Happy St. Patty's day--and what would it be without Nazi leprechauns? If that cover by Hector Garrido doesn't make you sit up, do a spit-take, and shout, "What the fuck?!?", I don't know what will (actually I do, but that will have to wait till Easter--don't say I didn't warn you).
Bridget Chauncey turns an Irish castle she inherits into a hotel. Her first guests are a bickering American couple with a nymphomaniac daughter; a German couple, he descended from pure Aryan Nazis and she a Jewess who lost her whole family in the Holocaust; the handsome alcoholic Irish soliciter who is not-so-secretly in love with Bridget; and the snooty English soliciter to whom she's engaged.
A few strange happenings quickly have this bunch talking about legends of the "little people" around the dinner table. Amazingly, a half-joking late-night vigil actually results in contact with the green-clad wee-folk. But there are also journals and boxes of files in the cellars--and they're written in German.
These little people, it turns out, aren't the supernatural creatures of Irish lore, but rather Jewish victims of Nazi experiments. What in the world are they doing in rural Ireland?!? Well, that's a long story, and not an especially convincing one, but I don't want to spoil everything.
Up to this Big Reveal, the novel proceeds fairly smoothly, with suspense. But there's the promise that even greater horror is about to be unleashed--that there's still more to learn about the little people, and it's even more terrible than their tragic heritage. It's in trying to deliver this last wallop of horror that Christopher really falls down, with disappoiting results that mar the final impression of the novel. He should be commended for trying to kick things up that one last notch, but he just doesn't seem to have the instincts to build effectively on the horror any further.
Even with that letdown, this is better than average. I'd recommend it, but not as highly as I wish I could.
8 comments:
That offically is the freakest/coolest cover ever
Blimey - I've never come across this book - and I thought I knew all John Christoper's stuff...I'm going t have to get hold of a copy, that's the best cover I've ever seen!
Maybe we can look forward to a new marshmallow for Lucky Charms.
What a crazy st. patricks post!
Matt
Holy Crap! somebody make this into a movie!
I started to read a copy of this book with that "Nazi Leprechaun" cover many years ago. I lost my copy just when it started to get interesting and assumed for many years that I was onto one of the great unsung weird-horror novels of all time. I recently found another copy (with a much less interesting cover) and read it - with considerable disappointment.
Nice site.
It seems that John Christopher is actually British author Samuel Youd.
http://www.answers.com/topic/samuel-youd?cat=technology
I have to get a copy of this book. If only for the cover. Amazing.
I just bought this book yesterday while shopping in Yellow Springs, OH. looked at the cover, looked away, and then looked at the cover again to ensure i was really seeing the greatness which is "The Little People". A book I knew from the start that I would live in regret if I didn't buy.
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