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The Heidelberg Cylinder
The Heidelberg cylinder Hardcover by Jonathan Carroll(Author)
73 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
194 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Carroll
129 books1,167 followersJonathan Carroll (b. 1949) is an award-winning American author of modern fantasy and slipstream novels. His debut book, The Land of Laughs (1980), tells the story of a children’s author whose imagination has left the printed page and begun to influence reality. The book introduced several hallmarks of Carroll’s writing, including talking animals and worlds that straddle the thin line between reality and the surreal, a technique that has seen him compared to South American magical realists.
Outside the Dog Museum (1991) was named the best novel of the year by the British Fantasy Society, and has proven to be one of Carroll’s most popular works. Since then he has written the Crane’s View trilogy, Glass Soup (2005) and, most recently, The Ghost in Love (2008). His short stories have been collected in The Panic Hand (1995) and The Woman Who Married a Cloud (2012). He continues to live and write in Vienna.
Outside the Dog Museum (1991) was named the best novel of the year by the British Fantasy Society, and has proven to be one of Carroll’s most popular works. Since then he has written the Crane’s View trilogy, Glass Soup (2005) and, most recently, The Ghost in Love (2008). His short stories have been collected in The Panic Hand (1995) and The Woman Who Married a Cloud (2012). He continues to live and write in Vienna.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 3, 2020
more afterlife-themed speculative fiction from jonathan carroll!! no one has more variations on this theme than he does, but he always usually manages to make them so compelling, so "of COURSE that's the way it is, why didn't i realize it before now??" here we learn that hell is filled to capacity, and the soul-overflow is being sent up to the world, to live as our neighbors on our suburban streets, bringing with them their own personal versions of hell. many things are revealed - the nature of heaven and hell, the shape of a soul, the meaning of life, the progress of technology, the slippery nature of sacrifice, and all the various beings at work behind the scenes corralling life's mysteries. there's a lot of great writing here, with all those satisfying carrolly details, and there's a real hopefulness to his vision, with just a little dollop of sorrow. i could read his fabulist metaphysical schtick all day long, but - MAN - he so frequently throws it all away at the end. this one has a great opportunity for the heart-punch ending and then he tacks onto it this scene that is just … silly. so it leaves you with this goofy, mel brooksy situation that kind of kills it for me. but for the most part, it's great fun, and i am so used to his weak endings, it bothers me less than it would coming from someone else.
3.5 rounded up because - jonathan carroll!
come to my blog!
3.5 rounded up because - jonathan carroll!
come to my blog!
December 31, 2016
Jonathan Carroll is one of those unique one of a kind authors that has become a schere joy to read. Things are usually not as they first appear in his stories. With The Heidelberg Cylinder, the premise of the story is that Hell is full. Some of the residents from Hell, due to the over crowding, are being re-located to Earth to live in some of the empty houses in neighborhoods.
The humor that Mr. Carroll begins this tale with, as we learn about what is going on, is top notch. Then as the story progresses the ramifications of what is happening begin to manifest themselves with ever increasing focus on the realities of the main character.
And so far not a mention of "The Heidelberg Cylinder" which has played a crucial part in mankind's development. This turn of events is also explored, then the morality decisions must be made.. there is that.
"The Heidelberg Cylinder" is an eexcellent read.
This is one of one thousand hardcover Copies and is signed by Jonathan Carroll and the cover artist Dave Mckean.
The humor that Mr. Carroll begins this tale with, as we learn about what is going on, is top notch. Then as the story progresses the ramifications of what is happening begin to manifest themselves with ever increasing focus on the realities of the main character.
And so far not a mention of "The Heidelberg Cylinder" which has played a crucial part in mankind's development. This turn of events is also explored, then the morality decisions must be made.. there is that.
"The Heidelberg Cylinder" is an eexcellent read.
This is one of one thousand hardcover Copies and is signed by Jonathan Carroll and the cover artist Dave Mckean.
January 24, 2024
”The Devil wore a chef’s hat.”
