Book Appraisal

By: Mohamed Hassan Youssef

 
"The Judge's House" is a novel written by Bram Stocker, the author of "Dracula". It was first published in 1983, and it is a sort of horror story. It is one of the most sinister books I have ever read. It holds your attention from the start and becomes more shocking as it progresses.
"The Judge's House" is a good title. The "hero", Malcolm Malcolmson, was a student in his final year at college. He was studying hard for his examinations, but he was unable to study at home because it was very noisy. So he decided to rent a quiet house in a small country town, where the story takes place. We learn quiet a lot about this house's background. It was owned by the judge who died many years ago. People tell strange things about the house, and no one wants to live in it.
As the story unfolds, we see how Malcolm lives in the house. We hear the noise which happened every night with him. We see the rats which appeared every night, especially the enormous rat. When the enormous rat appeared, the other rats escaped at once. This rat always sat on an old high-backed chair, which was directly under the big painting of the judge. We see the hanging rope from the ceiling beside the high-backed chair.
One of the most horrible aspects of the story is the portrayal of how Malcolm was killed. The ghost of the judge enters the hall and moves slowly towards Malcolm at midnight, holding a noose of soft, strong rope in his hands. The rats tried to help Malcolm by ringing the alarm-bell but in vain. Suddenly the judge throws the noose over Malcolm's head and carries him to the high-backed chair. Then, Malcolm was hanged.
The reader feels all Malcolm's fears and terror until the final sinister end. This is a book which, once you have read it, is impossible to forget.