Customer Reviews

The Devil's Alphabet

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I stumbled onto one of Daryl Gregory's short stories ("Unpossible") in a yearly anthology and instantly became a fan of his work. THE DEVIL'S ALPHABET is entirely different than Unpossible, but because of reading the short story first I expected to be left with a great feeling in the end and I was not disappointed.

I found something from Gregory himself in an interview he gave to Locus Magazine, and not surprisingly it describes the book well:

START QUOTE "I turned in my second novel, and it's totally unrelated to Pandemonium. Instead of a fantasy that feels like science fiction, it's a hard SF book that feels like fantasy. It's got a working title of Oh, You Pretty Things, a riff on the David Bowie song. It's about quantum evolution running wild in a tiny Tennessee mountain town. I'm calling it a Southern Gothic/science fiction/murder mystery." END QUOTE

I would've rather seen Gregory's suggested title and a less creepy-looking cover for the book, because I think that would have portrayed the book more accurately (plus, David Bowie). There is definitely enough suspense in the book (its biggest mystery is a whodunnit), but it isn't a fast-paced thriller, and it comes across much more charming than it does frightening. Yet its premise is a sufficiently weird SF/F one, and I mean that as a compliment. It's not a story with nice shades of grey.

The book reads like a rich literary work, especially, I think, toward the beginning. As the book goes along, I thought the pace picked up some and there is a bit less description. I thoroughly enjoyed the book from start to finish, though, and Gregory provides an excellent sense of place in the small southern town in the Tennessee mountains where the book takes place (cue: John Cougar Mellencamp music); I grew up some in the south, and I think Gregory did a rather good job describing it. Its characters are well-developed (Paxton, the main character, especially towards the second half of the book), and its premise remains interesting and oddly "believable." Oh, and I don't think I'll ever be able to get the image of Rhonda out of my head. If she starts haunting my dreams, I will have to track Daryl Gregory down and seek revenge.

What I liked most about it, though, was the sense of humor running through a good story. My favorite thing about Gregory's writing is his ability to throw in a hilarious line that fits completely within the context of the story he's writing; I laughed out loud about a dozen times. I also appreciated the realistic (and funny) references to modern Americana. One key character, for example, used to slick his hair down with Alberto VO5. That was in the second chapter, and at that point I knew it was going to be a fun ride.

Publisher's Weekly named it one of the top five SF/F books of 2009. Here's what they said about it, which I agree with:

START QUOTE "This subtle, eerie present-day horror novel mercilessly dissects and reassembles the classic narrative of a man returning to his smalltown birthplace, where the familiar folks have become strange creatures... Gregory (Pandemonium) produces a quietly brilliant second novel... A wide variety of believable characters, a well-developed sense of place and some fascinating scientific speculation will earn this understated novel an appreciative audience among fans of literary SF." END QUOTE

The "Stomping on Yeti" blog sums up something else that I wanted to say:

START QUOTE "There are books that grab you from the first page, dragging you along at a relentless pace. Then there are books that slowly seduce you with strong characters and until you find yourself captivated and caring more than you would ever expect. Daryl Gregory's brilliant sophomore effort, The Devil's Alphabet, is definitely one of the latter." END QUOTE

Most novels I try to read get thrown against the wall and abandoned before their half-way point. I read this one quickly, and happily, straight through. Its often southern-style pace was gentler than I expected from the cover and title, but its literary richness turned out to be a pleasant surprise and it was a quick page-turner for me nonetheless. I look forward to more stories and laughs from the author.

A man returns to his hometown somewhere in the mountains of Tennessee for the funeral of a formerly dear friend, having left 12 years before - just after most of the towns inhabitants DNA mutated and left them either dead, or 11 feet-tall "Argo" giants, seal-skinned "Betas" or huge "Charlies". He himself was spared by the mutation.

Sounds strange? Well, just having finished the book, I am impressed: The setting is highly original, the plot is well thought out from start to finish (no cheap showdown as often after a good start), the characterizations are witty and sharp - and without raising a lecturing finger of any kind it made me think about some interesting questions about our being human; a very inspiring book as well.

If you like a good realistic (? yes!)thriller and/or great credible science fiction and/or a witty coming of age novel of another kind, or if you simply like a fascinating read: Very highly recommended!

I have been an avid reader for many years now with my 45 years; this is one of the best books I have ever read in any genre. It is truly fantastic. Please read it.

