This week Mort reviews The Eleventh Door by James Carlson. I really loved this story so let's see what Mort thinks!
Enjoy!
The Eleventh Door
By James Carlson
James G. Carlson is a builder of fantastical worlds.
This story starts out as a serial killer/detective tale as old as crime, but it makes a segue into a different dimension where everything is new, different and dangerous. Madeline Sharpe–P.I. and former disgraced detective–finds herself trapped in the eleventh realm, where nothing makes sense and anything might potentially kill her.
I saw some reviews comparing this to Clive Barker and I can see why, as Carlson’s writing is clear and vivid. My problem is I don’t read stories with an almost sci-fi feel too much, and I struggle to compare it to something I have read in the past. Also, I do like myself some realistic serial killer thrillers, so this clashes with my personal taste.
This left me feeling like a bit of an outsider to the audience this book is meant for. It’s not a case of having an argument of pineapples on pizza, but more of a debate on savory or sweet muffins. It can taste great even though it might not be what you prefer.
And I have to take a step back and judge this story with a different perspective from my own. As a writer and with some of the knowledge I have built up about writing style, pace and quality, I can’t fault this story. If this is something that floats your boat, you can’t go wrong on it–it deserves 5 stars. But for my personal taste, with the story venturing in the direction it did–again, I tend to prefer absolutely realistic when it comes to my serial killers–it pushed me further than I wanted to go. I have to go with 3 stars.
Which leaves me with splitting it down the middle–4 Stars.
But it is very highly recommended to those who want to travel to different worlds, let’s say like AVATAR, and fans of Clive Barker – you may just find a new favorite in this author.
4 Stars
Order Here:
Comments