Steve-Calvert.co.uk
Steve-Calvert.co.uk
A Passion For Horror
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By
Christopher Pike
I had never heard of Christopher Pike, and so didn't know what to expect when I opened up See You Later and began to read. After only a few paragraphs I was impressed by the quality of the writing and gained an immediate liking for the central character, eighteen-year-old Mark Forum. See You Later is written in the first person and so the reader receives the full story as seen through Mark's eyes and told in his own words, which can be quite amusing. He is an entertaining chap. Mark makes his living by writing computer games. He isn't rich, by any means, and although he does tend to be very modest about his abilities, he has a lot of talent and self-confidence. well, except with girls. He never knows what to say when he is confronted with a pretty, young girl and this is the problem he has with Becky. Becky works in the record store, and as soon as Mark sees her he is attracted to her. Fortunately for Mark, it is Becky who speaks first. She says "Hi." And Mark replies with: "What?" Not the best of starts I suppose, but once Mark starts talking he does better than he realizes and Becky is more than a little impressed when she finds out what Mark does for a living. Mark visits Becky, at the shop, often and they become friends. When Mark eventually plucks up the courage to ask Becky out, though, he finds out that she already has a boyfriend and so isn't interested in anything other than friendship. Mark continues to frequent the shop where Becky works, and it is there that he first meets Vincent, and is instantly drawn to him. Vincent is very self-assured, and yet has an easy manner. Mark thinks that Vincent looks familiar, but if he has seen him before he can't remember where. Vincent tells mark that he also writes computer games and asks him if he would take a look at his latest project. He is stuck and could use some advice. Later that same day Mark meets Vincent's girlfriend, Kara. Like Vincent, Kara has blond hair and blue eyes, but whereas Vincent is calm and serene, Kara is full of vitality. By the time Mark goes home he has made two new friends and settled into that friendship very quickly and easily. When the subject of Becky comes up in conversation, Kara is immediately obsessed with the idea that Mark and Becky belong together and she comes up with an elaborate plan to clear the way for Mark, by splitting up Becky and her boyfriend. Although Mark is not keen on the idea at first, in the end he goes along with it and, thanks to Kara, Becky becomes available and she and Mark go out on a date. Then a strange man appears on the scene and things start to get weird. Mark needs answers and the only one that can provide them is Kara, but what a strange story it is that she has to tell. My copy of See You Later was 176 pages long and I read it in one sitting, because I got so curious about what was going on that I couldn't wait to find out the answers. See You Later is one of those stories that is hard to categorize, because it easily be tagged as belonging to more than one genre. There is horror in the story, but it also has elements of sci-fi, and not to forget mystery-there is plenty of mystery - and then there is the love interest, not only between Mark and Becky, but between Vincent and Kara. See You Later is not a very long novel, but there is a lot happening throughout its 176 pages - more than it at first appears - and it is one of those stories that make you think. So when I had finished reading it that is what I did: sat and had a think. I can't tell you what I thought about, because that would spoil it for you if you should decide to read it for yourself. See You Later is a little sad at the end - I thought so anyway - but it is a very good read and I will definitely be reading more of this author's work. |
