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The Darkening (2000)

by Stephen M. Irwin(Favorite Author)

3.69 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0751543969 (ISBN13: 9780751543964)

languge

English

genre

Horror

publisher

Sphere

review 1: The debut novel from Steven Irwin introduces us to all the things that scare us as a child. This book has witches, spiders, murders and dark things in the woods. Unfortunately, this is a book written for adults so much of the spook factor is lost on the reader. While I have a fear of arachnids, this book didn't really set my fears on edge. While a central part of the plot, these spiders came across as more cartoonish then monsters. The story centers on Nicholas Close who goes for a motorcycle ride in London and has an accident that leaves him with a nasty bump. In an effort to calm his wife he calls her, but she falls from a ladder while trying to answer his call and kills herself. From this point on, Nicholas can see ghosts, but only ghosts during their last moment... mores of life and their resulting death. These ghosts continue to die in a loop, walking towards their death, dying, then repeating the cycle from the same starting point, over and over again. Nicholas returns to his boyhood home only to find that he sees the same type of ghosts, this time children dragged into a nearby wood where they meet their demise. Ultimately Nicholas, who is never given much depth and others (who are given even less depth) determine they must fight the evil that resides in the woods. This story was a challenge to keep reading, but once Irwin finds his stride your left with a kind of fairy tale thriller. Not much here to recommend it, other than for those who, like me, will always read a supernatural thriller no matter how lame and silly it might get.
review 2: Stephen Irwin writes a strange, grotesque thriller with a unique ending, but each character's story ends very much as I predicted it halfway through the novel. Perhaps I am so familiar with "scary stories" that only the most shocking plot twists surprise me. His writing is compelling, and I appreciate the originality of the talismans, scenery, and symbolism throughout. I would probably only recommend this book to those genuinely attached to the horror genre. less

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