Book: Isis
ISBN-13: 978-1593155407
Author: Douglas Clegg
Series: Prequel to the Harrowing House Series
Publisher: Vanguard Press
Genre: Horror / Dark Fantasy
Release: September 29, 2009
Length: 128 pages (Hardcover)
Rating: B (85 / 100)
Verdict
Isis is a beautifully illustrated novella perfect for a bit of late night Autumn reading.
Children of the eighties are likely to find that Douglas Clegg’s simple tale coupled with Glenn Chadbourne’s eerie illustrations evoke nostalgic memories of Alvin Schwartz and other childhood campfire favorites, while the book serves as a nice introduction to Clegg’s Harrow House series for fans of the gothic, who are sure to be drawn in by this case of The Secret Garden gone wrong.
-
Pros: Beautifully illustrated. Fairytale-like storytelling. Highly atmospheric.
Cons: It’s almost too short to justify selling individually. It’s ending is too open-ended.
Synopsis
In Brief: Clegg returns with another gothic tale of Isis Claviger, in a standalone prequel to the Harrow House series. In this novella, Clegg expands the backstory of Isis’ childhood and reveals how she lost her beloved older brother and became entangled with the world of the dead.
Official: If you lost someone you loved, what would you pay to bring them back from the dead?
Old Marsh, the gardener at Belerion Hall, warned the Villiers girl about the old ruins along the sea-cliffs. Never go in, miss. Never say a prayer at its door. If you are angry, do not seek revenge by the Laughing Maiden stone or at the threshold of the Tombs. There be those who listen for oaths and vows….What may be said in innocence becomes flesh and blood in such places.
She was born Iris Catherine Villiers. She became Isis.
From childhood until her sixteenth year, Iris Villiers wandered the stone-hedged gardens and the steep cliffs along the coast of Cornwall near her ancestral home. Surrounded by the stern judgments of her grandfather–the Gray Minister–and the taunts of her cruel governess, Iris finds solace in her beloved older brother who has always protected her. But when a tragic accident occurs from the ledge of an open window, Iris discovers that she possesses the ability to speak to the dead…
Be careful what you wish for…it just may find you.
Review
Last week, an early Halloween treat arrived on my doorstep, just as Autumn was rolling in. It was a review copy of the thin novella Isis, which is being released this week, just in time for the Halloween season.
Though it took little more than two hours to read, I’ve been loath to hide such a beautiful book away on a shelf, and it’s sat here, next to my computer, the entire week. Every time I sit down, it’s an effort not burn a few minutes paging through the volume again. The remarkable artwork of Glenn Chadbourne that pads out the book poses a finger-itching temptation. Not only is his art the highpoint of the book, it’s also an almost irresistible invitation to daydream. Chadbourne’s haunting illustrations are an imagination-igniting marriage of the wild sketches of Stephen Gammell that punctuated so many of my favorite childhood horror stories and the haughty etchings of the book’s Victorian era settings that set the tone for Clegg’s story perfectly.
Clegg does a solid job of fusing the dark, suspenseful atmosphere of a campfire story to the magical and slightly macabre tones of a fairytale. The result is that Isis is a simple book with an old soul. The book’s story unfolds with a fairytale simplicity reminiscent of Peter Beagle’s The Last Unicorn, and it’s setting is drawn straight out of classic English literature. However, it’s plotline could be just as at home in a Stephen King novel as some turn of the century pearl. (Think Sometime They Come Back.) The combination is a refreshing take on the horror genre.
Unfortunately, the book looses marks for its climax, which is far briefer than the excellent concept underlying the book deserves. It may have been the author’s intention to draw readers into his series by deliberately leaving this novella open-ended, but the effect is a bit disappointing. It’s brevity lessen the impact of the book’s final twist and reduces the tale from epic fantasy to a morality tale.
Nonetheless, Isis is definitely worth a look. It’s a great book for getting into the Halloween spirit, a beautiful piece of eyecandy for those who take pride in their personal library’s beautify, and a nice introduction to a series by one the genre’s up and coming authors.
Similar Books
If you enjoy this book, you may also enjoy these very similar books:
Further Information
|
|
|
Pingback: The Great Geek Manual » Book Review: Isis | Pulplit Magazine