The Dust of Wonderland (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Stoker-winner Thomas (Stained) delivers an intermittently eloquent supernatural tale reminiscent of Peter Straub's Ghost Story. Kenneth Nicholson returns to New Orleans when a late-night call from his ex-wife breaks the tragic news that their son, Bobby, is in a coma, after being bludgeoned by an unknown assailant. As he waits for encouraging medical news, Nicholson gets visions that suggest the possible return of an old evil that was responsible for several gory deaths at a gay lounge popularly referred to as Wonderland. The operator of that club, Nicholson's lover Travis Brugier, was believed dead, but Nicholson begins to wonder if his spirit has resurfaced, possibly in the form of Bobby's attractive girlfriend, Vicki Bach. Thomas's writing is somewhat erratic but often quite good, offering further promise that Thomas could emerge as a leading voice of modern horror. (Aug.)
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Product Description

Lee Thomas burst onto the literary scene with his Bram Stoker Award-winning first novel, Stained. Now, the promise of that remarkable debut has come to fruition with this compulsively readable tale of past sin and present-day redemption.

History is dust, he reminded himself. No matter how thoroughly you wipe it away, it always returns to settle. Past and present were coming together. That which had passed, that which should have been dead. The dust had returned. Welcome back . . . to Wonderland.

Ken Nicholson never saw himself returning to New Orleans, but the attack on his college-age son has drawn him. Not just to his home and to his family, but to the mistakes of his own tortured life. Divorced and now fully admitting to his homosexuality, Ken must now confront an evil he thought was long buried. A killer has taken his son and has threatened to take even more: his ex-wife, his former lover, and the very notion of his past. Years ago, the mysterious owner of a club named Wonderland claimed Ken as his own, only to die in violent fashion. Today, a killer knows far too much about that tragic night at Wonderland, leaving Ken desperate for answers, desperate to stay alive.

With its unsettling sense of menace, The Dust of Wonderland will seduce you with its Southern charms as it frightens you to your core.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Alyson Books; Advance Reading Copy edition (August 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593500114
• ISBN-13: 978-1593500115
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,147,210 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrifying tale of obsession and control, September 15, 2007

By	Bob Lind "camelwest" (Phoenix, AZ United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

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News that his son was the victim of a brutal assault brings Ken Nicholson back to New Orleans, where he spent most of his young adulthood, and the city where he "came out" to his (now ex) wife and family, who still live there. From the voices in his head, Ken soon suspects that the attack on his son was premeditated to make him return, part of the plan of the sinister and mysterious Travis Brugier, the owner of a unique French Quarter gay brothel that served the city's powerful and elite, where Ken worked for a time. But Ken had seen Travis die, right in front of him, so many years ago. Can this really be him back from the dead, are the voices some kind of sick joke or plot, or is he just going crazy? It's a life-and-death dilemma that Ken needs to solve, before his ex-wife, surviving daughter, and former lover become its next victims.

I'm not really a usual reader of the "horror" genre of gay novels, but this unique "horror-mystery" came highly recommended, and I enjoyed it a great deal. Classically well-written and suspensefully crafted by a talented author, it provides the perfect mixture of page-turning thrills and pure entertainment. I give it five stars out of five.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Sophisticated Suspense for Mature Readers", July 12, 2007

By	Gregory Lamberson (Cheektowaga, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

OK, I cribbed that line from the covers of DC comics' SWAMP THING during Alan Moore's remarkable run, but Lee Thomas's THE DUST OF WONDERLAND is no less remarkable and the blurb is appropriate and deserved. Thomas brings a literary sensibility not unlike that of Peter Straub's to this tale of dark magic in New Orleans. This is no story of a boogeyman, but rather one of deep, reality emotions trapped in a nightmarish Other World. Take a chance on this mature work and you won't be disappointed.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and dark , July 11, 2007

By	Sarah V. Langan (Brooklyn, New York United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Thomas' Dust of Wonderland is the beautifully written story of a conflicted man who returns to his estranged family and former lover upon the mysterious death of his son. Though the descriptions of Wonderland are fascinating, what engaged me most about this novel was its utterly believable characters. The ex-wife who refuses to accept that her gay husband will never love her the way she needs; the angry, flawed daughter; the slighted lover; and finally Kenneth Nicholson, the man whose inability to choose has spiraled the people he loves toward destruction. It has all the elements that make for great horror: strong, complex characters, a wise voice, a lush setting, and most importantly, heart.