Darkness

Darkness
Terence West
Double Dragon Publishing
ISBN: 1-55404-361-1
Fiction, Science Fiction, Dark Fantasy
Reviewed by Eugen M. Bacon

Darkness is an urban fantasy, sinister as it is different. The tale opens valiantly with battle: one night, no choice, and a build of anticipation. Man fights demon. The vampires can morph to project human form; they can camouflage to mimic environment. A leap from 1704 to 2004; the Wraith Council must conform to a superior enemy that lives on blood and dies in unholy flame. A Wraith virus, blood for blood: Emily St. Louise is the perfect candidate. She half-morphs into vampirism to gain power and shed weakness. Having endured a gruesome ritual, survived anarchy, Saint is suddenly thrust by fate into a position she had never imagined.
The novel carries a clever idea; Terence West captures well events in the battlefield, finely drawn with good imagery to set tempo for a crossing between enemy worlds. Vampire thugs, werewolves: the story packs a lot. Away from exposition, action, when it happens, moves swiftly. One raw love scene at an ocean-washed beach brings vivid contrast, as a cool tide splashes over naked bodies at sizzled height. The story ends on a softer note and, possibly, creates path for an intriguing sequel.