Alan Moore's Neonomicon

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I first read this when it came out in 2011 but, re-reading it this weekend, I’m not sure why I liked it so much back then - it’s pretty terrible!

By that measure, this deceptively straightforward story is certainly a work of genius, as long as you're familiar with the source material. A liteary critique of both the artist and his work which comes off more like school-yard bullying than anything else.

I believe that magic is art, and that art, whether that be music, writing, sculpture, or any other form, is literally magic. Two FBI agents, Gordon Lamper and Merril Brears, are assigned to a case of copycat killings in the style Sax committed who, in turn, was mimicking someone else. Although they all show similar characteristics, they were definitely committed by different, unrelated people. However, they also won't be for everyone, and those who can't handle their content will probably find this book complete trash.

Fairly early on it becomes apparent that Agent Brears is the brains of the duo, she is also recovering a sex addict. This book confounds expectations - the reader could be forgiven for thinking it is a cross between "The X-files" and "Silence of the lambs". Unfortunately, Jacen's drawings again looks like a childish doodle on some pages, and coloring is plain bad. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average.Last but not least, whilst we heartily recommend reading all three books consecutively, the experience of recently reading Moore’s magnum opus Jerusalem is also pertinent – because what Jerusalem taught us is that you can read Moore books and get something out of them – but when you re-read you’ll get more (Moore). He would never show or describe sexual acts, and if it ever did appear in the story, it was for the sole purpose of breeding hybrids and not just for the fuck of it. CONCLUSION: With a tone more akin to the films Seven or Silence of the Lambs than the more flamboyant works in Moore’s repertoire, the tension ratchets high, and while Lovecraft was content to leave the worst of his horror off the page, things become grotesque and gory early, and only intensifies into what I would refer to as a uncomfortable experience by the end.