It is so difficult to followup a masterpiece.

B. Catling shook the literary world with his first novel, The Vorrh. It was a masterful piece of surrealist fantasy. His followup book, The Erstwhile, continued to explore his bizarre vision, although the novelty started to wear off. The Cloven, the third and final book in the series, lacked the magic of his earlier works.

The plot twists and turns are interesting, although by the end, the intense surrealism left me confused as to what was actually happening. Perhaps that was the point. To Catling’s credit, my only criticism of his first volume (the disconnected Muybridge narrative) was resolved.

In viewing the trilogy as a whole, it remains a stunning work of fantasy with liberal dashes of horror. The problem with writing such a stunning and unique first book is that it’s nearly impossible to follow it up. Lightening doesn’t always strike twice.

The Vorrh trilogy should age well. It is a landmark in the genre of weird fiction.

Catling, B. The Cloven. New York: Vintage Books, 2018.