"Lye Street" by Alan Campbell

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Lye Street
by Alan Campbell
136 pp. Subterranean Press. $25.00

Reviewed by Paul Stotts

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To be honest, I am completely addicted to the limited editions published by Subterranean Press. They are absolutely beautiful, well-crafted books that make my inner book collector very happy. So with great anticipation, I tackled Alan Campbell’s “Lye Street”, a novella of the Deepgate Codex exclusively published by Subterranean Press.

“Lye Street” is my first introduction to the work of Alan Campbell and his Deepgate Codex series, which consists of the first installment, “Scar Night”, and the forthcoming “Iron Angel” . The Subterranean novella is meant to be a prelude to Campbell’s series.

Sal Greene lives under a curse. His ancestor, Henry Bucklestrappe, committed acts which not only lead to Bucklestrappe’s own brutal murder, but to the murders of Bucklestrappe’s descendents every subsequent half-century by the scarred and murderous angel, Carnival. Now some five hundred years after Bucklestrappe’s murder, Sal finds himself the next target of Carnival’s crusade against his family, his time dwindling down to a remaining few days. With the help of the phantasmacist Ravencrag, Sal summons the demon Basilis to kill Carnival. Meanwhile, Carnival must unravel the mystery of the cryptic messages that are being left for her. Who is leaving the messages for her? Will Carnival figure out their meaning in time? Will Sal be able to survive the wrath of Carnival and the family curse?

The world of Deepgate, a city suspended by a huge network of chains over a vast abyss, is well-imagined by Campbell, vivid in its presentation, and a rather unique take on urban fantasy. All the characters are interesting and entertaining, prominently defined, even though the novella is only 135 pages. Sal’s motivations to avoid the curse are greater than mercenary self-interest; he is a man seeking to save his daughter and granddaughter, and will attempt anything to accomplish this task. Carnival is a mystery to herself, full of forgotten memories, which ultimately drives her to seek out answers. But where are these answers to come from, and can she trust the source? Campbell also injects a nice sense of humor into the characters (excluding Carnival) which generally livens up the dialogue, and makes the novella fun to read.

The novella is a capable story, interesting and fun, but nothing really spectacular that will make it stand apart, pedestrian but not clichéd. My guess is that for those who have read “Scar Night”, the experience of “Lye Street” will be richer.

Last Word:
Alan Campbell’s well-executed novella, “Lye Street”, presents some great visualization along with memorable characters. Furthermore, the story is humorous, witty, and possesses a satisfying conclusion. Couple this with the usual brilliant treatment by the folks at Subterranean Press, and you have yourself a winner.

Final Grade: 71 out of 100