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theaurochs's review against another edition
4.0
A fascinating sci-fi noir thriller, that really takes you for a ride. Yorke, the protagonist, is battered,bruised and beaten and often himself feels more like a witness to events than an active participant.
The world without light is evocatively created and leaves a striking image. The people are incredibly familiar, a theme the novel touches on; that despite changing circumstances people don't really change. We have corrupt cops, addicts, mobsters, killers who are convinced their ends justify their means. In a way it all feels very familiar, but there is more than enough originality in there to keep things interesting. Seeing the way that old tropes interact with the darkened city of Vox is a lot of fun.
The entire novel is written iniambic pentameter. Despite having to acknowledge the feat of creative writing that this is, I'm not really sure what it added. The prose itself was not especially lyrical, and only in a few places was the meter really stressed, so overall it felt unnecessary at best and distracting at worst. The grit and realism of the noir genre would seems to be at odds with the form, although in some cases it forces the use of short, sharp sentences which do effectively set the tone. Can't help but wonder if without this constraint we might have ended up with a more detailed novel.
The world without light is evocatively created and leaves a striking image. The people are incredibly familiar, a theme the novel touches on; that despite changing circumstances people don't really change. We have corrupt cops, addicts, mobsters, killers who are convinced their ends justify their means. In a way it all feels very familiar, but there is more than enough originality in there to keep things interesting. Seeing the way that old tropes interact with the darkened city of Vox is a lot of fun.
The entire novel is written in
samuelson_obi's review against another edition
4.0
I was searching for Noir; and I found it.
In Oliver Langmead͛s Noir Sci-Fi novel, ͚Dark Star͛, I found a city where light is as precious a
commodity as water.
Vox is a dark city that͛s filled with ghosts, those people who are addicted to light. Those who are
starved and need its glow.
People trudge along their lives and some fall into the madness of the dark sun plaguing their skies.
Into this setting we meet Virgil Yorke, a washed-up cop addicted to a drug called Prometheus or
colloquially known as ͚Pro͛. Virgil is a hero with scars both within and out; haunted by the memory of
his biggest case and the death of a loved one.
In the streets of Vox, the body of Vivian North, a murdered young woman is found. Nothing unusual
about that except from the fact that her blood glows white, almost as though it͛s made of light.
It falls to Virgil and his partner Dante to investigate the murder, but then One of the three hearts
(ancient artefacts/machines that power the city) is stolen and Virgil is called upon again, to solve the
mystery and retrieve it.
To begin with I wasn͛t sure if I would enjoy this story, looking at the previous reviews did not fill me
with confidence, but I still decided to give it a go.
And I͛m glad I did.
I really loved the atmosphere the author created, noir almost in its literal sense. I felt the despair,
the craving that the citizens of Vox felt for the light that was long denied them by their ineffective
sun.
Somehow the novel felt as though it was both slow and fast paced.
The main character seemed to hardly get any rest and that came across quite clearly, as the hero
was thrown from one parulis situation to the next.
Add to that was the poetic introspection of the character as well as the almost lyrical descriptions;
reinforced the idea that the novel was both progressing at a slow and at breakneck speed. What I
call slow speed…
Virgil York is a flawed hero who does not consider himself a hero.
Initially I thought that there was going to be a major character arc that would lead the protagonist to
abandon his addiction, but oh how mistaken I was.
As he travelled through Vox, I travelled through Vox; as he felt the madness, I felt the madness, the
yearning for the light.
Every twist and turn made me wonder further about this world. One thing I do appreciate is when an
author adds little titbits of information about the world as the story progress͛s. And Langmead does
that all throughout.
We learn a little bit about the history of Vox, it͛s inhabitants and their society.
In the end, the story came full circle leaving the reader almost spent as if returning back to
mundanity.
I was fascinated by that world and haunted almost felt nostalgia for that strange world in shades of
black and grey.
I would also like to add that Toby Longworth; the narrator of the audiobook did a brilliant job. His
voice added that extra washed-up tiredness to the main character. It is largely because of his dark
hardboiled stile of narration that I enjoyed the story as much as I did.
Somehow, he managed to make every character sound distinct without particularly changing his
accent or overcompensating in the voice acting department.
This is a solid 4 stars for me.
In Oliver Langmead͛s Noir Sci-Fi novel, ͚Dark Star͛, I found a city where light is as precious a
commodity as water.
