Strange Cargo

3rd in a well, not quite a series, I guess, but a set of interconnected books that begin with Dark Sleeper then followed by The House in the Dark Wood, both of which are excellent & fun novels of fantasy.

The author has created an incredible world here: Victorian society continuing to exist after an event called widely "the sundering," in which for reasons I will not go into here (because Barlough reveals the source of the event in this episode), they live side by side by creatures that would have been at home in prehistoric periods, and where they live pretty much surrounded by other areas which are caught up in a new Ice Age. For their own intents and purposes, they ARE the world now.

It is a difficult story to capture in only a few show more words; there are several main subplots here, including a young woman who is terrified when a locked trunk that she's tried to dispose of keeps following her wherever she goes, no matter how many times she tries to get rid of it; a man and his wife who try to get to the mystery of why his grandfather would leave a fourth of his fortune to a total stranger that no one anywhere can seem to locate, and a mysterious flying object that has been seen from a lighthouse and cathedral in the coastal community of Nantle. All of the subplots merge together and become one hell of a great story.

It is so much fun to see the author piece this world together, and I can see Jules Verne, HP Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe and other great writers in his writing. I LOVE this kind of stuff!

I would caution that anyone interested might wish to go through the books as they were written chronologically; while it's not necessary to do so, you will have already gained an understanding of this crazy world with its Victorian population and that does tend to help as you progress through the books.

Are there more of these on their way? I definitely hope so...the best fantasy I've read in a VERY long time. show less

I'm guessing this type of writing isn't for everyone, but it's definitely for me (and my wife). I love this series. The characters are so colorful and memorable. I will admit that I was getting a little bored towards the middle but then it started picking up and was great from there.

Really glad to find out that there are 3 more books after this. Will definitely be picking them up.

Another wonderful book from Jeffrey Barlough. Not to be missed by any fan of Blaylock, Powers, or even Dickens. Over too soon.