Customer Reviews

Light Before Day

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I have to confess that Christopher Rice's latest book left me a little bit disappointed. It seems that in this book, Rice was striving to write something more complex - perhaps a bit too complex for his own good. While it seemed in his first two novels that he dotted all the i's and crossed all the t's, this novel left me with significant questions throughout.

It was rather difficult to keep track of all the characters and how they were related to each other. Not only that: it seems that Rice declined to fully explain certain plotlines that were essential to the the story, or refused to follow them to a logical conclusion. Characters seemed to be appearing and disappearing at all the wrong points, and it was slightly anti-climactic that the reader neglects to even meet more than one character who seemed essential to the plot. There was too much of the main character and so much wild speculation that the end left me wondering which one of the characters' ever-changing theories was correct; too much was given in bits and pieces over numerous chapters that it was difficult to realize the big picture. Too many things seemed to only be added in as an afterthought and were not, in my opinion, addressed or explained aqequately at the end. While the story was full of intrigue and action, it seemed that the end of each subplot was too abrupt and lacked the impact that his previous books provided. The ending, overall, didn't pack as much of a punch as either of his previous books, or as the action in the rest of the novel would have suggested.

This is not to say that I didn't enjoy the novel. It was a very enjoyable read overall, though a work that was by no means flawless. In comparison to his previous novels, I would definately say that this was below my expectations in the way of plot. Rice's technical writing style, however, seems to still be maturing in ways that I find to be very pleasing. Also, I think that Rice did write a cast of rather enjoyable characters, though I wish there had been more focus on some of the considerably "main" characters. As a resident of Los Angeles County, I can also say that it was very enjoyable to be able to identify with the places that Rice described.

The book certainly had its ups and downs, though my main grievance with the novel was the way that the ending was dealt with. As a whole, though, I found the novel to be both interesting and intriguing, and it is only in comparison to his previous novels, of which I am an avid fan, that I am critical of his most recent work.

I was extremely disappointed in this novel, especially after reading his first two. It was far too redundant. It was the exact same thing I had read twice before. Except this time they were in LA and everyone was attractive. I live in Palm Beach, I don't need more hotties in my life. I need realistic gay porn. Dammit. Heh, ok, kidding. But, it was just too cliche'. I couldn't bring myself to finish it, despite my best attempts. I was bored out of my mind. AND ... for back up ... my dear friend who turned me on to Rice in the first place couldn't stand the novel either and refused to finish it. So, I don't think I'm alone on this one. It's not bad ... but it's not worth reading either ... especially if you've read his other two novels. The whole time I was reading going "been there, done that, give me NEW!!"

Don't waste your time. Just re-read one of his others instead.

This book was a little confusing and difficult to follow. I always read before I go bed each night and usually can't wait to do so. In this case, I wasn't excited to crack open my book each night. There were too many similar characters and not enough substance to hold my interest. Granted, I did read the entire book and enjoyed the denouement, but getting to that point was hard. I learned a lot about the meth problem in Central California and was surprised at the extent of havoc it wreaks. This book was definitely written for a gay audience (not that there's anything wrong with that) and that particular population might enjoy Light Before Day more than your garden-variety reader. I would NOT recommend this book to readers under the age of 16, or to anyone who is not completely open-minded. Overall, there is nothing really special about this book, skip it and find something better. I usually read about one book per week. I feel like this past week was a waste of time.

I have been addicted to Christopher Rice since his debut novel. I thought Light Before Day was certainly a good book, but not the best he has produced. Of the three novels publishes, I would rank this one in the middle. Density of Souls was great, followed by this, with Snow Garden in last. Typical of Rice, the story hooks you in the beginning and drags you along until the very end. I just didn't want to put it down. Hope you enjoy it too!

First off I want to say I consider myself a Christopher Rice fan. One of my all time favorite books ever was A Density of Souls. I got many of my friends to read it and they loved it as well - great characters, great story, great ending, and just great writing. I enjoyed The Snow Garden as well (other than the unrealistic "sex cult" part).

