Curioddity

July 18, 2016
Comics writer Jenkins seems a little lost in his debut novel, a contemporary story of hidden magic that too often trips itself up in a chaotic whirl of whimsy. Wil Morgan was a dreamer who loved science and believed in magic until he was 10, when his mother—who shared those traits—died in a horrific accident. As an adult, he’s a sad-sack private detective who spends his day in the same routine, going to and from work and barely getting by. When a mysteriously wacky client named Mr. Dinsdale stops by and offers him a job tracking down levity (the opposite of gravity), he discovers streets he’d never heard of, items that defy physics, and an odd thrift shop managed by a gorgeous woman named Lucy who (naturally) falls for Wil in spite of his shyness and lack of social skills. Like that relationship, pretty much every beat of Jenkins’s novel is predictable, from slapstick injuries to the twee ending. The book’s not bad, but Jenkins offers nothing new.

July 1, 2016
Graphic novel and video game writer Jenkins (Fairy Quest, 2013, etc.) makes his novel debut with a story of an ordinary man whose life is upended by a theft from a magical museum.Wil Morgan is a private investigator, and he hates his life. The former detail is revealed on page 16; the latter is clear from page 1, and how. Given that Morgan's problems include things like existential martyrdom over coffee-size naming conventions and how bored he is at work, it's tough to summon sympathy for even his legitimate woes, like his mother's death. But never fear, the plot will wrench Morgan from his doldrums, a la Alice in Wonderland; instead of a White Rabbit we have Mr. Dinsdale, a cartoonish eccentric who bullies Morgan into finding and recovering a box of levity (the opposite of gravity) stolen from Dinsdale's Curioddity Museum. From here, logic leaves the story--literally, as Morgan's arc requires him to embrace "un-looking" to see the absurd and perform intentionally pointless acts in the name of whimsy. Morgan meets a suitably wacky-but-beautiful woman, Lucy, to further transform his life with the power of love and conspiracy theories. Lucy, content to play self-described "groovy assistant" to Morgan's unlikely hero, primarily contributes interjections of "epic" and "major fail." There's also SARA, a smartphone operating system with attitude and ex machina powers. Thanks to lamp-shaded serendipity, Morgan need do little actual investigating but is carried by coincidence to a showdown with villainous Marcus James, a product pitchman selling mediocrity. Throughout, Jenkins makes sure that his most colorful characters--similes and metaphors--get plenty of exposure. Morgan's unexpectedly touching reconciliation with his accountant father provides a bright spot in the silliness. Jenkins aims for Neverwhere by way of Douglas Adams, but the charm isn't there.

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September 1, 2016
In his debut novel, graphic-novelist and game-designer Jenkins (Fairy Quest, 2013) delivers the outlandish story of sad-sack Wil Morgan, a low-rent private investigator who spends his days reinforcing the self-fulfilling prophesy that his life is an unending series of hardships. After a chance (or is it?) encounter with the enigmatic Mr. Dinsdale, proprietor of the Curioddity Museum, Wil embarks on a madcap adventure in his pursuit of a stolen artifact, the box of levity (the opposite of gravity)which, once found, leads to the real mystery. The tongue-in-cheek silliness that follows ticks all boxes, including beautiful and deeply quirky love-interest Lucy, and supervillain Marcus James, a corporate megalomaniac bent on world domination. Wil is encouraged in the art of un-looking at his surroundings and is guided by a sentient smartphone called SARA. Fast pacing, clever writing, and total commitment to absurdity make for an entertaining read. Fans of Douglas Adams and John Connolly will appreciate this charming, if somewhat formulaic, romp.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)