This is a debut from Langmead and wow what a debut. Dark
Star combines hard boiled noir with sci fi in an epic poem. The Dark Star of
the title burns black and the people of the city of Vox rely on 3 Hearts for
power and to bring light. Virgil and Dante are cops out to find the killer of
Vivian North whose body turns up shining brightly with un-natural light. They
think it’s related to Prometheus, a street drug of liquid light, that Virgil
himself is in thrall to but they are pulled ever further into a case that has
deep and lasting ramifications for Vox and the world.
In school they try to teach you how to cope
With the constant dark, to tell you to find light
And avoid being immersed in blackness
They fairly know what it does to a man
This is an unusual book, being, as it is, poetry, but that
shouldn’t put you off, it is a remarkable read, and an easy one. Virgil is a
hero for bringing in a serial killer, but he is scarred, both in body and deep
inside by the experience. Dante is a cop with grit. The dark city is an eerie
backdrop, filled with ghosts (literally) and shadow, a compelling setting
richly invoked by the writing. There is a deft worldbuilding at work in here
and a riveting story. Unsung Stories (the publisher of this and The Beauty - which I previously reviewed) are
rapidly becoming a small press to watch.
Overall - Down these shadowed streets a flawed knight must
seek to bring the light
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