Aliens in the Necropolis
My Review on a Surprisingly Excellent Work!
Francis “Superguitar” Kuipers is an long time friend of mine, a virtuoso guitarist, a musicologist and sound philosopher, a bluesman, a film composer, and a novelist who roamed the world in search of exotic sounds and unforgettable adventures.
When he came over to dinner the other night, he brought his recently published book of short stories bearing the intriguing title Aliens in the Necropolis.
Naturally, I expressed my gratitude for his thoughtful gift, although I should also confess that I had some fleeting misgivings, which almost invariably arise when friends present unsolicited samples of their literary endeavors.
There was the almost inevitable lingering worry that I might not enjoy reading the work in question or, even worse, find it simply unreadable!
If one experiences the latter situation, which I regrettably have encountered on multiple occasions, it can lead to one suddenly being propelled onto the proverbial horns of a dilemma. How does one avoid unnecessarily hurting someone’s feelings without having to lie? Especially if the author, at some future stage, should insist on hearing what one thought of his book?
Fortunately, all such potential fears were soon put to flight as I settled in to read Francis’s delightful and hugely entertaining book under the watchful, majestic gaze of Jupiter riding astride his Eagle in the Grand Salon of the Castle of Montecalvello.
Francis Kuipers has a flair for conjuring up masterfully designed characters whose bizarre behaviors he describes with an irresistible blend of sardonic sarcasm and a fine sense of humor. His gem-like tales shine with a self-deprecating wit, invariably coupled with a supreme dash of the totally surreal, and their outcome is marvelously and completely unpredictable.
In two evening sessions, I simply could not put down the book and read it with increasing delight at the complexities of its inventions!
Aliens in the Necropolis consists of fifteen short tales with an undeniably broad appeal, as they range from the bizarre universe of the Etruscan tomb raiders in Italy to pirate treasure hunters in the Seychelles Islands, mystical seekers in India, and odd musical adventures in rural Italy, via the cruel Kafkaian plight of a character named Miracle Man desperately misplaced in a foreign jail for reasons unknown.
This irresistible range of cleverly presented vignettes all share a feature common to the best short stories, which is a totally unexpected ending twist. I can safely and highly recommend this wonderful book to all and sundry, as it will both entertain and amuse while also being oddly informative.