Reading Lois Duncan
May. 13th, 2018 08:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kybearfuzzI've always enjoyed the books of Lois Duncan, an author of teen-thrillers. As a child, I remember seeing an afterschool special on ABC called "A Gift of Magic," based on Duncan's novel of the same name, about a young girl who is gifted with psychic abilities that people don't understand. I read a couple of her books as a kid, then didn't hear her name again until the movie "I Know What You Did Last Summer" came out, also based on one of her books.
As an adult, I started looking for her books at bookstores and online and didn't realize how prolific a writer she was. In fact, she had written "Summer of Fear," which was turned into a TV-horror movie of the same name, starring Linda Blair, which I had enjoyed watching a a kid. Over the years, I've been buying her books in paperback to read. They're fairly quick reads, which is great for airports and traveling.
On my last trip to DC, I took "Down a Dark Hall" with me. The book was written in the early 1970's, but was updated in the 2000's with modern technology, like laptop computers and cell phones, to make them relatable to a new generation. The story revolves around a special boarding school where the school's first enrollment consists of four teenage girls for the entire student body. With specialized attention, the girls start developing various artistic and scientific skills that they didn't possess before. While it begins as a fascination, the gifts start taking a dark toll on each girl.
I really enjoyed the book and thought it was very well-written. I thought, of all the movies they have made from her books, why haven't they done it to this one, because it seems designed for one. A little checking found that they have filmed a movie version and it's slated for release later this summer.
I look forward to seeing it.
As an adult, I started looking for her books at bookstores and online and didn't realize how prolific a writer she was. In fact, she had written "Summer of Fear," which was turned into a TV-horror movie of the same name, starring Linda Blair, which I had enjoyed watching a a kid. Over the years, I've been buying her books in paperback to read. They're fairly quick reads, which is great for airports and traveling.
On my last trip to DC, I took "Down a Dark Hall" with me. The book was written in the early 1970's, but was updated in the 2000's with modern technology, like laptop computers and cell phones, to make them relatable to a new generation. The story revolves around a special boarding school where the school's first enrollment consists of four teenage girls for the entire student body. With specialized attention, the girls start developing various artistic and scientific skills that they didn't possess before. While it begins as a fascination, the gifts start taking a dark toll on each girl.
I really enjoyed the book and thought it was very well-written. I thought, of all the movies they have made from her books, why haven't they done it to this one, because it seems designed for one. A little checking found that they have filmed a movie version and it's slated for release later this summer.
I look forward to seeing it.
