Customer Reviews

The Land of Laughs

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

At long last, Jonathan Carroll's masterpiece, THE LAND OF LAUGHS is returning to print. This should be cause for celebration among horror/dark fantasy readers, especially those who haven't yet had the pleasure of reading this classic.

As a previous reviewer stated, the basic plot of THE LAND OF LAUGHS (someone finding out the so-called "fantasy" world of a noted children's book author is real...and deadly) has been well used since this novel was published. But Carroll's remains the best. Most people, upon growing up, seem to forget how truly dark many of those children's fantasy stories were. But Carroll never forgot, which is perhaps what makes THE LAND OF LAUGHS so successful.

This is a "must read" for any fan of horror, fantasy or just plain ole good fiction. And for similar reads, check out William Browning Spencer's ZOD WALLOP and STRANGEWOOD by Christopher Golden.

I confess outright to being a Carroll devotee - I've even collected all his books and stories and have corresponded with him "live" by email. Many Carroll fans have complained that his early books are impossible to find - I couldn't bare to spend over $200 for his first book, The Land of Laughs, so I was relieved when TOR decided to reissue it in paper back. Oddly enough, that means that I had read all of his books already except this one, his first. The good news is, it's fantastic. In fact, it's so good I don't know how he ever tried again. Many of the familiar Carroll traits are here: a few pit bulls, a small town, a blurred division between reality and fantasy, a wild cast of characters and a great plot. Some readers complain that his endings aren't as good as his beginnings, but this book is a masterpiece in that regard. I loved the plot in this book as well: a "drop out" English teacher with a famous father decides to leave his stodgy prep school and write a biography of Marshall France, his favorite children's author. Naturally Marshall created a fantasy world of characters which gives our narrator a chance to immerse himself in a town with a very strange history. Overall, I think it's the most perfectly conceived of all Carroll's books - the ending is perfect too. If you've never read anything by Carroll, buy the paperback of this one and read it - then follow your addiction by reading all his other great books too. His books are so mind-blowing that I can almost guarantee that you'll raise your IQ a few points just by trying to follow the events!

Ok, firstly there isn't a Jonathan Carroll book that isn't good. And I mean that. No, I'm not his publisist, and no, I don't run the Jonathan Carroll web site. I am just a 23 year old avid reader, that once I read one of his books ('The Marriage of Sticks'), I had to go out, and buy all of them, by whatever means neccesary. The fact that people on average haven't heard of him, is to me incomprehendable. He is going to go down in history of one of this centurys greatest writers. The Land Of Laughs, Jonathans first novel, is a story that begins in grounded reality, and slowly slides into the realm of fantasy, just as Alice fell through the looking glass, you will find yourself on a similar journey. If you like books that treat you with respect as a reader, and understand that we the reader like to be taken somewhere new, and origional, then buy this book. If you don't like it, you won't like any other of his novels, If you do like it, get ready to spend hours on e-bay tracking them down. Oh and by the way, when you do start bidding, look out for me, I'll be right behind you. If you are wondering why I'm not giving you a plot rundown, it is because Amazon quite cleverly put it at the top of this page, and I'm not into regurgitation. If you like this book, check out Graham Joyce 'Dreamside', and a writer called China Mieville (could be spelt wrong), he wrote 'Perdido Street Station'. Happy reading.

Thomas Abbey leads an undistinguished, unsatisfying existence. He teaches English at a boy's prep school, but is chiefly known as the son of a glamorous 1940's film actor. He bitterly resents this constant association but feels unable to escape it. For his entire life he's lived in the shadow of his late father and their conflicted relationship. When he was a child, his greatest solace was found in the fanciful books of Marshall France, a reclusive writer who died at forty-four. One day, in an antiquarian bookshop, the doleful teacher meets an eccentric woman, Saxony Gardner, who is equally obsessed with France and together they travel to the writer's adopted hometown in Missouri to start work on a France biography. But almost nothing in the sleepy town of Galen is what it seems and slowly their idyllic existence turns into an inescapable nightmare.

