Random House, October 27, 2015.
Four Stars
Slade House is David
Mitchell at his creepiest – it reads like one long, hallucinatory nightmare. It
is a continuation of his novel The Bone
Clocks, with many recurring themes and some of the same characters, but it
is not necessary to read the other novel first. In fact, connections can be
seen between most of Mitchell’s books, although they can all be read in
isolation as well. Unfortunately for me, this book is an extrapolation of my
least favourite part of The Bone Clocks,
in which the sci-fi premise of the Horologists and the Anchorites is explained
in detail, to the detriment of character development. If that was your thing,
you will love this book.
This is the story of Slade House, a decrepit, haunted mansion in a back
street of London. It is divided into five parts, each of which is set nine
years apart, beginning on October 31st, 1979 and ending on the same
day in 2015. On each of these occasions, new characters enter the house – and most
do not leave. There are many nods to other characters from The Bone Clocks, such as Crispin Hershey and Johnny Penhaligon, as
well as much more world building of the ideas from that novel. Again, I think Slade House can be enjoyed on its own,
but reading it as a sequel will add more depth and be more informative –
otherwise, the story becomes kind of weird and gimmicky.
As I was reading this, I could see it being developed into a creepy,
indie Halloween movie. The setting is vibrant and well-drawn – it is almost
cinematic. It is a light read with a dark plot that has been classified as “horror,”
although I’m not sure that’s right. I think it is more intelligent than traditional
horror, although the genre is evolving. It is a continuation of previous themes,
taken to their deepest, darkest conclusions.
I definitely see this as a collection of (very) connected short
stories, contained within Mitchell’s larger oeuvre of linked novels. There is
no final conclusion in the battle between the Horologists and the Anchorites,
leaving these themes open to carry forward into future novels.
I received this book for free from Random House and NetGalley in
exchange for an honest review.
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