A Madness of Angels

Catherine Webb's A Madness of Angels is a successful 21st century Gothic; the story holds all of the elements of traditional Gothic, but with a twist. The main character of The Madness of Angels delivers Kafkaesque feelings as he wanders endlessly through the decaying city of London; the crumbling London is similar to the decaying mansion in traditional Gothic works. Perhaps the biggest twist that Webb takes on traditional Gothic elements is the paranormal aspect. The main character, Matthew, does not face a ghost or a paranormal creature-- Webb successfully introduces the Golem as the villainous creature in the story. By doing so the Gothic earns somewhat of a science fiction twist, and gives it a modern take on a traditional style. I personally really enjoyed reading A Madness of Angels; I think that the modern science fiction take on the paranormal is incredibly interesting and entertaining.