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A review by bucher_freund
The Merry Dredgers by Jeremy C. Shipp
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
3.5
Seraphina, a party princess for rent with a whimsical imagination, gets a set of postcards from her sister Eff, who happily announces she's joined a cult. Shortly afterward, Eff ends up in the hospital in a coma. Seraphina goes undercover as a potential new initiate to investigate the Merry Dredgers, a group of friendly, New Agey artists who live in an abandoned amusement park.
This story is pretty surreal and offbeat, heavy on the descriptions and light on the mystery. At times, Seraphina has to remind herself (and the reader) of her true purpose at Goblintropolis. Shipp excels at the bizarre and elaborate descriptions of the park, and they set up a sweet love story between Seraphina and cult member Nichelle. The twist at the end felt a little out of place, and ultimately the story was different but a little too offbeat for me. Quirky and clever, but not quite the weird cult in an abandoned amusement park story I was hoping for.
This story is pretty surreal and offbeat, heavy on the descriptions and light on the mystery. At times, Seraphina has to remind herself (and the reader) of her true purpose at Goblintropolis. Shipp excels at the bizarre and elaborate descriptions of the park, and they set up a sweet love story between Seraphina and cult member Nichelle. The twist at the end felt a little out of place, and ultimately the story was different but a little too offbeat for me. Quirky and clever, but not quite the weird cult in an abandoned amusement park story I was hoping for.