Henning Nelms (1900–1986)

I liked the unexpected Canadian content and amused myself greatly by picturing Vok as looking exactly like Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas, but by the time the reveal came I really didn't care how the murder had been brought off. I had really liked the spooky atmosphere and the mystery of "was it really a supernatural event?" and I think I resented Rogan Kincaid for bursting that bubble. I'm not sure why I keep trying to like impossible-crime mysteries, because I very show more often end up being irritated by their solutions. show less

Written in 1944, Rim of the Pit begins as a group of people meet at a lodge in the woods in New England. They are there for various reasons, but the main event is to be a seance to contact the medium's dead husband. As the seance begins, even the most skeptical of the group starts to believe in the powers of the supernatural, as a series of bizarre events begins to take place, ending in murder by what seems to be the spirit of the dead man. Left with a myriad of clues that upon inspection show more present themselves as impossible (including a man who flies), Rogan Kincaid (the main character of this book), takes it upon himself to try to get to the bottom of things.

That's the bare bones of the story, but I'll leave it to you to read and find out the rest.

So. I liked it; I didn't guess the solution -- in fact, the one I came up with didn't even come close. I would recommend it for people who enjoy those impossible-crime stories (of which I am quite fond), and for people who want a touch of the supernatural in their reading. The language may be off-putting to some at times; but remember, before you go crying "racist," that this was written in the 1940s and it's not fair to judge the tone of the novel by today's standards. Overall, a fun read. If you see this book at a used book sale, pick it up. show less

If you cant "draw" but want take advantage of simple illustration to work out and communicate ideas, this is the book. It's instructions are dateless. It's methods doable for anyone with a controllable hand and a very little patience. Much our brain power is visual, few make much use of it. This little book is loaded with pathways to access visual creativity and expression.

A classic so I decided to give it a try. It contains many helpful suggestions for illustrations and working out ideas using drawing techniques. I think it works better as a reference book to look things up in when needed rather than a book to be read cover to cover.