| Plot Summary of Skull Session |
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" In Skull Session, Daniel Hecht's first novel, we meet Paul Skoglund, a good natured man who is afflicted with Tourette's syndrome and currently out of work. When his rich, haughty, old Aunt Vivien calls from San Fransisco and asks him to repair the vandalism that has been done to her mansion, he dutifully takes on the job. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Paul, a handfull of teenagers have been coming up missing in the area.
Morgan Ford, a lonely, likeable, yet trigger happy police detective with a disreputable past is assigned to the missing teens case. He digs up clues using interviews, time tables, etc., but doesn't exactly hit the nail on the head; and does not realize the severity of the danger he is up against.
Paul finds the mansion in an unbelievable condition; damages that are clearly not the work of simple vandalists. The mangled mess is astounding, only some kind of Superman could have inflicted this degree of mischief to the estate. Within the rubble, Paul finds secret family documents and photos, and discovers that he has some detective work of his own to do. Upon learning the secrets of his family's deranged and hidden past, he also begins to discover powers within himself that he never dreamed imaginable. He may be the only one who is able to stop the nonsensical violence that has been going on there for years.
Within the subplot are serious yet humorous glimpses of of Paul's struggle with Tourette's Syndrome, his relationships with his beautiful, thrill seeking girlfriend Lia and his 8 year old son, Mark (who has also inherited neurological disorders), and the inclusion of quite a few more memorable characters."
Teresa Thornton, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Skull Session |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 20%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
Time/era of story:
- 1980's-1999
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Horror Story?
Yes
Horror plotlets
- the mad stabber chased me!
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- unemployed
Age:
- 20's-30's
Has special powers?
Yes
Magical/mental powers of main character:
- super strength
- is very quick
Eccentric/Mental:
Yes
Eccentric:
- mentally ill
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How much violence does he/she use?
- just the right amount
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- natural phenomena
Has special powers?
Yes
Magical/mental powers of main antagonist:
- is very quick
- super strength
Eccentric:
Yes
- eccentric
- emotionally unstable
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a substantial amount
Motive of antagonist
- power
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
Mountains/Cliffs
Yes
Mountains:
- climbing on trails
- falling off
Forest?
Yes
Misc setting
- fancy mansion
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths?
- 8 or more
Sex
Yes
What kind of sex:
- actual description of sex
- descript. of breasts
A lot of techno jargon?
Yes
Kind of jargon?
- biology/medical
Unusual forms of death
- diced
- run over
- decapitated
- perforation--bullets
- perforation--swords/knives
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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