by mexicansilverl6ac

Another.

Guest Post by Tanatswa
(Photo credit: Ben Zank)

This is an extract from Messenger of Fear by Michael Grant

“It was a coffin.
Something told me it was empty.
I was sure that I would see a familiar face in that coffin. I was sure I
would see myself. But why would I be lying in a church that was no church?

Cold fingers of horror squeezed my heart, wrung the blood from it and left
me gasping for air. Each inhalation was a sniffle, each exhalation a
shudder. My fingernails pressed into my palms and the pain of it was prod
that I was alive, or something like alive and yet I knew, I knew what I
would see in that coffin.

I took another step.

Another.”

What can you guys say about the tone, genre, vocabulary and writers
purpose?

14 Comments

  1. I love this extract! I think that the language being used compliments the genre of the story. The words used give an element of curiosity, as well as, a frightening aspect. The tone of the writer himself also shows that he does not know how he got to the coffin. By the style of the writing itself also shows that it is in fact a mysterious book. The extract itself was brilliantly composed and excellently executed. Thank you Tanatswa.

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  2. I think this extract is really good. I’m drawn in and left wanting to read more. It seems very mysterious and even I am curious to see what happens. I think that is a part of the writers purpose, to make their readers curious and wanting to read more.
    I think the genre varies, it depends on the rest of the book but from the extract I’d say it’s mystery, maybe crime or maybe even horror.
    The language and vocab is used well to compliment the writers purpose. It helps give off the emotions he intends to give off.
    Enjoyed reading this, thanks you Tanatswa.

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  3. I think that the writers purpose was to capture our attention which did happen especially by the first sentence. What i also noticed was that i could imagine myself in that story because of the way it was written. Lastly, there is mixed emotions involved such as feeling scared then the next moment feeling confused. Nice one Tanatswa

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  5. This passage really keeps me wondering, which is what i find most exciting especially at the end when it goes, “I knew what i would see in that coffin. I took another step. Another” that really gripped my attention

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  6. This is very intriguing, and I think the writer’s purpose is to create suspense and fear within the reader. The writer used the words “sniffle” and “shudder” to describe the way the characters inhaled and exhaled. It is interesting because in this case they are adverbs, but at the same time they are onomatopoeic. In the beginning, short sentences were used and I think it is effective because it makes you pause and creates curiosity. There is a lot of imagery, for example, “my fingernails pressed into the palm of my hands” and I think th imagery helps maintain suspense. The personification “cold fingers of horror squeezed my heart, wrung the blood from it and left” is very interesting because it contributes to the mystery of the story and it makes horror seem like a person, which gives rise to another character in a way.

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  7. This just left me with goosebumps. The writer gave us a very clear feeling that it is a horror. The words the writer uses leave us curious like when he says “I took another step. Another”. The vocab used gives some unsettling sense. This was a good extract Tanatswa!

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