A Child Across the Sky [Paperback]

Jonathan Carroll (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 19, 1990

When a film-maker commits suicide, his legacy to his old friend is to solve the riddle of his death and to complete his final, flawed horror movie. This thriller transcends reality into the world of fantasy where the living and the dead intermingle.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Just as the the word "weird" has many implications and shades of meaning, so too does the latest--weird--work by this gifted and perplexing writer. As Carroll ( Bones of the Moon ; Sleeping in Flame ) himself says, "Life has a habit of turning dark corners." Applied here, this observation seems an understatement: these convoluted corners are both light and dark, are many, varied and constantly challenging. Flashing back and forth in time, the story concerns the apparent suicide of filmmaker Philip Strayhorn, whose bizarre Midnight series has attained cult status. Strayhorn's best friend, Weber Gregston, a filmmaker with a more intellectual bent, is drawn into a dizzying series of events by a videotape that Philip leaves him. The wickedly imaginative twists and turns that follow are only one facet of this intriguing tale, which seems at times like a framework on which to hang a myriad of metaphysical notions. What, for instance, is one to make of a tattoo of a crow that comes alive in an airplane lavatory? Carroll's style is elegant; his writing is by turns disturbing, fey, sardonic, grim--frequently within a single paragraph. The unexpected lies at the heart of this novel, and readers seeking a provocative and stimulating--though not always easy--read will be rewarded.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Legend paperbacks (July 19, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0099709503
• ISBN-13: 978-0099709503
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,946,814 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Biography,free downloadable stories, screenplays, daily blog and other relevant information available at

www.jonathancarroll.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a bit less of a masterpiece than his others, June 14, 2000

By 

M. H. Bayliss "book queen" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Child Across the Sky (Hardcover)

Okay, maybe I'm being picky because I'm on this Jonathan Carroll streak right now and just finished four of his other books before this one. Like his great books, this one has brilliant scenes, concepts and wild plot devices, but I found that it didn't hold together as well as his others. At times, it seems like even Carroll might have lost one of his own threads. This book made me appreciate how great his new one, Marriage of Sticks, is. If you haven't read anything by Carroll before, I'd stick to his others first. If you're a Carroll freak like I am, you'll want to search this one out. Rondua appears in this one too and you may recognize Finky-Linky and some of the usual suspects.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars not his best, March 19, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Child Across the Sky (Hardcover)

I agree with the previous review, that this isn't the best book with which to acquaint yourself with Carroll. THE LAND OF LAUGHS might be the best place to start - or try his last book, THE WOODEN SEA. Truth be told, A CHILD ACROSS THE SKY falls far short of his other works. Its highlights are two short stories, both of which can be found in his terrific collection, THE PANIC HAND. The plotting of CHILD feels rushed and forced, and its themes slightly convoluted. Carroll's distinctive voice is very much present - and as always a pleasure to listen to. This just didn't hit the mark like so many of his others.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars He's still one of my favorite authors, September 3, 2009

By 

Karie Hoskins "karieh" (Everett, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Child Across the Sky (Hardcover)

For some reason I wasn't able to sink fully into the world of Jonathan Carroll like I usually can...but here were a few lovely quotes:

"Whatever, it took an hour of hard walking in the blue lead cold of a New York December for me to really hold in the palm of my mind the fact my best and oldest friend was dead."

And speaking of being dead...

"There is a life review, of course, but it was so much more interesting than I had ever imagined. For one thing, they show you how and where your life really happened. Things you didn't experience or weren't ever aware of, but which dyed the fabric of your life its final color."

And as always, his take on life speaks right to mine: "What more American tradition is there than the turnpike rest stop? I don't mean those Mom and Pop pretty-good-food one-shot places somewhere off the interstate that sell homemade pralines. I'm talking about a quarter-mile lean on the steering wheel that curves you into the parking lot the size of a parade ground, fourteen gas tanks, toilets galore and Muzak. The food can be pretty good or pretty bad, but it's the high torque ambiance of the places that make them so interesting, the fact that no one is really there - only appetites or bladders, while eyes stare longingly out the window at the traffic."

Only appetites or bladders, indeed.

And I think I will end with this, because Carroll has a way, in nearly every book, at getting the reader to examine his or her own life as the characters do...looking back over the small pieces and huge events that shape who we are. The huge events are easy to remember, but sometimes it's the small pieces that give life its flavor.

"No matter how old or jaded you are there will always be something exciting and cool about cruising around at three in the morning with a bunch of good friends. All the old duds are asleep but you're still awake, the windows are down, the radio's glowing green and playing great music. Life's given you a few extra hours to horse around. If you don't grab them, they aren't usually offered again for a while."

See? So I honestly don't know why I couldn't sink into his words, his world. He creates characters that life the truest of lives in the most fantastical of circumstances. I can't point to anything in particular that caused my interest to wander.

I love Jonathan Carroll and his books...and I look forward to my next trip to his world.