Death's Dominion [Mass Market Paperback]

Simon Clark (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the latest blood-soaked genre-tweeker from British novelist Clark (Darker), Mary Shelley's Frankenstein gets replayed inside-out, in a modern world where the dead are routinely brought back to life—larger, stronger and healthier, but intrinsically bound by two laws taken from Asimov: none of their kind—referred to as "monster"—may harm a human, or let a human come to harm due to their inaction. As the story begins, humans have called open season on monsters for reasons unknown. Escaping from a government raid, a small band of monsters stumble on a recently reborn man named Dominion, a confused hulk with human blood on his hands. The refugees quickly fall in line behind Dominion, appalled at the violence he's able and willing to commit against humans but powerless without him; indeed, apart from the bloodthirsty humans, the villains are those monsters ready to surrender to their "betters." Soon, the party of monsters have invaded a run-down village and taken over their cliffside castle, in thrall to a sketchy plan locked in Dominion's uncooperative brain. There's a political backstory that doesn't quite adhere, making quasiallegorical parallels to the Holocaust and the Israel-Palestine conflict less resonant. That aside, all the monster-burning, skull-crushing, village-razing, castle-raiding fun—along with a splash of sex and several buckets of gore—make for a satisfying son of Frankenstein. (Nov.)
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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 342 pages
• Publisher: Leisure Books (November 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0843954930
• ISBN-13: 978-0843954937
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,944,348 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Simon Clark is the author of the cult apocalyptic novel Blood Crazy: "everyone over the age of 19 has been driven murderously insane... children and teenagers flee for their lives..." His novels include Nailed By The Heart, Vampyrrhic, Whitby Vampyrrhic, Ghost Monster and a bloody fistful of others that earned accolades from magazines around the world. This from Hellnotes: 'Clark's is surely the most outrageous imagination to grace horror since the discovery of Clive Barker' And: 'I actually loved Blood Crazy. Not just liked it, but loved it.' A quote from Beyond.

Simon was raised in a family of story-tellers. One told of a human skull buried under the family's garage. Currently he lives in the North of England where Robin Hood once roamed, and where legends of monsters lurking in ponds and caves abound. 2010 sees the release of his latest novella, Humpty's Bones, from Telos Books.

For news and videos about Simon Clark and his grisly craft be sure to Google his name from time to time.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent, But Not Clark's Best Work, February 25, 2007

By 

Keith J. Kraemer "A fiend for horror" (Sheboygan, WI, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death's Dominion (Mass Market Paperback)

If there's one thing Simon Clark excels at, it's writing post-apocalyptic fiction. Here he offers us another stab at the genre, but in my mind's eye, this book falls a little shy of the author's potential.

Here we're given a re-imagining of the Frankenstein concept, brought to us so long ago by Mary Shelley. At an unspecified point in the future, science has unlocked the secrets to re-animating the bodies of the dead. Rather than mindless, wandering zombies, these "undead" are intellectual, social, caring, and kind; fully funstional as members of society.

Once accepted by homo sapiens, a time has now come when the humans have begun to rebel against the so-called monsters, seeking to wipe out thier kind to the point of extinction. Since their creation, these monsters have lived by a law that states that they must do all in their power to aid human kind, and can, under no circumstances cause a human to come to harm. It is not in their nature to break this law. However, one has risen among them to whom this law does not apply. His name is Dominion, and for his kind, unlife is about to change.

Although rooted in the legend of Frankenstein, it's very hard to call this a horror novel. Part sci-fi, but mostly introspection and social commentary, Clark has created a vision of an alternate future that raises questions on both society and human nature.

Fans of "Frankenstein" or "I, Robot" may find entertainment here. However, I found this to be a dull and rather slow-paced novel that didn't travel very far from beginning to end. If you're in the market for a post-apocalyptic vision from Simon Clark, let me suggest beginning with King Blood, and working your way to this book only after exhausting the rest of the author's works.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars POWERFUL AND POIGNANT, December 2, 2006

By 

William M Miller (Bronxville, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Death's Dominion (Mass Market Paperback)

Simon Clark always delivers an enjoyable, dark read, and DEATH'S DOMINION is no exception. What starts out as an fantastic spin on the Frankenstein franchise turns into a slightly predictable, yet ultimately poignant tale. A few of the resolved mysteries near the end felt a bit far-fetched in regards to the missing God Scarers, but I went with the ride and had a good time. The very ending was powerful and I find myself still thinking about it. This is a very solid read from one of today's premiere horror writers.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simon Clark never fails to deliver both shivers and thoughts, December 17, 2006

By 

K. Sozaeva "Obsessive bibliophile" (Athens, GA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Death's Dominion (Mass Market Paperback)

A fascinating twist on the "Frankenstein's monster" story, in this book the dead who are brought back (called TRANSIENTS, not monsters - do the people who write the descriptions of the books even READ the bloody books?) are stronger, healthier and more attractive than when they died (the cover of the book notwithstanding - I don't think that whoever did the cover art actually knew ANYTHING about the book except it was going to have a "Frankenstein's monster" type theme). Although they have been programmed to not harm humans, nor allow harm to come to them through their action or inaction, there are several instances in the book where they allow harm to come to humans through their inaction - simply because to act would cause harm to _other_ humans - quite a dilemma. Therefore, most of the transients are completely helpless to defend themselves when the government of the last country to allow them is toppled and passes word that all Transients are to be destroyed. There never really is a lot of explanation as to why humans have turned upon their creations, but apparently the destruction of Transients is now a world-wide hobby. Or is it? Because a new type of Transient has just been born - the first to awaken while still in the Regenerator, and the first (among those with whom he takes up) to actively harm humans.

The book is a beautiful example of "that which we do not understand, we fear; that which we fear, we destroy." There is also, toward the end of the book, a quite obvious parallel to Israel. This book isn't as horrifying as I have generally seen from Mr. Clark but it nonetheless is a very satisfying read which kept me glued to the pages until I had finished the entire book in one sitting. Strongly recommended for fans of Simon Clark, horror, suspense and those who like to read a book that makes them think.