Customer Reviews

In Land of the Dead (Onyx)

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

 

 

I'm writing this review simply because I think the previous rating is too low although I have no issue with the review itself.

Land of the Dead (1989) is probably Jeter's best horror novel although it's certainly not a conventional horror novel. It's best described as a boy-meets-girl love story except that the girl (Fay) can control the dead. The "boy" (Cooper) doesn't believe in her until it's too late. Of course, with a premise like that, you just know it's going to have a tragic ending...

That said, the book is beautifully written, and it ends on a sad, wistful note. As the previous review states, it very effectively evokes the 1930s depression. The villain of the book, a powerful orange grower, conducts himself like a feudal lord and has near absolute power over Cooper and Fay... the main point of the book I guess is that life isn't fair.

I suspect that fans of Albert Camus and Stephen King would give more stars to this book. If you prefer protagonists who combat evil and overcome hardships, avoid this book. The book is set in California during the Depression. The book convincingly portrays the agony of the dust bowl victims who headed for California in the hope of starting a new life. Among the travelors is a man named Cooper. Cooper, to avoid a prison term, becomes a paymaster for an orange grower who employs and abuses migrant workers. A nanny employed by the orange grower believes that she has the power to control dead animals and dead people. Cooper, seemingly unable to control any circumstances, is driven by circumstances beyond his control into mental and emotional hell.

I finished this novel a couple of days ago. Wasn't too thrilled with it and found it sort of boring. I couldn't get into the characters much but found that the descriptions were eerie and scary at times. Half way through was when I started to really like it but the beginning was sheer torture for me. I have some friends that love Jeter but I'm still struggling to get into this writer, he's good but not great in my opinion. I think I really need to try more of his books to really form an opinion of whether I like him or not though.