Book Club takes on Thrillers this month. 'Thriller' is a literary genre, and it means books which are "dark, engrossing, and suspenseful plot-driven stories. They very seldom include comedic elements."
What suspenseful books have you read where you find yourself glued to the pages? Or maybe the whole book might not be a thriller, but can have 'dark, engrossing and suspenseful' moments in it which enrich the whole story. When reading these books, is there a particular scenario which appeals to you more than another?
What suspenseful elements are in the Harry Potter books which remind you of what you have read in other books (or vice versa)?
For some reason I remember the Twilight books (hush). I found it very suspenseful when the Volturi were being visited in Italy! I'd sort of gotten used to the vampires, the renegades, all of them. But there was something about the Volturi which was very spooky.
Your write-up needs to be at least 200 words to count towards Beans (and any possible award)! If you post a graphic, please keep it to 600x600 or smaller, and write a brief description underneath what the graphic depicts.
You will receive 20 Beans when you post. Any replies in here, through the school year, will be credited towards a possible award. As always, please keep to HOL appropriate sources for your post.
There is no deadline as such for these prompts but if you’d like it to count towards your chance of earning the award for a specific year, we’ll need it by the end of that school year. If you’re comfortable sharing, then post below. If not, email your story to us via hol.bookclub @ gmail.com (without the spaces).
Remember to click preview before posting to look for spelling and grammatical errors -- or see if auto-correct changed what you wanted to write to something entirely else!
March Prompt: Dark and Suspenseful
Moderator: Book Club Heads
-
- Warp 10000
- Posts: 7994
- Joined: Sun Dec 14, 2003 6:31 am
-
- Oakshaft 79
- Posts: 103
- Joined: Fri Feb 26, 2021 10:09 pm
Re: March Prompt: Dark and Suspenseful
All of the Harry Potter books are suspenseful.
In Deathly Hallows, it was really suspenseful when Harry got hit by the killing curse because I didn't know if he had died or if he was still alive. Then he started talking to Dumbledore so I still didn't know if he was dead. I'm wondering where Harry was when he was talking to Dumbledore. I was glad that Harry was ok.
In Chamber of Secrets, it was very suspenseful when Harry Potter was broken out of his room at the Dursleys by the Weasleys. I think the Weasleys were the heroes other than Harry Potter. Harry had to sneak around his room grabbing stuff but he was also very excited to be broken out of his room. I was worried that maybe Dudley was going to wake up and find him out of his bed and call for his parents. The Dursleys would have come and grabbed Harry and put him in his cupboard. Fred and George and Ron would have probably hijacked it.
In Deathly Hallows, it was also very suspenseful when Harry was trying to get away from Voldemort and get to Tonks' place. Everyone was battling and I was concerned that someone might fall off their broomstick or one of the good characters get hit by the killing curse.
In Deathly Hallows, it was really suspenseful when Harry got hit by the killing curse because I didn't know if he had died or if he was still alive. Then he started talking to Dumbledore so I still didn't know if he was dead. I'm wondering where Harry was when he was talking to Dumbledore. I was glad that Harry was ok.
In Chamber of Secrets, it was very suspenseful when Harry Potter was broken out of his room at the Dursleys by the Weasleys. I think the Weasleys were the heroes other than Harry Potter. Harry had to sneak around his room grabbing stuff but he was also very excited to be broken out of his room. I was worried that maybe Dudley was going to wake up and find him out of his bed and call for his parents. The Dursleys would have come and grabbed Harry and put him in his cupboard. Fred and George and Ron would have probably hijacked it.
In Deathly Hallows, it was also very suspenseful when Harry was trying to get away from Voldemort and get to Tonks' place. Everyone was battling and I was concerned that someone might fall off their broomstick or one of the good characters get hit by the killing curse.
-
- Moontrimmer
- Posts: 239
- Joined: Sat Jul 22, 2023 2:48 pm
- Location: Gryffindor Common Room
Re: March Prompt: Dark and Suspenseful
C.S. Lewis's "The Chronicles of Narnia" series, is one of my most favourite stories after Harry Potter. It contains moments of suspense and darkness that make the stories so very rich. In "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," the suspenseful sections of the Pevensie children evading the White Witch, and the ominous feeling of a land trapped in perpetual winter, created quite a thrilling atmosphere for me. Aslan's sacrifice and subsequent resurrection also added a layer of emotional depth and tension to the whole story.
