CLEANUP,THE

Rating:
Summary: Where Angels Fear to Tred
Review: "The Cleanup" was published in 1987 when Skipp and Spector where the whiz kids of the splatterpunk splash in horror fiction. As near as I can determine, the pair collaborated on a mere handful of novels before splitting up, stopped writing, or died - I don't know which. What a shame, because their take on time-honored horror tropes were fresh, and their prose and character development only improved with time. I believe "Cleanup" was their second published novel written while they were still honing their technique; yet for all its minor faults (this is not highbrow literature) I would rank "The Cleanup" second only to "Animals" in thoughtfulness, depth of characterization, and (of course) plain old fun.

Billy Rowe is an idealist and a failed musician. A loser with fading dreams of making the world a better place through his music. The reason for his failure is his unwillingness to compromise, to make his music more commercial in a time when the heady idealism of the sixties is but a fading memory. Billy's life takes a chilling turn one hot Big Apple night when he witnesses a murder while playing his guitar on the fire escape of his seedy apartment on Stanton Street. Someone, some thing, catapults from the shadows and literally guts a beautiful woman before his eyes. The killing itself is traumatic enough for a sensitive soul like Billy Rowe, but worse yet is the fact that the trench-coated murderer looked up from beneath his fedora and saw Billy watching. Now he fears his own life is at risk.

The murder sets off a chain of unlikely events that eventually leads Billy to a rendezvous with an angel in a coffee shop. At this point the narrative cranks into high gear, for the angel's message is both frightening and exhilarating, and appeals to Billy's idealism, his best intentions. And you know what they say about good intentions.

"The Cleanup" is not what you think it is. It dodges and weaves and leaves you guessing while Billy tries to patch things up with his girlfriend Mona and the world entire. As is usually the case in a commercial novel, there are no ugly women in "Cleanup." Even Mona's lesbian room mate is to die for, and Billy himself is no dog either once he cleans himself up. Yet the story turns ugly-as-sin as Billy attempts to make the world a better place using his new-found Power, and digs himself ever deeper into a quagmire he does not understand. "The Cleanup" is populated with characters with hopes and problems we can all identify with; we therefore mourn when they are hurt or lost, not least of all Billy Rowe himself whose idealism is both his greatest strength, and his direst fault. He is a good man with lofty hopes, yet lacks the wisdom to make those hopes fly.

Rating:
Summary: Scared to Death
Review: Even though this is Skipp & Spector's first, it's one of their best. You'll be begging for more, while at the same time, begging for it to stop!! I liked this one even more than "The Light at the End," if that's possible. Billy Rowe seems to be a run-of-the-mill, burned-out artist w/ talent, but little motivation. After witnessing a horrific crime, he begs for help and guidance from the spiritual world. His prayers are answered when he is granted "The Power" to clean up his life and the streets of New York. Whether he uses the power for good or evil is up to Billy and he begins to have trouble differentiating between the two as vengence drives him on.

Rating:
Summary: Skipp And Spector "Cleanup" the horror playground.
Review: Simply put, this is probably the best-written horror story of the mid eighties. The wish-fulfillment fantasy, so long a boring and dreary concept in any genre, suddenly found itself alive and well with the introduction of Billy Rowe. The story deals with redemption, social angst and the question of good and evil. Rowe, a down-on-his-luck muscisian, suddenly finds himself in possession of god-like powers that allow him to "clean" the streets of his city. He does this in a variety of ways, including shaping himself into a woman and burning the word RAPIST into the forehead of one of his would-be sexual assaulters. He loses sight of his humanity, however, and the ultimate price is the forfeiture of his soul. An excellent, if brutal and oft-times gory novel, for any person seeking the ultimate in alternative horror fiction.

Rating:
Summary: Scared to Death
Review: Skipp and Spector, who are decent horror writers, come up with a unique twist for "The Cleanup." A street vigilante is invaded by supernatural powers and becomes a hero to be feared. Good stuff, though not as good as their best novel, "The Scream."

Rating:
Summary: Power Corrupts
Review: This was a pretty fun horror-fantasy-thriller novel. A talented but unsuccessful musician, Billy, makes a deal with an angel and gains the power to do anything he can imagine. So he becomes a super-hero, minus the flashy costume and catchy name.

The story takes a turn when the lines begin to blur between justice and brutality. The tension in the story builds as Billy's power gains power over him, and he starts to become a monster ruled by whim and cruelty.

The story is quite captivating, and the writing very skillful. I had no idea this was their first novel, as I saw in another review. It was definitely hard to put down. A good short read, which you should pick up if you can find it.

Rating:
Summary: A grim reality of loss, redepmtion and deception
Review: This was Skipp & Spector's first work, and although it shows that in places with uneven pacing and some awkward writing, it's still an excellent book. Nothing comes without a cost.