Customer Reviews

Dark Within

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4 star:		(2)
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This is a wonderful first solo for John Wooley. The writing is so personable I felt as if I were part of the cast of characters as the story unfolded around me. The perfect balance of compassion and terror take the reader on a roller coaster ride through the sterile advancement of human technology without ever letting go of your hand. I found myself fearful of what would happen next yet engrossed enough to carry on to the end. I won't soon forget the people and events that took place in this book and I feel it's only a matter of time before it comes true... unless it already has...

John Wooley's voice and style are calm and quiet. No screaming. No blood. No bodies being ripped apart. In a rural setting, with average people, a horror comes visiting. A stranger in a coffin-like box that he promises never to leave, if he can only park in their yard, garden, or barn. Although Kard may be strange, he may not be entirely a stranger.

For $100 a week, Jim Douglas and his friends, living in a rural area near Claremore, Okla., agree to let Kard stay in corners of their properties. Inside the box, nothing is visible except Kard, in his jogging outfit, and blackness behind him, punctuated by small pinpoints of white light.

In spite of his promise to never leave the box, his presence begins to intrude into their lives. Suddenly his image appears on the children's computer monitor. Deborah Douglas is sure that she knows him from somewhere, sometime, and the possibility that she remembers him, seems to disturb Kard. Then, people begin disappearing. The reality of what's inside the box must be determined before the Douglases and their friends can rid themselves of Kard's presence. But the stranger is in control and they don't know how to fight him.

Readers who enjoy this and other of Wooley's horror novels might also enjoy Ash Wednesday and Soul Storm by Chet Williamson.

Great read! I found this to be an utterly fresh horror novel, a new approach for a new century. Wooley sets his tale along America's backroads, where danger spreads like the latest craze, unchecked by city suspicions. It's a brilliantly apt metaphor for the creeping change that takes us all unaware and corrupts our freedom. Wooley's unique voice lends his story a powerful sense of place. His vivid characters are a constant delight, drawn with unfailing wit and humanity. The conflicts they struggle with are as much within themselves as with the sinister Man in the Box, so I was always wondering what they would do next. As it speeds toward its devastating finale, this ultra-modern blend of new world tech and old world wisdom seems to ask a discomfiting question: Can we resist what we can't understand?

I'm always sceptical about new authors and usually stay with my favorites (ie. Robert McGammon, Dean Koonz, Sheri Tepper, Robin Cook, etc). This book was a VERY pleasant surprise. This story grabs you up front and the plot doesn't lag . If you like good characters and are looking for a new author- try this book! I'm already waiting for John Wooley's next book. If you like Dean Koonz, Stephen King, and other fantasy/science fiction/horror stories- you'll probably like this one.