Vox is a dark city that͛s filled with ghosts, those people who are addicted to light. Those who are
starved and need its glow.
People trudge along their lives and some fall into the madness of the dark sun plaguing their skies.
Into this setting we meet Virgil Yorke, a washed-up cop addicted to a drug called Prometheus or
colloquially known as ͚Pro͛. Virgil is a hero with scars both within and out; haunted by the memory of
his biggest case and the death of a loved one.
In the streets of Vox, the body of Vivian North, a murdered young woman is found. Nothing unusual
about that except from the fact that her blood glows white, almost as though it͛s made of light.
It falls to Virgil and his partner Dante to investigate the murder, but then One of the three hearts
(ancient artefacts/machines that power the city) is stolen and Virgil is called upon again, to solve the
mystery and retrieve it.
To begin with I wasn͛t sure if I would enjoy this story, looking at the previous reviews did not fill me
with confidence, but I still decided to give it a go.
And I͛m glad I did.
I really loved the atmosphere the author created, noir almost in its literal sense. I felt the despair,
the craving that the citizens of Vox felt for the light that was long denied them by their ineffective
sun.
Somehow the novel felt as though it was both slow and fast paced.
The main character seemed to hardly get any rest and that came across quite clearly, as the hero
was thrown from one parulis situation to the next.
Add to that was the poetic introspection of the character as well as the almost lyrical descriptions;
reinforced the idea that the novel was both progressing at a slow and at breakneck speed. What I
call slow speed…
Virgil York is a flawed hero who does not consider himself a hero.
Initially I thought that there was going to be a major character arc that would lead the protagonist to
abandon his addiction, but oh how mistaken I was.
As he travelled through Vox, I travelled through Vox; as he felt the madness, I felt the madness, the
yearning for the light.
Every twist and turn made me wonder further about this world. One thing I do appreciate is when an
author adds little titbits of information about the world as the story progress͛s. And Langmead does
that all throughout.
We learn a little bit about the history of Vox, it͛s inhabitants and their society.
In the end, the story came full circle leaving the reader almost spent as if returning back to
mundanity.
I was fascinated by that world and haunted almost felt nostalgia for that strange world in shades of
black and grey.
I would also like to add that Toby Longworth; the narrator of the audiobook did a brilliant job. His
voice added that extra washed-up tiredness to the main character. It is largely because of his dark
hardboiled stile of narration that I enjoyed the story as much as I did.
Somehow, he managed to make every character sound distinct without particularly changing his
accent or overcompensating in the voice acting department.
This is a solid 4 stars for me.
moirwyn's review against another edition
4.0
This review originally appeared on my blog, Books Without Any Pictures:
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/2015/09/14/dark-star-by-oliver-langmead/
Unsung Stories is a small press based in the UK dedicated to publishing weird fiction. Dark Star by Oliver Langmead is a perfect example–it’s a science fiction noir novel written in verse. Yes, you read that correctly. It’s a strange and wonderful mashup of genres.
Dark Star is set on the planet Vox, which is in utter darkness. Life on Vox is made possible by three Hearts, which serve as generators and supply a limited amount of power to the cities. Light is a precious commodity, and even the most common drug is a form of liquid light.
Virgil Yorke is an addict. He’s your stereotypical washed up cop, equal parts genius and complete trainwreck. When a body of a young woman is found with her veins filled with liquid light, Virgil bumbles around and tries to makes sense of it. Then, one of the Hearts that powers the city is stolen, and Virgil is transferred to that case. However, he slowly realizes that the two incidents are connected, and that there is all on Vox is not as it seems.
Dark Star was like nothing I’ve ever read before. It’s definitely experimental, and not without flaws. For example, I felt that there wasn’t adequate explanation as to how a planet covered in darkness can sustain the crops necessary for human life. There’s a necessary suspension of disbelief for it to work at all. But in spite of that, I was amazed by the sheer creativity of the story and the way that the genres blended together. Dark Star gritty, visual, and surreal, and well worth the read.
http://bookswithoutanypictures.com/2015/09/14/dark-star-by-oliver-langmead/
Unsung Stories is a small press based in the UK dedicated to publishing weird fiction. Dark Star by Oliver Langmead is a perfect example–it’s a science fiction noir novel written in verse. Yes, you read that correctly. It’s a strange and wonderful mashup of genres.
