The Heidelberg Cylinder by Jonathan Carroll
My rating: 4/5 cats
more afterlife-themed speculative fiction from jonathan carroll!! no one has more variations on this theme than he does, but he always usually manages to make them so compelling, so “of COURSE that’s the way it is, why didn’t i realize it before now??” here we learn that hell is filled to capacity, and the soul-overflow is being sent up to the world, to live as our neighbors on our suburban streets, bringing with them their own personal versions of hell. many things are revealed—the nature of heaven and hell, the shape of a soul, the meaning of life, the progress of technology, the slippery nature of sacrifice, and all the various beings at work behind the scenes corralling life’s mysteries. there’s a lot of great writing here, with all those satisfying carrolly details, and there’s a real hopefulness to his vision, with just a little dollop of sorrow. i could read his fabulist metaphysical schtick all day long, but—MAN—he so frequently throws it all away at the end. this one has a great opportunity for the heart-punch ending and then he tacks onto it this scene that is just…silly. so it leaves you with this goofy, mel brooksy situation that kind of kills it for me. but for the most part, it’s great fun, and i am so used to his weak endings, it bothers me less than it would coming from someone else.
3.5 rounded up because—jonathan carroll!
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