Monday, February 19, 2007
"Of what use were wings..."
Book Review: Scar Night
In Scar Night, Alan Campbell's debut novel, angels duel, madmen clash, and airships ignite in fiery explosions as an undead army commanded by the God Ulcis, Hoarder of Souls, assembles beneath the city of Deepgate.
This city is the novel's greatest triumph. Accreted from glooming alleys, listing towers, haunted observatories, crumbling churches, and smoke-wreathed factories, Deepgate, suspended by a web of massive chains over a vast abyss, is a gothic urban nightmare reminiscent of Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast and China Mieville's New Crobuzon, populated by a cast of brooding Dickensian characters, many with murder and mayhem on their minds. Coming across names like Applecross, readers familiar with Scotland will readily spot the ways in which the author's homeland influenced the novel's milieu.
The story, a fast-paced, violent thriller, is structured link by link as Campbell weaves together the threads of several compelling characters: Dill, the last battle archon of a religion based on lies; Rachel, a broken Spine assassin; a murderous poisoner; a father hell-bent on revenge; and Carnival, an angel who is insane. The prose, in places, is simply beautiful. Readers beware: Venture too far into Campbell's dark fantasy and you may find yourself ensnared.
Drew
Book Review: Scar Night
In Scar Night, Alan Campbell's debut novel, angels duel, madmen clash, and airships ignite in fiery explosions as an undead army commanded by the God Ulcis, Hoarder of Souls, assembles beneath the city of Deepgate.
This city is the novel's greatest triumph. Accreted from glooming alleys, listing towers, haunted observatories, crumbling churches, and smoke-wreathed factories, Deepgate, suspended by a web of massive chains over a vast abyss, is a gothic urban nightmare reminiscent of Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast and China Mieville's New Crobuzon, populated by a cast of brooding Dickensian characters, many with murder and mayhem on their minds. Coming across names like Applecross, readers familiar with Scotland will readily spot the ways in which the author's homeland influenced the novel's milieu.
The story, a fast-paced, violent thriller, is structured link by link as Campbell weaves together the threads of several compelling characters: Dill, the last battle archon of a religion based on lies; Rachel, a broken Spine assassin; a murderous poisoner; a father hell-bent on revenge; and Carnival, an angel who is insane. The prose, in places, is simply beautiful. Readers beware: Venture too far into Campbell's dark fantasy and you may find yourself ensnared.
Drew
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