The Heidelberg Cylinder is one of Jonathan Carroll’s strange morality tales — perhaps his strangest. It’s a battle between good and evil, between God and the Devil (bearing only a glancing resemblance to that traditional pair). But, as in most of Carroll’s cosmic morality tales, God sits on the sideline and allows human agency to fight the Devil. In this tale, the Devil is flooding Earth with the dead, displacing the living, and upsetting the cosmic order, and our protagonist must first be convinced that it is happening, and then recruited to help fight it.
This story is packed full of more absurd, over the top episodes, scenes, and set pieces than would seem possible in a mere novella. Carroll dials the ridiculousness up to eleven. Much of what happens starts out creepy and disturbing, but progresses to become so absurd that you are left laughing at it. (I don’t really think of Carroll as a funny writer, but in this tale he is often hilarious.)
Carroll sometimes seems to have a medieval sense of morality that demands pain and loss. Or possibly that’s just his way of portraying the reality of life. But it does mean that you shouldn’t ever expect a feel good ending from him.
The Heidelberg Cylinder is one of Jonathan Carroll’s strange morality tales — perhaps his strangest. It’s a battle between good and evil, between God and the Devil (bearing only a glancing resemblance to that traditional pair). But, as in most of Carroll’s cosmic morality tales, God sits on the sideline and allows human agency to fight the Devil. In this tale, the Devil is flooding Earth with the dead, displacing the living, and upsetting the cosmic order, and our protagonist must first be convinced that it is happening, and then recruited to help fight it.
This story is packed full of more absurd, over the top episodes, scenes, and set pieces than would seem possible in a mere novella. Carroll dials the ridiculousness up to eleven. Much of what happens starts out creepy and disturbing, but progresses to become so absurd that you are left laughing at it. (I don’t really think of Carroll as a funny writer, but in this tale he is often hilarious.)
Carroll sometimes seems to have a medieval sense of morality that demands pain and loss. Or possibly that’s just his way of portraying the reality of life. But it does mean that you shouldn’t ever expect a feel good ending from him.
September 20, 2014
Potrei dire che il valore di questa novella è fondamentalmente collezionistico, e vale i soldi che ci ho speso solo perché un pezzo limitato in mille copie e con doppio autografo di Carroll e McKean.
In realtà, la sostanza c'è. La storia è tipicamente carrolliana, con sfumature un po' horror e un po' surreale; il tipico intreccio di Carroll, in cui da un esordio apparantemente normale un'improvvisa reazione a catena di eventi assurdi strappa via la realtà, strato dopo strato, ma non smette mai di sorprendere e meravigliare. E c'è pure un inusuale humour nero, nerissimo, che ho trovato azzeccato e godibilissimo.
In realtà, la sostanza c'è. La storia è tipicamente carrolliana, con sfumature un po' horror e un po' surreale; il tipico intreccio di Carroll, in cui da un esordio apparantemente normale un'improvvisa reazione a catena di eventi assurdi strappa via la realtà, strato dopo strato, ma non smette mai di sorprendere e meravigliare. E c'è pure un inusuale humour nero, nerissimo, che ho trovato azzeccato e godibilissimo.
August 23, 2007
The Heidelberg Cylinder is a rare novella written by Jonathan Carroll, my favorite author. However, I dont' find this to be one of Carroll's best works. It is rather goofy, which is good and bad. It lacks depth that some of his novels go into. While there is a whole afterlife theme going on here, it becomes to comical/goofy to really hit the points that some of his spiritual/theological moments do in his other novels.
November 29, 2012
Another mystery wrapped in an enigma from Mr Carroll. I actually put this one up there with his best, despite a somewhat looser, even more casual style than some of his others. This one packs in most of Carroll's favorite themes: alternate cosmology, good vs evil, men and women, sex and its glorious disappointments, bizarre characters, life turning weird in the blink of an eye. Readable, lovely, and weird. Worth tracking down.
January 15, 2013
This short novel is both gloomy and funny in a weird way. It's told sort of light-heartedly and yet the themese are actually pretty serious. At first it didn't seem like much, but the story grew on me and got me thinking - about heaven and hell, how we live our life, that sort of thing. A good read and in the end worth the freaky prize I originally paid for this book.
May 11, 2024
Reread.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews