Isis

This short book- 113 pages that I read in an hour- is downright heartbreakingly sad. It’s a book of loss, a book of horror, a book of grief.

Set in the late Victorian era, Iris is the youngest child in a family with an absent father and a mother with depression. Her brothers are her only friends; Harvey, one of the twins that are 3 years older than her is her favorite. They spend their free time together; he protects her from his twin who has a streak of cruelty.

Living in the ancestral mansion in the far reaches of Cornwall with their mad grandfather locked up in one wing the atmosphere is charged with the occult and death. The setting is a gothic dream; not only is it an old, isolated manor, but it has an on site mausoleum in a cave show more where family members are buried. The gardener tells them tales of the dead and of the past, and of the perils of calling up the dead. When Harvey dies, Iris risks all to have him with her again, only to find that the gardener was right and some things are best left alone because there *are* fates worse than death.

Beautifully illustrated with pen and ink drawings, the book is like a tone poem of loss. Very, very good. show less

Iris Catherine Villiers wanders the gardens and cliffs of her home at Belerion Hall with her brother Harvey. The two are close and the relationship makes up for the lack of attention from her mother, father, and two older brothers. Iris and Harvey enjoy listening to the stories told by the gardener, Old Marsh, who loves to tell the two tales of death and resurrection. In their grandfather's library, they discover books on demons and ancient rights and begin playing around with spells they believe only to be harmless words and symbols. When an unfortunate accident takes Harvey's life but leaves Iris alive, she does something unheard of --- she brings Harvey back from the dead.

Isis reads like a morbid fairytale. Bones, death, sex --- all show more are topics in this tale. Love and loneliness play large roles infusing the story with a sad overtone. The book is studded with black and white sketches that leave you with a grim vision of the story and the the grave deeds of Iris.

Isis is a short book, 113 pages, made even shorter by the illustrations but it's captivating. I read the whole books while eating lunch (which I wouldn't necessarily recommend due to some of the content). While the story is about death, it is more creepy and morbid than scary. I picked this book up because of the cover and I worried that it would not live up to the love at first sight affair that made me bring it home from the library. I am happy to report that this short read was worth it. It's impact is much bigger than it's actual physical size. It's a sad, disturbing tale of death with carefully chosen words to evoke the sadness and loneliness that accompanies death in it's numerous forms. show less

Isis by Douglas Clegg was originally published by Cemetery Dance Publications in 2006 as a special, limited edition. Fortunately, the novella is now readily available from Vanguard Press. Clegg is probably best known for his work as an author of horror, but I recognized his name form his Arthurian novel Mordred, Bastard Son, which I haven't actually read yet. But this was enough to interest me in accepting the offer to review Isis. What clinched the deal for me, however, where the examples of the illustrations by Glenn Chadbourne. I am not familiar with Chadbourne's work at all despite it being primarily fantasy and horror themed, but the examples were great.

Ever since Iris Villiers was small, her head was being filled with ghost show more stories and ancient legends and tales about the undead surrounding her ancestral home. The superstitious gardener warns her about making careless wishes near the family tombs, for they just might come true and the dead always collect on the debts owed to them. But when a tragic accident takes the life of her beloved brother Harvey, she is willing to do anything to see him again, regardless of the cost. Only, deals with Death never work out as anticipated and she won't be the only one to pay the price.

Even though it is a newer work, Isis has the feeling and characteristics of older traditional ghost stories and campfire tales. It's terrifying and chilling not because of blood and gore but because of the consequences of people's actions and how they choose to deal with them. Clegg even manages to work in a few more twists and details that I wasn't expecting that were quite effective and leaves the ending of the story somewhat open. From the very beginning, the book has a sense of sadness about it that is vaguely ominous and otherworldly, a feeling that only increases as the tale progresses.

Chadbourne's illustrations are wonderfully creepy and atmospheric, perfectly complementing Clegg's story. I would have actually liked to have seen more of them, especially seeing as some of the illustrations were simply details of larger pieces, but they made for a fantastic addition. In fact, as much as I liked the story, it is the illustrations that really make the book worth picking up for its cover price. The story is great, don't get me wrong, it just seems a little short to be selling on its own were it not for the art. I'll definitely keep an eye out for other projects that Chadbourne works on.

One thing that I hadn't realized about Isis until I had finished reading it and was poking around the Internet is that it can technically serve as a prequel to Clegg's Harrow House saga. The book itself gives no indication of this and since I've never read any of his other books I had no idea there was a connection. Now, that being said, Isis can and does stand completely on its own. Though, now that I do know the novella is related to a few of Clegg's other novels, I want to track down some copies to read because I enjoyed Isis even more than I was expecting.

