Sons of Darkness (A Night Vigil Novel), by Gail Z.
Martin (SOL)
I met Gail Z. Martin
through her #HoldOnToTheLight campaign and was curious to see what kind of
fiction she writes (there’s a lot of it, which is a good thing because she’s
very good!) I didn’t know that Sons of
Darkness is tied into several of her other series, but no prior experience
was necessary to enjoy this story.
Martin is highly
experienced in her genre and handles pacing, tension, character development,
and a host of new twists on old horror themes with deceptive ease that makes
for a smooth, fast-paced reading experience.
The book revolves around
two men who are both mirrors of one another and distinct individuals. Travis
Dominick, ex-priest, psychic medium, and former member of a secret Vatican
order of demon hunters, encounters Brent Lawson, vet, ex-cop, ex-FBI agent, former
member of a supernatural-black-ops, and surviving twin whose ghost brother
hangs around, trying to make contact. Travis’s first thought about Brent as he
rescues him from a psi-vampire is: There’s
a newbie out there who thinks he’s Van Helsing.
Soon, however, the
two overcome their animosity to work together as supernatural invasions mount
and a pattern emerges: every fifty
years, a hell gate opens and increasingly terrible disasters feed the spirit
dwelling there, climaxing in a horrific blood bath.
One of the
challenges of writing a stand-alone book within a series, or linked to other
series, is the balance between giving the new reader all the necessary
background, developing the characters well enough, and yet not boring readers
who are already familiar with the cast and setting. Martin does a fine job
here, and although not every secondary character came fully alive for me, I
always knew enough about them each time they were mentioned so as to not be
confused. As I mentioned earlier, the handling of exposition, action, and
pacing was top-notch, except for a couple of minor bobbles late in the book
when a small but essential piece of action happened (unnecessarily, I thought)
off-stage, but these flaws were minor compared to the overall pleasure of the
story.
Now that I’m hooked
on Travis, Brent, and the crew, I’ll be looking to follow their previous and
future adventures with anticipation.
The usual
disclaimer: I received a review copy of this book, but no one bribed me to say
anything in particular about it, one way or the other.
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