1990 / Audiobook / 302 pages / USA
***
Another fictional biography of a 20th century American that's too long to really hold my interest, coming at the end of my Vonnegut voyage didn't do it any favours, but I got on better with its teller than most.
Jean "Moebius" Giraud, Mœbius 0: The Horny Goof and Other Underground Stories
1972-90 (collected 1990) / Ecomic / 72 pages / France**
A collection of pre-Metal Hurlant juvenilia (in tone, not age), coloured in for posterity it doesn't deserve, but there'll be a few people who absolutely love his self-described blend of "bawdy humour and fairly sophisticated science-fiction." Maybe these deluded liner notes have been taking the piss all along and the sarcasm just didn't translate well.
1991 / Ebook / 144 pages / UK
***
Spends too long on the awkward Bible adaptation of the libretto and its translations before being redeemed by an interesting breakdown of instrumental symbolism. That's mainly what I'm here for.
Stefan Petrucha and Charles Adlard, The X-Files: The Haunting
1996 (collected 1997) / Ecomics / 160 pages / USA/UK***
It's a shame Stefan Petrucha's X-Files run had to end so soon, since he had a great handle on tone and character and could knock out some classic monsters-of-the-month (sometimes the humans are the real monsters, ahhh), once he got the conspiracy twaddle out of his system. Admittedly, his sentient video game story is down there at the bottom of the burning bin with similarly-themed TV episodes.
2012 / Audiobook / 528 pages / UK
**
The End by default rather than intent, this scientific rapture naturally pairs with The Quarry as unintended epitaphs you can have fun reading too much into. It's at least something to keep you engaged when the dreary mystery pastiche keeps dragging on.
