The Music Man - Book Review

 Within this collection of short stories, Nguyen Ngoc Ngan introduces his take on the traditional ghost story. It is not a story of ghosts or spirits per se but more of stories told through the point of view of a ordinary individual who finds himself caught in the middle of a ghostly story. The stories aren't entirely ghost tales, as Ngan sometimes includes elements of a paranormal narrative with his ghost story. The majority of the stories include Ngoc Ngan because the fundamental character, and a few also feature Hany Su, yet another common central character from Vietnam who is never really defined as a ghost Đọc truyện đêm khuya. Both men share a love of music, and throughout the stories that they discuss, the reader must understand the significance and impact music has had on both the lifestyles, as well as that of those characters in their own stories.

In the title story, The Music Man,'' Nguyen Ngoc Ngan's story takes place in a small rural village. A young girl, Momo, finds herself engaged in a horrible murder-suicide, dedicated by someone she barely knows. The killer was plaguing the village for quite some time, and even though there are clues leading to this crime-the actuality that the lifeless body has never been discovered, and that the place where the body was discovered is near a giant mill makes it clear this was a planned murder. When the police discover that the killer has been impersonating a priest, they don't charge him with the crime, rather placing a price on the mind of the deceased. As the price continues to mount, the people of the village band together to try and determine just how much they will pay for the life of their beloved child.

The Music Man is the first story series featuring Ngoc Ngan's composing, and although the series does include some brief stories, the majority of the narrative occurs in the last few chapters. The story centers on the attempts of the chief characters to solve the mystery, which frequently involves them traveling into the hidden caves of La Tania, that is described as resembling a fairy tale castle. Although some of the descriptions of these caves are garbled and a little upsetting, for the large part the caves are true and do catch the feel of a bygone age. One of the scariest scenes, but also one of the most successful, happens when the main characters visit Momo's house after their evaluation has concluded and they find the secret room where her body is hidden. The discovery leads them straight to the crime scene and makes the book.

The main characters themselves are unforgettable. Criefully drawn in their art, each personage of The Music Man takes us in to their character's world and brings us nearer to their tragic story. Additionally, Ngoc Ngan produces some superbly written captions, helping to improve the experience of studying the ghost narrative.

I was rather impressed with the caliber of the content and the style of the story, though there were a few minor defects. I felt that the last scene, including the murder scene was a little too vivid and disturbing for my tastes, however I felt it added to the overall impact of the dark and creepy tale ke chuyen dem khuya. The music collection contains the entire package of this Music Man ghost stories, which makes this a great collection to add to any book collection and will serve as a superb companion to any story fan.

Fans of horror, fantasy, mysteries, suspense and terror will take pleasure in the Music Man. It is not merely a traditional ghost story, but a collection of several pieces that really make you think and reflect about the events that occur in our lives. It will delight, inspire and move you to tears while introducing you to another side of ghost stories, which few have explored before. It's definitely a must-read publication for all fans of the genre!