horror novel. But it combines my favorite setting (rural Ireland) with my favorite genres (ghosts and folk horror). And most of all, Alan Ryan can really write.
This isn't a perfect novel--the plot is really sparse, and though there are a couple gruesome scenes, it's pretty gentle and slow for a horror novel. But it combines my favorite setting (rural Ireland) with my favorite genres (ghosts and folk horror). And most of all, Alan Ryan can really write.
April 12, 2018
CAST A COLD EYE preys on my mind. I first read it from our local library when it came out and it gave me nightmares. Then I found a 1st Edition hardcover of it in a book shop in Inverness, where it was stacked by accident in a shelf of Scottish hardcover crime books. I bought it, read it again, and got more nightmares.
There's something going on in these pages that keys directly into my psyche. I think it's a Celt thing, and small towns where old men mutter secrets to each other in smoky bars while someone in the background sings the old songs. I know a bit about that kind of place. And so did Alan Ryan, a wonderful writer taken from us too soon.
He spoke in interviews of how he dodn't spend uch time on research, but went for feel and gut instinct in writing it, and in doing so, I think he too tapped into something primal about blood, and kin, and community.
It's a book with heart and soul, wearing both on its sleeve. Sure, it gets melodramatic in places, but in others there's a deft handling of creeping dread, and of how the supernatural might creep into a world view otherwise inimical to it.
I've found that not many of my supernatural fiction writing buddies have read this one -- it seems to have gone under the radar back in the day, and been largely ignored. Which is a great shame, as it's a great ghost story, a fine piece of writing, and a lovely examination of a way of life that's disappearing fast. Hopefully the Valacourt edition means more people are finding it.
I love it...even if it still gives me nightmares.
There's something going on in these pages that keys directly into my psyche. I think it's a Celt thing, and small towns where old men mutter secrets to each other in smoky bars while someone in the background sings the old songs. I know a bit about that kind of place. And so did Alan Ryan, a wonderful writer taken from us too soon.
He spoke in interviews of how he dodn't spend uch time on research, but went for feel and gut instinct in writing it, and in doing so, I think he too tapped into something primal about blood, and kin, and community.
It's a book with heart and soul, wearing both on its sleeve. Sure, it gets melodramatic in places, but in others there's a deft handling of creeping dread, and of how the supernatural might creep into a world view otherwise inimical to it.
I've found that not many of my supernatural fiction writing buddies have read this one -- it seems to have gone under the radar back in the day, and been largely ignored. Which is a great shame, as it's a great ghost story, a fine piece of writing, and a lovely examination of a way of life that's disappearing fast. Hopefully the Valacourt edition means more people are finding it.
I love it...even if it still gives me nightmares.
March 12, 2013
The writing and the atmosphere in this haunting tale are wonderful. On the coast of western Ireland, you feel the chill of the wind - the consant rains soak you to the bone - and nothing worse than the dark ominous clouds, with their feel of pending doom. The only disappointment I have, is Alan Ryan only wrote four novels, all in the early '80's.
April 21, 2018
2.5 stars - not the best but not the worst either.
April 10, 2017
Excellent. Balanced, fine prose. Tense atmosphere. Very subtle. A gentle, somber ghost story.
June 24, 2016
Full disclosure: I spent Halloween 2006 in Doolin, and all that happened was that I got a fabulous meal (a giant bowl of mussels in wine and garlic butter, so big I couldn't finish it), a festive night at the pub* and a hideous hangover which pretty much prevented me from appreciating the stunning Cliffs of Moher at all the following day.
Largely as a result of the traditional music scene, today's Doolin is more of a destination (though there are still only three pubs) than when Ryan wrote Cast a Cold Eye. However, its position on the myth- and history-haunted west coast of Ireland makes for a superbly atmospheric setting, and Alan Ryan captures the paradoxical, uncanny attraction of the region as well as any Irish writer, barring Yeats. It's a classic romantic landscape, a land of "terrible beauty," as the great poet once wrote; the alien stretches of the Burren, the sweeping Atlantic vistas, the kindly but aloof locals, relentless sea and punishing weather combine to cast a compelling melancholy, not unlike the sound of uilleann pipes. The romantic shadow of Yeats hovers over the book's title as well, as it's taken from the great poet's "Under Ben Bulben," and reads in full "Cast a cold Eye / On Life, on Death. / Horseman, pass by." Also of note, these words are Yeats' self-chosen epitaph, etched into a headstone in a tiny, ancient Sligo churchyard.
