These Demented Lands (Paperback)

by Alan Warner (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Readers who remember Warner's debut, Morvern Callar, may recognize the mysterious heroine in his second novel as she wanders about an isolated island populated by lunatics, losers and the lost. Fellow eccentrics include a hippy salvager known as the Argonaut; the existential Aircrash Investigator, who searches for the remains of a long-forgotten plane wreck; and John Brotherhood, sinister proprietor of the Drome, a seamy resort hotel for honeymooning couples. The landscape that these characters inhabit is also eccentric but familiar, invoking Homer, Shakespeare and Warner's fellow Scots R.L. Stevenson and James Kelman. After Warner's jaded but willful heroine clashes with Brotherhood, she winds up indentured as a housemaid to pay her hotel bill. Her escape from the Drome, like her hidden motive for going there originally, is less absorbing than the heavy brogue, deadpan dialogue and surreal imagery of Warner's prose. Even if plot matters less to Warner than trippy atmospherics, he earns praise for finding poetry in a parade of whelk-pickers, a sinking ferry, a psychedelic beach-rave and even a propeller blade. (Mar.) FYI: Morvern Callar, winner of the Somerset Maugham Prize, has been filmed by the BBC.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
In this sequel to Scottish author Warner's first novel, Morvern Callar , the witty, independent Morvern travels from the Mainland to the island looking for the Drome Hotel, a forbidding establishment for honeymooners run by a Svengali-like proprietor known as the Brotherhood. Along the way, she meets some odd characters, such as the Devil's Advocate, a Bible-quoting survivalist-cum-prophet. Once at the hotel, Morvern establishes an immediate bond with the Aircrash Investigator, who claims to work for the Department of Transport and spends his days piecing together the debris of a 10-year-old accident involving light planes. The two team up in an effort to thwart the Brotherhood's cynical mind games, eventually driving him off the island. Warner's novel, with its powerfully realized setting, evokes The Road Warrior with an alternative-rock soundtrack. Although those unfamiliar with the first novel might feel a bit lost, Warner's inventive prose and intriguing characters (especially the unpredictable Morvern) are the hooks here and ample evidence of the author's large talent. Joanne Wilkinson

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Anchor; 1st Anchor Books ed edition (February 17, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385491468
• ISBN-13: 978-0385491464
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,303,715 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dark and Surreal, October 28, 2000

By A Customer

These Demented Lands, Alan Warner's second novel is a sequel of sorts to his highly praised first novel, Morvern Callar. These Demented Lands is a dark, eerie, surreal and sometimes hilarious journey into the landscape of postmodern literature. Warner's characters are carefully crafted and highly memorable and posses many of the qualities of archetypes. The novel, itself, is somewhat of a dark and stormy post-apocalyptic fantasy.

The book's protagonist is Morvern Callar, herself. As the novel opens, Morvern is swimming away from a sinking ship, a small girl in tow. After returning the child safely home, Morvern begins her own strange journey across the island. Rumors concerning the fate of the other passengers on board the ship abound and, as they do, a host of newcomers descends on the island. Morvern meets, and is immediately attracted to, a mysterious man known only as the Aircrash Investigator. Although he seems to be pillaging the island's makeshift fences and sheds for crash debris, his real purpose is something of a mystery.

Warner has peopled his novel with an odd assortment of characters, yet each one is perfect and perfectly-drawn. Besides Morvern, herself, and the Aircrash Investigator, there is Devil's Advocate, a cigar-smoking fat man who assesses candidates for sainthood; there is Brotherhood, the owner of the Drome Hotel, a popular honeymoon resort; and a DJ who is determined to put together the biggest party the island has ever known. The myriad of minor characters that live in the pages of this novel are just as perfect.

The prose in These Demented Lands can be difficult at times, especially for those who prefer a more flowing style. Warner, however, is one of the most talented writers now at work and this book is superbly told with Morvern's own independent and unflinching frankness. The dialogue is sometimes as absurd as is the character speaking, but this only enhances the book's believability and its appeal as well as its strangeness. Warner's story does parallel certain Christian myths, in a surreal sort of way, as should soon become apparent, from the characters' strange names, if nothing else. And, although this is a dark book, some of the dialogue is hilariously funny.

These Demented Lands is a complex story about complex characters. It is too bad it has been somewhat overlooked in favor of more commercial but far less polished books. Alan Warner is an extraordinarily good writer and These Demented Lands is an extraordinarily good novel.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not Quite as Good as I Expected...but Almost, February 17, 2002

By A Customer

This highly praised book was extremely well-written but not as well plotted as I expected it to be. I realize the story was more surrealistic than realistic, but I feel both the Drome Hotel and the character of DJ Cormorant should have played a larger role in the story.

The characters were as twisted and demented as the story of which they are a part. I felt distanced from them but I think this is to be expected when reading a story such as this one.

I enjoyed this highly-imaginative book as a change of pace and it's obvious that Alan Warner is an innovative, original and brilliant writer. I think These Demented Lands will appeal to those who enjoy surrealistic, hallucinatory, postmodern literature. Those who require more conventionally plotted stories will probably be disappointed. Nevertheless, if you're looking for something different, give this well-written book a try.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful, April 2, 1999

By A Customer

the sequel, in an unconventional manner, to warner's first novel 'Morvern Callar'; 'these demented lands' is more gothic, more removed from real-life and more unexpected. the stunning heroine, the said morvern, is witty and a far cry from a sappy female lead. wonderful.