There are two things about this odd yet fascinating book worth mentioning straight away. The first is that, albeit featuring a seventeen-year old boy, it’s definitively not a YA story, under any standard. More: it is not the kind of book you want your adolescent daughter to read. She would rather get nightmares. The second thing is that it’s a difficult book to digest, irrespective of readers’ age. Not just because it’s a prequel, and if you ignore the rest you might find yourself lost (this is true, but the story can still be read as a stand-alone). The point is, BloodLight is weird. It has been defined a dark metaphysical fantasy, and I concur. It’s visionary, psychotic, at times gross, yet fascinating. For sure, it will keep you reading – if just to see if you have guessed correctly what’s going on.
The story is a simple one (in theory: things get rapidly out of control). Set in a near-future and rather dystopian US, Robert is a teenager that tries to live a normal life. One day, after a strange event (his best friend passes out in the snow) during a rough party, his everyday routine – his wrestling activities, his relationship with his girlfriends, the interaction with his peers – starts slowly to unravel and he began experiencing hallucinatory visions.
I’ve mentioned a rather peculiar way of writing, and in the second part of the book you have a good taste of it. You will stumble across vision after vision, in a complex biblical-metaphysical universe of which no map or navigator of any sort has been provided. If you don’t mind where you’re heading to, and only enjoy the fantastic ride, it can be a rewarding, even though bizarre, experience. Here it’s an example – one among many. “‘Welcome to XynKroma. Welcome to the Ground of Being.’ The raspy voice came from the center of the emerald room, where wisps of yellow and blue smoke striped the air, enshrouding only parts of the hovering giant. It was as big as the smake’s head that had swallowed Robert, but this was only a head. Not that of a bald albino snake, but that of a lynx with green and brown fur. This creature didn’t look hungry; it had a more unsettling look in its eyes.” (Location 2513, e-book).
BloodLight has attracted some criticism, mainly for the way it is written, with one review pointing out that “three types of stories seem to be competing here, fantasy, realism and dystopia, with little connection among them, which may strike readers as overly ambitious and confusing.” (Kirkus Review, 8 March 2013)
Impossible to deny it. An explanation to this kind of visionary writing can be perhaps found in the fact that the author, Harambee K. Grey-Sun, is also a poet, and he’s clearly at ease playing with words and dark atmospheres. His webpage is worth more than a look if you are attracted by dark versions of modern surrealism. “I use elements of fantasy, horror, noir, and science fiction to spin bizarre, mind-bending, sometimes challenging, and occasionally blasphemous tales”, he declares at some point, and I agree with his claim. And while it’s enthralling if you can tune up, it can also put you off if you don’t. You may find some passages overwhelming, and run to your window to catch some fresh air.
Finally, I have mentioned it’s a prequel: the next book is Broken Angels, which itself is the first in the Eve of Light series. In the words of the author, this metaphysical fantasy series “reexamines the nature of God and what it means to be human.” Just in case.
(Note: I received this book as an ARC from HyperVerse Books, through Netgalley.)
I love challenging books. Thanks for reviewing this – looks like another for my Christmas list!
You’re very welcome – let me know how you find it. I have heard very contrasting opinions on this one!