I picked up this book by Dan Simmons, a writer who I usually love. I've read most of his horror and a bunch of his SF as well. Loved stuff like Hyperion and Ilium, Summer of Night, Swan Song, and Carrion Comfort. Loved his mystery/thriller entries like Hard Case and Hard As Nails. I find him to be a great storyteller; one of the best of our age perhaps.

So why am I having so much trouble with Drood?

The story is narrated by Wilkie Collins, a contemporary and friend of Charles Dickens. It concerns Dickens' encounter with a mysterious figure named "Drood", and his and Collins' subsequent search for the character through parts of London that are perhaps better left unexplored by decent people, and presumably beyond London as well.

I say "presumably" because I am on page 119 and haven't been picking up the book to read.

If you've seen this book, it's a tome! Clocking in at 771 pages, it's a daunting task that I have almost come to dread every time I pick up the book. Simmons has taken to writing longer. I don't know that I like this trend. King has done it as well, and probably some others.

(How the heck do they keep everything straight as they write these things?!?)

Another problem I seem to be having is with the writing style. The premise is the Collins wrote this manuscript many years ago, around the time of Dickens' death. So Simmons is attempting to mimic the writing style of that time, which I've always had some trouble with. A Tale Of Two Cities might be a great story, but it was hard to read for me. That's just me...but it's a problem I'm having.

The story itself is pretty cool as I read it, but it seems like it's taking forever to get to the payoffs. Maybe I'm spoiled, maybe I just don't appreciate the beauty of the writing (and I think Simmons is very good with words), but I want a little more straightforward story.

Perhaps I'll get through this one eventually. Or perhaps not. Can someone let me know if the Cliff's Notes version comes out soon?

*****