Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
 
The Land Of Laughs (Fantasy Masterworks)
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book

The Land Of Laughs (Fantasy Masterworks) (Paperback)

by Jonathan Carroll (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


3 used from £6.50
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover 6 used & new from £75.00
Paperback (Reprint) 10 used & new from £0.04
Unbound Order it used

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Voice of our Shadow (Fantasy Masterworks)

Voice of our Shadow (Fantasy Masterworks)

by Jonathan Carroll
4.5 out of 5 stars (8) 
Lud-In-The-Mist

Lud-In-The-Mist

by Hope Mirrlees
4.6 out of 5 stars (14)  £4.98
Bones of the Moon

Bones of the Moon

by Jonathan Carroll
4.0 out of 5 stars (1) 
The Marriage Of Sticks

The Marriage Of Sticks

by Jonathan Carroll
4.5 out of 5 stars (11) 
White Apples

White Apples

by Jonathan Carroll
3.8 out of 5 stars (10)  £4.72
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Gollancz; New edition edition (14 Sep 2000)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1857989996
  • ISBN-13: 978-1857989991
  • Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 13 x 2.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 95,592 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Product Description

For schoolteacher Thomas Abbey there was no writer to equal Marshall France, a legendary author of children's books who hid himself away in the small town of Galen and died of a heart attack at the age of forty-four. Tom and his girlfriend Saxony, wanting to write France's biography, arrive in Galen, where they discover the writer's fiercely protective daughter Anna is waiting for them. Before long, they realise that this idyllic little town and its inhabitants - both human and animal - are not quite what they seem: France's magic has spread beyond the printed page . . .

About the Author

SALES POINTS #9 in the Millennium Fantasy Masterworks series, a library of the most original and influential fantasy ever written 'I can't remember when I've been so blown away by a fantasy novel' Stephen King 'Beguiling and original, this in an intricate, challenging and ultimately chilling tale, full of startling juxtapositions and surprises' Washington Post 'The most original first novel to appear in my generation of writers' Pat Conroy' 'A marvellous, exciting, beautifully written book, and absolutely riveting' Ruth Rendell
Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(2)
(1)
(1)
Agree with these tags?

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

White Apples
31% buy
White Apples 3.8 out of 5 stars (10)
£4.72
Glass Soup
25% buy
Glass Soup 4.5 out of 5 stars (4)
£8.39
The Anubis Gates (Fantasy Masterworks)
15% buy
The Anubis Gates (Fantasy Masterworks) 4.3 out of 5 stars (23)
£6.64
Sleeping in Flame
15% buy
Sleeping in Flame 5.0 out of 5 stars (3)
£6.38
Explore similar items
 

Customer Reviews

6 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Bona-Fido Fantasy Classic, 13 Sep 2000
By A Customer
A bad pun (read it to find out why) for a great book- Jonathan Carroll's first novel starts off as sweetly strange and ends up scary and shocking. The central idea - revealed about two thirds of the way through, has been plagiarised a few times now by film and TV episode writers, so it doesn't feel quite as original as it must have done back in 1975 when the book was first published. Nevertheless this is a must-read classic of the horror / fantasy genre. Carroll even manages to pull off a very satisfying frisson with his last couple of sentences. Highly recommended.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


 
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, great characterisation, a book for book lovers , 19 Feb 2009
By Lark - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   
This is a great fantasy book but the fantasy element isnt overplayed, I could best describe the fantasy element as a fairy tale for adults but like I say this in many ways doesnt take centre stage in the story telling.

There is some very, very excellent characterisation in this novel, its a great book of human relations with lots of literary musings on relationships, reflection on feelings, thoughts and action, not least of which are living in the shadow of the great achievements of others, writing and a great love story.

The central male character is anything but heroic, in fact he's pretty weak and surrounded by stronger women, however you dont ever lose sympathy for him and this works well when some pretty nuanced menace and terror creeps into the plotline.

I have to say that there is a real punch in the finish, straight-up human horror, gut wrenching in its simplicity and you share the mix of emotions that it throws up for the characters. However the book doesnt end there, from the shock and awe it progresses to an epilogue which is as uplifting as it is perfect in its economy of words.

I found this book really easy reading, I was sorry when it came to a finish and it was time to say goodbye to the characters, and I'd recommend it to any fans of mind bending fiction like Philip K. Dick's novels, specifically Time Out of Joint or The Cosmic Puppets. It's also a major book for book lovers as the story begins with the meeting of too total bibliophiles. Excellent.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


 
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Land Of Laughs, 19 May 2006
By WaterWolf (Dublin) - See all my reviews
This is the only Jonathon Carrol book I've read and I quite enjoyed it. The story is original and entertaining and will keep you guessing as to what is going to happen. It's a hard one to explain without giving the plot away ! The characters are well portrayed and this allows you to get emotionally involved as the story unfolds. Some people might find the plot a little unbalanced in terms of normality and fantasy but I thought it made the book a more interesting read and less predictable. Don't be put off by constant comparisons to Stephen King, it's a much better book than that ! It's not a book of deep literature but neither is it shallow, it's the kind of book that would probably make a great film !
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews  
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy it now
This is one of the greatest debut novels I've ever read. As someone else has said in another review, the central idea here has been filched several times since but it's never... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Marc Lyth

4.0 out of 5 stars Believe the Unbelievable
When you read Jonathan Carroll you never know who or what is going to turn up next.
It's fairly certain to be a weird and wonderful journey, and here again the writing is so... Read more
Published on 16 May 2007 by Mr. John Frank Herbert

3.0 out of 5 stars A good book, but not a great book
Like many other titles in the Fantasy Masterworks series, I was left wondering how this book is acclaimed as a 'Masterwork'. Read more
Published on 22 May 2002

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject










i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback


Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.