Terriblemente editado, terriblemente escrito y con un personaje principal terriblemente odioso.

It seems that I am outnumbered here in the reviews. I really enjoyed this book a lot.

Many readers are commenting that The Poe Shadow is not as good as The Dante Club. Sure, a serial killer on the loose in Boston is compelling stuff. Graphic murder and mayhem trumps an intellectual mystery in Baltimore. While reading The Poe Shadow, I tried to avoid comparing the two works, as each deserves recognition on its own terms.

Popular sentiment is that Quentin Clark, the protagonist, is quite a knob. He’s obsessed, weak, and whiny. That’s true—in the beginning. He’s on a quest. However, when was the last time you read a book where a quest was less about geography and some kind of Holy Grail and more about something bigger, another kid of quest? Reading The Poe Shadow in its entirety, I think you’ll find that Quentin Clark experiences a transformation from a milquetoast Walter Mitty character to eligible stud. He’s also schooled by just about everyone he meets, young or old, black or white, rich or poor.

Some have said it is improbable for Quentin, being a lawyer and having a fiancé, to take off on flights of fancy like this. I beg to differ. It’s not unheard of for people to drop out of the rat race, for whatever reason. Quentin admits to being an underachieving paper pusher in a law office. His girlfriend is someone he has known since childhood. To me, he does not have the hots for her at all; they have no chemistry, and she’s more of comfortable and safe choice for a spouse. I was reminded of Roderick and Madeline (brother and sister in The Fall of the House of Usher), and I half expected to find out Quentin and Hattie shared the same father. Anyway, it’s actually Bonjour who he’s passionate about and who serves as a catalyst for his transformation while he’s in prison.

Some of the themes found in Poe’s works can be found here: class/society, madness, politics, supernatural (such as the dead having power of the living), and love/hate rivals. If you read beyond the surface of the story, there appears to be a lot going on.

There’s also Poe’s penchant for a bulky writing style. A lot of people don't like it. For me, had Pearl penned a Robert Ludlum rip off, I doubt I’d of liked it as much as I did. Perhaps it’s an acquired taste, and I can see why it might be off putting to many readers.

Minor trouble spots. I can’t remember where (and I could be mistaken), but the author described Baltimore in 1849 and talked about the use of steel in construction. But steel wasn’t being mass-produced until the Bessemer process in the mid 1850s, so it didn’t seem quite right. Secondly, one scene annoyed me to no end. It was when the clerk at the post office tells Quentin that he knows who had sent him the packages, and Quentin says to wait until later because he has to see Hattie. That was out of character. Finally, Chapter 35, where Duponte’s explanation drags on for 27 pages. This could’ve been shorter.

Just to clarify, I’m certainly not a big Poe fan, but I’ve probably read most of his stories at one time or another over the years. For me, having visited Baltimore 5-6 times added personal interest. And one of those visits was a Poe road trip when the mysterious “Poe Toaster” became a headline interest.

Morí de 1,000 formas leyendo esta "crónica" angustiosa y sinfín del Señor Pearl. Hay muchas cosas que decir del libro, lo primero es que si no has leído nada de Edgar A. Poe o simplemente has escuchado el nombre del autor o vienes de leer unos cuantos cuentos o poemas, es recomendable que leas su biografía antes de embarcarte a esta carrera de lo imposible, imposible porque de plano la obra comienza con la muerte del poeta americano y pasan 300 páginas o más sin tener detalles acabados o alguna pista de lo que le sucedió a Poe. Pearl, prefiere dar al lector detalles de las circunstancias, detalles de los personajes, detalles de la época, detalles de todo, menos de lo principal ¿Cómo rayos murió Poe? ¿Asesinado, ebrio, un infarto, un simulación de muerte, suicidio? No hay indicios de nada, solo el detalle de la duda, una duda que te mortificas porque lo inevitable está, haz comprado el libro.

Pero stop, hablemos del su personaje principal unos momentos y hagamos un minuto de silencio por su interés mayúsculo en Poe.

Sí, fue un obsesión transmitida del Señor Pearl, el autor del libro a su personaje Señor Clark, todo deseo de protección, de heroísmo, de valentía, de egocentrismo y supremacía. Su interés por Poe es acoso en todo el sentido de la palabra, un acoso agresivo, intimo, caótico. Quentin Clark se olvidó de quien era de forma absoluta para entregarse a una causa que apenas conocía, el joven tiene unos sentimientos fuerte de amor sin limite por su literato favorito, es un deseo mayor que su amor propio, que su amor por Hattie, que su amor por sus amigos y familia. Quiere investigar esta causa sin medir las consecuencias, está en sus venas responder la pregunta que se ha formulado en la cabeza y a la que el lector lleva cuestionándose desde que se expresa en el libro alguna duda. Es extrambótico, alarmante como se transmite todo esto solo porque el joven concibe a Poe como otra cosa y no como la masa inflame lo han querido tachar.

Sufrí mucho leyendo esta historia, pues abandonaba a páginas de leerlo y hacía cualquier otra cosa para distraerme o motivarme de modo que pudiera continuar con la lectura, fue una tragedia. Duré más de 20 días con el libro leyendo 20 y 40 páginas por día, llorándolo. Sin más es un 1.5 de 5.

Meh.

Although I appreciate novels as good literature and occasionally forces of social change ("Uncle Tom's Cabin" is a good example, as it strengthened the abolitionist movement), I don't normally read them, as I find truth to be more fascinating than fiction.

