3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A dark, humorous, wildly entertaining novella, June 18, 2008
This review is from: Lye Street (Deepgate Codex) (Hardcover)
To be honest, I am completely addicted to the limited editions published by Subterranean Press. They are absolutely beautiful, well-crafted books that make my inner book collector very happy. So with great anticipation, I tackled Alan Campbell's "Lye Street", a novella of the Deepgate Codex exclusively published by Subterranean Press.
"Lye Street" is my first introduction to the work of Alan Campbell and his Deepgate Codex series, which consists of the first installment, "Scar Night", and the forthcoming "Iron Angel" . The Subterranean novella is meant to be a prelude to Campbell's series.
Sal Greene lives under a curse. His ancestor, Henry Bucklestrappe, committed acts which not only lead to Bucklestrappe's own brutal murder, but to the murders of Bucklestrappe's descendents every subsequent half-century by the scarred and murderous angel, Carnival. Now some five hundred years after Bucklestrappe's murder, Sal finds himself the next target of Carnival's crusade against his family, his time dwindling down to a remaining few days. With the help of the phantasmacist Ravencrag, Sal summons the demon Basilis to kill Carnival. Meanwhile, Carnival must unravel the mystery of the cryptic messages that are being left for her. Who is leaving the messages for her? Will Carnival figure out their meaning in time? Will Sal be able to survive the wrath of Carnival and the family curse?
The world of Deepgate, a city suspended by a huge network of chains over a vast abyss, is well-imagined by Campbell, vivid in its presentation, and a rather unique take on urban fantasy. All the characters are interesting and entertaining, prominently defined, even though the novella is only 135 pages. Sal's motivations to avoid the curse are greater than mercenary self-interest; he is a man seeking to save his daughter and granddaughter, and will attempt anything to accomplish this task. Carnival is a mystery to herself, full of forgotten memories, which ultimately drives her to seek out answers. But where are these answers to come from, and can she trust the source? Campbell also injects a nice sense of humor into the characters (excluding Carnival) which generally livens up the dialogue, and makes the novella fun to read.
The novella is a capable story, interesting and fun, but nothing really spectacular that will make it stand apart, pedestrian but not clichéd. My guess is that for those who have read "Scar Night", the experience of "Lye Street" will be richer.
Last Word:
Alan Campbell's well-executed novella, "Lye Street", presents some great visualization along with memorable characters. Furthermore, the story is humorous, witty, and possesses a satisfying conclusion. Couple this with the usual brilliant treatment by the folks at Subterranean Press, and you have yourself a winner.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great prequel to Scar Night, September 27, 2008
This review is from: Lye Street (Deepgate Codex) (Hardcover)
I'm not generally fond of either short stories or novellas, but when written compellingly about a fascinating character, as Lye Street is, I can put aside the fact that I won't be able to spend much time with it and completely enjoy it.
This story is a prequel to (and leads directly into) the novel Scar Night. If you've read Scar Night or Iron Angel, you'll expect Lye Street to be twisted and creepy, and it doesn't disappoint: however, it adds in a layer of humanity which I feel the other two were missing. When I finished Lye Street, I felt I could truly sympathize with the insane angel, Carnival, as I never have been able to with any other character in the Deepgate Codex saga.
If you haven't read the other Deepgate books, you'll still be able to enjoy the bizarre, bleak world which Campbell paints, albeit in much less detail. Without that familiarity with the larger picture, however, it may read more like a strange fairy tale than part of a large scale fantasy epic.
I would recommend that, although this is a prequel, readers begin with Scar Night for maximum enjoyment. Ultimately, those who are fascinated by Deepgate and the character of Carnival should find this novella engrossing. Anyone coming into it fresh may want to reduce the star rating to 4.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A dark world ripe with all manners of mischief, May 15, 2008
This review is from: Lye Street (Deepgate Codex) (Hardcover)
Lye Street is a very good novella that introduces an interesting, if somewhat overly-dark, world. As with any novella there are only two paths available: to either develop one or two characters thus ending up with a mostly uneventful story, or tell a complete story and in doing so somewhat neglecting character development. Campbell chooses the latter; he provides enough foundations to truly admire his imaginative world and its numerous denizens but focuses mostly on the plight of one man under a curse and his would-be angelic executioner. We know the motivations of most of the characters, well maybe not Carnival's, but not much else. Despite this, many mysterious and fascinating events are described in a short span, raising many questions and probably setting the stage for the novels that follow. Despite its predominantly morbid surroundings, Campbell provides enough humor and irony to the story and succeeds to create an enjoyable reading experience. The only drawback to the story is the unbelievable power and raw vigor of Carnival, which makes mere humans incapable of disposing of her, even when they carefully plan a trap and clearly have her at a disadvantage. Of course, this is my first venture into Deepgate, and I have not yet read Scar Night, but I think there is real potential in this series.
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