Book Thoughts

I finally got my hands on one of Jeffrey Thomas’ “Punktown” novels, novels set in his fictional city of Punktown on the planet Oasis. The first thing I noticed when I picked up Deadstock, was the blurb on the front by China Miéville saying, “Jeffrey Thomas has done something wonderful.” After finishing Deadstock, I must agree.

It’s easy to see the comparisons one could draw between Miéville’s Bas-Lag city of New Crobuzon and Thomas’ Punktown. Both cities are massive metropolises filled to the brim with corruption and crime. Miéville tends to lean more toward the fantastic and Thomas leans more toward the sci-fi side. Both are truly excellent settings.

In Deadstock, we are introduced to the main character, an war veteran and private detective, Jeremy Stake. Stake’s claim to fame is his genetic disability that allows him to change his physical appearance. He can’t truly control his disorder and resents it. He wonders what it would be like to have an unchanging face. Thomas does an excellent job of portraying the thoughts and feelings of Jeremy Stake. We see the psychological stress left over from his time serving in the military during the Blue War (which seems vaguely akin to the Vietnam War.) We see his self-loathing for his abnormality even though it makes his job as a private detective easier.

The only problem I have with Jeremy Stake is that he doesn’t grow a lot by the end of the book. It is hinted that he is starting to come to terms with his unique chameleon-like abilities, but nothing definite is stated. I wouldn’t want Thomas to abandon subtlety in his characterization, but I would have liked something a little more concrete.

As far as plot goes, Deadstock is nearly flawless. What starts out as a simple investigation into the disappearance of a little girl’s toy grows into something far deeper and more sinister. We uncover conspiracy theories, genetic engineering, living dolls, and finally the remains of a dead god. All truly amazing stuff. The part about a cult having saved DNA from their god before he/she was banished was very interesting. How often is it that you read about gods who may or may not exist? It was a refreshing change to read about an entity with god-like powers that actually existed.

Everything kept building and building. Seemingly unconnected events turnd out to be connected after all. The novel’s two story lines: Jeremy Stake and the trials and tribulations of one of Punktown’s numerous gangs converged into what looked to be a stunning climax.

Sadly, the climax of the story fell short in my opinion. Jeremy Stake gets shot doing his job and is rushed to the hospital. He isn’t even present when the gang members confront of newly resurrected god-entity. It upset me that the main character who has worked so hard to figure everything out isn’t even present for the “final battle” so to speak. Also, after escaping from the god with many casualties, the gang members go and plant explosives around the building where the entity is without any trouble! I feel like that part was too easy for them. Pretty much they just circled the building, planted explosives, and walked away.

All this hype about a god who had the power to level the entire city and blind everyone and make mercury-like pus leak from their ruined eyes and a handful explosives is all it takes to destroy him? I liked the fact that the god was able to be killed. My only complaint is that it was too easy.

Despite the ending’s shortcomings, Thomas created a vivid setting, memorable characters, and a mostly excellent plot. The descriptions were all excellent. I could picture Punktown in my mind the entire time. I look forward to reading more of Thomas’ work in the future.

Score: 4.5 / 5

Trackback URI | Comments RSS