The Great and Secret Show

Another original mythology about the nature of the universe from Barker. I enjoyed this one a whole lot more than Imajica.

The Great and Secret Show was imaginative and believable, combining life, death, dreams, and the origin of creativity. It also touches on the familiar religious stories of saviors and resurrections.

There was Lovecraftian inspiration; Barker’s myth was possibly inspired by Cosmicism, or the idea that our reality is a cover for a more abstract, bendable one that would drive mundane humans insane.

The two characters that launched the plot, Jaff and Fletcher, especially Jaff, resembled those in Lovecraft stories that mess with things beyond their comprehension and get out of their depth.

Besides all the human evil that went on, there were also creatures, known as the Iad, comparable to the Lovecraftian monsters from other dimensions and of enormous size and horrifying appearance.

Barker is not a pale Lovecraft imitation. His Cosm/Metacosm didn’t always revolve around a fear of the unknown. There was also the beauty of the undiscovered and the mystery of dreams, imagination, invention, and the mind itself.

Also, Barker added a lot of sexuality, in a wide variety of preferences. (I never came across a Lovecraft character who’d ever heard of sex.)

Characters were not multifaceted but believable enough for their part in the story.

As the story went on, the cast of characters became pretty big. I wonder why Barker had Tesla take over Fletcher’s role as the savior. Maybe he wanted to make a screenwriter the hero.

California and Hollywood were incorporated thematically and in terms of setting. Dreams and imagination are what make the film world turn, after money of course. Palomo Grove, the small California town with a facade of normalcy was the perfect blend of everyday American life but right next door to showbiz. The citizens of Palomo Grove tried so hard to keep the biggest scandal of their lives covered up, that it blew up with three times the force.

The famous Comedian’s home as the center of the big cosmic event was a nice touch. When the townspeople were gifted with a bit of Fletcher’s magic, what did they conjure up from their imaginations? Favorite movie idols (or in one case porn stars).

The Great and Secret Show is a pleasure to read; the page count is high but the plot moves fast.