The Resurrectionist

May 26, 2008
Holter Graham deftly brings to life the myriad characters that populate O'Connell's novel. Sweeney, a pharmacist, brings his comatose son, Danny, to the mysterious Peck Clinic in the hope that the doctors can restore his boy to consciousness. While trying to settle into his new surroundings, Sweeney encounters the peculiar staff of the hospital and a bizarre motorcycle gang who all have dark designs on his son. Though Graham sounds a bit young in his narration, his character voices are dead on, whether portraying the philosophical/psychotic head biker, a stoic strong man from a comic book series Danny loved, or the central, single-minded earnestness of Sweeney, each character is imbued with a richness of layers that is a tribute to O'Connell's writing and Graham's performance. Simultaneous release with the Algonquin hardcover (Reviews, Feb. 4).

April 7, 2008
Two worlds wrapped tight in gloomy gothic trappings vie for dominance in this engrossing, elaborately staged exploration of consciousness from O'Connell (The Skin Palace). Sweeney, an Ohio pharmacist, brings his comatose son, Danny, to the Peck Clinic, \x93a sandstone monster on fifty acres of private land near Quinsigamond's western border.\x94 Danny is all Sweeney lives for; he even studies the comic book Limbo, featuring a troupe of circus freaks led by the visionary Chick the chicken boy, for what his son may have imagined when his brain functioned normally. Like Stephen King in Richard Bachman mode, O'Connell digs for darkness as Chick and his companions, who inhabit the fantasy realm of Gehenna, encounter Dr. Lazarus Cole, \x93The Resurrectionist\x94 (stoned to death only to walk again) and dread the inevitable showdown with their nemesis, \x93the mad doctor called Fliess,\x94 in his \x93enormous laboratory castle, the Black Iron Clinic.\x94 Meanwhile, in the real world, cultists kidnap Sweeney in hopes of using fluid from Danny's brain to transport them all to Gehenna. This strange brew is sure to enhance O'Connell's growing cult status.

April 1, 2008
Noir mixed with elements of dark fantasy may seem like an odd combination, but novelist O'Connell ("Word Made Flesh; The Skin Palace") pulls it off in a strange and extremely original work. Sweeney has brought his comatose son, Danny, to the renowned Peck Clinic for treatment. But he soon discovers that despite its stellar reputation, the clinic and the surrounding town aren't what they appear to be. Soon Sweeney is not only involved with clinic staff but also a group of bikers who believe they have the answers Sweeney needs. The fantasy element enters in the form of "Limbo", Danny's favorite comic, chapters of which are interspersed with happenings at the clinic. Although difficult to explain succinctly, the tale of "Limbo" and Danny's own story are related. In the end, this unusual novel may disappoint fans of straightforward mystery, but those open to something different should be pleasantly surprised. Recommended for adventurous fiction collections.Craig Shufelt, Fort McMurray P.L., A.B.

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2008
OConnells preoccupation with the eccentric denizens of Quinsigamond, the fictional Massachusetts town featured in four previous novels, continues with a side trip into a land of comic-book curiosities. After a catastrophic accident puts his son, Danny, into a coma, Ohio pharmacist Sweeney lands a job at the specialized Peck Clinic, where Danny begins experimental treatments to revive him. Hoping to better understand the mysterious limbo Danny inhabits, Sweeney scrutinizes his sons favorite comic-book serial, about a fantasy world populated by mad scientists and circus freaks. The series feathered hero is Chick, the chicken boy, whose quest to return to the mythical land of Gehenna and face down the evil Dr. Fliess begins to mirror Sweeneys own increasingly surreal odyssey. When Sweeney gets involved with biker gang bent on commandeering a little corner of limbo for themselves, the pharmacist discovers just how much reality hes willing to sacrifice to reunite with his son. OConnells gift for vivid characterization and inventive plot twists results in an irresistibly captivating reading experience.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)