Praise for Homunculus

"...Stubblefield...deliver[s] crisp dialogue and penetrating character studies...Homunculus is a psychologically probing tale...and its portrait of neurotic impulses made flesh is one readers won't soon forget."

Carl Hays, BOOKLIST Magazine

"Stubblefield has captured the subtelty of madness...as if it were as natural as writing love or anger."

"...[He] spins an excellently paced tale" "...brilliantly described..." "...wonderfully subtle..." "Homunculus is a great book...It was mentally stimulating [and] I'd suggest you get close to it, too."

James Crane, ELECTRIC CITY

"...a beautifully crafted and deeply weird book."

Rapid River Magazine

"Homunculus combines the macabre humor of a horror novel with a deeper exploration of the dark side of the human psyche. With hints of Frankenstein, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and The Screwtape Letters, Jerry Stubblefield's novel is a sinister journey into one man's battle with himself."

MUZE, Inc.

From readers

"...a very creative and inspired illustration of Jung's idea of the shadow. The strange and frightening character of Robin challenges the reader to wonder what a creature embodying the disowned aspects of his or her own personality would be like. Homunculus is a highly entertaining psychological thriller, written with humor and insight."

...I must say that in Homunculus you are onto something very True which you have vividly expressed. Not the particular factual kind of truth but the deeper, more universal variety. ... I see Robin as a brilliant depiction of Jung's idea of the shadow or disowned aspects of ourselves~both good and bad~freed from the confines of the super ego. I found it a fascinating psychological novel that illustrates elusive Truths in an entertaining (scary as well as funny) way. In other words it's a real page turner and I totally enjoyed it!"

"...a seductive and strange ride..."

"As a librarian, I have seen more than my share of bland, generic novels topping the bestseller lists and inducing comas in the average (if there is such a beast) literate book fanatic. Your novel, sir, was definitely not one of those. Bravo!"

"...a penetrating look into the mind and soul of a deeply troubled man. An excellent, page-turning book..."

"It is very rare when I don't want a book to end...When I read the last page of your novel, I immediately went back to the beginning to read again. I haven't done that since Cat's Cradle."

Synopsis

“When a man can't achieve intimacy with someone else, such as a wife, he ends up achieving it with himself, which is no good." Hector Owen is well aware of his problem. He's a washed-up playwright whose imagination and creative impulse nevertheless have failed to wane in spite of his efforts to deny them. With a lacklustre career behind him and a failing, sexless marriage in the Appalachian town to which he has retreated, Hec suddenly finds himself in the company of his own creation, a nasty, yet frequently charming homunculus calling himself Robin. And Robin, once freed from his lifetime of confinement within Hec's over-stressed mind/body, has a dangerous agenda that includes sex, love, and ridding Hec of his lovely wife.

Buy at Black Heron Press

A Sample from the Book

"A few minutes ago the homunculus limped into the room from somewhere else in the house where, I surmise, he’d been holed up, not dead after all. He may have stayed in the linen closet the whole time. Without a word, he sank to the floor. He’s curled up and sweating on my dirty undershirt where I tossed it on the braided rug, putting his own stink there, cursing quietly and spitting up brown phlegm and looking at me, when he does open his eyes, with recriminating disgust. The beads of perspiration on his forehead tell me that his fever has broken. His hoarsely whispered invectives demonstrate his spunk. Looks like he’s grown two or three inches, too. I have the feeling he’s on the mend, and this, more than anything, has put me in a hopeful, energetic, adventurous mood. He’s ugly, but consider the fact that he’s a newborn, in a sense, and give him the same break all babies get. Maybe it’s only because he’s mine, but I can’t help feeling he’s sort of adorable."