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Western Lights #3
Strange Cargo
Set in a world where the Ice Age never ended and only a narrow coastline of civilization survives, where Victorian society exists alongside saber-toothed cats and woolly mammoths, Strange Cargo is the newest and most darkly engrossing novel yet from the author of Dark Sleeper and The House in the High Wood ...
496 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
About the author
Jeffrey E. Barlough
16 books23 followersAuthor, veterinarian and research scientist, Author Jeffrey E. Barlough has been publishing scientific journal articles, novels, and non-fiction books on a variety of subjects since the 1970's.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 11, 2020
The fog rolls in and the adventures begin: a house that flies! The ship departs for cold Nantle and the investigation begins: who is the mysterious heir and what is that ghostly apparition; can these characters look beyond their love of money, memory, and the fine figure of a woman to solve these mysteries? The chains are unlocked, the trunk is unlatched, the box is opened, the mirror taken out, and so the terror and the horror begins: an angry god is calling, insisting on a return.
Perfectly accomplished ironic prose, done in a fussy, plummy Dickensian style. Digressive storytelling, taking time with its characters, giving them all their moments, many of those moments sad but even more that are comic. An intricate narrative: three strands coming together and coming apart, plots joining and unjoining, characters meeting and departing. A sinister atmosphere and a very strange world. Prehistoric beasties and monstrous agents of Poseidon. Shades of Sweeney Todd and M.R. James and Bleak House. And at last, all the questions finally answered. A satisfying ending: some fun and some sadness, some tragedy and some schadenfreude, a feeling of lives and adventures continuing beyond the page. Even death is not the end.
This is the best novel yet in the Western Lights series. Each book is a standalone. It should be read immediately, but one should take their time reading it.
Perfectly accomplished ironic prose, done in a fussy, plummy Dickensian style. Digressive storytelling, taking time with its characters, giving them all their moments, many of those moments sad but even more that are comic. An intricate narrative: three strands coming together and coming apart, plots joining and unjoining, characters meeting and departing. A sinister atmosphere and a very strange world. Prehistoric beasties and monstrous agents of Poseidon. Shades of Sweeney Todd and M.R. James and Bleak House. And at last, all the questions finally answered. A satisfying ending: some fun and some sadness, some tragedy and some schadenfreude, a feeling of lives and adventures continuing beyond the page. Even death is not the end.
This is the best novel yet in the Western Lights series. Each book is a standalone. It should be read immediately, but one should take their time reading it.
November 18, 2024
A uniquely crafted universe in modern literature!
I made these comments in a review of Barlough's earlier novel THE HOUSE IN THE HIGH WOOD but, frankly, they bear repeating for STRANGE CARGO, his third novel. Barlow's very special blend of writing styles is probably unique in today's literature and gives us a novel that defies classification. One can say, I suppose, that it represents a delicious blend of Lovecraft, Collins or Poe's version of tension and horror, Brooks' ideas of a modern, dark, urban fantasy and the very best of Dickensian characterization, complex and intricately described environments with superbly comic dialogue and story-telling. But to say that is to suggest somehow that Barlough's efforts are derivative and that is selling him far too short. Barlough's style is quite clearly his own and he has mastered it completely.
Nantle, a small seacoast town and sailor's haunt in Barlough's special universe in which the Ice Age has never ended and a small Victorian population live side by side with saber tooth tigers, woolly mammoths and mastodons, plays host to two simultaneous story lines.
In the first, Miss Jane Wastefield arrives seeking Gilbert Thistlewood with whom she has corresponded. Wastefield, at her wit's end, needs his promised help in ridding herself of a malevolent mirror, a gift she received on her twenty-first birthday, which she keeps locked inside a traveling trunk. The mirror, reflecting eerie visions of a long dead society reminiscent of a fantastic Greece in which monsters and evil demi-gods hold sway, threatens Miss Wastefield's very sanity and, despite her best efforts, refuses to be parted from its owner.
In the second, the Cargo family and their solicitor, Mr Arthur Liffey, seek out Jerry Squailes, the mysteriously elusive beneficiary of a significant piece of their grandfather's estate. This particular sub-plot is more recognizable as the product of the combined influences of Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins. We are witness to a superbly crafted detective story involving skullduggery, fraudulent wills and, ultimately, even the appearance of a wonderfully traditional Victorian ghost.
Unfortunately, the two plot lines, while they bump into one another and occasionally interact, never conjoin and become inter-dependent. I finished the novel with the distinct feeling that Barlough had two independent ideas sufficient unto themselves for a novella length story and felt compelled to shoehorn them together in order to produce something with sufficient length to be classed as a novel. This left me with a mystifying and disturbing sense of non-completion even though both stories wound down with nothing that even the most particular reader could classify as a loose end. It somehow just didn't seem quite right!
