The Everything Box by Richard Kadrey
Harper Voyager (April 2016)
368 pages; $17.14 hardcover; $15.29 paperback; $12.99 e-book
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington
“Earth. Four thousand years ago. Give or take.” When this is the opening line in your new novel, it better be epic. The verdict? Richard Kadrey delivers again.
It’s just after the great flood and the angel Qaphsiel is sent by God to finish off mankind, but he misplaces the Instrument of Destruction. Fast-forward to the present day where a number of individuals and groups are closing in on The Everything Box. Of course the usual Kadrey wit abounds. It’s a story filled with magic, where literally anything is possible.
“You know, the last few days, I’ve taken orders from a dead man, hung out with poltergeists, vampires, werewolves, people with tentacles, people with gills, and seen the inside of a turd submarine.”
The end of the story reminded me of the madcap cross-country rush to find treasure in the Stanley Kramer classic, It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. If snark is your thing, or if you’re just in the mood for a bit of brain candy, you’ll love The Everything Box.
Published by Harper Voyager, The Everything Box is available as an e-book, hardcover, paperback and in a variety of audio formats.
