The Resurrectionist

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Gritty noir fiction, mind-bending fantasy, and medical thriller combine in a gothic tale of a young coma patient whose real cure may lie in Limbo, a comic book world into which he was drawn at the time of his accident.

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Publishers Weekly (02/04/2008)
Two worlds wrapped tight in gloomy gothic trappings vie for dominance in this engrossing, elaborately staged exploration of consciousness from O'Connell ("The Skin Palace"). Sweeney, an Ohio pharmacist, brings his comatose son, Danny, to the Peck Clinic, a sandstone monster on fifty acres of private land near Quinsigamond's western border. Danny is all Sweeney lives for; he even studies the comic book "Limbo", featuring a troupe of circus freaks led by the visionary Chick the chicken boy, for what his son may have imagined when his brain functioned normally. Like Stephen King in Richard Bachman mode, O'Connell digs for darkness as Chick and his companions, who inhabit the fantasy realm of Gehenna, encounter Dr. Lazarus Cole, The Resurrectionist (stoned to death only to walk again) and dread the inevitable showdown with their nemesis, the mad doctor called Fliess, in his enormous laboratory castle, the Black Iron Clinic. Meanwhile, in the real world, cultists kidnap Sweeney in hopes of using fluid from Danny's brain to transport them all to Gehenna. This strange brew is sure to enhance O'Connell's growing cult status. "(Apr.)" Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal (04/01/2008)
Noir mixed with elements of dark fantasy may seem like an odd combination, but novelist O'Connell ("Word Made Flesh; The Skin Palace") pulls it off in a strange and extremely original work. Sweeney has brought his comatose son, Danny, to the renowned Peck Clinic for treatment. But he soon discovers that despite its stellar reputation, the clinic and the surrounding town aren't what they appear to be. Soon Sweeney is not only involved with clinic staff but also a group of bikers who believe they have the answers Sweeney needs. The fantasy element enters in the form of "Limbo", Danny's favorite comic, chapters of which are interspersed with happenings at the clinic. Although difficult to explain succinctly, the tale of "Limbo" and Danny's own story are related. In the end, this unusual novel may disappoint fans of straightforward mystery, but those open to something different should be pleasantly surprised. Recommended for adventurous fiction collections.Craig Shufelt, Fort McMurray P.L., A.B. Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

ISBN: 1565125762 | EAN: 9781565125766
Publisher: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill  | Publication Date: April, 2008

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