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Homunculus by James P Blaylock (view source)
Revision as of 12:55, 13 August 2020
, 12:55, 13 August 2020no edit summary
The style of the book swings precariously between Wodehouse-inspired jolly humour and dark, brooding horror. This approach seems to jar somewhat, with the resulting narrative an uneasy mix of clashing styles that prevents the story from flowing as smoothly as it should. The cluttered plot is peppered with too many side-stories and superfluous characters, making the story difficult to follow at times. The pace at the beginning of the book is painfully slow, with several rather dull chapters wasted on a group of men sitting around in a tobacco shop, talking and smoking.
Despite the slow start, the book does have a few redeeming scenes, some of which are absolute gems. My favourite was a scene where one of the characters had been captured and locked in a dark room that is being used to reanimate corpses. A grim -looking corpse lies motionless on the slab before him, along with the skeletal cadaver of a peahen, the remains of his captor’s lunch. Suddenly, the man senses something moving. A trick of the mind? Perhaps. The scene is written in such a way as to crank the tension to the maximum.
The characters in the book are instantly forgettable and have no depth. For example, the main villain, Narbondo, is undoubtedly evil, thinking nothing of murdering women and children and using their remains for his own purposes. But beyond this, the author gives us no clue as to ''why'' the character acts this way. I also disliked the way that Blaylock marks his villains with some sort of physical affliction, whether it be a hunchback or a skin disease. Some of his physical descriptions seem mocking and cruel and served to alienate me as a reader.
I’m in no doubt that ''Homunculus'' will have a loyal band of cult fans, but sadly, I cannot count myself as one of them. I found the plot of the book complicated and silly, the humour out of place and occasionally crude and the characters badly -drawn and weak. I was disappointed by this book.
For a more engaging and entertaining Blaylock novel, I would recommend [[The Aylesford Skull by James P Blaylock|The Ayleford Skull]]. You might also enjoy [[Beneath London by James P Blaylock]].
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