Customer Reviews

Desolation (Leisure Horror)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Tim Lebbon is a master at crafting intelligent and entertaining horror tales. He can deliver the shocks (Nature of Balance) or great psychological thrills (Face). Desolation stands somewhere between those two and the result is disappointing. It's not that Desolation is a bad book. In fact, there's a lot to be found in this short tale of psychological horror. It's just that the story offers very little to like, or dislike.

Cain has been released from the only place he knew as home. His father has kept him prisoner for years, doing psychological experiment on his young self. But now that the old man is dead, Cain is freed from the prison he was trapped in. He moves into an apartment complex in the hopes of starting his life anew.

Only problem is that everyone in his new home is just a little off. As soon as he moves in, Cain has horrible nightmares. And some of his childhood fears come back to haunt him. And soon enough, he discovers that everyone out there is out to get him. This house hides many horrible secrets, all of them tied directly to his father and his past. Now Cain has no choice but to face his fear and to accept the monster that resides within him.

Desolation offers very little to enjoy. The pacing is slow and often tedious and none of these characters are likeable. In order to make a horror tale successful, you need a hero to root for. But Cain is way too boring and quiet for you to actually like him. Often, you just want to slap him, wake him up and make him smell the coffee.

And, although the pacing is slow, the whole thing also feels rushed. It's almost as if Lebbon just beefed up a novel outline he had lying around without giving any real effort to the process. Scenes appear out of nowhere, discoveries are made out of the blue and thigns are revealed that never truly explain anything or make any sense. Although some vintage Lebbon appears in the tale (like shapeshifting humans), it's nothing you can call genuine Lebbon.

I'm a big Lebbon fan. And every author is entitled to his or her mistake. This is the first book of story of Lebbon's I have disliked. Here's hoping that his creative juices are still flowing and that his next one will outtop Desolation.

DESOLATION
by Tim Lebbon

A Book Review by Steve Vernon

Tim Lebbon's new Leisure Horror release, DESOLATION, reminded me a little of David Lynch's ERASERHEAD. I wasn't always certain what was going on, but I'd be damned if I could look away. Taut, bleak, compelling - a long slow bath in icy cold vinegar. We are brought into the life-space of a character named Cain. He moves into a sort of halfway-home from a sanitarium where he's been recuperating from his childhood. His father seemed to have problems distinguishing the difference between a cradle and a Skinner box.

The neighbourhood is initially fraught with biblical metaphor. The caretaker's name is Peter. Peter lives in Heaven, (the name of the house that is). We meet a woman named Magenta. She changes shape as often as Star Jones changes her shoes. There's also a sexual flying nun, a pied piper with a hobby that Norman Bates could really get behind, and a werewolf, sort of.

None of these characters seem to be overly influence Cain. He is more a spectator in a peepshow of the damned, trying to figure out how to act based upon the actions of a twisted band of outsiders. Cain has spent his entire life in a virtual isolation tank, and a great deal of this novel has to do with him finding himself. It's kind of like a "coming-of-age" novel written by a drunken Sartre.

The pacing is very sedate. Like watching maggots grow upon paved over roadkill. There's a lot that seems to be happening between the lines. I would have liked to know more about this character, and I would have liked to have seen Cain actually interacting with his world. He seems a little stuck in the meditative, a perpetual spectator, calmly staring at the landscape he's awoken in. We are watching a man making up his mind, in the same way a man might make up an acre of beds. Calmly, methodically, dispassionately. Think of MY PRIVATE IDAHO, and you'll have captured the flavor.

DESOLATION is not a novel for every reader. It's a bit of a "head-game" that you need to steep in. Soak it up, breathe it, get to know this character. Anyone who digs the long drawn out scrolls of flesh and ink that Ramsey Campbell loves to pen will enjoy DESOLATION. It's an affectation, a pose, a style and a taste that is definitely hard to acquire, but worth the knowing nonetheless.

