ABOUT: As the title suggests this book serves as an afterword to one of the short works in Jeff Vandermeer’s collection, City of Saints and Madmen.
It details the lives of Duncan and Janice Shriek through war, scandal and tradgedy. Duncan is a once - famous historian who becomes obsessed with the mysterious grey caps, strange alien creatures who live underground, beneath the city of Ambergris, the book’s setting. He becomes afflicted with a fungal disease that slowly transforms him.
His sister Janice, the patron of the New Art movement, soars to the heights of success and then slides back down again.
FOR: - Fantastic characterisation, Duncan and Janice feel like fully realised individuals with many faults but also great strengths. Although there relationship is tested you can still observe the affection they feel for each other.
- A strong cast of believable, engaging supporting characters. Standouts are Monmot, Mary Sabon and Sybel.
- Ambergris is a fantastic setting reminiscent of Fritz Leiber’s Lankhmar or more recently, China Mieville’s New Crobuzon. There is a real sense of place and history developed in the novel.
- Interesting structure that has Janice narrating the story in the first person and Duncan adding his own thoughts to the tale as it develops.
AGAINST: - The structure of the book can also be frustrating at times. Janice is a very selective narrator and as the reader discovers, she skips many parts of her own life. Also it would be good to get even more of an insight into the underground world of the grey caps through Duncan’s explorations.
OVERALL: An extraordinary non-traditional fantasy tale with superb characterisation and setting. I can’t wait to return to Ambergris!
SCORE: 9 out of 10.
THE AUTHOR: Visit Jeff Vandermeer’s blog which has links to his ‘empire’ of other websites. It is a great source of news and interviews about the fantastic as well.
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