Dark Star is set on the planet Vox, which is in utter darkness. Life on Vox is made possible by three Hearts, which serve as generators and supply a limited amount of power to the cities. Light is a precious commodity, and even the most common drug is a form of liquid light.
Virgil Yorke is an addict. He’s your stereotypical washed up cop, equal parts genius and complete trainwreck. When a body of a young woman is found with her veins filled with liquid light, Virgil bumbles around and tries to makes sense of it. Then, one of the Hearts that powers the city is stolen, and Virgil is transferred to that case. However, he slowly realizes that the two incidents are connected, and that there is all on Vox is not as it seems.
Dark Star was like nothing I’ve ever read before. It’s definitely experimental, and not without flaws. For example, I felt that there wasn’t adequate explanation as to how a planet covered in darkness can sustain the crops necessary for human life. There’s a necessary suspension of disbelief for it to work at all. But in spite of that, I was amazed by the sheer creativity of the story and the way that the genres blended together. Dark Star gritty, visual, and surreal, and well worth the read.
sumeetv's review against another edition
5.0
I can't recall the last time I read a poem quite this long. Langmead blends traditional noir beats with novel science fiction concepts in verse that has its own haunting moments. Each of the three major components is fine in isolation, but the way Langmead weaves them all together results in a story oozing with character and a suffocating atmosphere. While it isn't for everyone, Dark Star is a relatively light read with a fairly straightforward plot. If you like noir detective stories, bursts of dramatic poetry, and science fiction in general, you owe it to yourself to read this thoroughly enjoyable work.
robhughes's review against another edition
4.0
A life without the sun and a murder to solve, the life and times of a detective hooked to some sort of glowing crack, double-crosses galore and a lot of authorial ambition, mostly successful.
gerbilreads's review against another edition
5.0
One of the most innovative and intense novels I've ever read, this was an absolute dark delight.
nobodyatall's review against another edition
4.0
this is brilliant.
the most original and inventive SciFi I have read in ages, not for the story, but for how it is presented. 218 pages all in iambic pentameter like some Shakespearean epic.. wonderfully refreshing to read.
I will be nominating this for the 2016 Hugo awards.
the most original and inventive SciFi I have read in ages, not for the story, but for how it is presented. 218 pages all in iambic pentameter like some Shakespearean epic.. wonderfully refreshing to read.
I will be nominating this for the 2016 Hugo awards.
trish204's review
5.0
So this is an author I had never heard of before. The novel was suggested because of its unusual form (the entire story is told as a poem which you don't see too often, especially nowadays).
The story is rather simple: a girl from an upper class family is found dead, her entire blood exchanged for a luminous drug. A detective is trying to solve the case, hindered by his own addiction and some outside circumstances.
Except for the luminous drug, this could be your run-of-the-mill crime noir story. And to some extend it is. However, there IS the scifi element to consider what with this most definitely not happening on Earth () and the science behind the drug / society.
Add to that the fact that this entire novel is a poem, as mentioned before, and you get one hell of a combination. True, the poetic form didn't shine through too much in the audio version I went for (it's not your typical rhyming poetry so it sounded as if the detective of a movie was telling you his story of this particular case), but the book was so good that that only made me consider getting the printed edition. And yes, the gorgeous cover is adding to that desire.
Don't let the shortness of my review mislead you: this was a very fun and entertaining read and the writing style flowed nicely and was beautiful. But I also don't want to give away too much, instead you need to experience the story and its form of delivery for yourself.
The story is rather simple: a girl from an upper class family is found dead, her entire blood exchanged for a luminous drug. A detective is trying to solve the case, hindered by his own addiction and some outside circumstances.
Except for the luminous drug, this could be your run-of-the-mill crime noir story. And to some extend it is. However, there IS the scifi element to consider what with this most definitely not happening on Earth (
Spoiler
unless this is all a metaphor for hell - everything is up for interpretation in this book, I chose the alien planetAdd to that the fact that this entire novel is a poem, as mentioned before, and you get one hell of a combination. True, the poetic form didn't shine through too much in the audio version I went for (it's not your typical rhyming poetry so it sounded as if the detective of a movie was telling you his story of this particular case), but the book was so good that that only made me consider getting the printed edition. And yes, the gorgeous cover is adding to that desire.
