Books by Norman Lock

Fiction. "There are moments that remind me of Sax Rohmer or early 20th century science fiction, bits and pieces of language that seem to come out of Jules Verne or Gaston LeRoux. The language itself is quite stylized, replete with a carefully eccentric vocabulary that Lock does very well. He has an impressive ability to create a unique and original world"--Brian Evenson.

A black comedy touched with absurdity and a philosophical bent that puts the torch to middle-class complacency. "...Lock's ideas lend tangy new flavor to an old form... HOUSE OF CORRECTION is first, last and always a superior mystery-comedy-thriller... He has written a fast moving, absurdist piece of neo-realistic suspense of the sort that works best only in the theater. It is a tribute to his talent..." Sylvie Drake, Los Angeles Times "...Norman Lock's treatment of the evils of psychotic schizophrenia versus the even more ugly aspects of pretentious armchair liberalism is nothing short of hilarious in this outing. It's offbeat and loony with a sitcom flare..." Teen., Daily Variety "...it's very funny, and very scary like a nightmare that wakes you up shaking, forcing you to reassess your life... Lock's weapon is words and he uses them well...his imagery is vivid, his dramatic momentum strong..." Tom Jacobs, L A Life "This is a delightfully dark, beautifully acted suspense comedy...a script that balances outrageous farce and human tragedy... It is Lock's gift for concocting eccentric characters and devilishly comic situations that propels the play." Downtown News (Los Angeles) "This rollercoaster of a play may well turn out to be one of the most significant new plays at this year's Fringe...a gripping, individualistic piece." The Stage (Edinburgh) "We are kept on the edge of our seats as events move toward a climax beyond expectation...makes us laugh our way up a mountain of suspense." The Scotsman "HOUSE OF CORRECTION moves from sitcom to Hitchcock, mingling the two so neatly that sometimes you don't know which you're watching." Naked (Edinburgh) "The play remains ingenious in identifying those essential American tenets and dragging them screaming and skewed to their conclusion." The Guardian (Edinburgh) "...entertaining but rigorous in its approach to important moral issues... This is the first chance for British audiences to see the 'absurdist comedy-thriller' that has played across America, but the questions it raises are bound to be relevant here as they are across the Atlantic." Glasgow and Edinburgh Events Guide

"e;[Norman Lock's fiction] shimmers with glorious language, fluid rhythms, and complex insights."e; -NPRHuck Finn and Jim float on their raft across a continuum of shifting seasons, feasting on a limitless supply of fish and stolen provisions, propelled by the currents of the mighty Mississippi from one adventure to the next. Launched into existence by Mark Twain, they have now been transported by Norman Lock through three vital, violent, and transformative centuries of American history. As time unfurls on the river's banks, they witness decisive battles of the Civil War, the betrayal of Reconstruction's promises to the freed slaves, the crushing of Native American nations, and the electrification of a continent. While Jim enters real time when he disembarks the raft in the Jim Crow South, Huck finally comes of age when he's washed up on shore during Hurricane Katrina. An old man in 2077, Huck takes stock of his life and narrates his own story, revealing our nation's past, present, and future as Mark Twain could never have dreamed it.The first stand-alone book in The American Novels series, The Boy in His Winter is a tour-de-force work of imagination, beauty, and courage that re-envisions a great American literary classic for our time.Norman Lock is the award-winning author of novels, short fiction, and poetry, as well as stage, radio, and screenplays. He lives in Aberdeen, New Jersey, where he is at work on the next books of The American Novels series.