Plot
Ted Barton blunders into the town where he grew up, but it's not as he remembers. This is a town where Barton died aged nine and where transparent figures wander through walls. When his landlady's sinister son prevents Barton from leaving, Barton enlists the town drunk to help him retrieve the town he remembers.
I liked...
Barton isn't a specially engaging character -- he is slovenly, not particularly heroic and very careless of his wife Peg. But there is something about his determination to find his town that made me want to know how his story turns out; and I kept reading because the mystery intrigued me. Dick has worked in a strong sense of place. I found the town and the hills very alive -- really got a feel for the dry heat of the place.
The story's tension tightens up towards the end, suddenly exploding in a huge showdown. There are some horrific and vivid scenes in the final battle.
Lessons learnt
When something happens that is outside the reader's experience (the battle against the tiny golems, the rats and the spiders) Dick zooms right in with the detailed description. For more everyday things, perhaps the reader can fill in the gaps. When something important to the plot is about to happen, the level of detail goes up again -- I wonder if this slows the reader down so they take in the story better. It could also increase tension by making them wait for the plot point.
The Cosmic Puppets at Amazon
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