That said, Barlough's style and his mastery of dialogue, characterization and scene setting is more than enough to justify reading his work and I'll look eagerly for that next novel in this very special world.
Paul Weiss
I made these comments in a review of Barlough's earlier novel THE HOUSE IN THE HIGH WOOD but, frankly, they bear repeating for STRANGE CARGO, his third novel. Barlow's very special blend of writing styles is probably unique in today's literature and gives us a novel that defies classification. One can say, I suppose, that it represents a delicious blend of Lovecraft, Collins or Poe's version of tension and horror, Brooks' ideas of a modern, dark, urban fantasy and the very best of Dickensian characterization, complex and intricately described environments with superbly comic dialogue and story-telling. But to say that is to suggest somehow that Barlough's efforts are derivative and that is selling him far too short. Barlough's style is quite clearly his own and he has mastered it completely.
Nantle, a small seacoast town and sailor's haunt in Barlough's special universe in which the Ice Age has never ended and a small Victorian population live side by side with saber tooth tigers, woolly mammoths and mastodons, plays host to two simultaneous story lines.
In the first, Miss Jane Wastefield arrives seeking Gilbert Thistlewood with whom she has corresponded. Wastefield, at her wit's end, needs his promised help in ridding herself of a malevolent mirror, a gift she received on her twenty-first birthday, which she keeps locked inside a traveling trunk. The mirror, reflecting eerie visions of a long dead society reminiscent of a fantastic Greece in which monsters and evil demi-gods hold sway, threatens Miss Wastefield's very sanity and, despite her best efforts, refuses to be parted from its owner.
In the second, the Cargo family and their solicitor, Mr Arthur Liffey, seek out Jerry Squailes, the mysteriously elusive beneficiary of a significant piece of their grandfather's estate. This particular sub-plot is more recognizable as the product of the combined influences of Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins. We are witness to a superbly crafted detective story involving skullduggery, fraudulent wills and, ultimately, even the appearance of a wonderfully traditional Victorian ghost.
Unfortunately, the two plot lines, while they bump into one another and occasionally interact, never conjoin and become inter-dependent. I finished the novel with the distinct feeling that Barlough had two independent ideas sufficient unto themselves for a novella length story and felt compelled to shoehorn them together in order to produce something with sufficient length to be classed as a novel. This left me with a mystifying and disturbing sense of non-completion even though both stories wound down with nothing that even the most particular reader could classify as a loose end. It somehow just didn't seem quite right!
That said, Barlough's style and his mastery of dialogue, characterization and scene setting is more than enough to justify reading his work and I'll look eagerly for that next novel in this very special world.
Paul Weiss
March 28, 2009
The third installment of The Western Lights series returns to the Dickensian atmosphere of Dark Sleeper (though the gruesome fates of the pretty young counter-ladies at Arifay’s oyster bar reminds the reader of the Lovecraftian dangers lurking beneath the surface). The novel is actually two stories whose resolutions occur in the decaying cathedral town of Nantle but are otherwise quite separate. There’s the story of Frederick Cargo of the town of Cargo, whose grandfather has left a quarter of his fortune to an unknown named Jerry Squailes of Nantle. Fred’s grandfather’s lawyer, Mr. Liffey, who harbors his own secrets, and his wife Lucy and her companion travel to Nantle to find out who this Squailes is and (if Lucy has her way) find a means to annul the will. By fate, their fellow passenger on the sea voyage to the cathedral town is the tormented Jane Wastefield. Her soul is coveted by the ancient Minoan god Poteidan (Poseidon) and she is pursued by his devilish “sons,” the Triametes.
The latter tale is far darker in tone and its ending is, at best, ambiguous. The former is much lighter and, though there is a vengeful spirit, doesn’t approach Miss Wastefield’s in terror or despair. Some might complain at the juxtaposition of two such dissimilar stories but it worked for me. If you’ve read and enjoyed Barlough’s first two novels in the series, you should enjoy this one. If you’re new to Barlough, I’d counsel reading Dark Sleeper or The House in the High Wood first. Though, they’re all standalone novels, Dark Sleeper is a better introduction to this world, and The House in the High Wood is the more focused and powerful story.
If you’re “stuck,” though, with just Strange Cargo, you’ll still enjoy yourself.
The latter tale is far darker in tone and its ending is, at best, ambiguous. The former is much lighter and, though there is a vengeful spirit, doesn’t approach Miss Wastefield’s in terror or despair. Some might complain at the juxtaposition of two such dissimilar stories but it worked for me. If you’ve read and enjoyed Barlough’s first two novels in the series, you should enjoy this one. If you’re new to Barlough, I’d counsel reading Dark Sleeper or The House in the High Wood first. Though, they’re all standalone novels, Dark Sleeper is a better introduction to this world, and The House in the High Wood is the more focused and powerful story.
