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BLZBUB
, September 05, 2010
(view all comments by BLZBUB)
Henry is a boy with a gift. The gift of imagination. Whether he’s a secret agent out on a mission, dodging bullets and killing bad guys, or a boy following a group of rabbits, his imagination is so vivid that at times it’s difficult for him to distinguish between what is real and what is imagined. Funny thing about imagination though—it can play tricks on you; tricks that can make you want to forget the past ... “Just start at the beginning,” Henry’s dad says, “and the rest will take care of itself.”
Brian Freeman’s THE PAINTED DARKNESS can be described in two words: Fucking Awesome.
At times The Painted Darkness reads like a mix of Stephen King’s IT, DUMA KEY and THE MANGLER, with parts of ALICE IN WONDER LAND to boot. And, just when you think you have it all figured out, well, let’s just say: What Brian giveth, Brian can taketh away.
There’s no question (in my opinion) as to whether or not Uncle Stevie has been an influence in Brian’s writing—as his writing oozes with classic Stephen King style. Brian’s pacing and storytelling were spot-on, invoking a sense of fear and chills as I read, and in the end he took me by surprise with a refreshing twist.
The Painted Darkness (CEMETERY DANCE PUBLICATIONS) is scheduled for a November release in hardcover and can be pre-ordered now at CemeteryDance.com.
FINAL VERDICT
A 5 out of 5. With an opening from horror-master, Brian Keene (an honor in-and-of itself), clever interior illustrations by Jill Bauman, and a tale so wickedly told it begs to be re-read, this is “one for the books” that all the cool kids will be reading. DO NOT MISS THIS ONE!
And remember …
Just start at the beginning and the rest will take care of itself …
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