The two islands are
no vacation spot. One holds a prison for some of the stranger elements of the
planet. Those nations want to disappear, that can’t be allowed trials and
hope for eventual return to society. The other holds the only option for
release in discrete 3x9x6 foot plots. Bernard minds those graves, digging them and placing
the non-descript numeric tombstones, as the days blur into each other. Tonight
should be just another meat filled hole in the ground, but this one rides in
wrapped in steel and chains after riding old sparky four times and there have
been rumors of something unnatural at work.
It should be enough to say that this is a traditional gothic
tale steeped in Judaic legendry and told through Lansdale’s no nonsense style,
but you probably want more than that. On a simple front, it hit me as a
lighting quick tumble and tussle with one bad ass mofo of a messed up monster.
It’s tight, lean, mean and fucking crazy but with enough heart to get me
actually caring about this gravedigging fool. Good times were had.
On a deeper level, I admire the hell out of how much
Lansdale does with so few words without ever stopping the narrative or getting
preachy. It makes for a wonderful exploration of isolation and dehumanization
and what that does to our basic humanity. What it turns us into when we are
turned inward too deeply. There's also a bit about actions we are willing to take by rote, without thinking of what our part in the larger scheme may mean. I want very much to go further into detail, but I
don’t want to ruin any of it for you.
It does bear warning that the first few pages are a tad dry.
They seem mired in description and meditation without action. Personally, I
think this was necessary in establishing the depth of removal from other people,
both in a literal and metaphorical sense. It also allowed a little bit of time
to settle down into the old rocker on the porch as Champion Joe trickled out another
one of his yarns. All the same, I know it will aggravate impatient readers who
want to jump into the action. Don't worry, kiddies, it's worth it when you get
there.
Cover art:
Initially, I was a bit disappointed in the cover art for
this one. After the intricate and bizarrely detailed cover of the last BL book,
I expected something less mundane. However, it fits very well with the story
itself. Deceptively normal if not for one small detail that would be nearly
impossible to catch unless you knew what to look for. But then, once the weird hits
you, you can’t look away from that detail. It’s just a shame that those who
ordered the hardback version of the book won’t see this in color since that is
where this little touch shines.
*edit: I have been informed that the hardback will indeed feature the cover art in color because AWWWWW HELL YEAH.
*edit: I have been informed that the hardback will indeed feature the cover art in color because AWWWWW HELL YEAH.
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