If you’re “stuck,” though, with just Strange Cargo, you’ll still enjoy yourself.
April 25, 2008
3rd in a well, not quite a series, I guess, but a set of interconnected books that begin with Dark Sleeper then followed by The House in the Dark Wood, both of which are excellent & fun novels of fantasy.
The author has created an incredible world here: Victorian society continuing to exist after an event called widely "the sundering," in which for reasons I will not go into here (because Barlough reveals the source of the event in this episode), they live side by side by creatures that would have been at home in prehistoric periods, and where they live pretty much surrounded by other areas which are caught up in a new Ice Age. For their own intents and purposes, they ARE the world now.
It is a difficult story to capture in only a few words; there are several main subplots here, including a young woman who is terrified when a locked trunk that she's tried to dispose of keeps following her wherever she goes, no matter how many times she tries to get rid of it; a man and his wife who try to get to the mystery of why his grandfather would leave a fourth of his fortune to a total stranger that no one anywhere can seem to locate, and a mysterious flying object that has been seen from a lighthouse and cathedral in the coastal community of Nantle. All of the subplots merge together and become one hell of a great story.
It is so much fun to see the author piece this world together, and I can see Jules Verne, HP Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe and other great writers in his writing. I LOVE this kind of stuff!
I would caution that anyone interested might wish to go through the books as they were written chronologically; while it's not necessary to do so, you will have already gained an understanding of this crazy world with its Victorian population and that does tend to help as you progress through the books.
The author has created an incredible world here: Victorian society continuing to exist after an event called widely "the sundering," in which for reasons I will not go into here (because Barlough reveals the source of the event in this episode), they live side by side by creatures that would have been at home in prehistoric periods, and where they live pretty much surrounded by other areas which are caught up in a new Ice Age. For their own intents and purposes, they ARE the world now.
It is a difficult story to capture in only a few words; there are several main subplots here, including a young woman who is terrified when a locked trunk that she's tried to dispose of keeps following her wherever she goes, no matter how many times she tries to get rid of it; a man and his wife who try to get to the mystery of why his grandfather would leave a fourth of his fortune to a total stranger that no one anywhere can seem to locate, and a mysterious flying object that has been seen from a lighthouse and cathedral in the coastal community of Nantle. All of the subplots merge together and become one hell of a great story.
It is so much fun to see the author piece this world together, and I can see Jules Verne, HP Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe and other great writers in his writing. I LOVE this kind of stuff!
I would caution that anyone interested might wish to go through the books as they were written chronologically; while it's not necessary to do so, you will have already gained an understanding of this crazy world with its Victorian population and that does tend to help as you progress through the books.
December 14, 2009
This third of the "Western Lights" series is easily the best so far, yet each has something to recommend them. I found the three separate story lines (Cargo, Westerfield, & Threadneedle) in this novel wholly fascinating, and how each of them crossed paths was a joy to read. I am still toying with getting the latest 2 books of the series, but I hesitate as they appear to be more juvenile than these first three novels. Still, the Western Lights series has been a pleasure to explore. I highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys mythic fiction and alternate history as the Western Lights is a good blend of both.
January 17, 2018
A science-fantasy mashup of the movie UP! and a Victorian comedy of manners, this multi-threaded tale is at turns hilarious and disturbing. I love, love, love books with really well-developed universes, and Strange Cargo has one of the best, if also one of the most bizarre. There's so much style here, along with great characters and really amazing lines, that it's really worth diving into.
October 26, 2020
I'm guessing this type of writing isn't for everyone, but it's definitely for me (and my wife). I love this series. The characters are so colorful and memorable. I will admit that I was getting a little bored towards the middle but then it started picking up and was great from there.
Really glad to find out that there are 3 more books after this. Will definitely be picking them up.
Really glad to find out that there are 3 more books after this. Will definitely be picking them up.
May 14, 2025
A fascinating series that I was surprised I'd never heard of, since by the elevator pitch these books would seem to be Extremely My Shit: meandering Dickensian novels which take place in an alternate world where the Ice Age never ended (but European culture appears to have arisen unimpeded) and, also, an unknown cataclysm speculated to be a volcano or asteroid impact has resulted in the global temperature plummeting further and civilisation being wiped out except for a string of cities along a narrow stretch of coastline, where it's still socially and technologically the early 19th century.