Some of the other suspenseful books that got me “addicted” to say the least were J.K. Rowling’s "Harry Potter" series, Stephen King's "The Shining," and Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code." Each of these books is in a different genre, but all of them share moments of intense suspense and dark, engrossing scenarios. In "Harry Potter," scenes like the Triwizard Tournament's challenges, the infiltration of the Ministry of Magic, and the final battle at Hogwarts are thrilling, suspenseful and emotional. Similarly, "The Shining" has the Overlook Hotel's eerie and isolated setting, with an increasing sense of dread as we continue to read. Then there is "The Da Vinci Code" which combines historical mystery with a fast-paced series of chases and puzzles, which kept me on the edge the whole time.
6.20.2024 - Beans sent - Tarma
Some of the other suspenseful books that got me “addicted” to say the least were J.K. Rowling’s "Harry Potter" series, Stephen King's "The Shining," and Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code." Each of these books is in a different genre, but all of them share moments of intense suspense and dark, engrossing scenarios. In "Harry Potter," scenes like the Triwizard Tournament's challenges, the infiltration of the Ministry of Magic, and the final battle at Hogwarts are thrilling, suspenseful and emotional. Similarly, "The Shining" has the Overlook Hotel's eerie and isolated setting, with an increasing sense of dread as we continue to read. Then there is "The Da Vinci Code" which combines historical mystery with a fast-paced series of chases and puzzles, which kept me on the edge the whole time.
6.20.2024 - Beans sent - Tarma
Last edited by Prof. Tarma Amelia Black on Thu Jun 20, 2024 6:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: 6.20.2024 - Beans sent - Tarma
Reason: 6.20.2024 - Beans sent - Tarma
2nd Yr. Gryffindor with an aptitude for Charms, Potions & DADA | Aspiring Auror
-
- Oakshaft 79
- Posts: 199
- Joined: Tue Jun 04, 2024 7:19 am
- Location: HOL Forum
Re: March Prompt: Dark and Suspenseful
Dracula by Bram Stoker is a dark and suspenseful horror mystery thriller based on a very ancient vampire. The supernatural elements in this story are disturbing and creepy to say the least. I don't really know if the vampire Count Dracula is actually based on the cruel Vlad the Impaler, as some claims suggest. Nonetheless, this book is NOT for the weak-hearted. With a very formidable villain who is cunning and manipulative and hatches elaborate plans to fulfil his needs and to propagate, on top of being a vampire, makes him one of the most noteworthy villains possible, in my humble opinion. The book is a bit too detailed to be a real page-turner, in my opinion, because it tired me out after each part of the read. But, it is very engrossing nonetheless.
A particular scenario in this book that stuck in my memory because of sheer horror is when the incident of the Blooper Lady came about. She was bitten by Count Dracula and died of severe anaemia and weakness, and happened to be the narrator's friend's wife. After her death, she turned into a vampire herself and began to kidnap children to drink their blood. She used to lure children away and was renamed The Blooper Lady. Her being the wife of the narrator's friend only complicated things further and served to increase the horror.
Of course, the Harry Potter books also mention vampires, and the Twilight series as mentioned by professor Black above, but none are so mysterious and/or so dark and horrific a portrayal as the cunning and bloodthirsty Dracula. What makes him even more formidable is that he seemingly starts the legend of Dracula alone, successfully propagating by biting, as opposed to the "groups" or families of vampires that exist in the other stories.
11.15.2024 - Beans sent - Tarma
A particular scenario in this book that stuck in my memory because of sheer horror is when the incident of the Blooper Lady came about. She was bitten by Count Dracula and died of severe anaemia and weakness, and happened to be the narrator's friend's wife. After her death, she turned into a vampire herself and began to kidnap children to drink their blood. She used to lure children away and was renamed The Blooper Lady. Her being the wife of the narrator's friend only complicated things further and served to increase the horror.
Of course, the Harry Potter books also mention vampires, and the Twilight series as mentioned by professor Black above, but none are so mysterious and/or so dark and horrific a portrayal as the cunning and bloodthirsty Dracula. What makes him even more formidable is that he seemingly starts the legend of Dracula alone, successfully propagating by biting, as opposed to the "groups" or families of vampires that exist in the other stories.
11.15.2024 - Beans sent - Tarma
Last edited by Prof. Tarma Amelia Black on Sat Nov 16, 2024 2:51 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: 11.15.2024 - Beans sent - Tarma
Reason: 11.15.2024 - Beans sent - Tarma
Galena May, just your average witch, only the fun please.