Matthew Sturges – House of Mystery, Vol. 3: The Space Between

146. The Space Between by Matthew Sturges, Bill Willingham, Chris Roberson, Luca Rossi, José Marzán Jr., Lee Loughridge (2010)
House of Mystery, Volume 3

Read my review of volume:
1. Room & Boredom
2. Love Stories for Dead People

Length: 128 pages
Genre: Fantasy, Horror

Started / Finished: 21 November 2010

Where did it come from? The library.
Why do I have it? I’ve been enjoying the series.

This is a bit more
than just daddy not liking
your newest boyfriend.

Summary: Bethany and Harry, two of the people seemingly stuck in the House of Mystery, finally give in to their mutual attraction, but Bethany’s dad doesn’t take it particularly well. He’s got some nasty truths to tell, particularly about Harry, and about the reason all of the “regulars” are stuck inside the house.

Review: I thought this volume was a little bit weaker than the previous two. While there were some interesting things going on – we find out who’s under the black and white swirly mask, as well as a little bit more about Conception, for starters – the main plot didn’t have a particularly strong storyline, and sort of wandered all over the place. Despite “The Space Between” being the title of the volume, I was never entirely sure how it motivated what little plot arc there was. In fact, I think this was the first time I actually enjoyed the interlude stories (which were plentiful, fascinating, and poignant) more than I did the “main” action. Still, it’s an interesting set-up, and I think both the story and the characters have enough depth and potential to take the series to some very neat places. 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Not quite as good as what’s come before, but good enough to keep me interested, and keep me wanting the next volume.

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First Line: “Make way for a lofty pair of the Conception!”

Vocab: (see the whole list)

• p. 20: ““Good danish, by the way. My compliments to the boulanger.”” – French for baker.
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