In 1925, a series of earthquakes tore through Manhattan
leaving half the city under water. Fifty years later,
fourteen-year-old Molly McHugh lives in the dark, watery
city, and her friend and boss, Felix Orlov, an aging
magician, is abducted by strange mask wearing, rubber-suited
beings. Molly escapes and seeks help from investigator Simon
Church and his mysterious assistant, Joe Golem. Simon and
Joe must stop evil Dr. Cocteau and his dubious plan.
I was excited to hear of another Mignola/Golden
collaboration. Fans of their work will undoubtedly
understand. Christopher Golden and Mike Mignola do a great
job of weaving a tale of mystery, intrigue and suspense.
Lovers of steampunk and horror will enjoy the respective
elements of both, be they the unsaid horrors that are left
to the imagination or Mr. Church's mechanical body organs.
I
really enjoyed the element of the golem and how Joe was a
more human portrayal than I'm used to reading. He was a
fully fleshed out (pardon the pun) character who had his own
past to deal with. Simon's Sherlock Holmes persona was
pulled off with aplomb and enough distance to be his own.
Molly is a delightful character, strong to be so young, and
described so that I could see her in detail. I would be hard
pressed to pick a favorite.
This tale is of the YA genre, so
it reads accordingly, ie a fourteen year old protagonist. No
hardcore horror here, but it was adequate and still sated
this horror lovers' thirst. I particularly love the
Lovecraft feel. My only complaint... I would've loved to
have
seen more drawings from the artist, Mike Mignola, of Hellboy
fame, but this is why JOE GOLEM AND THE DROWNING CITY is
classified as an illustrated
novel and not a graphic novel, so it's to be expected. Fans
of fiction and graphic novels, urban fantasy and horror,
will hopefully unite with this fantastical tale.
In 1925, earthquakes and a rising sea level left Lower
Manhattan submerged under more than thirty feet of water, so
that its residents began to call it the Drowning City. Those
unwilling to abandon their homes created a new life on
streets turned to canals and in buildings whose first three
stories were underwater. Fifty years have passed since then,
and the Drowning City is full of scavengers and water rats,
poor people trying to eke out an existence, and those too
proud or stubborn to be defeated by circumstance. Among them
are fourteen-year-old Molly McHugh and her friend and
employer, Felix Orlov. Once upon a time Orlov the Conjuror
was a celebrated stage magician, but now he is an old man, a
psychic medium, contacting the spirits of the departed for
the grieving loved ones left behind. When a seance goes
horribly wrong, Felix Orlov is abducted by strange men
wearing gas masks and rubber suits, and Molly soon finds
herself on the run. Her flight will lead her into the
company of a mysterious man, and his stalwart sidekick, Joe
Golem, whose own past is a mystery to him, but who walks his
own dreams as a man of stone and clay, brought to life for
the sole purpose of hunting witches. Joe Golem and the
Drowning City is a new illustrated novel from Mike Mignola,
the creator of Hellboy and Christopher Golden. (The
paperback edition now includes the short story Joe Golem and
the Copper Girl.)
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