The Cradle

by T.M. Camp

At long last, fans of Assam & Darjeeling can read the next chapter in the story of everyone’s favorite little girl lost, Jee.

(And if you haven’t read Assam & Darjeeling yet, then be advised: Here there be spoilers.)

At the close of Assam & Darjeeling readers were given a brief glimpse of Jee as she approached the Winter Palace. But the path that leads her there is long and twisted, with many other stories to tell along the way. The Cradle is the first of these.

Jee is enjoying the new freedom that comes with being an exile from the land of the living. But she soon discovers that freedom has its share of discomforts and dangers. Caught in a torrential downpour, she is taken in by a kindly old couple who, it turns out, have story of their own to tell. And Jee discovers yet again that things in the Underworld are not always what they seem.

The Cradle begins a new cycle of stories about a little girl looking for a place that she can, at last, call home.

120 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2012

About the author

As a child, T.M. Camp spent most of his time in a dreamworld. These days, he spends most of his time trying to get other people to join him there.

He is the author of the novels "Assam & Darjeeling", "Matters of Mortology", "The Cradle", and "The Red Boy".

T.M. lives in Michigan with his excellent, lovely wife and an indeterminate number of cats and children of variable age and intelligence.

In all of his work, T.M. explores boundaries — The boundaries between worlds… the boundaries between the physical and the supernatural… the boundaries between people… and the boundaries within ourselves.

Reviews

[Julie Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short story should be read only after one has read Camp's brilliant first book, Assam and Darjeeling. I very much enjoyed reading this adventure, seeing evidence of Jee's character growth, and also in puzzling over the real identities of the man and his wife (not to mention that tree). As always, Camp has a way of mingling myth and modern story while providing an underlying meaning that provides the reader with food for thought.

One comment about the layout though is that the type is gigantic (which is a personal thorn in my side when I encounter it). Assam and Darjeeling was nicely laid out and the only reason I ever know of for such a faux pas in book design is to make the book appear longer (or incompetence, which cannot be laid at Mr. Camp's door). I advise people to take a page from Subterranean Press which has released short stories from such authors as Ted Chiang without apology for their length (or lack thereof) in beautifully laid out books.

[Dan Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite liked this short follow up to Assam and Darjeeling, although I felt that Camp could have added a few more strands to help people understand what was going on for any readers who haven't read the original novel for a long time.. or ever, for that matter. I found myself struggling to remember the details of the A&D and wondering how someone would respond if this was the first of Camp's books that they had picked up.

Other than that, I felt it was a charming novella and I look forward to more stories in this world.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Keep going mr camp