Talk us through it
Martin Tyler is a janitor who has just tried to commit suicide. He sees his life as ultimately a failure and having no meaning, sort of like a Wallaby front row forward really. Saved from himself Martin is sent to "The Center" for observation and psychiatric evaluation. Unfortunately Martin starts seeing things that simply can't be there and is dragged into a struggle between chaos and the forces of normality. The fate of the world will rest in Martin's hands, can he overcome his self doubt and step up to the plate? Ready to face the horror that is the Gash? (Ahoy there Freudians)
Review"Let's just say that I rearranged the facts to form a palatable truth." - Jerry I knew I was in trouble with Midnight Museum right from Terry Dowling's introduction to the novella and the writer. What the hell were you on about Terry? For goodness sack that's a pretty self evident truth that's taught in English Lit 101, you aren't telling us anything new or shining a light on what makes fiction work if handled correctly. If wondering, Mr Dowling was rabbiting on about the Author being invisible to the reader and being all that they can be. Besides the concept of Author intrusion into a narrative, and the no doubt endless sea of student essays written on the subject, any writer worth their salt is intuitively aware of this. Especially so if they are working in the realms of speculative fiction. If I had of wanted a lecture on the mechanics of writing I could have dusted off my lecture notes on criticism. Terry Dowling managed to irk the hell out of me and as such I was not in the best frame of mind as I turned to Branunbeck's modern day fable. A couple of irritating personal points in this paragraph, feel free to jump forward for the actual review. For those wondering I did about two years of an undergraduate degree learning all about film and literature criticism. That was all that was on offer and you couldn't actually major in it. My first gig as a reviewer, Critics get paid folks Reviewers don't, was for a regional student newspaper covering speculative film. What I thought was really cool at the time was that I got wads of free movie tickets and got to call myself a "Journalist". Anywise, and the point of this departure, my first Editor pretty much told me to take two years of study and flush it down the toilet, her view was you either knew how it works or you don't bother reviewing. Even more so explaining the actual mechanics isn't why someone is dialling into a review. Sound advice, and I've spent twenty years trying to write a decent review ever since. My second point, and gosh am I really getting off the beaten track this morning, is for the kind folks sending in review copies of books, DVDs, and assorted other stuff. Cool, keep it coming, but don't automatically expect a shining review, we're not quote whores here at ScaryMinds, we call it as we see it. Back to the nip and tuck. Branunbeck failed to convince me with his central character, hence the rest of the story fell apart like a house of cards in a wind storm. Writer Branunbeck is doing a number of things well in Midnight Museum that are certainly worth noting. There's an attempt at mixing the fantasy and horror genres into an interesting meld. Whether that works or not in this particular book is for individual readers to make their own mind up about. For horror fans, stick with it Branunbeck lets rip towards the end with some gore laden prose that will certainly have you sitting up and begging for more. There's some vivid imagination going down as one would expect from a fantasy orientated work, loved the whole Onlooker thing. And finally the whole mental breakdown of the main character Martin Tyler sort of rings true with the waxing of the bathroom floor analogy having that ring of crystal, as Stephen King was want to put it in Danse Macabre. Considering the Author has thus far been the winner of three Bram Stoker awards and I have clearly got some sort of deal going with Tasmaniac*, it could be viewed as churlish that I'm about to put the boot into Branunbeck's book here. To that charge I say damn the torpedos, the devil take the hind most, I'm calling them as I see them. In the wash up Midnight Museum simply isn't a good read and the whole concept was something that should have been left at the draft stage. There I've said it, time to put my money where my mouth is and back up that statement. Central to the story is the mental breakdown of Narrator Martin Tyler. The dude has just tried suicide because he sees himself as having failed his parents in their final days and also having a life that is essentially meaningless in the great scheme of things. Martin doesn't want to wake up one day old and alone. Since Martin didn't in fact succeed at topping himself, and a lot of Professional mental health workers will back me up on this, his attempt is then a call for help. Unfortunately one reading of Midnight Museum would see the fantasy elements as being an externalisation of Martin's internal conflicts, the fact that Gash is the embodiment of dementia isn't by accident. But nowhere within the book does Author Branunbeck convince me Martin has this many Roos running loose in the top paddock. It simply doesn't ring true and as such had me wondering if Branunbeck needs a longer medium in which to hit that perfect beat. Of course on the other side of the straight jacket the narrative could be read simply as fact, the brown stuff hit the fan and Martin rose to the occasion. Anyone honestly believe that a washed out janitor is the saviour of the universe? As stated previously in this review, the whole waxing of the bathroom floor is a highlight and Branunbeck nails the metaphor like a wild night up the Cross. I was reminded of the Thomas Covenant books, you know the ones where the hero has leprosy and spends six or so books whinging and whining his way to victory over the ultimate evil. The lead character, our knight in shining armour, isn't likable and neither is Martin Tyler who for mine needed a large cup of "toughen the f**k up". Branunbeck failed to convince me on his lead character, hence the foundations of Midnight Museum were showing early signs of concrete cancer. Branunbeck further has an issue with the pacing of his book. A novella, particular one based in the realms of speculative fiction, should bounce along to it's own beat. That can be a rock beat or a leisurely waltz depending on the Author and what mood they may or may not be trying to achieve. The Author here has things romping along toward the final resolution, and did I mention he paints the town red there, but throws the handbrake on in a number of places with the sort of descriptive narrative one might reasonably expect from a Jane Austen bonnet saga. I actually skipped a couple of page long waffles that do nothing for the natural flow of the story. Reader flying through the windscreen, injuries sustained, came to mind. Whether or not the melding of fantasy and horror works for you the individual reader is something you need to take up with your own taste police. On occasion I believe the writers riding the border lines between genres are producing some of the great modern works of fiction, The Talisman (King and Straub) immediately comes to mind. I didn't get the same feeling from Midnight Museum, the book needed to come down firmly in one genre of the other, the meld was showing all the seams here and a close scrutiny will show a few popped rivets. In The Midnight Museum is available from Tasmaniac for those wanting to see how far off base I managed to get with this review. I wouldn't spend too much time dawdling to a decision however as the print run is limited to 300 soft cover ($22.95 AUD) and 26 lettered hardback ($150.00 AUD) copies. Even if you decide you don't really want to read the book the price represents extreme value for collectors. Grab a copy, stick it some where safe and dry, eBay is your friend in the future. Naturally I forget to mention the cover and internal illustrations are from the talented Conny Valentina. * Tasmaniac head honcho Steve Clark was kind enough to do a bundle deal on the complete back catalogue, but may be regretting that decision after reading this review.
ScaryMinds Rates this read as ... The book wasn't working for me, try it yourself maybe you'll dig it.
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