I think DESOLATION was a bit of an exploration for Lebbon. He's trying a new style. You will find yourself being wrapped up in Lebbon's own straight jacket, you'll feel his fingers busily tightening the stitches about your confinement, and then when you feel there is no escape, he will dig the needle in a little deeper. You keep waiting for something to happen, but it doesn't. The stitchwork grows a little tighter, and you're trapped.

DESOLATION is a walk through a strange man's mind. A story told with a tight cloistered dispassion. There's a lot that happens, but it doesn't really happen to the character. It happens around the character.

The ending was fun, a little rushed, and didn't quite seem to fit. Turning this character into what he finally becomes seemed a little like a cop-out. If Lebbon felt the need to end it this way, I wish he'd shown us more of the character in action. I kept waiting for him to clean up the snake-hole he'd landed in, but he was too busy indulging in his slow and torpid metamorphosis. Trapped within a cocoon of his own making. Lebbon makes a half-stab at turning Cain into an action hero, but in the end the character seems to be only a shadow cast upon a madman's walls.

To sum up, DESOLATION was as compelling as peeling scabs. You didn't always like what you might find underneath those shells of dead flesh, but you couldn't turn away, now could you? Don't read this book for pacing or action. Read it to experience it. Read it to get to know it. It's a bitter draught, but well worth drinking.

(review originally appeared in Cemetery Dance Weekly - April 27, 2005)

It seems people either loved this book or not. I fall into the later category. The premise is fantastic, but the execution is weak. Lebbon's new style of writing tries to mimic Tom Piccirilli and T. M. Wright, but doesn't come anywhere close. What took Lebbon over 300 pages to write should have been a 100 page novella. Yes, there are a few great and original moments, but I think this book should have been in the fantasy section, not horror. It was as scary as an episode of Seinfeld.

Lebbon's Desolation has a lot going for it. A truly original concept, an eerie and unsettling atmosphere, and the author's usual sharp writing. But one major distraction for me was the thin characterizations of all the major players, who are shown to be unsympathetic, unwholesome, and so bizarre as to be unreal.

Raised with virtually no human contact by his brutal scientist father, Cain was forced to endure a world of utter isolation in order to gain forced psychic abilities. The slightest use of his senses would cause the "siren" to go off, at first in his ears and then later in his mind as he's unable to forget the horrors forced on him. After years in a psychiatric facility, Cain is released to a halfway house and only capable of very limited human interaction.

Coincidentally(?), each of the other residents of the halfway house also have psychic gifts, and some even knew Cain's father. The story is slow, ambiguous, intriguing, disturbing, and relentlessly grim without even the slightest hint of humor. Cain attempts to bond with these other outcasts, some of whom seem to be friends while others apparently have evil intentions.

The novel sputters out to a rather uneventful ending offering very few answers, which adds to the mysterious mood but perhaps too much so. A little more sympathy, a few more grounded characters or events, would have gone a long way to helping this novel fully grip the reader.

Tim certainly starts well -- I read FACE and his collection of short stories -- but he seems to end up padding the novels (FACE) and then just ending them without tying up the loose ends.

DESOLATION started out really interesting, but then nothing really happens. And then nothing really happens. And then it takes 10 pages for a character to leave the apt and walk downstairs and outside...and nothing really happens. So I started skimming. Then skipping pages. Then I gave up about page 150.

I think Tim's short stories/novellas are great because they are more or less "short" and it seems he feels the need to pad the novels to make them longer. At any rate, I'll keep "trying" his books because I think sooner or later, he'll hit a home run.

If you're in the mood for weird fiction in the most literal sense of the term, you're probably going to enjoy much of "Desolation." Tim Lebbon provides a set-up for this book worthy of the cult film "Carnival of Souls" or, perhaps, "Pi" and while I did not enjoy "Desolation" nearly as much as the other Lebbon I've read, it's got enough interesting and quirky aspects for me to give it the benefit of the doubt.

