The Unblemished
Conrad Williams
Earthling Publications, 2006
Limited 500
367 pages
$45.00

If you are a small press book collector and/or a reader of horror fiction, then you must own a copy of this book. The production values are near perfection. The dust-jacket art is beautiful while grotesque, and includes a similar image on the back. The boards are simple brown yet have a classy look to them. The endpapers are tan and textured, very nice. The signature page is illustrated and stylish. And the story itself . . . is reminiscent of Clive Barker (pre-Imajica Barker, that is). Conrad tells a wonderful story of a truly nightmarish tale. The Unblemished seemed original despite a sense of being well-situated in the genre. At first glance, it’s a zombie (or ghoul) novel. After a hundred pages or so, you see it goes much deeper; it’s a surreal look at a gritty city. And, to the author’s credit, he slips in a few chapters utilizing second person and one of the first person perspective—all to great effect. Here are a few examples of just how interesting and potent the writing is when he sums up London when it’s under siege by the “zombies”: “Nobody truly owns the city. Nobody belongs. Everyone is in one kind of transit or another. Know that and you have the upper hand on your enemy.” (p. 80) And in a chapter where he uses the second person perspective to great effect, drawing the reader front and center: “Hysteria could take you in any number of directions, once its teeth were sunk into you. You laughed, you screamed, you died. It was a hell of an entertainment.” (p. 211) Horrifying but funny, nonetheless. Finally, a touch of the profound: “But that was the beauty of human nature; there was always someone else stronger than you.” (p. 312) A marvelous book in every way.