The Darkening [Mass Market Paperback]

Chandler McGrew (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 29, 2004

IT BEGINS WITH A BLACKOUT.

All electrical power ceases to run. Even the sun seems a little dimmer. Cities come to a halt. And then their inhabitants vanish.

But a small, clandestine group of warriors has been preparing for this moment for centuries. Their hopes rest on two strangers, a thousand miles apart, who hold the keys to the world’s salvation: Dylan Barnes, a martial arts instructor who teaches his students the art of inner balance but is plagued by shadows only he can see and voices muttering in a language only he can hear; and Lucy Devereau, a private investigator who earns a living by prying into the lives of others but is haunted by her own birthright–and the mystery of her true parents.

The world around them–our world–is slipping into darkness. Now, as fate and blood push them to the front lines of an extraordinary battle, Lucy and Dylan must stare into the face of something ancient, something impossible, something that has come to blot out the light–forever.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

McGrew's creative, addictive novel is one part Rapture drama, one part Lovecraftian horror story and one part blood-soaked chase. Two years after the death of his wife, karate instructor Dylan Barnes begins hearing voices in his house; shortly thereafter, two policemen arrive to tell him that his wife's coffin has been exhumed and stolen. Dylan senses there's something strange about the policemen, and his suspicion is confirmed when an enigmatic killer named Crank, who works for the ancient secret society Rex Deus, arrives to rescue him from the increasingly menacing officers. Meanwhile, two mysterious agents rescue private detective Lucy Devereau, whose lineage clearly contains some enormous secret. Before long, electricity fails, people begin disappearing and the protagonists find themselves in a George Romero-flavored nightmare with just enough gore to delight horror readers, and just enough quasi-religious apocalypse imagery to keep everyone else hooked. "Mysterious" is a good word to describe this book, which reveals its secrets slowly and in small increments. But McGrew (Night Terror) keeps the pacing brisk and eschews overly florid prose, making this a thrilling one-sit read, right down to its explosive, delightfully hokey finale.
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From the Inside Flap

IT BEGINS WITH A BLACKOUT.

All electrical power ceases to run. Even the sun seems a little dimmer. Cities come to a halt. And then their inhabitants vanish.

But a small, clandestine group of warriors has been preparing for this moment for centuries. Their hopes rest on two strangers, a thousand miles apart, who hold the keys to the world’s salvation: Dylan Barnes, a martial arts instructor who teaches his students the art of inner balance but is plagued by shadows only he can see and voices muttering in a language only he can hear; and Lucy Devereau, a private investigator who earns a living by prying into the lives of others but is haunted by her own birthright–and the mystery of her true parents.

The world around them–our world–is slipping into darkness. Now, as fate and blood push them to the front lines of an extraordinary battle, Lucy and Dylan must stare into the face of something ancient, something impossible, something that has come to blot out the light–forever.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Dell (June 29, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553586033
• ISBN-13: 978-0553586039
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,938,516 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, June 13, 2005

By 

J. Foster (bellmawr, nj United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Darkening (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a bit of a hybrid when it comes to a horror novel. It reads more like a tom clancy with supernatural players in it not to mention some Lovecraft.The story centers around a man named Dylan that is plagued by awful dreams that he can't remember and he wake's up in a different part of his house not knowing how he got there.The other central character is Lucy who feel's as if she is missing something but doesn't know what.

The villains in this book are none other than lovecrafts old ones and the cult that worship them. Opposed is a group called rex deus who try to thwart them at every turn. Both groups want to get there hands on lucy and dylan. The old ones are trying to break through and only lucy and dylan can put a stop to them.

This novel is good but lacks genuine scares and relies more on action. Not that that is a bad thing but when i read a horror novel i want to be a little creeped out so that is my main complaint. Also the ending was abit of a let down when you consider where your being led throughout the book. I reccommend to most out there and i look forward to reading some more by this author.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Left Behind With Some Real Creepy Monsters, August 25, 2005

By 

Bob A. Reiss "Audiobook Reviews: The Guilded ... (Bensalem, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Darkening (Mass Market Paperback)

With a name this corny, it has to be good! Right? Nah, not really. The book is an interesting psuedo-religious twist of the rapture theme (mass disappearances) with elements of secret society paranoia. The book starts out developing the two main characters that unknowingly are destined to save the world. There are some interesting religious themes developed here, but this is far from a christian book. While the characters are interesting and well thought out, the action scenes get bogged down and confusing and the thrills and spills become a bit mundane. It's worthwhile reading, and at times an interesting story, but don't expect great literature here.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I've read worse, May 10, 2005

By 

M. Coddington "reviewer of stuff" (Kansas City, Missouri USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Darkening (Mass Market Paperback)

I won't go into specifics here but I have to say I was particularly disappointed. McGrew is a talented writer and the Rapture take he utilized was very original but he just couldn't seem to get to the point. It takes half of the book for anything of real interest to start to happen, three quarters to get exciting, and then...nuthin', he didn't even do a good job developing the characters. All in all this would have made a gripping, intense short story or novella, McGrew ruined it by using boring plot points as filler.