"Is it John Scogin, Edward IV's infamous court jester, who enjoyed burning people alive for a laugh? Or a salad-fearing tiny Kurd called Gaffar? Or a man who guards Beckley Woods with a Samurai sword and a pregnant terrier? A very modern book set in a ridiculously modern town, Nicola Barker's Darkmans is an epic novel of startling originality - a story of obsession, art, prescription drugs, and chiropody. And the main character is the past, creeping up on the present to whisper something quite dark - quite unspeakable - into its ear."--Jacket.