I was so excited for Light Before Day to come out and I was first in line at the bookstore on the day of it's release. What a disappointment. It ended up being one of those books that you force yourself to get though just to say you finished it. I found it hard to follow, too complex, and way too many characters. I am a college educated professional, yet I found myself confused and not following. I had to keep going back and rereading stuff to figure out who was who and who said what. Maybe the genre just wasn't for me, but the story and the mystery was so involved and complex (and again a bit unrealistic) that I found myself losing interest. By the end of the book I didn't care anymore what happened to the characters or how each of the pieces fit together. I was just reading to get through it and I was relieved when it was over, whereas with A Density of Souls I was sad when it was over. A Density of Souls left me wanting more and wanting to find out what happened next with the characters. It just surprised me how I could go from a book that I loved, to a book that I had to force myself to get through - both from the same author. Sorry Chris.

Keep bringing us more emotional, realistic stories with great characters like in A Density of Souls and we will stick by you forever.

This is an empty, pulpy, plot novelty book. Honest exploration of a real emotion or thought is nowhere. Writing about the meaning of your own pain or joy can create a great work. Writing to write a great novel can drive all your fans away. Look at Chris's work and his mom, Anne's work. These writer-celebrities (who have accepted the Faustian bargain of blurring the lines between them and their books, and each other) have produced their best art writing honestly from whatever is tormenting them. Good examples are the early vampire novels of Anne, and Chris's first novel A Density of Souls. Now, Anne identifies with Catholic saints in the place of her undead vampires - and her last vampire novel, Blood Canticle, didn't work. Surprise? And Chris wants to be a "great writer," and his cute little genre of gay youth with voice vaporized into this vapid, bargain-bound waste of time. Density of Souls was best when it captured the agony and ecstasy gay youth- sexual exploration, searching for identity. You read Density, and you want to believe him. You read Light Before Day, and you want your 16 bucks back. Tried and worn-out formulas, cliches, superficial and boring insights - this is the best he could do with something as emotionally driven as West Hollywood? In Density, you could find Chris's anguish - real human feeling - inside lines of his prose like you were sticking your finger in an electrical socket. Here, there is no purpose to the writing. The ignoble aimlessness of every character in this novel appears trite without showing their true vulnerabilities. The novel is also slightly homophobic - with fear and loathing of gays (external and internal) depicted but unexplored in any revealing way. Go beneath the surface of the drugs and sex! Why don't they find true love? Why are they so self-destructive? Why do the characters hate themselves? It's as if the author isn't listening to his book's own questions - and says "here's another neat way to kill one of my characters." Craving, self-inflicted anguish and hatred run through the book - and just when you think he is going to do show something with these themes he introduces a new character or kills an old one. Plot, plot, and more plot - this book reads like the Leonard Maltin summary of itself. Sure it possesses the technical secrets of the pulp novel, but - like a melodramatic performance of some American Idol finalist - it lacks passion and meaning. I would return this book if I could; it is a defeat best left for the author to suffer. But, buy a Density of Souls if you haven't, and keep an eye on Chris. Perhaps losing the masses will awaken the Rices' talent. They do want to be read, right? Seriously, Anne's Blood Canticle is really a bridge into hagiography, and Saint John of the Cross would make this kind of work much better, mystic instead of gothic. And Chris's novels are driven on the deepest level by obsession and gay love, and they should go right at these subjects. The books cry out for more on addictiveness and gay identity - obsession and insatiable hunger. Chris need only look to the fans who still chase him and his mother around to find a window into that abyss. And of course - himself.

I really wanted to like this book. And if I had not read his other two exellent offerings (A Density of Souls and The Snow Garden) then I would have rated this book higher. But I know he can do better! The twists and turns became tiresome. Usually, Chris's books have layers that are revealed at a satisfying pace, without sacrificing his usual knack for creating a mood and atmosphere. But in Light Before Day, I was kept guessing: is this a story about methaddiction? Child porn? Personal revenge? In the end I just didn't care; too bad, because the ending packed a punch that was dulled by the insane pace of the plot. I'm going to re-read The Snow Garden and hope for better things next time!!!

After reading Density and Snow, I too was eager to get my hands on Light, and even paid the full retail price at the store.... I must say though, I wish I'd waited and checked it out of the local library and saved $25. Like another reviewer, two-thirds of the way through the book, I wondered if it was written by some half-asleep rookie who had no solid concept of fiction writing. But unfortunately, the man who's work I had grown to love and appreciate really did write this utterly confusing and boring bunch of rubbish. Chris Rice really let me down with this one. I am keeping the faith that his next attempt at a novel won't be as aggravatingly dull and poorly constructed. If I can say something positive about this book, it would be.... Ahhh, who am I kidding? I can't! Don't bother with this book unless you're just curious to see what crappy writing looks like.

