The Good
What are you doing tonight? How about a tour of purgatory? There's plenty of time -- or at least there is for our inscrutable hero, Jude. THE LIFE AFTER #2 takes us around the block (the bridge, the alley) and helps us get acquainted with the story world, all while chipping away at some of the mysteries surrounding Jude, his origin and abilities, and the world that created him.
Hemingway is a charming Virgil, and -- dare I say? -- makes purgatory seem nearly palatable with his company. I don't know much about the actual Hemingway outside of his body of work, but I'm game to accept Fialkov' and Gabo's version. He's useful and surly, all at once.
The narrative is rolling out at a steady pace -- stopping for exposition in perfectly-contained flashes and moving along with intent. Each time Jude touches someone, we get further insight into purgatory and its eternal denizens, but never in a way that distracts from the path that Jude and Hemingway are on (and are sometimes being chased down). There's a sense of urgency at just the right moments, but never at the expense of our exploration of the story world. It's a balance that seems oddly appropriate for the setting.
The Bad
It's probably not a bad for everyone, but there are some super creepy monster-things that are just so creepy that I can't look. Except I had to look twice while writing this review, and hello, nightmares. (I can't even properly articulate what it is that's so creepy about them, but heebie-jeebies happened.)
The Verdict
Purgatory might be a miserable, dull place, but THE LIFE AFTER rises above the bleakness of its subject matter and is an intriguing read. There's an excellent blend of large-scale-machinations and on-the-ground (or under-ground?) movement, and things get more and more interesting as we learn about Jude and his place in the world.
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