What, you may ask, is an exquisite corpse? It is a game much like Mad Libs or the old-fashioned parlor game of Consequences, in which a series of artists or writers each adds a paragraph or picture part in sequence, knowing nothing or very little of the previous contributions. The name comes from a sentence formed when Andre Breton and other Surrealists first played the game: “Le cadavre exquis boira le vin nouveau.” (“The exquisite corpse shall drink the new wine.”)
Fans of Golden Age mystery are no strangers to exquisite corpses. The legendary Detection Club published several of them. The most famous of them is The Floating Admiral, headlined by Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and G.K. Chesterton. Of course, since the Detection Club consisted of professional writers collaborating on a story for publication they may have played a wee bit nicer than the merry pranksters at the Woodstock Library. Or so the following reviews might lead you to believe.
Just listen to what ChatGPT has to say! Dive headfirst into the bizarre universe of It Came From Library Lane…, where a chilly library evening takes a wild turn into the supernatural. With a narrative that defies the laws of storytelling physics, the writers of Woodstock craft a mind-bending adventure that oscillates between cozy holiday vibes and spine-chilling encounters with tentacular beings. The protagonist’s journey through time and terror is a rollercoaster of weirdness, leaving you questioning reality and craving more of the unexpected. It Came From Library Lane… is an eccentric odyssey that will have you laughing, crying, and questioning the very fabric of the literary cosmos—a must-read for those who dare to embrace the strange and unusual.
Then again, a second review suggests that even an AI program can wake up on the wrong side of bed: Brace yourself for the bewildering mess that is It Came From Library Lane…, where the writers of Woodstock manage to turn a simple library event into an utterly pointless and confusing narrative. The storytelling feels like a clumsy attempt at creativity, resulting in a disjointed stumble through a literary hodgepodge. Prepare to be underwhelmed by the aimless absurdity of It Came From Library Lane…, leaving you questioning not just the purpose but the entire point of this literary disaster
Why not make up your own mind? You can read the beautifully-designed illustrated edition (complete with my own modestly tentacular contribution)here. Or if you prefer, the live debut of It Came from Library Lane can be savored in its entirety here.
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