Earlier this year, I stumbled across Paul Kane via his PERIPHERAL VISIONS collection. To say I was blown away is an understatement. It’s been a long time since I’ve read stories so original, creative, and entertaining. So it was with high expectations that I jumped into Kane’s forthcoming short novel, entitled OF DARKNESS AND LIGHT. 
For his entire life, Lee Masterton has been afraid of the dark. From his childhood memories of lying in bed and sensing something malicious in the dark, to being a young adult and walking down ill-lit streets late at night, Lee has always felt like he’s being watched. And so it is with much trepidation that Lee takes a new job as an overnight security guard at a local construction site. A few nights into the job, his worst nightmare comes true: as Lee is attempting to scare off some would-be vandals, the night comes alive. Before his very eyes, Lee watches “angels” and “demons” fight with each other. The scene becomes a catalyst for what follows, causing Lee to confront his fears and evaluate the nature of darkness and light.
As showcased in his short story “Yin and Yang”, and now in OF DARKESS AND LIGHT, Kane excels at making readers question their belief systems and contemplate the opposing forces of our world. Good versus Evil is rarely this thought-provoking and enjoyable. Kane also effectively uses a moody atmosphere to bring his world to life, and allows readers to get to know his characters inside and out – the fears they face, the poverty they live in, the friendships they share, and the hope they cling to.
My only complaint about OF DARKNESS AND LIGHT is that after a suspenseful prologue, the story slows down for quite some time while Kane establishes his characters. With the exception of a couple instances of foreshadowing, things don’t really get going until roughly eighty pages into the book (which is nearly the halfway point). The characters’ back stories aren’t poorly written by any means; rather, I felt they might not hold readers’ attention long enough to get them to the meat-and-potatoes of the story.
(One other thing, which I’m not including in my review’s final score, is that the copy I read is not fully polished yet. I’m hoping some of the proofing/wording errors will be squared away prior to publication, as I ran into quite a few in my review copy.)
Overall, I felt OF DARKNESS AND LIGHT was a solid story. While the pacing wasn’t perfect in my opinion, Kane succeeded in bringing his characters and settings to life, and also got me thinking about good versus evil in a new light (no pun intended).
OF DARKNESS AND LIGHT is available for pre-order from Thunderstorm Books, with a tentative release date of March 31, 2010. The book will be available in two states – a signed trade paperback for $16.95 and a signed limited edition hardcover for $49. It should be noted that pre-orders for the signed hardcover will only be accepted through December 31, 2009, after which time the print run will be finalized.
(7 out of 10)
For his entire life, Lee Masterton has been afraid of the dark. From his childhood memories of lying in bed and sensing something malicious in the dark, to being a young adult and walking down ill-lit streets late at night, Lee has always felt like he’s being watched. And so it is with much trepidation that Lee takes a new job as an overnight security guard at a local construction site. A few nights into the job, his worst nightmare comes true: as Lee is attempting to scare off some would-be vandals, the night comes alive. Before his very eyes, Lee watches “angels” and “demons” fight with each other. The scene becomes a catalyst for what follows, causing Lee to confront his fears and evaluate the nature of darkness and light.
As showcased in his short story “Yin and Yang”, and now in OF DARKESS AND LIGHT, Kane excels at making readers question their belief systems and contemplate the opposing forces of our world. Good versus Evil is rarely this thought-provoking and enjoyable. Kane also effectively uses a moody atmosphere to bring his world to life, and allows readers to get to know his characters inside and out – the fears they face, the poverty they live in, the friendships they share, and the hope they cling to.
My only complaint about OF DARKNESS AND LIGHT is that after a suspenseful prologue, the story slows down for quite some time while Kane establishes his characters. With the exception of a couple instances of foreshadowing, things don’t really get going until roughly eighty pages into the book (which is nearly the halfway point). The characters’ back stories aren’t poorly written by any means; rather, I felt they might not hold readers’ attention long enough to get them to the meat-and-potatoes of the story.
(One other thing, which I’m not including in my review’s final score, is that the copy I read is not fully polished yet. I’m hoping some of the proofing/wording errors will be squared away prior to publication, as I ran into quite a few in my review copy.)
Overall, I felt OF DARKNESS AND LIGHT was a solid story. While the pacing wasn’t perfect in my opinion, Kane succeeded in bringing his characters and settings to life, and also got me thinking about good versus evil in a new light (no pun intended).
OF DARKNESS AND LIGHT is available for pre-order from Thunderstorm Books, with a tentative release date of March 31, 2010. The book will be available in two states – a signed trade paperback for $16.95 and a signed limited edition hardcover for $49. It should be noted that pre-orders for the signed hardcover will only be accepted through December 31, 2009, after which time the print run will be finalized.
(7 out of 10)
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