Strange Cargo is the third (they're all standalones) and involves three separate storylines: a family seeking out the mysterious beneficiary in their grandfather's will, a woman seeking to rid herself of a cursed mirror, and a landowner tinkering with a mysterious experiment in his old coach-house. Barlough is clearly echoing the style of Dickens, particularly his willingness to illustrate every facet of his fictional world; there is no such thing as a "minor" character in Strange Cargo, because Barlough is willing to let every character he invents lead him down the garden path for multiple pages, which I must admit began to try my patience. But there's also an element of Lovecraft and MR James in here, with ghosts and demons and visions and monsters, and it was as these elements truly came to the fore in the novel's third act that I found my interest properly engaged and began to really enjoy it. I also suspect that the epic Dickensian cast-of-thousands style will be an acquired taste. Unfortunately only one of these books has an ebook edition, and most of them seem to be out of print, but I'll keep a weather eye on Abebooks.
Hat tip to Goodreads user Mark Monday without whom I'd never have heard of this series. Also to this edition's cover illustrator for an instantly classic example of depicting something that does not occur in the book at all.
Strange Cargo is the third (they're all standalones) and involves three separate storylines: a family seeking out the mysterious beneficiary in their grandfather's will, a woman seeking to rid herself of a cursed mirror, and a landowner tinkering with a mysterious experiment in his old coach-house. Barlough is clearly echoing the style of Dickens, particularly his willingness to illustrate every facet of his fictional world; there is no such thing as a "minor" character in Strange Cargo, because Barlough is willing to let every character he invents lead him down the garden path for multiple pages, which I must admit began to try my patience. But there's also an element of Lovecraft and MR James in here, with ghosts and demons and visions and monsters, and it was as these elements truly came to the fore in the novel's third act that I found my interest properly engaged and began to really enjoy it. I also suspect that the epic Dickensian cast-of-thousands style will be an acquired taste. Unfortunately only one of these books has an ebook edition, and most of them seem to be out of print, but I'll keep a weather eye on Abebooks.
Hat tip to Goodreads user Mark Monday without whom I'd never have heard of this series. Also to this edition's cover illustrator for an instantly classic example of depicting something that does not occur in the book at all.
February 13, 2021
3.5; didn’t like it quite as much as the first two in the series but still very good
I love Mustard, the dwarf mastodon (as we are doubtless supposed to—how could anyone resist her after Barlough’s description?)
I love Mustard, the dwarf mastodon (as we are doubtless supposed to—how could anyone resist her after Barlough’s description?)
August 27, 2016
I enjoy Barlough's pseudo-Victorian writing and his books have been a lot of fun so far.
Even when I've given them four stars, however, that's with a caveat. In every book I've read, there's some sort of a dig at Christianity. In this one, there's a good vicar and another who hates his congregation but learns to be content with it, but it's also made clear that this world is ruled by beings other than the God that these pastors preach.
This book disappointed me, too, because the way one situation was resolved seemed to me to entail simple surrender. So that I don't give away the plot, let me put it like this: Imagine a telling of *The Lord of the Rings* in which Frodo, after all the struggle of the last 900 pages, finally realized that Sauron was just too strong and gave in and handed him the Ring. That's what this "resolution" felt like to me and for that I'd give it only two stars.
Still, there were enough fun elements and certain aspects of the writing were so good that I've raised the rating to three. Hope the next book is better.
Even when I've given them four stars, however, that's with a caveat. In every book I've read, there's some sort of a dig at Christianity. In this one, there's a good vicar and another who hates his congregation but learns to be content with it, but it's also made clear that this world is ruled by beings other than the God that these pastors preach.
This book disappointed me, too, because the way one situation was resolved seemed to me to entail simple surrender. So that I don't give away the plot, let me put it like this: Imagine a telling of *The Lord of the Rings* in which Frodo, after all the struggle of the last 900 pages, finally realized that Sauron was just too strong and gave in and handed him the Ring. That's what this "resolution" felt like to me and for that I'd give it only two stars.
Still, there were enough fun elements and certain aspects of the writing were so good that I've raised the rating to three. Hope the next book is better.
May 15, 2007
ttthhhhhbbbbppppptttttt.
I know that is highly illuminating, but that is pretty much what I thought of it. The plot and characters were mostly uninteresting, and I sort of feel like I am still waiting for the book to start - the scene has been set, but it never seemed to follow the introductory scenes with the book - it just strung some more introductory scenes on.
It got some good reviews, but I guess it was just not at all to my taste.
I know that is highly illuminating, but that is pretty much what I thought of it. The plot and characters were mostly uninteresting, and I sort of feel like I am still waiting for the book to start - the scene has been set, but it never seemed to follow the introductory scenes with the book - it just strung some more introductory scenes on.
It got some good reviews, but I guess it was just not at all to my taste.
July 20, 2008
This book was not at all what I expected. I enjoyed it when I got into it.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews