I have heard Brown's name bandied about in fantasy/sci-fi circles as a sort of legendary writer who worked within a classic framework of the genre. Prolific in the 1950s and inspired by pulp novels of that period, he wrote short stories that were part mystery, part fantasy, part sci-fi. And I had come across several mentions of his novel NIGHT OF THE JABBERWOCK as a kind of shining example of his oeuvre. And being a Lewis Carroll fan myself, I decided to give it a go. But I was unprepared for how rooted in reality the book really is. In a very small town, a newspaper owner (and sole editor/writer) gets embroiled in a single evening of organized crime, small town pettiness, and a murder mystery. Although there were touches of fantasy to it, it sure read like a pulp novel... a hard-boiled mystery/crime story... it felt like "The Big Sleep" meets Gabriel Garcia Marquez... Sam Spade tries to find out who did it and why. It ends up being a clever little story, tightly told without much excess or flourish. It is definitely "hard boiled."
I must also make an amusing observation. I downloaded a copy for my iPad and it came with the very inconspicuous light blue cover you see at the top. Had I seen one of these original charming covers below, I would have been much more in the correct mind set...
Recommend? Sure, it's a quick read, it bounces along and it is worth a laugh...
