Blight [Hardcover]

D. H. Melhem (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2003

A luminous tale of science fiction, moral fable, and bizarre love story.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As this unsettling fable begins, Joseph, a solitary, retired widower, is hoeing his garden when he discovers 10 gnomelike, bald, mushroom-colored creatures, each of them one foot tall. Growing in soil irradiated by nuclear fallout, the ``ground people,'' as he calls them, are a fratricidal bunch whose incessant conflicts mirror human callousness, greed and wanton destruction of the environment. Joseph falls in love with one of the elves--sweet-tempered, poised Ava--and sheds his cynical shell, reexamining his driven life and his neglect of his estranged son, Jason. Harry, one of the ground people, conspires to murder their tyrannical leader, Edam, in a plot that involves Joseph as accomplice. With Edam dead, treacherous, possessive Harry menaces Ava with a knife, so protective Joseph kills the elf in his sleep. Illustrated with fey line drawings, this lyrical allegory raises basic questions about interspecies communication and cooperation, whether murder is ever justified, and how to heal our ruptured relationship with the earth. Melhem (Heroism in the New Black Poetry) is an American Book Award-winning critic, poet and novelist. Illustrations not seen by PW.

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Review

Here, via the power of good sound and indelible images, high-flying fancy, serious introspection, and canny analysis of today's ... -- Gwendolyn Brooks

This lyrical allegory raises basic questions about interspecies communication and cooperation, whether murder is ever justified, and how ... -- Publishers Weekly

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Riverrun Pr (January 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0714542741
• ISBN-13: 978-0714542744
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,341,491 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable read, with a strange feeling., March 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Blight (Hardcover)

An enjoyable read, it has a strange feeling about it which I liked. The atmosphere gave an aged feeling to the home and I was taken by the mystery of the setting, probably not at all the intent of the author but strangely enjoyable. This location, the strange garden creatures and the mix of indifference and passion result in a gently compelling read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fine Short Novel, January 15, 2008

By 

Joshua Yeidel (United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Blight (Hardcover)

"Blight" sits at the intersection of speculative fiction and poetry. While the premise is non-realistic, the loves and fears of the protagonist are very involving and close to home. The first-person point-of-view does not impede Melhem from creating vivid and musical descriptions of the setting and the seasons.