When these words are related by Houghton in terms of the precarious sate of mind possessed by our zombie narrator, the impact is more frightening than a previous scene in which a man is torn to bits by a carnival ride. Horrors of the heart and horrors of human carnage run equally deep here. What was exciting and fun for Death in earlier days has lost its novelty, and Death is not only getting sentimental in his old age, he s starting to question whether his vocation has any dignity or if it is even in good taste. Frightening, I added. Gratuitous , Death sighed.
Death s steadily blossoming sense of humanity becomes one of the book s most endearing traits.
Gordon Houghton has created a rare bird with Damned if You Do . Monty Python meets Clive Barker meets Oscar Wilde an unlikely matching of literary bedfellows that compliment rather than compete. Wildly imaginative and deeply insightful, Damned if You Do is a true gem.