Review
Diana Arlyn is a best selling author of Goth orientated novels who enjoys a drink, a partner, and the life style afforded by Santa Monica. Unfortunately she was involved in the suicide of a fellow local writer, due to jealousy and plagiarism as it happens, and has pretty much been ostracised by the local writing community. Things are about to get a whole lot worse for Diana with a ghost haunting her, a Ta'ibah hunting her, and a demonic Uttuku (actually the good guys) entering her life. And that's not even taking into account the ultimate dark force of Aza'zel! So how was your weekend? Can Diana stay alive even with the help of some pretty powerful friends, and can she find a way through the maze her life has suddenly become? Stephenson comes at us with the first of a series of novels and is taking no prisoners while doing so. Uttuku is like a sledgehammer to the head with the novel never letting up once it has you by the scruff of the neck. Just when you think you have this one roped and tied Stephenson throws another curve ball over the plate or diverts with another risk drenched character. To be perfectly honest, this whole book represents a risk to Stephenson as a writer, and he gleefully wades into dark waters without thinking how far back the shoreline is. I can respect that in a Writer, and you do get a novel that is pretty much unlike anything else you have recently read. It's a Goth inspired surreal nightmare that will grip you from first to last page. The novel rolls from the first person perspective of Diana Arlyn who views things from the bottom of a bottle at the best of times. Stephenson's lead character is a lesbian Goth chick with major issues, and that's the least of the risks the Author is taking. Actually Diana worked for me and I was right behind her as she faced the trials and tribulations of a supernatural power struggle in a modern day urban setting. We are immersed in the Character's world, from book circles to Goth raves, and about every setting in between. One of the strengths of the novel is that Diana doesn't have the answers, is vulnerable to forces beyond her comprehension, and has to roll with the punches. Stephenson has created one of the great dark genre characters of the new century and you wont note the seams, yes the writing is that solid. I guess the other thing Stephenson pulls off without missing the beat is the subsidiary characters who are neither black or white, but who exist in the sort of grey area between good and evil. The Ta'ibah, a kin of supernatural hunter who was once human but has signed on-board the Aza'zel dark train, is certainly trying to help the forces of light or at least protect some of them at the risk of his own existence. Sure he does feed on humans, via taking their dark energy and leaving them husks without being overly concerned, but we are taking a bigger battleground here than individual foibles. Sarina, a Uttuku, also steals human essence in the form of light energy, while protecting Diana from the Ta'ibah. You get the feeling neither creature is overly concerned about humans as they operate in their own set of reality. It's intriguing stuff and open to all sorts of interpretations, depending on your thoughts on angels and heads of pins. What it means to Joe public reader is you get a bloody good book that doesn't overly wallow in metaphysics. Hell yeah, I was on-board the groove ship and high fiving imaginary friends. Maybe I should lay off the single malt while reading? With Diana Arlyn Stephenson has created one of the great modern day dark genre characters. I was generally interested in why this novel was based in Santa Monica, it could work pretty much in any setting really, but since the Author doesn't appear to have a website was unable to find out any background details. For Aussie readers there's plenty of Down Under references, with some minor local characters, so it's not all home of the brave. Besides which I'm always up for a local Writer crashing the North American block party. Actually if anyone in Hollywood is looking for the next dark genre trilogy to knock em dead at the box office, well look no further. I should also mention there's a number of historic figures, including Bela Lugosi, who inhabit the pages to good effect. Stephenson kicks a major there. Read the book to see who gets a jersey. Moving along here, word limit and all, Stephenson as a writer had me from the first paragraph. The reader is dragged into the prose via a mystery as to what book and icon the Ta'ibah is actually after and how this works in with Diana. From there the pace drives you through the novel without giving you a chance to come up for air, a page turner doesn't even come close to describing it. This novel is like a mighty fine merlot, you are going to want to keep refilling your glass. The Author will irritate you with his conclusion, I wanted more and I wanted it now. Patience is apparently a virtue, bugger that, where's the second book in the series, I want that stat! For those after a copy of Uttuku browse on over to Altair's official site, the book will set you back $19.95 plus postage. Cheap at twice the price folks. Surprisingly there's a website up for Diana Arlyn right here. And the only website I could discover for Robert N. Stephenson is his AHWA page click through.
ScaryMinds Rates this read as ... The dark genre just got a whole lot better folks.
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Disclaimer: Please note this review reflects the opinion of the team at ScaryMinds and should in no way be construed as
representing the views of the AHWA Shadows Award Judges. This review is for the edification of ScaryMinds readers and does not constitute a
“literary criticism” or any other criteria the Shadows Judging panel may take this year.