"The Poe Shadow" is set in antebellum America. The protagonist, a young attorney, risks life and limb to unravel the mystery of Edgar Allan Poe's death, and enlists the aid of a French detective, supposedly the prototype for Poe literary sleuth C. Auguste Dupin. It's well-written, fast-paced, and evokes the 1840s well, but what makes "The Poe Shadow" outstanding is the author's discovery of a possible clue to what really killed Poe in October 1849. This eye-opening piece of evidence, backed by modern medical opinion, appears in its own section at the end.

Well, I had quite big expectations for that one! A mystery novel about Edgar A. Poe's death? I was buzzing to read it. Sadly, though, and like many other readers here, these expectations fell flat pretty quickly. What's wrong with it?

The characters are too unidimensional. The plot is rather tortuous, besides uselessly dragging in length at times. Twist and turns are hardly believable. Last but not least, from a writing perspective the author tries too hard (or so I felt) to echo the style of Poe, which doesn't ease the flow. However...

However, if I had to give up on my literary expectations of it, I certainly was deeply engrossed by its historical aspects. This is no ordinary fiction. This is a well researched, well structured, and well crafted piece of detective work, that manages to expose the various theories about the poet's death in a very imaginative way. The author, in fact, even adds his own, just for the fun of it (completely wacky, but that he clearly admits to being made-up!).

All in all, then, as a work of fiction, it's not that great, and quite disappointing. On the contrary, as a work of historical fiction, and, more precisely, historical fiction pertaining to a still unsolved mystery (if mystery there was at all!) then it is quite remarkable, and very absorbing. For those curious to learn about the theories that kept circulating about Poe's demise, then this is a must read!

Απίστευτα βαρετό. Το μόνο που βρήκα ενδιαφέρον ήταν το ιστορικό πλαίσιο που αφορούσε στους σκλάβους.

What a pretentious, boring mess. The entire thing read like it was written with a fake English accent (none of the characters use contractions when they speak). Probably a better book to be seen reading than to actually read. If you have a plane trip coming up, tear off the cover and wrap it around a Stephen King novel. Impress without distress.

The Poe Shadow was an interesting read. I found the concept of the investigation to be compelling and the characters dynamic and interesting. I was impressed with the historical accuracy of the descriptions of the period, it made it very easy to insert myself into the setting right alongside the characters.

My one issue with The Poe Shadow was with the ending. It seemed like Pearl needed to fulfill a length requirement before finishing. Right when it seemed like things were sufficiently wrapped up, and everything brought to a close the story continues for several more chapters, without adding anything of significance to the tale.

I started 2012 with Pearl's "The Dante Club", and I loved it. So much so that I named it my favorite book of that year. I hoped lightning would strike twice and started 2013 with Pearl's "The Poe Shadow"
It is said lightning never strikes the same place twice, and I now have the proof.
"The Poe Shadow" follows a fictional Baltimore lawyer, Quentin Clark, as he tries to clear Edgar Allan Poe's name after dying what many believe to be a drunkenly disgraceful death. Clark goes to Paris to enlist the help of the man he believes Poe used as the basis of his fantastic detective from his stories, C. Auguste Dupin.
And that is where the author lost me, and what little believability he had going for him in the first place. To start, the rivalry between the two French "detectives" is farfetched and boring. This book could have been shortened by 150 pages (and that is being conservative). In fact, most of the middle of the book dealt more with the two French men who both believed they were the inspiration for Dupin than the death of Poe. I thought this was going to turn into a page turning mystery, like "The Dante Club", but it never did. Instead, this far-too-long piece was filled with obvious red herrings, two annoying French "ratiocinationists", and an indecisive protagonist that should have been called "Ahab" given his obsessive nature. I hope Pearl's third book, "The Last Dickens" reads more like "The Dante Club" than this short story in a novel's clothing.

El hecho de que el libro tratase sobre Allan Poe y el misterio de su muerte, es algo que atrae. Sin embargo le he puesto 3 estrellas porque la narrativa por momento la siento extendida de una manera deliberada, es decir creo que la misma historia contada en menos páginas tuviera el mismo efecto y probablemente le daría una estrella más.

La historia en París hizo que me alejara del hecho principal, y el constante defender a Poe de una enfermedad de alcoholismo por momento se vuelve insistente y esp es algo que nunca se ocultó de su vida del escritor. A mi gusto la propuesta del autor de la forma de muerte de Poe no se me hace tan contundente pero bueno al final tenemos otra hipótesis. (No mencionó las formas para no dar spoiler).

I have to agree with a lot of the reviews here. I read and absolutely loved the Dante Club, so when I heard there was a new book from the same author, I snatched it up. The premise was tantalizing, what really happened to Edgar Alan Poe in his final days?

I got about halfway through this book, and eventually decided to throw it in. Where Dante Club moved with all the pace and movement of a well plotted film, the Poe Shadow was boring from the start. I do agree. The main characters not likable in the least. One could say he's obsessed totally in his admiration for Poe, but still ...

What I found most off putting was that so little seemed to happen in the book, and what did happen didn't feel at all that connected to the main characters efforts. As the plot plodded along, every now and then something turned up that was pertanent to the mystery. At half way, I still had no clue, or any interest in what happened to Poe.

Having read the reviews, I'm perhaps happy I didn't stick to the end. A bad ending would have really capped off a bad read that far.