Customer Reviews

Angel of Darkness (Key Books)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The book is like eating bag of tasty chips -- the first few euphoric bites entice you to devour more & more till nothing is left and when peering at bottom of the now-empty bag, you get a not-so-good-feeling in the pit of your stomach of a having eaten an unsatisfactory meal.

The book's first few chapters about an evil song made up from screams and sufferings of human beings hooked me in like a good "Twilight Zone" episode and I was intrigued at this original preimise but like someone else mentioned, I eventually felt the characters were wooden and plot twists predicatable leaving me feeling a bit cheated out of a potentially very good story. While I won't give away the ending, it would have been nice if De Lint played more with the sonic aspect of his plot. Aside from the opening chapters, this aspect of the plot was ignored.

In anycase this was my first De Lint book, and I've heard great things about him so I'm optimistic that his other books will be better. While I don't recommend this one, there was enough spark here to make me consider reading his other Samuel Key books

I always have to wonder about the minds of the authors who can come up with such diabolically deranged characters; characters like Chad Baker. Chad ran a recording studio out of his basement, and also helped a number of runaways survive, either breaking into the music scene, or going home. Then he came up with one very twisted idea, and those runaways began to be recorded as they were tortured. Pain creating a very interesting series of notes and sounds to Chad, notes which he then put together into something which became far more dangerous than a simple experiment. Perhaps it isn't wise to fool with death, and the sounds of inconsolable pain of so many different types, but it was something Chad felt he had to do. Blended in with this was some genuine singing and other sounds which can be acquired in asylums and hospitals, all culminating in a symphony of horror.

Using current technology, Chad finally put all the sound bits together and then played the painful music back for himself. The outcome of such a composition was unknown, but not for long. When you dabble in the pain and anguish of others, sooner or later it will seek you out. Chad's music unleashed a horror upon the streets of Ottawa that should never have come to light, a horror so unknown and inexplicable that normal methods would never be adequate for destroying it. When the "Angel of Darkness" is called forth, she destroys Chad and the police are called to the scene by a private eye who'd been looking for Chad's last victim.

It is a horrible scene, but unfortunately for humanity it is an ugly part of reality, for there are those who prey on the young and the helpless in our society. The officers who attend the scene all find their lives changed, as they keep slipping in and out of this reality into a far bleaker one. One where it looks as if a nuclear bomb has been dropped and they are not safe. These people and those close to them begin to pop in and out of sight unexpectedly, and when they return, they are usually corpses. The police are mystified, and have no idea who or what is behind this, and the measures that are taken to destroy this evil walking the streets of Ottawa are quite fascinating.

Samuel weaves together a tight plot filled with darkness and horror, with only a glimmer of hope shining as a beacon for some memorable characters. Characters who resemble any number of people you might know or meet, characters who are wholly believable and human, characters who may not survive hearing the music. In all of us there is some past or present hurt we have caused to another - however unintentional it may have been - will this come back to haunt us someday? Samuel seems to think it may...

And for those of you who don't know it, Samuel M. Key is actually a pseudonym for Canadian fantasist Charles de Lint. Two other titles have been published under this name, and they are "From a Whisper to a Scream" and "I'll be Watching You."

Review Previously Posted at www.linearreflections.com

When I picked up this book I already knew that this was a project De Lint had used to convey a 'darker side' of his fantasy endeavors. While its the first of his books that I've read under the pen name Samuel M. Key, it didn't seem unlike many of De Lint's other novels in his writing style.

With his descriptive scenes and character development, it was easy to see that this was, without a doubt, CdL at his finest. The story throws you quickly into the gut-wrenching myriad of details of murder, fear, peril and distinct sorrow. While the book, itself, is fantasy, the real life issues that this book is based on are far from fiction. CdL never fails to bring the issues he feels important right to your nose by exposing the gruesome truth of child abduction, abuse and survival.

The story was compelling and I held on right to the very end, however, I had very little time to get emotionally attached to any of the characters because of the length of the book and its fast-paced style. As stated before, the author's ability to weave a tale of fantasy into the believable is uncanny and he has a way with getting down to the nitty-gritty details that just might make you a bit uncomfortable if you've got a weak stomach and a strong imagination. The imagery is haunting and the book is a definite page-turner.

