The Night Clock

Meloy returns to the frightening dream worlds of his novella “Dogs with Their Eyes Shut” in this dark fantasy set in present-day London. When Phil Trevena’s psychiatric patients start dying, he’s drawn into the middle of an otherworldly battle and is soon led to a man named Daniel, one of the Firmament Surgeons, who possess paranormal abilities. Daniel is among those who hold remnants of the Night Clock, which is now under attack by the Autoscopes, who hope to usher in an age of despair and darkness. If the Firmament Surgeons fail to get the Night Clock running again, the fate of humankind, and the universe, will be grim. Skin-crawling dread is explored with relish, and creatures right out of a Bosch painting will please horror fans hungry for visceral terror, but the real entertainment of this novel lies in the juxtaposition of the wondrous and the grotesque, along with wry wit. Delights such as a dog and a tiger that can talk lend childlike awe to an otherwise dark, yet oddly hopeful tale. (Nov.)