With as much as I enjoyed James Morrow's THE MADONNA AND THE STARSHIP, I looked forward to his latest story, THE ASYLUM OF DR. CALIGARI. The novel is a side-quel/sequel to the 1920 German silent film "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Actually it may not be either a side-quel or a sequel; however we wish to categorize it, Morrow takes the concept of the existence of a Dr. Caligari and an asylum and puts a fantastical twist into the story.

The year is 1915. Francis Wyndham, an American painter, finds himself traveling to Europe to take a position as an "art therapist" at the famous Traumenchen Asylum, run by Dr. Alessandro Caligari. The asylum is located in the principality of Weizenstaat - which apparently is situated between "the German Empire and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg". It was also annexed by Luxembourg after World War I in case you're interested (either I missed the connection, or that bit of information doesn't have anything to do with the story other than being a bit of trivia that Morrow throws into the mix just in case some readers decide to go looking for the place and can't find it). The asylum's fame and success was such that "the people of Weizenstaat took to joking that their country's principal import was irrationality and its principal export rehabilitated lunatics" - a line I consider one of the best in the book.

Dr. Caligari is rumored to be a sorcerer, and that there is more to him and his asylum than meets the eye. The fact that he is indeed a sorcerer of sorts is the root fantastical element that Morrow injects into the Caligari
mythos. And while Caligari does manage to heal mentally ill patients, his main project - and dark secret - is the enchanted painting that he himself is working on in the bowels of the asylum. The painting fills men who
view it with something called "Kriegslust", a sort of fanatical desire to go to war for his country without regard to personal safety - or anything else for that matter. The painting is discovered by Wyndham who, with the
aid of one of his art therapy students, Spider Queen Ilona Wessels (who quickly becomes his lover with a bit of unnecessary encouragement by Caligari himself), attempt to counter the affect of the piece of art with a work of their own. The point of Caligari's painting, of course, is to allow him to make huge sums of money selling its effects to countries that are about to enter the war.

Morrow fills the book with a good number of scenes that must have been as fun to write as they were to read: Wyndham and his cohorts watching soldiers of various countries being marched in front of the painting and coming out ready to march to their death for their countries; a similar scene with Wyndham's and Wessel's painting, except with the opposite results; and in a bit of storytelling reminiscent of the scene of Dick Van Dyke's character in Mary Poppins jumping into a painting to do a song and dance, Wyndham and Wessels jump into their painting - with characters there recognizing who Ilona is - to try to stop Caligari's effort.

The key word in that paragraph is storytelling. Morrow spins a great yarn in this novella. The writing is excellent, the characters come to life on the page and make us care about them, and there is enough magic, psychology, art and romance to keep most readers engaged and interested. Indeed, Morrow injects a good variety of things to think about, and yet the novella doesn't feel forced when it finally comes to an end - and make no mistake, there is a definite ending here. The ending itself is a bit melancholy; it's almost as if Morrow is showing us that as with any fictional character, those who live in magical paintings can come to an end too. The ending didn't leave me wanting for more, but it was a satisfying conclusion to the story and the characters therein.

We're not looking at a great piece of literature here that will be remembered for decades to come, I think. But what we are talking about is a fun and whimsical story that will keep the reader eagerly turning the pages and
being very happy with what they've read. A lot of times, that's all readers really need anyway.

I don't believe I'm too stupid for this book (some other reviewers have mentioned this book was too "smart" for them and I really don't think that's the case). Rather, I think the book was trying too hard to be something more than it was. There were two shining moments that never turned into more than an image: the marching, singing soldiers in the Caligari painting, and Ilona's wondering if they were doing the same thing Caligari was. Neither went anywhere beyond those flashes in the pan. In the end, I found the book mostly ridiculous.

Not many write as intelligent fiction as does Morrow. Mashing /psychiatry and film history in a compellingly different and fascinating novel is no small feat and Morrow pulls it off with aplomb. Read it!

In a world flooded with books that mix history and the macabre - it is rare to find a fresh, unique voice and yet this is exactly what Mr. Morrow has done.

An interesting take on the Dr. Caligari story, post movie. I don't think it is for everyone, though. Caligari hires American painter Francis Wyndham as an art therapist for his asylum. What he discovers is that Caligari has created his own masterpiece that has serious repercussions for those who see it.

DNF at 49%

Sorry.
But it is the first time in my life when I feel to be stupid for a book.
THAT makes me feel even worse.
To your information - the writing is superb.
The plot....too complicated for my small brain. Sorry.