![]() ![]() The setting is a magical netherworld in which a twin brother and sister embark on a quest to rescue their father from the clutches of Tartarath, the ruler of the kingdom of darkness. As we’d expect from this pair, THE MAGICAL TWINS is an extravagant concoction with enough color and imagination to fill multiple science fiction trilogies. ![]() It’s just too bad those elements are spread out over a severely protracted canvas whose bloat lessens their impact.ĪLEJANDRO JODOROWSKY is among my favorite writer/filmmakers, and he was represented in 2017 by the film ENDLESS POETRY (my thoughts on which can be found here) and also the Humanoids published young adult graphic novel THE MAGICAL TWINS, scripted by Jod and illustrated by GEORGES BESS (whose artwork previously graced the Jodorowsky scripted volumes SON OF THE GUN and THE WHITE LAMA). I HAVE NO MOUTH AND I MUST SCREAM AM THE TATHER TED THE SON PLUSOn the plus side is the author’s gruesome invention, which results in some memorable set-pieces involving bloodletting, physical mutation and insects a ’plenty. Another problem is with the many derivative elements, such as a creepy monster kid appearing at a window and exhorting a friend to let him in (a blatant lift from SALEM’S LOT), and also the descriptions of the shape-shifter’s ever-mutating appearance (which are right out of THE THING). ![]() I say the whole thing is too long and overcomplicated, lacking the leanness and concentration of THE TROOP. The shape-shifting critter is lurking nearby, and, needless to add, transforms Little Heaven into a far more forbidding environ the three protagonists come away having made wishes that are granted by the critter, in not-always-welcome ways. This “Heaven” is home to a nutty religious cult presided over by a lunatic who preaches a dark, apocalyptic brand of Christianity. The majority of the text takes place in the late 1960s, with the protagonists drawn to a settlement known as Little Heaven. The IT-like narrative focuses on three mercenaries and a shape-shifting something loose in the deserts of New Mexico. LITTLE HEAVEN falls somewhere between those two poles certainly it contains all of Cutter’s attributes, including solid characterizations and a facility for the grotesque that borders on genius, but it suffers from an unwieldy structure. Plus, the prose, even if it isn’t entirely Clive Barker worthy, is impressively crisp and descriptive, effectively transposing the artwork of the comic (which, for the record, I haven’t read in its entirety) to the printed page.Īnother novel by a prominent genre scribe that debuted in 2017 was LITTLE HEAVEN by NICK CUTTER (Gallery Books), following up his wrenching debut novel THE TROOP and its not-as-good follow-up THE DEEP. Arrayed against Wick and Julian are Wick’s hipster son Tristan and his fiancée Elspeth, both of whom are, frankly, quite boring-thus bringing up a major flaw in Clive Barker’s oeuvre: his monsters are invariably far more interesting than the human characters we’re supposed to be rooting for.īut NEXT TESTMENT is a terrific read nonetheless, being laudably audacious and provocative, and bearing an agreeably apocalyptic arc. This personage is, in fact, God-the vengeful God of the Old Testament, to be precise, who performs miracles that invariably involve mass destruction and violent death. That opening features the sixty year old Julian Demond unearthing a multi-hued being known as Wick. The narrative, though, definitely evinces Barker’s fingerprints, from the opening passages onward. The prose, in fact, is one of NEXT TESTAMENT’S weaker elements, being somewhat pedestrian in comparison to the rich and baroque vernacular we’ve come to expect from Clive Barker. This novel, released in limited edition hardcover format by Earthling Publications, was written by Miller, although Barker’s touch is evident in the conception, if not the prose. ![]() That Clive Barker novel is CLIVE BARKER’S NEXT TESTAMENT, a novelization of the 2013 comic book miniseries scripted by Barker and MARK ALAN MILLER. This means no Stephen King offerings (or even those of his son Joe Hill), although I did include a Clive Barker novel-which leads up to my first category… FICTION Still, in compiling the following list I feel I’ve come up with a number of interesting books that you won’t find in too many other such rankings. Quite simply, nobody can be expected to track down and read every worthwhile book printed over the course of the previous year, especially one who goes out of his way to track down the year’s more obscure, esoteric publications. Assembling a best-books-of-the-year list is always a dicey proposition. ![]()
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