Sat 31 Oct 2009
A Review by Geoff Bradley: FREDRIC BROWN – Night of the Jabberwock.
Posted by Steve under Pulp Fiction , Reviews[8] Comments
FREDRIC BROWN – Night of the Jabberwock. E. P. Dutton, hardcover, 1950. Paperback editions include: Bantam #990, April 1952; Morrow-Quill, 1984. British edition: T. V. Boardman, hc, 1951.
Based on two pulp stories: “The Gibbering Night” (Detective Tales, July 1944) and “The Jabberwock Murders” (Thrilling Mystery, Summer 1944).
After hearing several people tell me about this book, I just had to read it. I went up to the loft and searched but to no avail. Fortunately a couple of days later, when I was looking for something else, I stumbled across my copy.
Doc Stoeger, the narrator, is the proprietor/editor of a small town newspaper and a huge fan of the work of Lewis Carroll. After putting the paper to bed and getting home for the evening, he faces a night of catastrophic events, including a mysterious bank robbery, an escaped lunatic, a midnight gathering of the Vorpal Blades in a haunted house, and more.
Most of them are unconnected, but after a murder for which he has been framed, Doc is fighting for his life and an explanation that will make sense of what has gone on.
That the explanation makes as much sense as it does is a tribute to the plotting abilities of Fredric Brown, who has weaved a tangled web of intrigue. This madcap, humorous affair is a pleasurable romp with a satisfying ending, and I enjoyed the reading of it.
Brown is an author that I am underexposed to, having previously only read Madball, which was only so-so, and The Fabulous Clipjoint, the first in the Ed and Am Hunter series, which I somehow didn’t take to.
Editorial Comment: Happy Halloween, everyone!
November 1st, 2009 at 12:51 am
Jabberwock is a great one, also see Knock Three Two One and Screaming Mimi. Have to admit though I loved The Fabulous Clipjoint and all the Ed and Am Hunter titles. And read Brown’s science fiction too. He was equally adept in both genres, and the master of the short short. His “Don’t Look Behind You” is possibly the most effective story ever written in the second person.
November 2nd, 2009 at 3:05 pm
I had trouble with the Ed & Am series myself, but Brown at his best is a genius who will be remembered long after the ponderous puzzle-makers and synthetic tough guys who were his contemporaries are forgotten.
November 4th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
Geoff, you know that this novel is a personal favorite of mine. I’m glad you got to it. And thanks for the nice review!
As expressed by you and by Dan, the “Ed and Am” novels aren’t for everybody. That’s odd, because those are what Brown is best remembered for. I, too, didn’t really appreciate Fabulous Clipjoint, and so it took me more than a decade to try another of the Ed and Am novels. (But I did – The Dead Ringer – and I enjoyed it. Now I plan to take David Vineyard’s cue and work my way through all of them).
My other favorite of Brown’s is A Plot For Murder. It is also a non-series book featuring a radio scriptwriter whose fictional murder plots begin happening in real life.
November 11th, 2009 at 12:59 am
[…] of coincidences: In the final scene of the book Logan goes to the apartment of the policewoman girl-friend he has […]
December 17th, 2009 at 10:59 am
Have an ‘index’ of Fredric Brown.Accompanied by cover scans of perhaps 95% of magazines, books & periodicals where his work first appeared alond with their reprints. Also cover scans of anthologies where his work appeared. No charge, just ask at the above email address.
Frank Paccassi
December 17th, 2009 at 11:02 am
from above:
alond should read along. And the email address is paccassi@candw.lc
Frank Paccassi
January 14th, 2011 at 5:30 am
Frank, further to your recent email, I have tried to reply, but the mails keep bouncing back! I didn’t receive the index.
January 14th, 2011 at 12:33 pm
This is not good news, then. The only email address I have for Frank is the one above.
— Steve