Customer Reviews

The Dark Splendor

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

This is a really different kind of thriller. I don't want to even try to describe it except to say that I couldn't stop reading it and it pushed nearly every one of my buttons. I should add that there's some squirm-making scenes of graphic gore and violence. Then, strangely, the book would soar into Siddhartha-like flights of poetry and esoteric introspection. It's been weeks and scenes from the book still flash into my mind every day. Highly recommended!

I like a good intricate read, something that pulses with energy and makes me race through the pages. The problem is that there are never enough of them around. I also like a book that pushes my imagination and makes me think. This book is in a class by itself. It's reminiscent of the works of Richard Laymon, early Clive Barker and early Steven King; both of the last two are terrible these days and not worth reading any more. This writer blows them off the map.

At first you think it's just an ordinary crime novel with a lot of salacious touches. It's gritty and dark and well-written enough to have succeeded very well in this regard. There is also a good dose of gallows humor and wry sardonic insights. But as the book expands you find that you are not where you thought you were and that you are going somewhere you never expected to be.

There's reincarnation, a horrific Satanist (I don't know what else to call him), a holy man from the east and a number of other characters to flesh out the plot. I read the book in two days. It was very difficult to put down. I found myself always wanting to know what was next and that is a quality all of the better books possess.

On the downside the print was small and there were more typos than I have seen in awhile. It's hard to understand why something this well written was so poorly edited. I only give it four stars because of these distractions. Otherwise, it's just great.

This is one of the most refreshingly different books I have read in years. The author has an original style that makes the book all the more enjoyable. I can't wait for his next one.

I'm a novel freak and I expecially like risk taking in style and subject matter. This book is very hard to define. It's part Steppenwolf, part Moonchild and part I don't know what. The writer has an awesome grasp of occult principles which he translates very well into common experiences. You're reading a crime novel that might have been done by George Pelecanos if he was on psychedelics.

There's some of the best cop humor I've ever seen and some ugly villains. The nasty parts comes across almost cimematically a la Quenton Tarrantino. You're crusing along through noir territory when you suddelny fall through a trap door into another reality altogether. It's the writers ability to make this work that adds so much real enjoyment to reading the book.

There's so much going on it's impossible to give a real idea of what happens, except to say that you've got realistic martial arts encounters; farting beer guzzling druggie serial killers, a Hannibal Lecter type of criminal mastermind with all kinds of psychic power, an immortal Tibetan spiritual master, a sexy teenage girl, a reincarnated New Orleans psychic detective, a Hawaiian mass murderer. You see what I mean and I haven't listed half of them.

There were some printing errors early on that were surprising considering how well the book was written but they soon faded. For all I know they continued but I was so glued to the book that I didn't notice anything after that. After I read this book I immediately read it again, that's how good it was.

At a certain point you wind up asking yourself how is he going to resolve all of this. A lot of books fall apart at a certain point where the writer has gotten himself into a bind or has become impatient. this didn't happen. The book ends in one of those scenarios you'd like to see on the screen. This book begs to have a movie made out of it.

If you are looking for something wild and different this is the book. As outrageous as some of the scenes are; at one point the Village People appear on a table with centipede pincers and attack the main character, it never seems contrived or unbelievable. There's an old school style to the writing that isn't in evidence much these days. I liked that feature a lot.

You get the impression that the writer has lived a lot of what he writes about, though it hardly seems possible. When I read the back of the book jacket and saw that he'd been locked up in prisons and mental institutions I wasn't a bit surprised.

This is definitely worth the money and you will find yourself reading it several times. You can't possibly get it all on the first read through. More, please!!!

Not unless you are thinking In Cold Blood on some kind of drugs. I would have given this book a better rating but all the spiritual stuff left me cold. I'm not into that kind of thing. Otherwise this is a hard, freaky trip. Some of the scenes were like nothing I ever came across before. I wouldn't want to run into the guy who wrote this in a dark alley. I got scared several times while I was reading this book. The last time that happened was when I read The Shining. The spiritual stuff was confusing except when it involved the villan Billy Joe. This is one of the most twisted characters I've come across. There's a teenage girl in this book that is sure to be the cause of a few errections. I don't know. I can't describe it very well. It's different, It's way, way different. I'm going to have to read it again though. It's pretty dense in places. other times it's like being in a fast car on bad drugs while the devil is driving.

There is a saying about how one shouldn't judge a book by its cover, and so I guess shouldn't judge a book by its interior design, either. However, this is unfortunately what I must do when it comes to The Dark Splendor. But more on that later.

Lev Visible, who according to the back of the book "lives somewhere in Europe with his wife Susanne and his memories", has written a book that is part crime novel and part occult thriller about higher powers, black magicians, astral journeys, reincarnation, drugs, sex, serial killers, and true friendship. I usually hate crime novels with a passion - I have nor the time nor the interest in reading about a hardboiled cop who never rests until the villains are behind bars or six feet under - but The Dark Splendor really did fascinate me, and I really, REALLY, like reading it.

