Douglas Clegg was one of those writers who, to my mind, should have been handed a contract for fat hardcovers that could have hung out with (in a better world) Robert R. McCammon, Bentley Little and Stephen King. These are guys who know America, and know how to literally scare up the best and worst aspects of the American character and slap them into a ripping yarn full of monsters, terror and enough action to keep the pages turning late into the night.
'Neverland' was Clegg's third paperback original for Pocket Books, following 'Goat Dance' and 'Breeder'. It's of the "children of horror" subgenre, that is, it's about children who wander into the path of something quite old and quite sinister. Of course, children can give anything sinister, old or young, a run for its money. Beau Jackson and his cousin Sumter spend their summers on Gull Island, at the decaying family compound. Beau brings along his copy of 'The Martian Chronicles,' just in case readers haven't sensed the Bradbury "sweet evil" vibe when Sumter squeezes his stitches to bring the blood up to the surface. The compound is bad enough, but the shack out there on the bluff. From there it's just one small step for a child, and one giant leap for readerkind, to Neverland.
Clegg has a talent for writing at something of a sweet and detailed fever pitch. Looking at the Pocket Books mass-market paperback now, I can hardly believe how fresh the then new-and-cool raised "foil" letters were. I kept this thing in pristine condition. The yellowed covers and the cheesy paperback look almost ooze evil. But Clegg's work is complex and prickly enough that I wouldn't mind reading it again. But I suspect that attempting to read this almost — can I even believe it? — 20-year-old paperback now would result in its destruction. Perhaps that would be appropriate.
But in any event, I'd certainly welcome the shiny, new trade paperback edition of 'Neverland' (Vanguard Press ; April 2010 ; $15.95). Yes, I still think Clegg deserves hardcover publication, but given that we're resurrecting 80's-Boom/90's Horror, I'm happy to see anyone give Clegg's novel the kind of presentation that it deserves. In this case, that means beautiful alrge print, nice pages and lots of illustrations by Glen Chadbourne. All this at $15.95 seems to be a pretty good deal to me.
But it is, I hope also a harbinger of the resurrection of more 1980's and (80's-style) horror. Certainly, Vanguard should do Clegg's 'Goat Dance' and Breeder,' and give them the deluxe Chadbourne treatment. And if the economy stays in the toilet, maybe we can look forward, not to soul-less, scentless downloadable e-books, but the kind of books that stay on our shelves for 20-something years, ripping yarns in books we love enough to treat like gifts from our children. With sweet sadness .. and a hint of evil.
02-08-10:David Louis Edelman Completes Jump 225
'Geosynchron'
When it comes to reading trilogies that have a three-book story arc (and this is not always the case), I'm gun-shy. Why? Simon & Schuster UK, that's why. I remember picking up Brian Stableford's 'The Werewolves of London' in 1990. It was a wonderfully well-written proto-steampunk novel of supernatural conspiracy, and quickly followed up in 1991 by 'The Angel of Pain.'
The first two novels were issued in lovely hardcovers, with great dust-jacket artwork. The second novel even told us the name of the final volume of the trilogy — 'The Carnival of Destruction.' I could hardly wait for it to come out.
But I waited.
Stableford's a great writer and it was a wonderful series. I don't the circumstances behind the delay, only that I wished I'd waited until the final volume came out to start the first one. Then I could have much better enjoyed the continuity of the story. At least Stableford finished the series, which sadly isn't always the case.
So, if you read my review of 'Infoquake' by David Louis Edelman back in the day, and were both smart and cautious, now you can relax and start reading the book, it's sequel, 'MultiReal' and the final volume in the series, 'Geosynchron' (Pyr / Prometheus ; February 9, 2010 ; $16). The Jump 225 trilogy is a tightly-knit story, told over three novels, and it's an odd duck by any measure. But it's just the right kind of odd duck to please a large segment of readers who like their science fiction equally packed with plot and thought.
Edelman had created an wonderfully detailed vision that harks back to the most classic science fiction series. The best science fiction reaches outside of time, and depicts futures that are not reliant on gadgets, but instead on concepts and thought experiments. Edelman has arguably upped the ante here, since his is a multiple vision of reality, of different timelines spun off by different decisions, all accessible by one person. And for all his unique inventiveness, he still manages to populate his worlds with characters we can understand and sympathize with — even though they're often not particularly likable.
Given the complexity of the series and the plotting in the first two novels, it's pretty handy that Edelman includes a synopsis of them among the many appendices he includes. 'Geosynchron' does have a lot of explaining to do, but happily it does so with plot and not exposition. Yes, Natch is still around, faced with the sort of decisions he deserves. Edelman's got a peculiar and entertaining combination of space opera and cyberpunk, with a feel for deep history that gives both aspects of story and depth and dimension that is unusual, in the best possible way.
The publishing history is equally important here. Pyr has done a good job at bringing readers a meaty series in a readable by inexpensive format. They'll look good lined up on the shelf, and more importantly, they'll stay in your mind. This is what you want from science fiction. You want the vision of the writer to inform your vision of your life. You can feel the alternate timelines and sometimes, achingly, wonder what might have happened had you not sent that email. You may not think you can get to those worlds. But novels offer an opportunity to explore the branches of the decision tree. Now you can decide — safely — to enter the world of Edelman's Jump 225 trilogy. At least in this timeline.
New to the Agony Column
02-09-10: Commentary : Douglas Clegg Returns to 'Neverland' : Is 1980's Horror Returning from the Grave?
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2009 Interview with David Drake, Part 2 / Complete : "I didn't have governor ... that is ... anything, endgame, was me killing somebody.""
02-08-10: Commentary : David Louis Edelman Completes Jump 225 : 'Geosynchron'
02-05-10: Commentary : DC Pierson is 'The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep and Never Had To' : The Insomnia Vibe
Agony Column Podcast News Report : Three Books with Alan Cheuse: Too Much Money, Dominick Dunne; The Privileges, Jonathan Dee; Adam Haslett, Union Atlantic; The Forty Rules of Love, Elif Shafak; Wild Child, T. C. Boyle
02-04-10: Commentary : David Grann and 'The Devil and Sherlock Holmes' : An Obsession with Obsession
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2010 Interview with Josh Sundquist : "It was a really amazing testament to the power of small-town America and to the power of organized religion at its best."
02-03-10: Commentary : James Rollins Unleashes 'The Altar of Eden' : Monsters at the Zoo
02-01-10: Commentary : 'He Walked Among Us' : Cassandra, John Titor and Norman Spinrad
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2010 Interview with Charlie Huston : "The prospect of things becoming deeply unhinged seemed very, very immediate"
01-29-10: Commentary : Henghis Hapthorn Meets 'Hespira' : Matthew Hughes Devolves the Universe
01-27-10: Commentary : Glen Cook Walks the 'Shadowline' : Every Old (Science Fiction) Thing is New (Space Opera) Again
Agony Column Podcast News Report : An Interview with Jeff Carlson at SF in SF on January 16, 2010 : "The bad guys never consider themselves the bad guys..."
01-19-10: Commentary : Gene Wolfe Moves into 'The Sorcerer's House' : Magical Surrealism
Agony Column Podcast News Report : Three Books with Alan Cheuse : Don Delillo: 'Point Omega,' Robert Stone: 'Fun With Problems,' Douglas Preston: 'Impact'
01-18-10: Commentary : George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois Bring On 'Warriors' : An Anthology Waiting to Happen
