The Last Delivery

Dahm (The Harrowing of Hell) spins a dark fable featuring a meek deliveryman toting an enormous box. When he shows up at the door of a looming mansion, the deliveryman finds a riotous party underway and becomes hopelessly lost while searching for “the resident,” who needs to sign for the package. Grotesque, violent performances unfold in circus rings as the party organizers call out sinister-sounding events like “the Snapping Hour.” As in a bad dream, the deliveryman is forever breaking unwritten rules, stumbling into rituals he doesn’t understand, and getting roped into cryptic conversations as he remains irrationally devoted to making his delivery. With thick, flowing lines and a palette of sunset colors, Dahm creates an impossibly vast interior space filled with glittering ballrooms, dank cellars, back rooms where the staff labors to keep the party going, and even an underground lake with a fleet of ships. This confirms Dahm’s reputation as a craftsman of wholly original, deeply felt fantasy. (June)