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Surely enough these wished for fates start coming true, and at the same time Richard
Rokeby dominates Jonathan Palmer more and more it in effect becomes a master-servant
relationship, which Nicholas Scott, in vain, tries to break up.
At any rate, in fairly rapid succession, Wheatley is run over by a car, Henry Ackerby kills his
wife, headmaster Howard nearly dies of a heart attack, history teacher Alan Stewart, fearing
exposure for homosexuality, commits suicide, and Richard Rokeby directly or indirectly causes
the deaths of both Jonathan Palmer and another pupil. Then, to add to the carnage, Rokeby
bizarrely dies of a broken neck without as much as a mark on his body. After such mayhem
inevitably the police are called in.
So how did this all happen? Though the police refuse to belief it and thus organise a coverup it can only have been because of dark evil forces released during the sance. This is
confirmed by a bishop, who suffers a nervous breakdown as a result.
Having at last heard his full account of what actually happened, the journalist interviewing
Nicholas Scott in 1999 now begs him for permission to publish the whole story it would be
worth a lot of money. But Scott refuses and warns the journalist that the spells created at the
sance all those years ago at Kirkston Abbey may still have force. The journalist takes note of
this warning and destroys the tapes of the interview.
Assessment
The description of a boys public school and the dialogue between the main characters is
very authentic and I am sure Redmond must have been to one. Nonetheless, whereas the story
opens well, it then rather drifts until it comes alive towards the end, only to lose impact in the
closing, somewhat plodding, pages. Fundamentally, it is not scary, though I think it could be rearranged to be so. Why not show what happened at the sance? Indeed, why not go for bust and
describe floating shadowy phantoms, screams, panic and fear? The reader only learns what was
wished for afterwards, far better if this was stated in advance. Equally to the point, evil villain
Richard Rokebys death is far too easy he should be pursued and face a brutal showdown.
Good though the dialogue is there is too much of it, and on occasion it is unclear who is
speaking (forcing the reader to pause and work it out irritating). Furthermore, the work would
have benefitted from some tightening it would have made it far more gripping.
Dramatisation Potential
THE WISHING GAME is full of good ideas but it is very uneven. There is no reason why it
could not be successfully adapted for film or TV but implementing the adjustments alluded to
above would be essential. Public school life may not per se be of much mainstream interest
movies such as IF and DEAD POETS SOCIETY come to mind but as a setting for a horror
film an institution as peculiar (to the outsider) as Kirkston Abbey might well be ideal.