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"Stay on the path"

 

Jen and Ezra underwater. Stony Creek Falls, Kamarunga, Far North Queensland. April 2021.

Other Kingdoms by Richard Matheson

A very odd novel by Matheson here, quite unlike the others that I have read of his. The fairy tale quality resembles Goldman's The Princess Bride (complete with sassy narrator), but this one travails a lot more sexual and horror ground.

While it could have used a thorough edit (you could trim a fifth without losing anything), I found it an enjoyable and creative riff on what is well-trod ground encompassing fantasy, horror, mystery and comic novel tropes. If you don't get too wrapped up in the details and go with the flow, it is a fine enough read.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐

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