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Concluding the 'American Gods Quartet', The Monarch of the Glen is Neil Gaiman's darkly atmospheric tale of a final battle between creatures of good and evil – the restless wanderer Shadow Moon, finding himself in the wild landscape of the Scottish islands, and a malevolent childlike giant controlled by what can best be called his mother.
The twist is that they have been manoeuvred into the situation by unseen forces, giving rise to the disturbing question of how many layers of evil hierarchy there can possibly be.
Series
To be enjoyed best this novella should be read in sequence with its companions;
American Gods
,
Anansi Boys
and
Black Dog
. As a standalone read, it is an intriguing example of Gaiman as a master storyteller at the height of his powers. Nothing less is ever expected of him, and nothing less is ever delivered.
The collection is illustrated by Daniel Egnéus, bringing an unsettling beauty to the pages, reflecting precisely the mood of the stories. Truly wonderful.
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