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Product Description
Zembla
'The Coma may be short, but it's a miniature masterpiece: a beautifully conceived and executed book.'
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
Review
"'The Coma is an unpaginated descent into a hall of mirrors, wherein the writer wants to play games with your head... it's a chilly mood piece - its shadowy tone redolent of Poe and Kafka (and its murky imaginative contours heightened by a series of dark woodcut illustrations by Garland's father)... a strange compelling ride into that realm where nothing is what it seems - and where night never really wakes up.' Douglas Kennedy, The Times 'It's a great story to read, but also a lovely visual object to possess.' Design Week 'Compelling and chilling... his father's illustrations heighten the oddness' Observer"
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This short novella opens with the following facts: Carl leaves his office shortly before midnight to catch the last tube home. Inside the carriage, Carl spots a young woman reading a novel when four young men encircle her and try to grab her handbag. When Carl tries to protect her, the four men attack him and kick him into unconsciousness.
The three first pages of the book consist of the account of Carl's accident. The rest of the story is seen from Carl's point of view, suffering from a psychological fall-out and amnesia as he is being treated in the coma ward of a hospital. His view of events is disorientated, his notion of time is blurred and his memory is unreliable.
It is quite an interesting challenge that Alex Garland took to try to portray what happens in the mind of a comatose man. The effect is quite stunning, disturbing and even frightening at times. This edition is highly recommended since it features forty illustrations made from woodcuts created by the political cartoonist Nicholas Garland, the author's father.
The three first pages of the book consist of the account of Carl's accident. The rest of the story is seen from Carl's point of view, suffering from a psychological fall-out and amnesia as he is being treated in the coma ward of a hospital. His view of events is disorientated, his notion of time is blurred and his memory is unreliable.
It is quite an interesting challenge that Alex Garland took to try to portray what happens in the mind of a comatose man. The effect is quite stunning, disturbing and even frightening at times. This edition is highly recommended since it features forty illustrations made from woodcuts created by the political cartoonist Nicholas Garland, the author's father.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
So let's have fun!
Garland's fascinating novella - a prime candidate for a must read in one sitting, captures that delightful feeling when you experience one of those rare lucid dreams. The main protagonist realises he is in a coma and seizes the opportunity to explore childhood memories, feelings, relationships and music. This is heady, trippy stuff accentuated by inventive and sometimes startling use of language and ably illustrated by some very evocative woodcuts. It's all over too soon though. Comfortably read in a couple of hours, the final chapter, although read and re-read several times, still did not give me satisfying closure on what had been a fun ride up until then.
Worth trying out, but annoyingly enigmatic at the close.
Garland's fascinating novella - a prime candidate for a must read in one sitting, captures that delightful feeling when you experience one of those rare lucid dreams. The main protagonist realises he is in a coma and seizes the opportunity to explore childhood memories, feelings, relationships and music. This is heady, trippy stuff accentuated by inventive and sometimes startling use of language and ably illustrated by some very evocative woodcuts. It's all over too soon though. Comfortably read in a couple of hours, the final chapter, although read and re-read several times, still did not give me satisfying closure on what had been a fun ride up until then.
Worth trying out, but annoyingly enigmatic at the close.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I've just finished reading this book in the sum total of an hour, but i still can't decide whether or not it's actually any good.
It certainly starts well- the first few chapters are intriguing and pacey. However, as the book progresses, it assumes a structure of distorted, disconnected passages depicting various dreams or dream-like experiences. Granted, the subject matter surely lends itself to a style, but it diminishes any form of plot to the point where the book becomes a series of meaningless waffel which is dreary and boring. This is a far cry its excellent commence.
That said, Garland certainly shows a flair for expression and through the central character, although left relatively unexplored, he portrays some very empathetic and interesting emotions.
Overall, the central theme of the book is a very original and dark one, but the author could've done so much more with it. Although good in places, the book is ultimately flat and bland- the climax being as poor as the build up to it. If the exact same script was written by a first time writer, i doubt very much it would be published. It seems this is another example of "established" authors getting away with writing on reputation rather than merit.
It certainly starts well- the first few chapters are intriguing and pacey. However, as the book progresses, it assumes a structure of distorted, disconnected passages depicting various dreams or dream-like experiences. Granted, the subject matter surely lends itself to a style, but it diminishes any form of plot to the point where the book becomes a series of meaningless waffel which is dreary and boring. This is a far cry its excellent commence.
That said, Garland certainly shows a flair for expression and through the central character, although left relatively unexplored, he portrays some very empathetic and interesting emotions.
Overall, the central theme of the book is a very original and dark one, but the author could've done so much more with it. Although good in places, the book is ultimately flat and bland- the climax being as poor as the build up to it. If the exact same script was written by a first time writer, i doubt very much it would be published. It seems this is another example of "established" authors getting away with writing on reputation rather than merit.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Avoid
Liked the beach right so thought your read mote of his stuff?
I don't usually write reviews but was compelled to after reading this. Read more
I don't usually write reviews but was compelled to after reading this. Read more
Published 11 days ago by Mr. A. C. Parker
Lacking
'The Coma' tells the psychological experiences of a man following a brutal beating that left him hospitalized. It aims to explore levels of human consciousness. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Black Orchid
Dead or Alive?
Advantages: An eerie, dark novella
Disadvantages: There is no plot twist; too pricey for its size
I read on the back cover that Alex Garland is the author of "The... Read more
Disadvantages: There is no plot twist; too pricey for its size
I read on the back cover that Alex Garland is the author of "The... Read more
Published 21 months ago by velissaria
Very Clever
When i brought this book i was on a bus in Thailand it was so addictive that i finished reading it by the end of my 7 hour journey. Read more
Published on 15 July 2008 by Mr. A. Jaye
A dark provocative short story...
Well, it's a very short story, almost like it should belong in a collection than on it's own, but for it's length I found it nicely immersive, gripping and dripping with dread and... Read more
Published on 26 Mar 2008 by Simon Kwong
Not sure where I stand...
Well to be honest, it's a bril book - really enjoyed it, very dark, very challenging and psychological - love the ideas and themes that are brought out... Read more
Published on 30 Sep 2007 by Mr. Merge
A lost opportunity
Coma starts off very promisingly; Carl is in a coma, and we suffer along with him all his experiences, never sure what is real and what imagined, never sure what is his real state... Read more
Published on 13 Aug 2007 by Benjamin
Gripping-a clue into a brain injured person
The Coma by Alex Garland truly kept me gripped. Indeed, I am writing this review a few years after I have actually read it and still it haunts my memory, as a good book should do! Read more
Published on 16 Mar 2007 by J. Heyes
Coma coma coma coma coma chameleon...
I thought this was an interesting book. Like Banks's "The Bridge" and Amis's "Other People" it is very dreamy and subtle -- as elusive as a chameleon. Read more
Published on 15 Dec 2006 by SAP
A pleasant quick read, no more, no less
The cover reviews claim this book is "disturbing", "chilling" and "a bold step towards...a new genre". I disagree on all counts. Read more
Published on 30 July 2006 by B. J. Wheeler
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