[close] As a reader, I operate under a strict "you can't judge a book by its cover" policy. The Devil's Alphabet tested that resolve, though. When I picked it up at the library, my 4-year-old daughter cringed. "Ew, that's scary, mom," she said. And she's right - the cover art is a little dark. But like many books, I quickly discovered that the image on the cover is more unsettling than any of the content within.

I was expecting a sci-fi/horror story, but I was surprised to discover that Daryl Gregory's second novel is really neither of these things. Sure, it's sci-fi in that the story takes place in an alternate reality with some pretty fantastic characters unlike anything I've ever encountered. But beneath all that, The Devil's Alphabet reads more like a gothic southern mystery akin to something Charlaine Harris might dream up.

The plot is too complicated and rich to sum up effectively in a short review, but here's it in a nutshell: Paxton Martin is the prodigal son returning to his hometown of Switchcreek, Tenn. to attend his childhood best friend's funeral. But Switchcreek is not your average small town --it's the site of the TDS crisis, an unexplained epidemic that swept through the community 15 years ago and left 30 percent of the town dead, and nearly everyone else changed in some way. His best friend, Deke is an "argo" -- the result of the first wave of the disease, which left people gray-skinned, sterile and more than 8-feet tall. His friend Jo, recently deceased, was turned into a beta -- the spontaneously-breeding, bald, burgundy-skinned victims of the second wave of the disorder. Paxton's father, Harlan -- a former pastor -- is a "charlie" -- the morbidly obese clade that emerged in the final stage of the Changes. Paxton himself is a rare "skip" - someone that made it through the TDS outbreak without any physical effects whatsoever.

Paxton quickly discovers that all is not right in his hometown. His father seems to be going insane, and needs care Paxton isn't sure he's able to provide. The former church secretary, Rhonda, is now Mayor Rhonda -- and has become a scheming, manipulative leader bent on preserving her town, but most importantly, her Charlie clade at any cost. Half the town is addicted to a strange drug called The Vintage. And all is not as it seems when it comes to Jo's apparent suicide -- or her 12-year-old beta twin daughters.

The plot is multi-layered and one of the most creative I've read in years -- I was drawn into the murder mystery as well as all the strange politics and relationships of the town. But the characters are also top-notch. Pax is a great narrator, because his outsider status, lack of life direction and self-understanding allows him to discover the mysteries of the town right along with readers.

All in all, don't judge a book by its cover. I feel like many of the people that would most enjoy The Devil's Alphabet might be unwilling to pick up the book just because of the unsettling cover art. This is a gothic murder mystery first. Yes, there are a few gross elements in the book, and some unconventional sexual content is inferred, but for the most part, it's a story that is one part science, one part science fiction and one part good, old-fashioned small town secrets.

Switchcreek was once a small town like any other, until a mysterious disease swept through, killing many residents and transforming even more into one of three new humanoid species. Pax is an even rarer oddity: a human left untouched by the disease. Now, 13 years after leaving, Pax returns to his childhood home to attend a friend's funeral, and his stay in Switchcreek may reveal much about his own past and the town's strange biology and society. The Devil's Alphabet's intrigue is its premise. Unusual and often mysterious, Switchcreek's strangeness is what grabs the reader's interest and holds it through the length of the novel. Gregory often manages a balance between confusion and explication that avoids frustration while encouraging constant investigation, a recipe for a compelling, addicting novel. But the unusual premise--and the emphasis placed upon it--is also the book's greatest weakness. Many questions offered by the premise go unanswered, which is realistic and understandable but also leaves the book without a strong conclusion: the premise ends at it began, complex and mysterious, begging another look--but offering none.

The emphasis placed upon the premise meanwhile overshadows other aspects like character and plot. These aspects do still exist, of course: Pax rides the edge of antihero, making him at once deeply flawed and sympathetic, and the distinctly human, uniquely alien individuals and societies of Switchcreek offer significant interest and depth; together, this makes for a strong cast of characters. The plot, built on the mystery of Pax's friend's death, is solid but unremarkable. It goes through the motions of beginning, middle, and end; the problem comes when the plot ends and the mystery of the premise, which has capitalized the reader's attention, continues. Would that more of Pax's childhood had been brought to light to put more emphasis on his childhood friendships and more of the reader's focus--and satisfaction--on the characters and plot. As it stands, Alphabet is unbalanced--not so much as to distract from the pleasure of reading it (indeed the book is almost compulsively readable), but enough to leave a lingering question at the end: "What that all?" I recommend the book with reservations. It's intriguing, often compelling, but in its conclusion it's inescapably flawed.

