by Sharlene

Locke and Key

I like to think I am a person who doesn’t scare easily. At least when it comes to books.

Movies though are a whole other story, and I refuse to watch horror movies, especially those of the Japanese variety!

But novels about vampires, zombies, witches etc? Sure, why not.

So I never thought that a graphic novel would creep me out. And one with a whole bunch of keys at the centre of it.

Locke & Key, written by Joe Hill* and illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez, is spine-chilling. It opens with a murder and the family’s attempts to come to terms with that as they move to Lovecraft, Massachusetts.

It is such an incredibly painful and tragic beginning. The teenaged Tyler and Kinsey cannot help but replay those horrific moments in their head, in their sleep, and as they slowly try to readjust to going back to school and all the mundanities of life, while Bode, who is much younger, discovers the secrets of the keys in the gothic house, and that echo from the well…

The gem of the story isn’t that dastardly evil (but oh, what an evil it is) but that family, and how concrete their story and their pain is (despite that Lovecraft of an island and spooky keyhouse). You just want, just wish that someone would reach out to them and help them and make all their bad dreams go away.

An exceptional series! I’m currently reading Volume Three: Crown of Shadows and there are two more volumes to go (at least that’s what my library’s catalogue is telling me). Apparently a pilot was made, but it seems that the series hasn’t been picked up as yet.

*Apparently his name is actually Joseph Hillstrom King. King as in Stephen King’s son.

On another note, I am completely clueless about H.P. Lovecraft and his works. Any recommendations on where to begin?

9 Comments

  3. Aiyiyi, I just requested the third volume from the library this morning. Was trying to be sneaky, because I’m supposed to be *finishing* series, not starting new ones. Then, realized what I’d done. Out of order: horrors. So I went back and asked for the first and second. Then, figured I might as well ask for the fourth. This is how trouble starts with library borrowing. Though technically it all started with your posts (and GR updates)! But I’m really looking forward to this one and will be certain to read them first thing in the morning on sunny days!

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    1. Aha! Revenge is mine 🙂
      Well they aren’t all THAT heavy, this lot, but I guess four volumes would take up quite a bit of bookbag space. Hope you enjoy them!

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      1. All three came in at once, and, had the fourth come in at the same time, it would have equalled the weight of the horrid 1001 book that I cursed you with but, as it was, it’s just shy I think. Heheh. BTW, I’m not sure if you had the same editions, but these are hardcovers with the loveliest satin ribbon markers: new standards of fancy-ness for graphic novel presentation I’d say! (Though they’ve obviously been read a zillion times, so they’re perfect looking any longer either.)

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