Jonathan York has found himself alone in a strange wood that gets stranger as the sun sets. He thankfully runs into a group of travelers seeking rest at an inn, but in order to get a room, each traveler must pay the innkeeper with a story. In Chaucerian manner, each guest rattles off a comically dark tale. Unable to produce a story of his own, Jonathan is kicked out and must fend for himself in the forest everly shifting the story to a fractured fairy tale. Merritt's artwork is spot-on and, in a style reminiscent of Gris Grimly, paints this dismal but silly world with exaggerated monster features and gothic set pieces. He easily rides the fine line between morbid and ridiculous; in one instance, showing an ice-cream maker filled with dogs being made into a delicious desert by a handful of cheery monsters. Merritt has made a sweet Tim Burton style book with a lot of heart . . . when it's not too busy trying to rip it out of your chest.

Mr. Jonathan York has led a very uneventful life, filled with nothing but the small comfort of daily living. When he decides to take a shortcut through the swamp, however, everything changes. Scared and lost, he follows three strangers to the Cankerbury Inn, the only shelter available for the night. Unfortunately, the price of the room is so high that Mr. York cannot pay it: the innkeeper wants a story in exchange for a key to a room. All three guests tell their tale of woes and, in exchange, obtain a key. But poor Mr. York is paralyzed. He has never had a tale to tell. Unmoved, the innkeeper tosses him back in the swamp for the night. Mr. York is about to experience his first adventure with the denizens of the swamp.Merritt's first published book, The Dreadful Fate introduces wonderfully illustrated weird monsters and characters, from the Terraqueenpin to the Bogglemyre and the West Bleekport Gang. Though drawn in colors, most of the panes are in various shades of gray and show the bleakness of Mr. York's environment. The tale itself is engaging and provides a satisfying conclusion to Mr. York's perils, although, much like Mr. York, the story meanders through the swamp seemingly without a purpose until near the end of the book. Fans of dark corners and strange monsters will enjoy this first work.Etienne Vallee.