Doghousesmall
Doghouse
2496
Everville
(1995)
Dogstar greyDogstar greyDogstar greyDogstar greyDogstar greyDogstar greyDogstar greyDogstar greyDogstar greyDogstar grey

Author: Clive Barker
Publisher: HarperVoyager
Language: English
Pages: 640
ISBN: 9780006472254
Genre: Fiction
Format: Audiobook MP3

'Everville' is a direct sequel to 'The Great and Secret Show' and as such if you enjoyed that book then you will find plenty here to get your teeth into. While an excellent novel it is perhaps not quite as stunning as the previous volume as, perhaps inevitably, the sequel route of 'more of the same' means there is less nto suprise the reader: once again the novel deals with an attempt by a magician to harness the mysterious power of 'the Art', while evil shaman Kissoon attempts to call forth the nightmarish Iad Uroborus from beyond the dream-sea of Quiddity to invade our world, and a small American town becomes the site of an apocalytpic battle. Practically all of the major characters from 'The Great and Secret Show' return (including some who seemingly died at the end of that novel), but Barker does introduce a new couple - Phoebe Cobb and her lover Joe Flicker to provide the emotional core of the novel: interestingly having spend the majority of the previous novel detailing the trials and ultimate triumph of lovers Howard and Jo-Beth, Barker callously disposes of the couple in a virtual cameo to repeat this emotional journey with this new pair. Still, despite a certain familiarity this time round 'Everville' does move the grand narrative forward, and crucially providing a background story for series 'bad guy' Kissoon.

The novel's main weakness is the fact that this is the second book in an unfinished trilogy, and as such will inevitably leave the reader somewhat frustrated, as plots are set in motion for the final, and thus far unpublished Third Book of the Art. As far as the journey goes, both 'The Great and Secret Show' and 'Everville' are enjoyable reads, but it will be up to the prospective reader as to whether they wish to invest the time and energy on a story with, as yet, no ending: at the time of writing it is fully 13 years since this book was published and the chances of Barker finally getting round to writing the concluding volume (especially considering the number of other unfinished sequels and ongoing multimedia projects he has 'on the go') are looking increasingly slim...