Who are these beings, what is their story, why do they exist? If you've ever found yourself thinking these things, you owe it to yourself to check out Paul Gerrard's latest offering... Company of Shadows.
Inside you'll find quotes, poems, short snippets of fiction, detailed deconstruction of symbolism, and of course pure nightmare fuel. No, not the kind of thing you should take lightly either. This is the kind of stuff that permeates every single page... subtle things that you might miss at first glance that will awaken you from your deepest slumber.
In my desire to see the finished work, I humbly offered to review said book. The first night I was all awash with desire to consume this... every image... every word. I quickly rushed through it, but perhaps that's where I made my biggest mistake. Something had taken root.
Now I've never been one to complain about nightmares, in fact I find them rather delightful. Like a custom made horror film with an unlimited budget that your subconscious put together just to keep you entertained. This was not that kind of experience. No, this was that nagging sensation of something burrowing inside your consciousness. I found myself lying awake half the time pondering all I had experienced, then I would slip into unconsciousness only to find a twisted version of reality melded with metal and flesh and alien eyes.
So, the next day I decided I needed to read this tome again... this time paying closer attention to the details. Maybe uncovering the mysteries of this book would ease my mind, and allow me to return to that world I had foolishly left behind on reading it. Little flashes of insight and understanding this time through, but as I said... this work is pervasive. It invades your thought processes. You begin to ponder things in a different way.
On the third reading I have come to the conclusion that this, much like my beloved Nightbreed flyer, is designed to entice you into a different reality. Just enough information to whet your appetite... just enough story to make you start thinking about where things could go. You see creatures and body horror and aliens with electric organs... but what sticks with you mostly is the ideas. I can tell that this is a work that I will return to often, as it really does give you a new appreciation for not only design, but imagination. Because a lot of what makes this book work is the fact it's not dictating to you... it's guiding you. Opening up passages that otherwise wouldn't. Pushing you, sometimes forcing you, into a world of ideas that are both wondrous and disturbing at the same time.
I would be remiss to leave out the elephant in the room. The Hellraiser Origins section of the book. For those of you who are completely insane for that world, much like Paul, it does not disappoint. The behind the scenes on the short film are incredible, and it really is a compelling direction I wish the series would have gone in. New and fresh and yet familiar without retreading the same stagnant waters.
All that said, that is but one part of a much larger and impressive whole of a beast. As this is a limited run, collectors would be remiss to pass up this opportunity to own something this special. You can pick up your copy, while they last, over at Company of Shadows.
