The Janus Clan series of novels starts off in The Defenseless as a fairly ordinary story about a seemingly all-American family. It changes slowly from that, turning into blood and strife, ghosts and shadows.
There are several images of symbolic nature in the series. There is the river, the desert, the shadow and the fire, all important throughout the series.
The Iron Cage is the tenth book. It is the last being published, but there are three more books that have already been released. This one is still an ending of sorts.
Don’t expect anything even remotely mainstream here. Some mainstream people will be scared out of their wits if they should stumble upon this book. Seekers and open-minded people and those wanting a true description of the ongoing modern inhuman society will love it.
Amos Keppler’s books can’t really be categorized, no matter how hard you try. They are far beyond any average attempt at doing that. Perhaps the entire Janus Clan series can be said to lean towards science fiction, but even that is a stretch. Each of the novels can touch anything, any genre, really.
Most of all they are both a grim and optimistic tale about the modern world and those not fitting in there.
The is about a different world in the late eighties, with both similarities and notable differences from our world. Ronald Reagan has become downright unpopular. The entire idea of neoliberalism and western establishment society have been seriously questioned by many people, not merely those walking in the Janus Clan’s tracks.
The story follows the clan of warriors and subversives at various squatted buildings across the United States, in Miami, Chicago, and eventually Las Vegas, where everything crashes and burns, exploding both literally and metaphorically. A parallel story follows Mike and Linda, as they gather their other group of subversives and warriors. Those two groups have much in common, but not everything. The differences seem bigger than the similarities.
Everyone should write about what Amos Keppler is writing about. The stories are so potent and powerful, so well describing human existence. This book is no exception in that regard.
The last four chapters taking place in Las Vegas are a pleasure to read. An event that has been hinted at in several other books is finally happening. The payoff is amazing, the final chapter impossible to give proper praise. My advice is to read all the books in the series. The long story told in thirteen books is a modern classic transcending all genres and expectations, an epic story, in the true sense of the word.
