Wetbones

Well worth the price of admission, which in this case wasn't much since I got a well worn copy from a used book store (still worth full price). Clive Barker meets Lovecraft's From Beyond. Not for the faint hearted - lotsa really explicit grue, perverted sex, sado-masochism; all those things we love in good fiction. Still a good story well told with good characters that we want to see how they might or might not get out of this mess they are in.

the portions of this book i enjoyed most were the very violent parts, because Shirley, true to form, came up with some particularly novel ways to kill, maim, torture, and generally wreak havoc. unfortunately, i didn't want to like this book primarily for its gruesomeness; while scenes stick out that are pretty disturbing, the scenes aren't welded together into anything that's greater than the sum of its parts. the characters are mostly wholly unbelievable, and you don't care too much what happens to them. the fairly poor characterizations made the book slow in places, and i wasn't too sad when it ended, although it's only 332 pages long.

the novel, published in the 90s, gets close to capturing the Millennium spirit of paranoia and show more decadence, with its faddish evil cults comprised of movie stars, and nasty, Bret Easton Ellis-type deaths. however, it doesn't deliver in the way i expect Shirley to deliver.

if you're a Shirley fan, obviously, this isn't to miss. however, i don't suggest this as an intro to Shirley -- he's good, and this work probably won't give you the true "Shirley Feel." show less

Not the greatest novel I've ever read. Not the worst either. Some of the book feels like needless filler, but it was still an enjoyable read.

The explanation behind the titular Wetbones was well done and the further investigation behind the people behind the rise of the killer was also interesting. I'd definitely recommend this to any John Shirley fans, though.