Experiments in Reading show less

At once I was sucked into this tale for it's light atmospheric effects and it's heavy, though lightly painted, themes of myth and classic horror tales rolled into a singly well-drawn story.

Classic horror themes abound, of always paying the dead their price, tying the Osiris/Isis story to old Irish legends, only to be tied to the christian by the end.

It's perfectly reasonable to tie christian characters back to a christian moral, of course, and the images and the feelings of awe and its reverse were quite delightful. I was reminded of what could have been a truly classic ghost story with risen zombies and resurrections all placed nearly a century ago more than a modern tale of horror. The time and place lends itself fine for that show more interpretation, with daddy going off to fight in a world war to leave the children and mother behind. Alas, not a problem. It's classically written, classically told, with a deft touch with all the myths bursting out from every page.

It's also scary, and delightfully so, with particularly good characters filled with complex psychologies and loss.

It was a great setup and even though I am fine with the christian interpretation, I find myself wistful and rather having wished for an actual Isis/Osiris theme to come home to roost. But still, I find no faults with how it actually turned out, because it was very effective. show less

Iris Villiers roamed all along the dreary cliffs and rocks of her crumbling ancestral home Belerion Hall in Cornwall - always in the company of her gentle brother Harvey. But despite his protection, there is an ancient power lurking among the tombs of her home. And when an accident occurs, Iris learns that she has the power to speak to the dead - and that her life resembles the myth of Isis more than she ever thought possible.

This little novella was certainly creepy in atmosphere with the Laughing Maiden stone and the Tombs - not to mention the ever-present dire foreboding of the gardener Old Marsh. And the story is deliciously creepy up until the pivotal moment when Isis ends up trying to raise someone from the dead. The aftermath of show more her actions just didn't seem dreadful enough given the long run-up to that very moment. I felt a bit sad at the way things turned out, but not nearly as horrified as I wanted to be.

Also, I have to admit to being creeped out (and not in the good way) by the relationship between Harvey and Isis. I mean, I know the whole situation was meant to mirror the Isis/Osiris myth, and maybe I was reading into it because of my knowledge of the myth, but ... there were some odd incestuous overtones that I didn't think were necessary.

All in all, this was a quick, moody read - and the illustrations were utterly gorgeous. As to the aftermath of the great accident, which the entire book was leading up to, it just didn't thrill me the way I had hoped.

Also posted at A Hoyden's Look at Literature.

FTC Disclosure: I received a free review copy from the publisher. show less

A slim little volume whose cover and tag line caught my eye, Isis is apparently a prequel of sorts to his Harrow haunted house saga (which I will admit to having not read, much less heard of). The story is about the Villiers family who has moved to their ancestral home in Cornwall after the father has gone off to war. The family consists of Iris, twins Spencer and Harvey, older brother Lewis (who has gone off to school) and their mother and lunatic grandfather. Iris and Harvey are closest and are rarely seen apart. The estate gardener, Old Marsh, likes to fill their heads with the stories, legends and folktales from around the area; particularly about the burial grounds, or Tombs, of the Villiers family. One such story goes that you show more musn't make wishes or threats in the Tombs, as the dead will answer you, and then you must pay a debt to the dead.

After a time, there is an accident, and Harvey is killed while trying to save Iris from falling from a window. In her grief, she runs to the Tombs and asks that her brother be brought back to her, and he does come back, but with consequences. By the time I finished the story, all I could think of was W. W. Jacobs' The Monkey's Paw and the old adage, 'Be careful what you wish for.' Not knowing any background of the rest of the series that Isis is taken from, I have no idea whether or not this is a good background for these characters, but based on this book alone, I probably wouldn't pick up the rest of the series. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't that engaging for me. show less

Douglas Clegg's Isis is a supremely creepy novella, with a fascinating Gothic aftertaste. According to my research, this novella is meant to provide a back story for a series of novels by Douglas Clegg. I will definitely be putting his other works on my lengthy tbr list! Isis is deliciously eerie and captivating. Iris is a well-written and sympathetic character and the setting and auxiliary characters are fantastic. I thoroughly expect the story to haunt my dreams tonight!

Isis is thrilling and chilling - a truly satisfying tale of the world of the supernatural, told using the backdrop of the mythos of Isis and Osiris. Unique and interesting, Isis is also a quick and effortless read, easily conquered in just a couple hours time. I show more recommend it for any fan of classic horror. The spooky atmosphere Clegg has conjured in Isis will be well worth your time. show less