Not only is Les Visible a very skilled author, who masters the art of creating interesting characters, he also knows how to make a supernatural story sound very convincing, and even though it takes quite a while before you have a clue of what's really going on it still never feels like a dull and uninteresting read. It might not be very exciting all the time, but it still never becomes boring, and the frustration you might feel from not understanding it works strangely enough as a spark of inspiration for you to keep reading. Les Visible knows his occultism, and there's no shortage of religious/occult discussions and theories throughout the 288 pages of the book.

But, there is a MAJOR flaw with The Dark Splendor, and this flaw is so great that what could have been an amazing experience now becomes a somewhat dull and everyday event. Yes, it's very true that a book shouldn't be judged by its cover, but the interior design is a different matter al together. And The Dark Splendor could use some serious editing... The type-face is microscopically small, and to some that might not sound very troublesome, but fact remains that the book becomes incredibly difficult to read, and I cannot even begin to imagine what the publisher thought of when the book was designed this way. It's truly awful, and even though I don't regret reading it- it is, after all, a very good story - it makes me mad to think that I could have had a much better time doing it if only the design had been different.

There is a saying about how one shouldn't judge a book by its cover, and so I guess shouldn't judge a book by its interior design, either. However, this is unfortunately what I must do when it comes to The Dark Splendor. But more on that later.

Lev Visible, who according to the back of the book "lives somewhere in Europe with his wife Susanne and his memories", has written a book that is part crime novel and part occult thriller about higher powers, black magicians, astral journeys, reincarnation, drugs, sex, serial killers, and true friendship. I usually hate crime novels with a passion - I have nor the time nor the interest in reading about a hardboiled cop who never rests until the villains are behind bars or six feet under - but The Dark Splendor really did fascinate me, and I really, REALLY, like reading it.

Not only is Les Visible a very skilled author, who masters the art of creating interesting characters, he also knows how to make a supernatural story sound very convincing, and even though it takes quite a while before you have a clue of what's really going on it still never feels like a dull and uninteresting read. It might not be very exciting all the time, but it still never becomes boring, and the frustration you might feel from not understanding it works strangely enough as a spark of inspiration for you to keep reading. Les Visible knows his occultism, and there's no shortage of religious/occult discussions and theories throughout the 288 pages of the book.

But, there is a MAJOR flaw with The Dark Splendor, and this flaw is so great that what could have been an amazing experience now becomes a somewhat dull and everyday event. Yes, it's very true that a book shouldn't be judged by its cover, but the interior design is a different matter al together. And The Dark Splendor could use some serious editing... The type-face is microscopically small, and to some that might not sound very troublesome, but fact remains that the book becomes incredibly difficult to read, and I cannot even begin to imagine what the publisher thought of when the book was designed this way. It's truly awful, and even though I don't regret reading it- it is, after all, a very good story - it makes me mad to think that I could have had a much better time doing it if only the design had been different.

Seldom if ever have I found a writer who so deeply understands the workings of evil, not just the external manifestations but the internal thought processes. Obviously Mr Visible has been around. Forensic psychologists might do well to study the insights into the minds of both stupid and brilliant predatory psychopaths presented here.

This story moves, from the first page to the last. The few cliches employed, such as the semi-retired NYC detective who would really rather get away from it all but is drawn in due to personal involvement, are forgivable for the genre and handled well.

What is most striking about the story is the way Visible has blended the esoteric and mystical into a hard-boiled murder mystery. Again, this is not a shallow gloss of the subject, he obviously knows his way around the spiritual realms as well as he does the seamy side of things.

If you think you can figure out who the real bad guys are in this one, good luck; the ending surely took me by surprise. Five stars for originality and hiding the clues in the open.

Les Visible is a great essayist and songwriter, and reading this only adds to my respect for his talents. Because of his uncompromising political and spiritual views, he has gathered some detractors who have tried to flame this work of his. They are immature morons. Enough said.
I got in trouble too for not putting this book down. It grabs you quickly and you find yourself immediately involved with the characters and their masterfully portrayed humanity (or absolute inhumanity!). This is not a book for the squeamish, and I found myself challenged by the graphic descriptions of the crimes. But this is Les really describing some of today's hidden hellish realities, both on a physical and metaphysical level. Actually, we know within ourselves that these things have been going on for a very long time, but we don't want to look at them. The final outcome of the battle which the characters are involved in can naturally only be resolved spiritually, and Les develops this in a breath-taking manner, light-years apart from the cliched 'new-age'perspective.
Highly recommended.

This book was HOT!!! I started it and didn't stop until I was done...16 hours straight! That's how RIVETING it was...It's UNNERVING, it's FRIGHTENING, it's PERCEPTIVE, it's REVOLTING in its HONESTY...It soars the inner air currents of humanity...it speaks to those who are open to new ideas and ways of SEEING what's going on around us...It's exhilarating...it's RAVENOUS...it's HORRIFIC...it will crawl up your spine into your MIND, and it will worm itself deep down to reveal its inner workings to you! It's a GREAT book; worth every second! The style is spiritually seductive...intellectually stimulating....characteristically crafty...and YOU WILL LEARN SOMETHING!!! Zellie.

Absolutely a great read. I caused a bit of trouble with my spouse over the time I spent on the computer reading a book! Very detailed and not for the squeamish. Quite a contrast between good and evil in the most thought provoking way.