Byron W. Sewell
'Snarkmaster' is a unique, gripping tale of a power struggle between good and evil, concluding with the development of an unusual intermediate state. Most of the story takes place prior to the traditional Snark voyage (described in verse in Lewis Carroll’s 'The Hunting of the Snark'), but becomes inextricably linked with it-unless it isn’t... The literary structure of 'Snarkmaster' reveals some influence of Carroll’s 'Sylvie and Bruno' tales, as the characters (including the great Charles Dodgson himself) experience dream states and the appearance of at least one fairy. The comprehensive glossary and painstakingly hand-detailed maps of each of the islands in the archipelago may not be essential to follow the story, but they certainly enhance it. The meticulously hand-inked illustrations emphasize some of the important aspects of the story and provide a tropical ambiance for the text. While not necessarily a prerequisite, knowledge of Carroll’s original poem is likely to make 'Snarkmaster' more enjoyable for most readers. In the novella 'Atchafalya Boojum', four teenagers and two alligator hunters encounter a terrifying Boojum deep in the Atchafalaya Swamp near Morgan City, Louisiana. 'Murder by Boojum' is the tale of a brutal serial killer stalks members of the Southern California branch of The American Lewis Carroll Society, targeting members of a mysterious and highly secretive Snark Club within the Society that meets once a year in San Diego’s fabled Hotel del Coronado to celebrate and appreciate Carroll’s epic nonsense poem, 'The Hunting of the Snark'. After the first few murders, the killer, who intentionally leaves Snarkian clues, is tagged by the media as 'The Boojum', since the monster’s victims, collectors of rare editions of Carroll’s classic nonsense work, figuratively 'vanish' when the killer strikes. Who is the Boojum? What is the Boojum’s motive? Will all ten hapless members of this strange group die before the police can stop this Snarkian reign of terror? Is it even safe for anyone in the Society to own more than one copy of Carroll’s darkest work?
