"Joe Golem and the Drowning City"
by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden
4 out of 5 Stars
This was an impulse buy. The story sounded intriguing -- earthquakes have sunk a huge part of Lower Manhattan in 1925, creating a dystopian sort of life for those left behind. That alone caught my attention because most of the dystopian books I've read take place in the future or present day.
The book, in a nutshell, is about Molly McHugh and her friend, the elderly magician Felix Orlov. Felix, however, has some real powers. While in the middle of a seance, things go awry, and suddenly men in gas masks and rubber suits invade the room and make off with Orlov.
Molly runs, and is rescued by Joe Golem, who has his own mysterious employer and equally mysterious past. The book weaves fairy tales and myths with futuristic science fiction. The ending dragged a bit for me, which is why the book got four stars, but it was definitely a different experience. The block print illustrations are on the spooky/scary side -- downright creepy in many instances -- but they kind of fit the underlying darkness of the story.
Recommended for those looking for something different from the norm.
Lori Anderson creates jewelry for her web site, Lori Anderson Designs, and wrote the blog An Artist's Year Off. She is the creator of the Bead Soup Blog Party tm.
Joe Golem and the Drowning City is such a great book! You should also check out the short story set in the same world, Joe Golem and the Copper Girl. The authors also have a new book coming out called Father Gaetano's Puppet Catechism. Good times, good times. :)
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