Like Neil Gaiman , I am a huge fan of Jonathan Carroll, but of all his works, this novel has particular resonance for me. It suggests that our lives, our selves, even, to a great extent, our world, are largely products of our influence on them. That we are the authors of our own story; we collaborate with our histories to create ourselves and thus the past is as mutable as our relationship with it. The book is chock full of symbolism that deftly illustrates its twin themes of self-invention (e.g., Abbey is a collector of masks) and self-determination (e.g., his lover, Saxony, a maker of elaborate marionettes).

This is a vigorous, engaging read told in a naturalistic, matter-of-fact style that belies the tension and horror lurking just beneath the surface. The characters are well-fleshed out and human with relatable, believable motivations. And despite a shocking climax, at least the denouement allows Thomas Abbey to finally make peace with his past and even find ways to make use of it.

I first starting getting into Jonathan Carroll when I read "After Silence" and was delighted to have found such an original and engaging author. Needless to say this was followed by disappointment when I realised how much of his work was out of print and difficult to obtain, so I was delighted to read on Amazon.com that "The Land of Laughs" was to be reprinted.

This story, like most of Carroll's work, starts out set firmly in the real world, but as it progresses the boundaries of experience are shifted, until it becomes mind-blowingly surreal. Somehow - and this is the true strength of Carroll's writing - I found myself accepting even the most outrageous ideas as if they were somehow natural and inevitable.

I must say that I didn't like the ending - not that it wasn't the right ending, or even the inevitable one, but I just didn't want it to end up like that for the characters involved ... or for the book to end at all, for that matter ...

I am pleased to see that 'Land of Laughs' is being reissued. This is without a doubt one of my favorite all time books which I picked up about 15 years ago on a whim. What is contained inside is raw and fantastic and stays with you for the rest of your life. It also made me a big JC fan.

This author deserves great accolades and the fact that this wonderful book is being republished might mean that he is finally hitting the mainstream. Jump on in, you won't be sorry.

On the recomendation of a friend I read Land of Laughs. Didn't expect much and was very pleased. Grabs you and leads somewhere you don't expect to go. Although I agree with other reviews that it seemed to end quickly compared with the build-up, I also can't imagine it ending any other way.

I think I fell in love with Saxony...

I'm a big fan of Haruki Murakami (Wind-up bird chronicle is a must read!) and Philip K. Dick and I had seen both of them compared stylistically to Carroll so I thought I would give him a go. I really enjoyed the Land of Laughs. there is a twilight zone aspect to it, however, I didn't find the book stretching on too long - if anything i would agree with those who said its ends too quickly. And yet, on the ending, I would say that it has a better ending than most books in this genre that want to lull around in an unusual world but can't bring the plot to clean satisfying ending.

From what I've read LOL was Carroll's first book so I wouldn't want to draw any strong conclusions, but I did find that the writing wasn't as wrong as some other storytellers like Robertson Davies or Murakami. But it was a very good book and I suspect I'll be reading another of his books within a month.

The power of the written word is nowhere more evident that Jonathan Carroll's Land of Laughs. Take a child-like imagination, develop a real world around it, and you will begin to understand the Jonathan Carroll genius. At the start of the introductory character development, even the casual or first time reader will want to collect and forever keep this amazing menagerie that features unforgettable drama, action, coincidence, and fright. No one who reads Land of Laughs will ever again underestimate the power of one's imagination, or the ability of a writer to make words become real. I recommend acquisition of this treasure, and caution every owner not to let it stray too far from your grasp.

I bought this book because I read someone else's rave review on amazon. I read it at one sitting, and would have to agree with the review I read, namely that the first part is incredibly strong, and the second part unexpected, to say the least. I mentally gave it 5 stars within the first few pages, that's how good it is. The first part ensnares you and drags you deep into the mystery and makes you expect something unnamed and wonderful to happen as only the best, classic YA novels I have ever read (even though it's not a YA novel). But, somewhere it takes a dark turn, begins to spiral into the macabre, and keeps on going. I have to applaud Carrol's originality in setting up his readers so well. I could not sleep after reading this, it gave me the thorough creeps