Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Book Review: Dying Light by D. Scott Meek

We've all heard one way to strengthen our writing skills is to read. Read anything and everything...even beyond our genre. Normally, on Writers' Ally, I review young adult and middle grade literature; however, I have a surprise review for you today that will stretch the paranormal splats of the Alleyway with some new blood. Um, yeah... 


When Scott approached me to review his post-dystopia adult novel, I was leery. But after doing a little research, I decided to do it. And I'm glad I did.


Title: DYING LIGHT
Author: D. Scott Meek
Genre: Post-Dystopia
Pages: 236
Releases: July 1, 2010 by Parallel Worlds, an imprint of Canonbridge LLC


I'd like to thank Scott for supplying me with an electronic copy of his book.


Description: In the near future, a new world order society mercilessly eradicates the last victims of the Blood Virus. "Vampyres", constantly in fear of discovery and persecution, live and walk among humans as ordinary people with an extraordinary reality and a haunting past; a deal to save the last vampyres is struck, but intrigue and betrayal ensure that while the sun will rise tomorrow, no one knows who will live to see it. 


My favorite line: She could feel the blood flow again, leaving her body, feel the last beat of her heart, and her final thought, as the crimson darkness engulfed her drifted through her mind: the face she had seen with the shimmering blue eyes was her own.


COVETED ~ A must have.

My Splats: After reading the blurb about the book, I initially expect the average vampires-meets-humans, bloody battles, and of course the damsel in distress or maybe the infamous ‘love triangle’. But what I got was so much more. 

What struck me first was the writing. It was crisp, deliberate, and yet carried a lyrical edginess. Not poetic or flowery, but held a flow like the notes of a song. History buffs will appreciate the historical essence threaded throughout the story. The author’s use of actual history melded with his fictional elements creates a plausible past, present, and future world that is alluring and mysterious: a crossbreed of the Underworld and the Matrix.

Plagued by secrets and misconceptions, the world of the ‘New Baltimore’ is one of internal and external struggles after World War III ravishes the land, setting a ‘blood virus’ loose and turning those infected into vampyre. This ignites the expected surface conflict between those humans who survived and the vampyre coven.

But layered beneath the surface conflict are surprising inner struggles of pain, fear, loneliness, and denial on both sides of the battle. Portrayed with real life hurts and personal demons, the vampyre carry a humanistic quality that almost made me forget they were immortal creatures who thirst for blood. There is an underlining softness weaved from chapter to chapter, making them believable.

Order and discipline ring through most of the scenes, despite the quiet chaos of the separate societies striving to thrive. And toss in an approaching ‘superstorm’, and you have the building of nonstop tension between the pages.

A word of caution to my young adult readers: although the content is appropriate for an adult audience and the world building in this story, some of it is graphic.

A teeny personal splat: any author who tosses me an alternative to the old Hollywood vampire persona has my vote. Not to mention referencing one of my favorite characters of all time, Edmund Dantes. 


Interested? Go HERE to take a little quiz Scott has written up. Come on...you know you're curious. *grins, and flaunts her lashes* Or better yet, check out DYING LIGHT on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble. 

17 comments:

  1. Thanks for the 5 Splats! ;) And thanks for the great review. Glad you liked it, and hoping everyone else does, too. It has turned out to be much more than I ever expected, and "Dying Light" is just the beginning.

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  2. This was a great review and this book sounds amazing! I will be adding it to my list! Thanks!

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  3. This sounds really good. I'm putting it on my list. Thanks!

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  4. This sounds like a great book. Love the review!

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  5. Wonderful review of Dying Light! I can't wait to get my greedy little hands on this one since I love Vamp books. I read the excerpt on freado and can't wait for my copy to arrive.

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  6. Thanks for the good mojo about the review and for giving Scott some support. Thanks for the visits, everyone!!

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  7. This sounds like a great book. I'm definitely putting this one on my "To Read" list. Thx for posting and I'm seriously loving this blog :)

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  8. You always find the best books Sheri! Awesome review.

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  9. Scribbling this on my list of books! Thanks, Sheri, and best of luck to D. Scott Meek!

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  10. What a fabulous review, Sheri! You definitely made me want to read this book especially after my last post about vapires being done to death. It's great to see someone come up with a new, and very intriguing, angle. I'm adding it to my list.

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  11. What a powerful endorsement! You've convinced me, girl - hook, line, and sinker! :-)

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  12. huh- thanks for taking a chance and presenting us with such a great take on a unique story! I'm happy you were pleasantly surprised and bravo Scott on a job well done!

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  14. I so glad you all are enjoying the review. I was nervous about posting it because it was an adult book. So I guess thinking out of the box does work on occasion. Thanks goes to Scott for asking me to review it. ";-)

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  15. Beautiful review, Sheri! It sounds like the book is full of lovely language...Thanks for sharing. :)

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  16. sounds amazing. your review is beautifully written too, btw. combining paranormal and dystopian genres, huh? wonder if that was a tough sell...

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  17. OK. You convinced me. I'm adding this book to my TBR list. I'm not a huge fan of vampires, but history is one of my favorite subjects so it intrigues me. Very nice review.

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