Twenty-six-year-old journalist Adam Murphy is trying desperately to recover from a life fuelled by cocaine and alcohol. Haunted by the violent death of his alcoholic mother, Adam traverses the streets of West Hollywood, temptation always just a hairs breadth away. Having obtained a job working for a local gay lifestyle magazine, he tries to talk the owner into publishing some of his more hard-hitting stories, one of which is an inquiry into the apparent suicide of a supposedly straight marine pilot. The editor, however, is convinced that a gay man's lifestyle doesn't include much "beyond his pecks and his underwear."

But Adam refuses to give up, and is determined to find out the real truth behind the young man's death. When Corey, his new lover inexplicably disappears from his apartment leaving behind his car keys, his cell phone, and a rancid carton of milk, Adam's suspicion is aroused. Could Cory's disappearance be somehow linked to the suicide of the marine pilot? The puzzle becomes even more complex when a crystal-meth addicted friend of Adam's tells him that one night while walking the streets of West Hollywood, he witnessed the pilot up to some suspicious business.

In West Hollywood where expediency rules the day, and the emphasis on youth and beauty is often misplaced, older, wealthy men are seen to take advantage of younger, wide-eyed and innocent boys. Young guys from the country who move to LA in their twenties to leave their difficult histories behind, fall under the spell of predatory men and often start to do vile things. Particularly despicable and depraved is an Internet, satellite based pedophile ring, which Chris learns may have involved Corey. But in what way is Corey connected? And is Corey even alive?

Chris, with the help of his new employer, James Wilton - a notoriously curmudgeonly mystery writer with his own battle scars - travels from the suburban landscape of Oceanside to the wild valleys of Central California where he races against time to put the disparate pieces of the puzzle together and hopefully find Corey. Here he encounters Caroline Hughes, a forceful young surgical resident, who has been scouring the back lots of central California, seeking out a serial killer with almost legendary mystique who she thinks is responsible for her mother's death.

Caroline is convinced that her mother had witnessed something evil taking place, especially as her charred body was found next to a burnt out trailer masquerading as a crystal meth laboratory. Chris is also haunted by the fact that the main player in porn video involving underage boys bares a striking resemblance to him. Did he do something he shouldn't have when blacking-out on one of his drug-fuelled binges? Sometimes Chris wonders if his mission to protect people from the truth has left them defenseless and vulnerable. And he's constantly accused of bleeding judgments - "leaving a trail of them wherever he goes, perhaps he'll even drown in them someday."

What is so mesmerizing about this novel is the total immersion in the culture of crystal meth, with author Christopher Rice, vividly bringing to life the effects this terrible drug has on both the mind and the body. His ability weave a narrative that connects the drug to the problems of pedophilia, is generally inventive and cleverly done.

Light and Day is a complicated slice of drama, with plot threads and characters that weave in and out of the narrative with a full-on and sometimes-violent intensity. An angst-ridden twenty-something man is hopelessly in love and ardently obsessed, but he's tormented by his past and also by obtaining the truth; a woman's interminable quest to find a killer, and who resorts to kidnapping and torture to achieve her ends; and a group of wealthy, technologically savvy men who take advantage of innocent young boys, while desperately trying to avert being caught.

The cast of characters is almost Dickensian in size and scope and they are written with particular attention to their connections to the darker side of the human heart. This is the perfect formula for a labyrinthine Southern California mystery that is at once, challenging thematically, but also distinctively and uniquely satisfying. Mike Leonard May 05.

On page 253 of Christopher Rice's new novel, "Light Before Day," the protagonist says: "There were too many threads, and I had tied them up in too many places." Well, that pretty much sums up this story. While it is an intriguing plot, it is extremely difficult to keep track of all of the various characters and their relationships with each other. Upon finishing the book, my reaction was: I think that was a pretty good read but I'm not sure I understand what the hell happened!?! And then I went back and thought, wait a minute. The character (Nate) who brought the narrator (Adam) into the main storyline was not at all connected to all of the other characters. So, with millions of people populating Southern California, is it mere coincidence that Adam then stumbles across not only his ex-lover but also a body look-alike? I bought this book because I have been a big Christopher Rice fan, having read most of his work. I still am but I just hope that his next novel will be a bit easier to follow.