Shriek: An Afterword | ||||||||
Jeff VanderMeer | ||||||||
Tor, 352 pages | ||||||||
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A review by Neil Walsh
The conceit for the present work is that Janice Shriek, sister to Duncan, has left a manuscript of a "belated afterword" to her
brother's famous Guide. She wrote this afterword shortly after the Guide was published and Duncan disappeared under mysterious
circumstances. However, Duncan has returned and discovered the manuscript of his sister's commentary on his work, only now
she, Janice, has disappeared. Duncan, true to character, cannot resist inserting his own comments throughout his sister's
commentary, which, by the way, isn't an afterword on the "Guide to Ambergris" at all; it is rather a retrospective on the
lives of the Shrieks and a commentary on some of Duncan's journal writings that Janice had discovered. Duncan finds plenty
to say on his missing sister's commentary on their lives and his work.
VanderMeer has an uncanny ability to paint vividly with his words, which enables him to quickly bring a reader into his
creation. He also has a knack for writing stories that are outrageously funny and at the same time extremely
disquieting. Shriek is no exception. There are passages that are utterly chilling (I'm thinking of Duncan's first
nightmarish journal entry about the machine), scenes that are vividly haunting (such as two characters sitting at an outdoor
cafe watching as the bloody carnage of an ongoing civil war is inflicted just across the street), and other passages (more than
a few) that are laugh-out-loud funny.
So much is explained here that was only hinted at in City of Saints and Madmen -- the real relationship between Duncan
Shriek and Mary Sabon; the true reason why Duncan is reduced to writing a mere tourist guide book; Janice Shriek's real role
in the Ambergris art scene; the truth about publishing in Ambergris; the real (further?) truth about the gray caps -- and so
much more is hinted at that may never be explained. Ambergris grows more solid with each word VanderMeer writes about the place.
It's easy to get swept up into the story, and it's difficult not to appreciate the artistry of the work. If you haven't
yet been initiated into the astonishing world of Ambergris, you could certainly immerse yourself in Shriek and forever
after look askance at every fungus you meet. On the other hand, if you're already familiar with, for example, the "Guide
to the Early History of Ambergris" you will find Shriek even more satisfying -- in fact, you will likely consider reading
it to be an agreeable necessity. Either way, it's a book that deserves your immediate attention.
Neil Walsh has several great passions in his life: reading, and...uh, some other things that are, no doubt, equally interesting. |
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