Which brings us, fittingly, back to the grave, as Cast a Cold Eye opens on a damp, chilly night in an ancient burial ground, and it closes there as well. The tale in between concerns Jack Quinlan, a popular Irish-American writer who decides that a stay in the remote west of Ireland will be a boon to both his writing and his research on a book about the . He obtains a house in Doolin for three months, and settles in to a pleasant routine of writing in the mornings and spending convivial evenings at the local pubs listening to traditional music. But before long, Jack begins experiencing visions of piteous, gaunt phantoms -- collapsed at the roadside, wandering the Burren, and even pacing his car in the dark Irish night. Are the isolation and research into the region's tragic past playing tricks on him, or is something darker afoot? The answer lies in a silence kept by four old men and the local priest, who tries to befriend Jack, in his way.
I'll say no more, except this secret, when it comes out, may not be at all what you think. In a way Cast a Cold Eye reminds me a bit of Thomas Tryon's very scary Harvest Home, in that the story's tension arises from newcomers engaging with ancient local traditions, whether purposely or not. Compared to today's extreme horror, it likely won't shock you too much, but it packs a deeply resonant mythic punch, especially stark and pagan when set against its very Catholic milieu. Hibernophile that I am, I adored this book, entrenched as it is in the very blood of Ireland's tragic past, and filled with the uncanny magic of its singular landscape.
Five well-earned stars. And I wish I could get a poster of that awesome new Valancourt edition. Anybody know the artist?
*
Largely as a result of the traditional music scene, today's Doolin is more of a destination (though there are still only three pubs) than when Ryan wrote Cast a Cold Eye. However, its position on the myth- and history-haunted west coast of Ireland makes for a superbly atmospheric setting, and Alan Ryan captures the paradoxical, uncanny attraction of the region as well as any Irish writer, barring Yeats. It's a classic romantic landscape, a land of "terrible beauty," as the great poet once wrote; the alien stretches of the Burren, the sweeping Atlantic vistas, the kindly but aloof locals, relentless sea and punishing weather combine to cast a compelling melancholy, not unlike the sound of uilleann pipes. The romantic shadow of Yeats hovers over the book's title as well, as it's taken from the great poet's "Under Ben Bulben," and reads in full "Cast a cold Eye / On Life, on Death. / Horseman, pass by." Also of note, these words are Yeats' self-chosen epitaph, etched into a headstone in a tiny, ancient Sligo churchyard.
Which brings us, fittingly, back to the grave, as Cast a Cold Eye opens on a damp, chilly night in an ancient burial ground, and it closes there as well. The tale in between concerns Jack Quinlan, a popular Irish-American writer who decides that a stay in the remote west of Ireland will be a boon to both his writing and his research on a book about the . He obtains a house in Doolin for three months, and settles in to a pleasant routine of writing in the mornings and spending convivial evenings at the local pubs listening to traditional music. But before long, Jack begins experiencing visions of piteous, gaunt phantoms -- collapsed at the roadside, wandering the Burren, and even pacing his car in the dark Irish night. Are the isolation and research into the region's tragic past playing tricks on him, or is something darker afoot? The answer lies in a silence kept by four old men and the local priest, who tries to befriend Jack, in his way.
I'll say no more, except this secret, when it comes out, may not be at all what you think. In a way Cast a Cold Eye reminds me a bit of Thomas Tryon's very scary Harvest Home, in that the story's tension arises from newcomers engaging with ancient local traditions, whether purposely or not. Compared to today's extreme horror, it likely won't shock you too much, but it packs a deeply resonant mythic punch, especially stark and pagan when set against its very Catholic milieu. Hibernophile that I am, I adored this book, entrenched as it is in the very blood of Ireland's tragic past, and filled with the uncanny magic of its singular landscape.
