The Seance is a 2008 horror novel by John Harwood. Set in late 19th century London, it follows the story of Constance Langton who in an attempt to make her mother healthy again takes her to a séance only to result in tragic consequences. The Seance won the 2008 Aurealis Award for best horror novel.[1]
The book was first published in Australia on 1 April 2008 by Jonathan Cape in trade paperback format.[2] It was re-released in hardback and mass market paperback format in Australia during 2008 and 2009, and received a similar release in the United States and United Kingdom during this time.[2] An audio edition was published in September 2008 by Oakhill Publishing Limited in the United Kingdom.[3]
Ever since her childhood Constance Langton has felt out of place. She never had a proper mother, as Constance's mother preferred to obsess over the death of Constance's infant sister Alma, to the point where this drove her to suicide many years later. To make matters worse, Constance seems to have the ability to see horrible visions of future deaths, which greatly unnerves her. In 1889 Constance discovers that she has inherited Wraxford Hall, a run down and supposedly haunted mansion in Suffolk. Despite warnings by the Wraxford family lawyer that the house has led to the death and disappearances of several Wraxfords - and that living there is not a good idea, Constance ends up drawn to the house, something that might spell her doom.
Receptionedit
The Seance received positive reviews from Tor.com and The Independent,[4] the latter of which compared the book to the works of Wilkie Collins and Arthur Conan Doyle, writing that both authors were "fascinated by the disputed borderland between the claims of the paranormal and the techniques of Victorian science. In the hands of a lesser writer, these elements might have seemed stagey and trite. But Harwood reinvests them with novelty and makes them genuinely spooky."[5]The Telegraph praised Harwood's writing, especially his "understanding of how two young women, Constance and Eleanor, are at the mercy of a society in which they have to fight for an economic stake, continually facing the anxieties of poverty and social banishment."[6]
seance, harwood, novel, seance, 2008, horror, novel, john, harwood, late, 19th, century, london, follows, story, constance, langton, attempt, make, mother, healthy, again, takes, séance, only, result, tragic, consequences, seance, 2008, aurealis, award, best, . The Seance is a 2008 horror novel by John Harwood Set in late 19th century London it follows the story of Constance Langton who in an attempt to make her mother healthy again takes her to a seance only to result in tragic consequences The Seance won the 2008 Aurealis Award for best horror novel 1 The SeanceThe Seance first edition cover AuthorJohn HarwoodCountryAustraliaLanguageEnglishGenreHorrorPublisherJonathan CapePublication date1 April 2008Media typePrint Hardback amp Paperback Pages304 pp first edition ISBN978 0 224 08187 0The book was first published in Australia on 1 April 2008 by Jonathan Cape in trade paperback format 2 It was re released in hardback and mass market paperback format in Australia during 2008 and 2009 and received a similar release in the United States and United Kingdom during this time 2 An audio edition was published in September 2008 by Oakhill Publishing Limited in the United Kingdom 3 Contents 1 Synopsis 2 Reception 2 1 Awards 3 References 4 External linksSynopsis editEver since her childhood Constance Langton has felt out of place She never had a proper mother as Constance s mother preferred to obsess over the death of Constance s infant sister Alma to the point where this drove her to suicide many years later To make matters worse Constance seems to have the ability to see horrible visions of future deaths which greatly unnerves her In 1889 Constance discovers that she has inherited Wraxford Hall a run down and supposedly haunted mansion in Suffolk Despite warnings by the Wraxford family lawyer that the house has led to the death and disappearances of several Wraxfords and that living there is not a good idea Constance ends up drawn to the house something that might spell her doom Reception editThe Seance received positive reviews from Tor com and The Independent 4 the latter of which compared the book to the works of Wilkie Collins and Arthur Conan Doyle writing that both authors were fascinated by the disputed borderland between the claims of the paranormal and the techniques of Victorian science In the hands of a lesser writer these elements might have seemed stagey and trite But Harwood reinvests them with novelty and makes them genuinely spooky 5 The Telegraph praised Harwood s writing especially his understanding of how two young women Constance and Eleanor are at the mercy of a society in which they have to fight for an economic stake continually facing the anxieties of poverty and social banishment 6 Awards edit Aurealis Award for best horror novel 2008 won 1 References edit a b aurealis awards previous years results PDF Aurealis Awards Archived from the original PDF on 24 December 2010 Retrieved 4 January 2010 a b Title The Seance ISFDB Retrieved 27 June 2016 The Seance by John Harwood Fantastic Fiction Retrieved 4 January 2010 John Harwood s The Seance Tor com 23 June 2009 Retrieved 27 June 2016 The Seance by John Harwood Independent co uk 14 April 2008 Archived from the original on 18 June 2022 Retrieved 27 June 2016 Fresh life from the dark side The Telegraph 19 April 2008 Retrieved 27 June 2016 External links editThe White Body of Evening at HarperCollins nbsp This article about a horror novel of the 2000s is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it See guidelines for writing about novels Further suggestions might be found on the article s talk page vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Seance Harwood novel amp oldid 1163126849, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
