Customer Reviews

Lord of Dark Places

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

 

 

Poet Emily Dickinson once said that there is no frigate like a book to take us miles away. Author Hal Bennett has written such a book that will send us off into the 21st Century, reeling from the poison of reality. The artist catches the observer looking down on his subject with a sardonic grin. Nevertheless, he has a skillful hand at storytelling and drives you wild with illusion, conceit, poetry and prose. While all the while reading this very brief epic tale, you get adventuresome when you stop to figure that truth maybe stranger than fiction and that this story is very, very strange. Or, is it? It may offer a modest solution to many problems. It is one of those, "you wouldn't believe me if I told you," stories. It is a story you don't want to believe, Joe Market and his myriad life of experience and self-sacrifice through self-indulgence. Not since Abraham has one man been asked to sacrifice so much by his God. This is a "Made In America" story for the strong stomach. Ultimately, reading "Lord of Dark Places," will make you stronger, because a sacrifice has already been made on your behalf. Nevertheless, at the end you will have lost someone, a person you've come to love and lust for at the same time. Hal Bennett has done the human race, and the African American male in particular, a great service! Aluta Continua.

I'm sitting at my keyboard with a blank stare, trying to articulate the impact of this novel on my world view. This was a very intense read for me. Bennet throws everything but the kitchen sink in this book. . .. social, racial, political, religious, sexual (gay/bi?), and moral issues are interwoven throughout the plot. At times the author is actually able to connect some of the dots, tie a few lose threads, but more often than not, the sexual and erotic exploits of the characters overshadows some very serious and at times quite profound social commentary. I'd certainly recommend this book for group reading. . . the more perspectives you get on this one the better. . . .

This is a story about the life of Joe Market, the main character. Whereas the reading is light, there is no plot or climax in the book. It is simply about Joe's life and his migration through life. Although the other characters in this four-part book could be classified as "abnormal," their interactions with Joe were wide-eye hysterical. Mr. Bennett has a flare, through Joe, of helping the reader find the logic in each scene. The thought I took away from the book is that we are sources of light whenever we come upon those dark places in our lives. Moreover, we can remain there as long as WE allow ourselves to be there. This book has some Biblical interpretation and symbolism and explicit sexual overtones. It also touches on some moral and social themes such as race, botherhood, identity, gender, love, the privilege of truth, homosexuality and father-son relationships. This is a good book for anyone who is a supporter of individualism.

Manually pulp the book and soak the scattered pages in water for half an hour. Age well, and drink.