Don't let the shortness of my review mislead you: this was a very fun and entertaining read and the writing style flowed nicely and was beautiful. But I also don't want to give away too much, instead you need to experience the story and its form of delivery for yourself.
dtaylorbooks's review
5.0
The beginning of the book was discombobulating and I’m glad I peeked at a couple reviews before getting too far in because it was there I found out the story was in verse. In my digital version it just looked like a really poorly edited, poorly structured mess. Well, that solved that problem. Moving along.
DARK STAR jumps right into the story so you’re left to orient yourself in this new world as you read but it doesn’t take all that long to do it. For a while, as I was reading, I was torn on what I was taking in. I just didn’t know how I felt about it, about the world, about everything going on. But as the story came to a close it really bloomed on me and I ended up liking it quite a bit.
With just a hint of pulp this crime thriller of a book is dirty and gritty and the protagonist is a grody anti-hero if I’ve ever seen one but he’s easy enough to get on board with. That’s not to say he’s all that likable. Virgil is rash and a junkie of the worst order that just barely has his life together but as the story goes on you watch him pull himself back together piece by piece and you end up developing this cheer for him, that you want him to succeed. And then the ending happened.
The world is an interesting one and the answer to the overarching question of who stole the Heart is shocking and dastardly and fascinating all wrapped up in the same torn bubble. There are some holes in it (lack of a nuclear winter, inability to farm with synthetic light being in short supply to the point where people learn how to read by braille because seeing books to read them is too much of a luxury) but it’s still a vivid world despite all of it’s darkness. Even toward the end, when the veil is lifted for just a moment, Langmead shows you the grit and gross of what’s really around them before the veil is dropped again. For how short the book was, and for how few words were used, it’s an incredibly rich world.
And the ending? It’s . . . disheartening. Sad. Kills hope a little. Despite that, though, it rounds out the book nicely and is more indicative of reality than a more red-bow-on-top ending would have been. I’ll spoil it if I say much more than that but you’ll get your closure even though you might not want it.
DARK STAR was a surprisingly good read. Not like I was expecting it to be bad. It’s just one of those books that you need to let it sink in for a while after you read it. The more you think on it, the more you let yourself digest it, the more it moves in and burrows into your soul a little. The structure of the poetry is completely lost on me because it was all messed up in my digital edition so I can’t say how well that played into the story itself. But it was still good without it. I recommend it. It’s a novella, really, and with it being a poem you’ll fly through it although I recommend against that. Read it and let it really sink in. You’ll get the most out of it that way.
4.5
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
DARK STAR jumps right into the story so you’re left to orient yourself in this new world as you read but it doesn’t take all that long to do it. For a while, as I was reading, I was torn on what I was taking in. I just didn’t know how I felt about it, about the world, about everything going on. But as the story came to a close it really bloomed on me and I ended up liking it quite a bit.
With just a hint of pulp this crime thriller of a book is dirty and gritty and the protagonist is a grody anti-hero if I’ve ever seen one but he’s easy enough to get on board with. That’s not to say he’s all that likable. Virgil is rash and a junkie of the worst order that just barely has his life together but as the story goes on you watch him pull himself back together piece by piece and you end up developing this cheer for him, that you want him to succeed. And then the ending happened.
The world is an interesting one and the answer to the overarching question of who stole the Heart is shocking and dastardly and fascinating all wrapped up in the same torn bubble. There are some holes in it (lack of a nuclear winter, inability to farm with synthetic light being in short supply to the point where people learn how to read by braille because seeing books to read them is too much of a luxury) but it’s still a vivid world despite all of it’s darkness. Even toward the end, when the veil is lifted for just a moment, Langmead shows you the grit and gross of what’s really around them before the veil is dropped again. For how short the book was, and for how few words were used, it’s an incredibly rich world.
And the ending? It’s . . . disheartening. Sad. Kills hope a little. Despite that, though, it rounds out the book nicely and is more indicative of reality than a more red-bow-on-top ending would have been. I’ll spoil it if I say much more than that but you’ll get your closure even though you might not want it.
DARK STAR was a surprisingly good read. Not like I was expecting it to be bad. It’s just one of those books that you need to let it sink in for a while after you read it. The more you think on it, the more you let yourself digest it, the more it moves in and burrows into your soul a little. The structure of the poetry is completely lost on me because it was all messed up in my digital edition so I can’t say how well that played into the story itself. But it was still good without it. I recommend it. It’s a novella, really, and with it being a poem you’ll fly through it although I recommend against that. Read it and let it really sink in. You’ll get the most out of it that way.
4.5
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.