Fantasy -- 4 stars
The Misadventures of Jonathan Lambshead - Book 1
Jonathan is charged with spending the summer cataloging the home of his late grandfather. He is joined by two friends to help with the sorting out, and he will need all the help he can get. It is a house stuffed with oddities, tossed about in no rhyme or reason, much like the written instructions his grandfather left him. Nothing makes sense. When Jonathan follows a stranger through one of three doors in the basement, he finds himself in another world, a world at war, a world where all the physical tenets of Jonathan's existence are upended. Aleister Crowley is alive and fighting to make himself the world's master. Also thrown into the mix are Napoleon (at least his head--on a stick), Jules Verne, and Charlemagne. And did I mention the talking potatoes? ----- When I finished this book a few days ago, I had no idea where to begin a review. The book is so filled with pure imagination it's a wonder it doesn't explode. Fantasy writers usually leave us earth dwellers at least a few recognizable landmarks on which to rest. Mr. VanderMeer seems to have made every effort to do the opposite. It's like a 645 page version of Alice's tea party--if it were held in a war zone--and the rabbit is the sane one. At times overwhelming, but never boring. Prepare yourself.
No comments:
Post a Comment