Veniss Underground
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| Veniss Underground | |
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| Author | Jeff Vandermeer |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Horror, Science fiction novel |
| Publisher | Night Shade Books & Prime Books |
| Publication date | April 2003 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 200 pp (hardback edition) & 207 pp (paperback edition) |
| ISBN | ISBN 1-892389-61-4 (hardback edition) & ISBN 1-894815-64-5 (paperback edition) |
Veniss Underground is a 2003 science fiction novel by Jeff Vandermeer, following the adult lives of three different protagonists across a short period of time in the decadent, surreal city of Veniss, which is situated above a vast underground labyrinth of hovels and mines ruled over by the amoral crime-lord Quin.
[edit] Plot Summary
Veniss Underground alludes in several places to the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Like Orpheus, Shadrach descends into the underworld to retrieve his love Nicola, but here from a cyborg hell, where genetic engineering and DNA splicing create fantastic and horrific creatures. Parallels also exist with Dante's Inferno. Throughout the novel the idea of heaven and hell come into play. Nick looks into the chaotic world in which he tries to find purpose through what is called living art. Nick journeys into the underworld and makes a deal with the "devil", also known as Quin. As the story progresses and you take on the first person perspective of Nicola and get intoduced to a meerkat named Salvador. After Nicola kills Salavador (a assassin meerkat sent by Quin), Nick arrives at Nicola's door and chokes her till shes near death and sent to an organ bank in the underworld. Shadrach comes into play in the second person point of view and takes the initative of finding his lost love Nicola in the underworld. He finds Salavador injured at Nicola's apartment and cuts the meerkat's head off and attaches it to a plate and names him John the Baptist. After, with the help of Dr. Fergusen, he finds Nicola in an organ bank under some legs that is guarded by a naked troll. He ventures back to his old home and finds a creation of Quin named Candle. Candle leads Nick to the Psyche witch named Rafter. After Rafter decides to try and salvage Nicola, Shadrach takes the action of venturing deeper into the underworld to kill Quin. He finds Nick as a piece of living art being beat up by some people. Nick takes him lower and tells him how to get to Quin by jumping of a moving train with a parachute. After he is by a beach and an ocean and kicks over a skull where he finds another creation of Quins' called a Gollux. The Gullox tells him the truth while the meerkat lies. Shadrach rides the ray-like creature named the saylber into the ocean and into Quin's world which is actually a very large minnow named the leviathan. He kills Quin and the remote and the whole place explodes. Quin ventures up the cliffs and reaches the subway level. Shadrach gets Nicola back and takes her to the surface where they both are on a bridge staring at the city in which is called Veniss.
