The Devil's AlphabetDaryl Gregory
I'm hoping to salvage some sort of respectability this month, so I picked up The Devil's Alphabet, a fast, quirky little novel that was just the thing I needed.
What if quantum evolution happened in your neighborhood? Would you even know it? According to Gregory -- hell yes, you would.
Fifteen years ago, The Changes occurred in the small town of Switchcreek, Tennessee, mutating its inhabitants and creating three new races: the super-tall argos; bald, brown (and continually pregnant) betas; and huge, meaty charlies. The Changes, which became known as TDS, or Transcription Divergence Syndrome), wreaked havoc in Switchcreed -- but then stopped. TDS didn't spread: it wasn't contagious. It left as suddenly as it had arrived.
Paxton Martin, a "skip" unaffected by the changes, left town not long after The Changes ended, but after the suicide of one of his childhood friends, he's returned. Why has his friend taken her own life? And what sinister goings-on lie at the center of this town?
The Devil's Alphabet is part science-fiction, part mystery, and part quantum speculation, but at its core it's simply a good story. Sure, there are flaws (some explanations, some preachiness, the end), but I was intrigued by the idea of a town-wide spate of mutations and the effects such changes will have.
In a nutshell: Weird, imaginative, and even a little gross at times (does Pax realize what the Vintage is? Because he just ate it.), The Devil's Alphabet will definitely get you thinking.
Bibliolatry Scale: 4 out of 6 stars
FTCBS: Isn't this already obvious? Bought this one. Of course I did.
What if quantum evolution happened in your neighborhood? Would you even know it? According to Gregory -- hell yes, you would.
Fifteen years ago, The Changes occurred in the small town of Switchcreek, Tennessee, mutating its inhabitants and creating three new races: the super-tall argos; bald, brown (and continually pregnant) betas; and huge, meaty charlies. The Changes, which became known as TDS, or Transcription Divergence Syndrome), wreaked havoc in Switchcreed -- but then stopped. TDS didn't spread: it wasn't contagious. It left as suddenly as it had arrived.
Paxton Martin, a "skip" unaffected by the changes, left town not long after The Changes ended, but after the suicide of one of his childhood friends, he's returned. Why has his friend taken her own life? And what sinister goings-on lie at the center of this town?
The Devil's Alphabet is part science-fiction, part mystery, and part quantum speculation, but at its core it's simply a good story. Sure, there are flaws (some explanations, some preachiness, the end), but I was intrigued by the idea of a town-wide spate of mutations and the effects such changes will have.
In a nutshell: Weird, imaginative, and even a little gross at times (does Pax realize what the Vintage is? Because he just ate it.), The Devil's Alphabet will definitely get you thinking.
Bibliolatry Scale: 4 out of 6 stars
FTCBS: Isn't this already obvious? Bought this one. Of course I did.
3 comments:
I kept seeing this on my library's 'New Shit We Bought' list, but the cover FREAKS me OUT because THE EYES. They're on upside-down. I would have to paper it over before I could read it.
WHOA. Perpetually pregnant? Now I have to read this book and Raych just pointed out the eyes, and this is just going to end up being very distressing for me.
Sounds quite intriguing, and different from anything else I've read. Great review!
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