Five well-earned stars. And I wish I could get a poster of that awesome new Valancourt edition. Anybody know the artist?
*
March 28, 2017
A slow paced well written horror novel without a word out of place. I loved the cover and everything about it.
March 28, 2018
I don't know what kind of ghost stories the others have been reading, but this drivel was dominated by silly language like "he felt her heavy breasts crush against his chest."
If I read one more time about how he longed to feel the warmth of her heavy, full breasts, I was going to use the book as kindling.
Nothing much happens, an Irish American writer (Alan Ryan, the author, has an Irish surname, surprise-surprise) goes to Ireland to write a novel about the famine and rents seemingly the only modern house in a tiny Western town. Almost immediately he sees what the reader understands to be the ghosts of famine victims along the side the road, in ditches, whatever.
Though he repeatedly sees these apparitions, the MC easily switches gears to fantasize about making love to the "raven-haired beauty" he met in a bookstore (!!!) in Dublin. So silly.
Characters flat, no surprises, and when they finally consummate their (what, love? The MC and his squeeze have only spent like, maybe three days together) relationship, it's against a rock by a cliff, in the rain, after chasing after one of the ghosts. "He felt himself grow bigger as she closed herself around him." This adolescent-style gibberish goes on for paragraphs. "Their mouths sought each other with the hunger of time and their sobs and sharp breathing were one voice in the pitch of the night." And that's not the worst of it.
The ritual/event which should be the focus of the story is hardly developed. Seems the author was far more occupied with a mammary gland fetish.
Pleeeeaaasse, really?
If I read one more time about how he longed to feel the warmth of her heavy, full breasts, I was going to use the book as kindling.
Nothing much happens, an Irish American writer (Alan Ryan, the author, has an Irish surname, surprise-surprise) goes to Ireland to write a novel about the famine and rents seemingly the only modern house in a tiny Western town. Almost immediately he sees what the reader understands to be the ghosts of famine victims along the side the road, in ditches, whatever.
Though he repeatedly sees these apparitions, the MC easily switches gears to fantasize about making love to the "raven-haired beauty" he met in a bookstore (!!!) in Dublin. So silly.
Characters flat, no surprises, and when they finally consummate their (what, love? The MC and his squeeze have only spent like, maybe three days together) relationship, it's against a rock by a cliff, in the rain, after chasing after one of the ghosts. "He felt himself grow bigger as she closed herself around him." This adolescent-style gibberish goes on for paragraphs. "Their mouths sought each other with the hunger of time and their sobs and sharp breathing were one voice in the pitch of the night." And that's not the worst of it.
The ritual/event which should be the focus of the story is hardly developed. Seems the author was far more occupied with a mammary gland fetish.
Pleeeeaaasse, really?
March 13, 2019
Everyone seems to like this book more than me. So, no offense if you love this book. It just very much was not for me.
Here we have a story of the Bad Things Happen in the Countryside genre, as narrated by the type of smug American who can drink a Guinness at a pub where someone is wheezing into uilleann pipes and think he's found the "real" Ireland.
There are two women in the book, a matron and a plaything, naturally (and both of them can cook a mean dinner for their man). Despite the author's best intentions toward romance I kept thinking, girl, you've only met this dude twice IRL and you don't have to go fulfilling any ancient prophecies or anything with him--and, OMG, his fixation on her "full" breasts and "milk-white" skin made me think he was weaned too early.
Maybe it's just me. Maybe it's because my pet peeve is writers who think writers are interesting characters. Who think an interesting scene can consist of someone sitting at a typewriter (or word processor in this case--which seems to be an artifact from some future civilization to the backwards locals of Doolin, Ireland).
We keep getting told that the lifestyle of Doolin hasn't changed in hundreds of years, but this book takes place around 1983, so I guarantee you there's nerdy kids listening to punk rock somewhere in town. But no, we've only got wooly sweaters and scally caps and the old time ballads here. I remember reading an interview with Philip Chevron of The Pogues in which he said The Pogues had no chance of breaking into the American mainstream because Americans have such a strict definition of what they want Irish culture to be. Cast a Cold Eye adheres very much to a touristic American perspective of Irishness. The fact that he's in town to research the potato famine is painfully corny and obvious. He's gonna write a book about The One Thing Americans Know about Irish History, and can't figure out why the locals are giving him the side-eye.
