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A review by theaurochs
Dark Star by Oliver Langmead
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