The Land of Laughs

This is the 2nd book I've read from Jonathan Carrol. And I've got 2 more on the way! I do believe I've found a favorite author!

I confess outright to being a Carroll devotee - I've even collected all his books and stories and have corresponded with him "live" by email. Many Carroll fans have complained that his early books are impossible to find - I couldn't bare to spend over $200 for his first book, The Land of Laughs, so I was relieved when TOR decided to reissue it in paper back. Oddly enough, that means that I had read all of his books already except this one, his first. The good news is, it's fantastic. In fact, it's so good I don't know how he ever tried again. Many of the familiar Carroll traits are here: a few pit bulls, a small town, a blurred division between reality and fantasy, a wild cast of characters and a great plot. Some readers complain that his endings aren't as good as his beginnings, but this book is a masterpiece in that regard. I loved the plot in this book as well: a "drop out" English teacher with a famous father decides to leave his stodgy prep school and write a biography of Marshall France, his favorite children's author. Naturally Marshall created a fantasy world of characters which gives our narrator a chance to immerse himself in a town with a very strange history. Overall, I think it's the most perfectly conceived of all Carroll's books - the ending is perfect too. If you've never read anything by Carroll, buy the paperback of this one and read it - then follow your addiction by reading all his other great books too. His books are so mind-blowing that I can almost guarantee that you'll raise your IQ a few points just by trying to follow the events!

I am pleased to see that 'Land of Laughs' is being reissued. This is without a doubt one of my favorite all time books which I picked up about 15 years ago on a whim. What is contained inside is raw and fantastic and stays with you for the rest of your life. It also made me a big JC fan. This author deserves great accolades and the fact that this wonderful book is being republished might mean that he is finally hitting the mainstream. Jump on in, you won't be sorry.

At long last, Jonathan Carroll's masterpiece, THE LAND OF LAUGHS is returning to print. This should be cause for celebration among horror/dark fantasy readers, especially those who haven't yet had the pleasure of reading this classic. As a previous reviewer stated, the basic plot of THE LAND OF LAUGHS (someone finding out the so-called "fantasy" world of a noted children's book author is real...and deadly) has been well used since this novel was published. But Carroll's remains the best. Most people, upon growing up, seem to forget how truly dark many of those children's fantasy stories were. But Carroll never forgot, which is perhaps what makes THE LAND OF LAUGHS so successful.This is a "must read" for any fan of horror, fantasy or just plain ole good fiction. And for similar reads, check out William Browning Spencer's ZOD WALLOP and STRANGEWOOD by Christopher Golden.