The book is just so, so predictable to anyone who's ever seen The Wicker Man (which should be anyone who's interested enough in this genre to read Cast a Cold Eye). The prose is frequently gorgeous, I will give it that, but the everything else is just awful.
Here we have a story of the Bad Things Happen in the Countryside genre, as narrated by the type of smug American who can drink a Guinness at a pub where someone is wheezing into uilleann pipes and think he's found the "real" Ireland.
There are two women in the book, a matron and a plaything, naturally (and both of them can cook a mean dinner for their man). Despite the author's best intentions toward romance I kept thinking, girl, you've only met this dude twice IRL and you don't have to go fulfilling any ancient prophecies or anything with him--and, OMG, his fixation on her "full" breasts and "milk-white" skin made me think he was weaned too early.
Maybe it's just me. Maybe it's because my pet peeve is writers who think writers are interesting characters. Who think an interesting scene can consist of someone sitting at a typewriter (or word processor in this case--which seems to be an artifact from some future civilization to the backwards locals of Doolin, Ireland).
We keep getting told that the lifestyle of Doolin hasn't changed in hundreds of years, but this book takes place around 1983, so I guarantee you there's nerdy kids listening to punk rock somewhere in town. But no, we've only got wooly sweaters and scally caps and the old time ballads here. I remember reading an interview with Philip Chevron of The Pogues in which he said The Pogues had no chance of breaking into the American mainstream because Americans have such a strict definition of what they want Irish culture to be. Cast a Cold Eye adheres very much to a touristic American perspective of Irishness. The fact that he's in town to research the potato famine is painfully corny and obvious. He's gonna write a book about The One Thing Americans Know about Irish History, and can't figure out why the locals are giving him the side-eye.
The book is just so, so predictable to anyone who's ever seen The Wicker Man (which should be anyone who's interested enough in this genre to read Cast a Cold Eye). The prose is frequently gorgeous, I will give it that, but the everything else is just awful.
November 19, 2017
This is a cold, wintry ghost tale about an author who travels to Ireland to write a novel about an Irish family during the Potato Famine. He settles into a cottage on a desolate wind-swept coast to get a feel of a small Irish village. But he soon starts experiencing horrific things he cannot explain and has a suspicion the locals are in on it.
This book is a lot like Andrew Hurley's highly-praised "The Loney," which I read this year. Both have a strong atmosphere, slow story and strong sense of place, and both are about strange small towns, desolate locales. Here the story is really secondary to the overall mood the book creates. This is fine with me, but it won't be to everyone's taste. Frankly, not a lot happens plot-wise, it's kept pretty simple and basic and this type of tale has been told many times before.
This book is also good at keeping it's secrets. We get some hints about what is really going on, but never enough to predict what happens. Unfortunately I have to admit, the end did let me down a bit. I was expecting a bit more . . . something . . . explanation perhaps?
Still, this is a fun read, an impressive story of quiet, muted horror.
This book is a lot like Andrew Hurley's highly-praised "The Loney," which I read this year. Both have a strong atmosphere, slow story and strong sense of place, and both are about strange small towns, desolate locales. Here the story is really secondary to the overall mood the book creates. This is fine with me, but it won't be to everyone's taste. Frankly, not a lot happens plot-wise, it's kept pretty simple and basic and this type of tale has been told many times before.
This book is also good at keeping it's secrets. We get some hints about what is really going on, but never enough to predict what happens. Unfortunately I have to admit, the end did let me down a bit. I was expecting a bit more . . . something . . . explanation perhaps?
Still, this is a fun read, an impressive story of quiet, muted horror.
October 13, 2015
Man, I loved this book! What a perfect October read. I can't believe it took me this long to read it, considering it was published 30 years ago (and my Dark Harvest hardback that I bought used a few years ago is still in great shape - they really made books to last).
The story is about an author who rents a house in the Irish countryside to research and write a historical novel. His grandmother lived in Dublin, but he has always lived in the US. Suffice it to say he finds himself in the middle of a very old tradition that he learns about (as do we) as the book unfolds.