Mr. Gregory should have chosen a different title and cover art because they are a bit misleading. They paint a picture of horror and suspense. This book is not a horror novel or thriller in any sense. This is more a biological mystery slash sci/fi. The book is about a biological disaster that befalls a small Tennessee town that kills many residents and mutates most of the survivors into three classes, the tall gangly lurch-like alphas, the hairless, asexual reproducing and red skinned betas, and the extremely muscle-bound, obese and aphrodisiac producing (the vintage) charlies. The main is character Paxton, who is called a skip, because the disease had no effect on him. Paxton returns to town many years after the disaster to uncover the mysterious death of a close friend who has recently died. This is not a bad book by any means; it is a good whodunnit with sci/fi in the background. To me, it felt a little unfinished. The ending left a little to be desired and the answers it provided were short of my expectations. I do recommend this novel to sci/fi enthusiasts. This is not a book for someone who is looking for a horror novel.

In a small town in Tennessee, a mysterious disease transforms most of the residents into three entirely new species: the tall, gray-skinned argos; the hairless betas, most of them female, who reproduce by parthenogenesis; and the obese charlies, who secrete a psychoactive fluid. Our protagonist, one of the "skips" who was not changed, returns from Chicago for the funeral of one of his best friends from adolescence, who had become a beta and who apparently committed suicide.

Having lived in Georgia for fourteen years, I enjoyed the Southern setting. The story also explores race relations, the care of the elderly and infirm, handling threats to public health, and controlling reproduction.

Ignore the "devil" in the title. It's irrelevant, and this isn't a horror novel, as that word might suggest.

Gregory's "Pandemonium" is also good.

"The Devil's Alphabet" by Daryl Gregory is a solidly written novel with some excellent ideas and spins on a sci-fi theme. The main character Paxton pulls himself from a dead end restaurant job to go back to his hometown when his childhood friend commits suicide. Having not returned in ten years it is still as he remembers it, full of mutated humans! The novel flirts with several possible reasons for why the majority of citizens of the town became mutated into one of three different mutant human types (1/4 died) and many of these have a surprisingly strong scientific base in reality. The best part of the novel, for me, was the scientific explanations that Gregory was able to provide that made the story more intriguing. Could it really happen? I wouldn't say so, but the ideas in the book are exciting none the less. I would also recommend that readers pay attention to the explanations for why the different human mutant groups act as they do.

If I seem vague it's because I want to avoid any possible spoilers.

The only criticism I have of the book is that it leaves many things unanswered. Paxton himself is not a very likeable character, but this is not as important as I thought it would be at the start of the story. Instead I was bothered by the feeling that the novel should be a couple hundred pages longer with more explanations and expansions on its major themes. As such the ending was a bit lackluster.

Overall the story should be attractive to any sci-fi fans that enjoy quick reads with cool ideas. I'm just hoping for a sequel!

Some of my favorite stories are mundane except for one very unusual circumstance. That's a good way of describing The Devil's Alphabet. Paxton comes back to his childhood town of Switchcreek. It is like any other southern rural town with the exception of a genetic mutation that triggered ten years back that turned some of the residents into giants, some into asexually reproducing alien women and some into massively obese strongmen. Say what? Paxton comes back for his best friend's funeral but soon gets caught up in the intrigue surrounding her death. What do the mutated clans of the town have to do with it? I picked up the book simply because I didn't know what to read next and I was triggered by its Hugo nomination and interesting blurb. Any other year this would have been in my Top 3, but I read so many good books this year.

Like Pandemonium, Gregory's first novel, The Devil's Alphabet is based on a wonderfully creative "what if" premise: the citizens of the little town of Switchcreek have mutated into 3 distinct "clades". What caused it? A retrovirus, quantum teleportation? The possible answers to these questions, and others, weave their way through the book.

But it's the characters that really leave their mark. Character development is, if anything, even better than in Pandemonium. In Devil's Alphabet, they really come alive, each beautifully conceived and rendered. On the flip side, there are a lot of characters, and what follows is my single criticism: the plot at times is in danger of coming unravelled. In places, the storyline struggles to keep things together as the cast are put through their paces. It never does come unravelled, but at time it's like a car taking a curve too fast and you worry about the rear wheels breaking traction.

That aside, it's still a wonderful story, well told. I'm looking forward to the next one.

Despite the, obviously, preposterous circumstances of the plot, the book lends itself easily to suspension of disbelief, because all the emotions ring true - even for the variants of mutated townfolk. The ending was touching and thought-provoking, in that the future, although inchoate and maybe dangerous, is full of hope.