The Cipher (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Down-and-out Nicholas and his friend Nakota one day discover a black hole in the floor of an abandoned storage room in his apartment building, which they quickly christen the "Funhole." The two set out to see what happens when they drop various items into the hole, whetting its appetite with insects, a mouse and a human hand, which all come back violently rearranged. Next, they lower a camcorder into the hole to record the action within. The videotape they retrieve is spellbinding, but there's a catch: what Nicholas sees is different from everyone else's vision. To Nakota the hole means change, because whatever is dropped into the Funhole emerges transformed-- if it ever emerges. Mesmerized by the Funhole, she claims that Nicholas is the only one who can make things happen around it. For Nicholas himself, the hole is a phenomenon that forces him to face his miserable, aimless life. Koja has created credible characters who are desperate for both entertainment and salvation. Inaugurating Dell's new Abyss Books series, this powerful first novel is as thought-provoking as it is horrifying.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 356 pages
• Publisher: Dell; First Edition edition (January 5, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440207827
• ISBN-13: 978-0440207825
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #734,258 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The "Underground" of Horror, April 6, 1999

By A Customer

Kathe Koja is almost a phenomenon. Her dazzling prose is so good that she doesn't even need a plot. She can write a 400 page book about a guy walking around his house and it would be good enought for me. This story seemed absurd to me (which I liked). If you boil down to it, it is about some people that are obsessed with sticking things into a hole. But it wasn't an absurd novel. It was deeply psychological and supernatural. The plot is very simple. There aren't too many characters or setting changes or days passing. It is just simple. But this makes room for the her works. excellent language, because she can concentrate on details. Even a paper clip can be criptic or erotic in a Kathe Koja novel. After I read the first paragraph of this book 6 years ago I HAD to go out and buy all of her works. SKIN is another book of hers I recommend. If you haven't read SKIN or THE CIPHER, don't read any others. Start with one of these.

Anyway, you'll hate this book if you enjoy "cheap" horror novels about monsters killing people or any of that crap. You'll also hate it if you think Stephen King and Dean R Koontz novels should be put in the "Classics" section of your bookstore. This book is for the artistic-minded, the "Underground" followers, and the punk-poets. If you are looking for psychological/supernatural horror that is truly UNIQUE, that stands out of the slop, then Kathe Koja's THE CIPHER is a book for you.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars H.P. Lovecraft meets the Sex Pistols, September 21, 1998

By	[e-mail] "aholm46" (Ohio, USA) - See all my reviews

An introspective, overwhelming, claustrophobically creepy horror novel in which you're not entirely sure anything has "really happened". A combination of the intricate "other world" detail of the best of 1920's sci-fi horror fiction, with the dark, compulsive nihilism of the best of punk. Along with a really realistic portray of personal relationships. Does all that sound overly pretentious? Well, it is, but the book ISN'T. I picked the book up one morning on the way to work, and didn't do a damn thing until I finished it after lunch.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A literary awakening, May 28, 2002

By	ed cowell (Cleveland,OH) - See all my reviews

Kathe Koja is a brilliant writer; reading her stories is a
true experience not only of the mind,but of all the senses.
THE CIPHER is a truly horrific novel,relying not on cheap
shocks,but going for your brain instead,affecting the reader on both visceral and intellectual levels. At a time when I was
looking for unique literary experiences,THE CIPHER was my wake-up
call. Reading Koja's stories makes me want to write. THE CIPHER
is Koja's first novel; the rest of her work(especially
her short stories) is absolutely wondrous and should be sought
out and devoured by bibliophiles.