My complaint is in the length of the book and the ending that appeared to fizzle out. It was almost as though the author had gotten his point across and therefore felt it unnecessary to continue on with the aftermath of the thriller he had written. It left something to be desired but it was no less a good read because of it. With De Lint's incredible ability to bring Urban Fantasy that 'real world possibility' feel, I felt it worth the lack-luster ending to get through it.

Charles de Lint states in the beginning of the book that his pen name was his ability to portray the darker side of his mind. Perhaps delving into the deep recesses of horror is not one of his strengths, as I still feel tied to his more fantasy-oriented novels, the book 'Angel of Darkness' is still a good read.

If you enjoy De Lint's style and storytelling you will, no doubt, enjoy this book. His storytelling ability shines through and grips readers from page one. Be prepared, however, to touch on subjects you've never seen before from the dark corners of Charles De Lint's mind.

A different side to a familiar author, this book is much darker than the usual De Lint novel. True to its author, however, it captures you with the same pull that so many of his books do. It is very evident that this is a book that De Lint felt he needed to write, "to get it out of his system" so to speak, and the finish is rather abrupt. Even so, it shows his versatility as an author, describing with vivid detail the more gruesome aspects that his other novels only allude to. I still would recommend it to De Lint fans, but perhaps not quite as appropriate for younger readers. Don't read it when alone or before going to sleep, though!

How are 'angels' made? Is it perception? Chuck Baker, described as an angel of the Ottawa music scene, is also a serial killer. While he helps some young musicians, a particular few he keeps--and records their dying screams. What he unleashes from this is an Angel of Darkness--and an Angel of Pain. The book is eerie and somewhat wooden, but still a good, fast paced read.

A good Dark Twisted Scifi Novel, Not for the timid. Suggested as an adult Read (Rated R).

After purchasing and collecting so many of Charles De Lint's urban fantasy books, reading Angel Of Darkness and From A Whisper To A Scream, it was hard for me to imagine Charles De Lint writing these books, so different where they, but don't get me wrong, I LOVED them! It's just that it didn't seem like him. Really good and exciting books. I'm glad I read them!

After reading all other reviews, I was eager to read this one. Now I'm left to ask myself what all the hype was about. I found the characters to be very wooden and the dialogue completely unbelievable. Everyone was either really really good or really really evil with no texture or subtlety. Still, DeLint used some good devices. He then proceeded to run them into the ground and use slight variations on the same scene over and over.

Angel of Darkness was originally published in the early 90s under the byline Samuel M Key. Since it has been republished under de Lint's name, I decided to reread it.

It is just as good now as it was then. Sure, some of the pop culture references are amusing (like that unknown singer that one of the heroines is listening to, k d Lang), but beyond that is a creepy tale about a musician who tortured people to create a music of pain (using their recorded screams), and unleashes what is basically a Fury on the world.

The private detective hunting for a missing girl, the cops who respond to the scene, the detective's sister and her friends start finding themselves dragged into an alternate version of their city that looks like something apocalyptic in their sleep, where they are hunted by the Fury.

Everything focuses on the sister's roomate, a woman being hunted by her abusive husband. And even in the reread, one death in particular still manages to catch me off-guard.

A book that has definitely held up well over the last 10+ years.

From the basement of a madman an angel drifts forth, a manisfestation of the evil and torture of his victums. Those who see it, and the police that investigate his home, and those nearby, all start having visions and dreams. Only these dreams are all too real as some go to sleep in their bed and wake up, if they're lucky and don't die in the dreamland, somewhere else. It's like they're sleep walking but they actually disappear from our reality while they're dreaming. I won't tell you about the angel; you should read this book and be scared like I was when I read about her, and too when you start to consider the ramifications of where Mr. de Lint is leading us all in that psyche of horror hidden in our imaginations. No this isn't standard de Lint fare, but it is extremely interesting and very well written. Let us all hope there will be more tomes along this line from him. Yes, he's a great fantasy writer, but dare I say he is an even better writer within this genre. This book is a must read. All of his Key books are a must read. Enjoy!