The protagonist, Cain, is the youthful survivor of a childhood most of us would describe as abuse, in which he is so sheltered from the outside world that he regards his shadow as a friend. After the death of his obsessive father and a few years of intense therapy, Cain is sent away to live in a furnished apartment and to experience life on his own for the first time. He gradually meets or learns of a handful of exceptionally odd neighbors and, understandably, starts having more and more trouble distinguishing memory from fantasy and reality. As always, Lebbon excels at creating and maintaining a pensive (almost Gothic) mood and filling his story with nonstereotypical characters. It's no understatement to say that you probably have never encountered characters like Cain, Magenta, and Sister Josephine before!

On the downside, the style of the novel shifts about two-thirds in from a highly psychological story into something more suited for the superheroic anime like Neon Genesis Evangelion or X:1999. Normally, I enjoy that kind of story but the transition is exceptionally awkward and the novel wraps up so suddenly I was left very disappointed. Personally, I felt as if Lebbon wrote himself into a corner with his original premise and decided to stuff in as much hyper-violence as he could so we might not notice that a major plot point is left unresolved. It's not that Lebbon can't write this stuff well, but I prefer his more personal and creepy style.

I would have given this 2 stars but for the characterizations. As another reviewer notes, these characters are all very unpleasant people but at least they aren't one-dimensional and that helps to set Lebbon apart from many other horror/fantasy novels. If you read this in the right frame of mind, I can see how this novel could be very enjoyable. It just didn't completely work its magic on me.

Cain grew up in an environment that was far from desirable...being raised in isolation and experimented upon by his father, he never understood why his catcher cared more about Pure Sight than about loving and caring for his son and he's much more comfortable alone than he is with other people. When he was 16 his father died and he went to Afresh where he spent years in therapy trying to understand and recover from what happened to him. After 6 years Cain is finally ready to leave Afresh, and as we join the story he's just moving into a half-way house (13 Endless Crescent) where the residents are a bit odd themselves...or so Peter (the landlord) tells him upon arrival.

Billed as a horror story, there is surprisingly little of it...there is a bit of gore, but mostly this is a slow paced (occasionally tedious), atmospheric, and chock full of characters with no redeeming qualities. Luckily, while there really isn't a "good guy" in this book, the characters are all quirky and interesting (for what little we learn about them). I suspect, should the author want to, he could make a book out of each one, the back story, which is only hinted at in Desolation, sounded a great deal more interesting than most of this one. The bulk of the premise here is predicated on a "race" of people who find "the way" though psychic ability (which manifests differently for each person) and that here is a society of these people who feel and act as if the rules of society don't apply to them...there seems to be an emphasis that they aren't better, just different, but really, in the end, that's how it felt. These characters are better (more) than mere humans and that shines through, and though they are better, they aren't benevolent or "good" by any stretch of the imagination.

In the end, this is the kind of book that hooks you from the start and about halfway through you wonder why you're still reading it, but you find you can't stop or look away. Desolation is slow, bleak, and almost entirely depressing, yet it still manages to be interesting and entertaining. This probably isn't a horror novel for everyone, as it's not your usual gore fest, nor is it action packed. This is, in my opinion, great late night reading! I give it three stars, the idea has promise, but the delivery is a lot slower and more tedious than I would have liked. I give it kudos for making me really feel like I was inside Cain's head, feeling how he felt and the pace matched his own capacity to process what happened in the past and what is happing in the here and now. That's something that you just don't get very often!

A slow, gripping psychological mind bender that never gets go. Told in a way that ensues you get the heavy dose at horror; because of the very slow pace and dreamy writing style, it's like being hooked up to a slow drip IV - a steady, slow drip of horror into your blood stream almost non stop.

Don't go into this one without patience, however, for it is on the slower side. A reason Lebbon may have chosen this pace is because of the rich, bleak atmosphere he created. Note I said
created, not tried to create. When I read this book I felt like I was falling down a spiral of darkness, zapped this way and that, my psyche being put on the hot plate and cooked on low heat.
Excellent!

Lebbon's style was so amazing it's more than good writing, it's a talent that deserves to be slapped on the wall and put on display. There were numerous occasions where I just sat back for a minute, stunned into reader silence, marveling at his way of writing. It came across as an artful type of prose, working
well for me.

