Geek Syndicate
tle off to me, the collapse of society happening a little too quickly and some of the moments lacked emotional punch. I think the latter may be because the book effectively immunises the reader by building up their tolerance to the disgusting, such that when something emotionally horrifying happens I found myself unaffected. There’s also a certain lack of clarity in some of the scenes which had me flipping back a few pages. The main instance of this was when Stan and Cindy take a course of action having found some school children. I had to infer what had happened rather than it being on the page. That could well be my failing as a reader rather than of the writer. I’m deliberately avoiding the temptation to recite my favourite parts of the story, as that somewhat ruins the point, but I do tip my hat to a subtle reference to Sodom and Gomorrah which Ennis slips in. What I didn’t expect, but knowing Ennis probably should have, was the twisted humour throughout the book. It has a very British feel, from the reference to the mythical soggy biscuit game to quoting Bugsy Malone, but somehow whilst the book is gruesome it maintains a sort of lightness which is hard to really describe. I continue to enjoy Burrows’s art, although there’s one or two spots where it doesn’t quite feel as polished as it could, I wonder if this is because of the colouring, which is quite simplistic. The detail which goes into some of the scenes featuring the acts of The Crossed is stunning (in both ways), I wonder who I should send my therapy bills to?
David Williams
Rating:
GGGGG
67