The Newt is Mute But Speaks Volumes: WaPo Resurrectionist Review
Jeff VanderMeer • June 27th, 2008 • Book Reviews
…Aaaaand just when I think I’m done, they pull me back in. The Washington Post Book World just posted my review of Jack O’Connell’s The Resurrectionist, a book that despite my reservations I recommend highly and am adding to the rec list on the right (click through to order).
Excerpt: You would think that a conversation between a mad scientist and his prized newt might not stand out in a novel dominated by sociopathic bikers, a father’s unbearable guilt and a sad quest by a group of sideshow freaks. You would be wrong. In the strange crucible of reality and imagination that is The Resurrectionist, by Jack O’Connell, their one-sided exchange exemplifies the author’s sheer chutzpah: from its meticulous attention to detail to the parallels between Dr. Peck, founder of a coma clinic, and his blue-spotted newt, Rene.











Award-winning writer Jeff VanderMeer's final novel in his Ambergris Cycle, Finch, has just been published in the US, and will appear in the UK from Atlantic's Corvus imprint. His writer guide Booklife and associated Booklifenow website focus on sustainable creativity. With his wife, he recently edited the charity anthology Last Drink Bird Head. His short fiction has appeared in Conjunctions, Library of America's American Fantastic Tales, and several year's best anthologies. He writes nonfiction for The Washington Post Book World, Omnivoracious, The New York Times Book Review, the B&N Review, and many others. Murder by Death recently completed a CD soundtrack based on Finch. If you like the blog, please consider