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Title: The Wicker Man: A Novel by Robin Hardy ISBN: 0-517-53259-X Publisher: Random House Value Pub Pub. Date: 01 April, 1978 Format: Hardcover List Price(USD): $1.98

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Average Customer Rating: 4.67 (3 reviews)

Rating: 5
Summary: As good as the movie, and then some.
Comment: Robin Hardy and Anthony Sheffer, The Wicker Man (Crown, 1978)

The emergence of a rabid cult following for the film version of The Wicker Man prompted the publication of the novel on which it was based. And a good thing, too. As fine as the film is, the book has its own special charm.

If you've been living in a cave the past thirty years, the plot of The Wicker Man goes as follows: Neil Howie, a Scots police Sergeant and fine upstanding Christian fellow, receives an anonymous letter saying that a girl has gone missing on Summerisle, a small island only barely under Scot protection, thirty-eight miles west of the last of the Outer Hebrides. Howie goes out to investigate, and finds that, while all the inhabitants of the island are seemingly quite forthcoming with what they know (save the none of them acknowledge the missing girl so much as exists), Howie is torn between his desire to see the case through and his offense at the various heathen goings-on on the decidedly non-Christian island.

The movie does an absolutely lovely job in detailing the various conflicting emotions of Neil Howie throughout, and in this it lies faithfully close to the book. Where the book does the movie one better is in the expanded opening (even the opening to the 104-minute version of the film, rarely seen, leaves quite a bit unanswered about the whole mess) and allowing us to get inside Howie's head for a few of the harder-to-understand decisions he makes over the course of his time on Summerisle. The downside of it all is that the same strengths one can get from a book opens up its weaknesses, and while The Wicker Man does handle sudden emotional changes with a more deft hand than most novels of its ilk, there are still some embarrassingly jarring ones (from offense to affability in an instant simply isn't convincing, no matter how you dress it up it still looks like an ogre). Still, it's obvious Hardy spent a lot of time thinking and plotting this one out before coming up with a final draft, and what finally got released is a pleasure. This is not at all easy to find these days, but whether you've seen the film or not, this is definitely one to pick up. **** ½

Rating: 4
Summary: Fairly Compelling
Comment: The book makes for enjoyable, easy reading. I've never seen the movie, so I cannot comment on its resemblance to it. The plot is interesting and moves fluidly. The books only weak points are its somewhat lackluster prose and the main character's self-righteousness, which becomes nauseous at times. Also, I wish the author would've delved a bit deeper into the pagan rites. Overall, its a good read.

Rating: 5
Summary: Wonderful, whether you've seen the film or not!
Comment: Based on the marvelous film of the same title, this book is a must for those who've seen the movie, whether the long or short version. Beyond filling in the gaps of the background and true personality of Sergeant Howie, it is, quite simply, a great read! Rather than a novelization of exact dialogue and events, this gives a more complete picture of Howie and Summerisle, why he feels so adamant about his Christianity and the need to mission to the "poor pagans." Unfortunately out of print in the US (I purchased my copy used), it was available from Amazon UK last time I checked.

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