Irrational Fears

Former literature professor Jack Lowry has been in Hurley Detox before--twice before. But the power of positive thinking isn't for everyone, and after five months of sobriety Jack is back for another dreary round of group therapy led by counselor Wesley Parks, a man with the ""emotional resources of a mollusk."" Worse yet, Jack finds himself attracted to fellow patient Kerry Beckett and a hopelessly one-sided relationship he knows is doomed from the start. But the vicissitudes of recovery are nothing compared to the threat to life and sanity presented by The Clear, a local cult whose leader claims that all drunks are progeny of an ancient alien tribe and that they must prepare for cosmic battle during the upcoming Unraveling. At first, The Clear seems more nuisance than danger. Then people start disappearing. Hinkle, a fellow patient, manages to escape the cult's clutches, only to meet a nasty end, swallowed head-first by a malevolent toilet--and that's only the beginning. As in his previous novels (Zod Wallop; Resume with Monsters), Spencer follows characters already beleaguered by the mundane world as they reluctantly make a stand against vast supernatural forces. Black humor lightens the darkness, from the Lovecraftian overtones of an AA meeting where the usual slogans are replaced with ""One Day at a Zigmuth"" and ""But for the Grace of Azathoth,"" to the Whole Addiction Expo, a twisted send-up of the New Age recovery movement. Those who prize droll humor and vivid characters along with supernatural fireworks will love this finely crafted fantasy. (Aug.)