Short Take: “Green Door,” William Meikle

Pros: I just love this strange world Meikle has developed
Cons: A little confusing
Rating: 4 out of 5

I’ve read quite a few novellas by William Meikle at this point, although none from his Sigils & Totems/Midnight Eye books. Green Door: A Sigils & Totems / Midnight Eye Novella (The William Meikle Chapbook Collection 2) fits in well with his other cosmic horror (I couldn’t help but recognize the song lyric, “And the Dreaming God is singing where he lies”). Derek Adams is approached by young David Balfour at the pub. Balfour wants to hire Adams to find a mysterious green door. Balfour seems to understand that Adams is aware of unusual things beyond this world, and is not surprised to find out he bears a sigil on his arm. The door belongs to one of a group of places called “Sigil houses,” that call to people and put them in touch with things beyond the veil. Adams spends a fair amount of time and money tracking down the door, and when he finds it, he discovers it’s being put to use by people who maybe shouldn’t be messing with things they don’t entirely understand.

I wouldn’t recommend this as your first Meikle book; I probably should have read some other Sigils & Totems books first, since I felt a little left behind by the start of things. It didn’t take too long to get my bearings, though. It’s a fairly quick read, and I think my favorite part of it was Balfour and how he turns out. I also enjoyed watching Adams work his neighborhood network of contacts to get the information he needed and track down the door–there are some real characters that come together in a very short space and they’re a lot of fun. I would have liked to see a little more depth to Jennings as well, but that’s a minor thing.

If you’re fond of cosmic horror, I definitely recommend Meikle’s work. I always know I’m going to have a good read when I pick up one of his pieces!