This ride was worth the longer-than-normal wait - ignore the heat shining on your back, the annoying flies attracted to the crowds sweaty skin, the woman with the weird hat in front of you, the hour long wait flashing on the sign - once you get on this ride and reach your destination, you'll know it's worth it. I promise. If you turn out traumatized, I'm sure Cain can recommend some good therapists...

The atmosphere is intense, spellbinding even. Imagine being in a completely black room, void of all senses other than hearing, and then something that you know doesn't belong there - or wasn't there a moment ago - echoes slightly. That's what this was; subtle changes in pressure, shadows at the edge of your vision, an unnerving chill up your spine for no good reason.

The pace was lazy, like watching a leaf float along a river. You can either be bored by it and toss a rock in to break up the surface, or you can become hypnotized by it and lose track of time. The story is good, new, solid... you can smell the `but' here can't you? It just didn't grab me right away. Or rather it grabbed me, then told me to hang on while it took this phone call, and when it came back again I had to remember what the hell we were talking about. The nature of the tale is to be mystifying, I get that, but combined with the pace Lebbon used, it was not captivating. I really wanted to know what was going on, what was going to happen, where everyone was going to end up - I just didn't know if I wanted to find out today.

The main character is befuddled, perplexing, and afraid of both of those facts. The other characters don't add much to clarify his situation for quite some time, and in their own way laugh at your confusion as the reader. That's okay though, I can handle a joke at my expense. Other than that factor, a very unique cast of characters is presented - something akin to a carnival's freak show. You're dangerously curious to see them, can't believe it when you do, have empathy for everyone inside the tent, and walk way thinking about how they got that way. Definitely a good thing to leave me with...

And just to further mix my metaphors, Lebbon's style was like an actor attempting an accent they don't know how to do. When he slipped and his true voice came through it was amazing, when he remembered to be in character he almost seemed forced and uncomfortable. *sniff* I missed Lebbon, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching him grow, as the story grew, in this new technique. I don't know if I liked the style [especially when combined with this particular pace] but I know that I am intrigued by it. Go figure!

The beginning is enticing, the ending is superb, and the middle... well it gets you there. It's not normal Lebbon, that much I know for sure. Did I like it? yes. Do I recommend it? I think so. To everyone? Maybe not.
If you're a Lebbon fan you should have this because it is different - a FIVE [5]
If you've never read Lebbon, then maybe a THREE [3] , I wouldn't necessarily suggest this one first, would depend on what kind of reader was asking...

The plot is creative, intelligent, and absolutely enthralling. With a bit of the paranormal, a hint of spiritual awakening, and a subject that is often reported but never actually heard, this story will mark you for life. The subplot interweaves with the main gracefully, and not a moment too soon. Wrapping up questions that lingered, while others surface, I promise you, by the end of this book you will be screaming for more!

Pulling you into a disorienting atmosphere, let me warn you now, you will spend half the book in a state of extreme confusion and paranoia. The imagery, while not terrifying, is nightmarish and deceitful. Also, the more you read, the more delusional you will become; inheriting Cain's psychosis. The pace is all-consuming in its need to involve you, trapping you in its embrace while slowly freeing you of your inhibitions. While it may seem slow to some, your patience will be rewarded.

Is Lebbon's style altered? Yes and no. His writing, while slightly different than his norm, doesn't stray too far from what you've come to expect, the only change is his viewpoint. More distanced, it's only his perspective that has changed, evolved. Instead of participating in his stories, he has now become the observer. You can still see him in there; he's just chosen to reside in the shadows.

Never fear though, even if Lebbon's style has changed - his characters haven't. Constructing a cast that is highly diverse, each is interesting in their own right. The characters are intriguing, and emotionally-binding. Thought their talents and outlook may differ, it is their vitality that grabs you. Focusing on Cain and his journey to self-discovery, the supporting cast adds insight and comprehension into Cain's impulsion without hindering it. Perfect!!