This book is just dripping with atmosphere. The prose is amazing, and I really felt immersed in the cold, bleak Irish landscape. The supernatural elements were very creepy and well-realized. I cannot recommend this book highly enough, especially for fans of ghost stories, and as a perfect October read!
The story is about an author who rents a house in the Irish countryside to research and write a historical novel. His grandmother lived in Dublin, but he has always lived in the US. Suffice it to say he finds himself in the middle of a very old tradition that he learns about (as do we) as the book unfolds.
This book is just dripping with atmosphere. The prose is amazing, and I really felt immersed in the cold, bleak Irish landscape. The supernatural elements were very creepy and well-realized. I cannot recommend this book highly enough, especially for fans of ghost stories, and as a perfect October read!
March 11, 2018
A (not so) short take:
Alan Ryan’s depiction of a small community beset by supernatural doings is one of the most thoughtful and intelligent I’ve encountered in horror fiction. He plays the story straight and gives each scene the prose and space it needs to bloom into a narrative reality all its own. From the first page, he pulled me in and he never lost me.
This book deserves to be studied by devotees of the genre. The story unfurls at a deliberate pace that would easily steer into the doldrums but for Ryan’s delicate guidance. The atmosphere of the setting permeates each word so much that I wanted to drink my own cup of tea with the characters. The supernatural happenings are sparse and add just enough of the weird to suggest a great yet elusive truth—one that settled into my own bones as I finished the closing pages with a feeling of reverence and awe.
Ryan also addresses the influence of the contemporary world (circa the 1980s, yes, but still effectively the modern world as we know it) and its accessibility amidst the bizarre, macabre events surrounding the protagonist. It’s a short enough scene, but it so effectively grounds the character and lends both context and credibility to his subsequent decisions.
The descriptor is staid, but “mature� is the word that comes to mind when I think of what Ryan does in this book—much as Sloane does in his two fabulous novels. And like with those, I put down “Cast a Cold Eye� with a sense of fullness that is rare and wonderful.
Alan Ryan’s depiction of a small community beset by supernatural doings is one of the most thoughtful and intelligent I’ve encountered in horror fiction. He plays the story straight and gives each scene the prose and space it needs to bloom into a narrative reality all its own. From the first page, he pulled me in and he never lost me.
This book deserves to be studied by devotees of the genre. The story unfurls at a deliberate pace that would easily steer into the doldrums but for Ryan’s delicate guidance. The atmosphere of the setting permeates each word so much that I wanted to drink my own cup of tea with the characters. The supernatural happenings are sparse and add just enough of the weird to suggest a great yet elusive truth—one that settled into my own bones as I finished the closing pages with a feeling of reverence and awe.
Ryan also addresses the influence of the contemporary world (circa the 1980s, yes, but still effectively the modern world as we know it) and its accessibility amidst the bizarre, macabre events surrounding the protagonist. It’s a short enough scene, but it so effectively grounds the character and lends both context and credibility to his subsequent decisions.
The descriptor is staid, but “mature� is the word that comes to mind when I think of what Ryan does in this book—much as Sloane does in his two fabulous novels. And like with those, I put down “Cast a Cold Eye� with a sense of fullness that is rare and wonderful.
February 28, 2018
This reminded me a lot of Michael McDowell’s writing because you get such a sense of place. The setting of Doolin felt like a character and served the story above and beyond just a setting. I loved this story and am sure, just like McDowell’s work, this one will stick with me for some time.
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June 8, 2011REad during my "Horror Show", Robert McCammon, Joe Lansdale days. RIP Alan, And Thanks.
August 27, 2024
“The old ways linger long in a place like this. Jack, you’ve seen the people […] And the old, dark stories are in their blood.�
Haunting and melancholic! I need to let this one simmer in my brain for a while but full review coming soon!
Haunting and melancholic! I need to let this one simmer in my brain for a while but full review coming soon!
July 19, 2008
This book is absolutely amazing. I bought it at a yard sale and didn't end up reading it till years later. It started off a little slow but soon you won't want to put it down.
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