Overview:
"Books alter men, and men, in their turn, alter worlds.”
Soter is a man who has been haunted by World War I. But when he’s sent to investigate the disappearance of Lionel Maudling, the owner of a grand country house whose heir may be accused for his death, he encounters a home that will lead him to nightmares he could have never imagined.
Maudling’s estate houses countless books of every sort—histories, dramas, scientific treatises. But none seems to offer Soter any hint to Maudling’s whereabouts, until he’s led to an arcane London bookseller where the reclusive scholar made his last purchase. What Soter finds at the end of a twisted maze of clues is a book like no other, with a legacy that will put everything he knows in danger…
An inventive horror novella from internationally bestselling author John Connolly, this is a story of madness, of obsession, and of books’ power to change the world.
Soter is a man who has been haunted by World War I. But when he’s sent to investigate the disappearance of Lionel Maudling, the owner of a grand country house whose heir may be accused for his death, he encounters a home that will lead him to nightmares he could have never imagined.
Maudling’s estate houses countless books of every sort—histories, dramas, scientific treatises. But none seems to offer Soter any hint to Maudling’s whereabouts, until he’s led to an arcane London bookseller where the reclusive scholar made his last purchase. What Soter finds at the end of a twisted maze of clues is a book like no other, with a legacy that will put everything he knows in danger…
An inventive horror novella from internationally bestselling author John Connolly, this is a story of madness, of obsession, and of books’ power to change the world.
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Review:
The Wanderer in Unknown Realms is another example of John Connolly's mastery of the written word and storytelling. This novella was a suspenseful and atmospheric read. The characters so easily conjured. The Wanderer was a quick read that left me at the edge of my seat and eager to learn what fate awaits Soter.
While the novella falls into the fantasy/magical realism spectrum, the underlying tone is based in reality. Books do spread ideas both inspiring and dangerous. The lines between madness and clarity can be blurred. In many ways I was reminded of Tolkien's manifestation of war in The Lord of the Rings. Is Connolly's Soter's mind war torn, or is he the only one privy to the truth?
While the novella falls into the fantasy/magical realism spectrum, the underlying tone is based in reality. Books do spread ideas both inspiring and dangerous. The lines between madness and clarity can be blurred. In many ways I was reminded of Tolkien's manifestation of war in The Lord of the Rings. Is Connolly's Soter's mind war torn, or is he the only one privy to the truth?
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