This book is the 5th in the Peter Octavian series. I reviewed the first three books in an earlier issue of ConNotations. “The Gathering Dark’ is the 4th in a series about a character named Peter Octavian. That story continues with Peter having become mortal and learning to live again as a man. The whole plot revolves around demon activity throughout the world as whole cities disappear and monsters intrude into our world. Several of the characters from the preceding books come together at the end to put an end to the carnage. It was a good read and the demon was original and interesting. There were no subplots but a bit of romance between several of the characters. And one new idea that I hope is explored in the next book – earthwitch magic as opposed to Peter’s demonically-inspired magic.
So this latest story begins with Peter trying to have a normal relationship with his lover, Nikki, a rock singer. But she gets a visit from her old friend, Keomany, the earthwitch who has sensed Chaos coming and needs Peter’s help. Peter and Keomany travel to a small town in Massachusetts where normality is being ripped apart in a terrible storm that is born from chaos. The short of it is that an ancient goddess-being who had been imprisoned has escaped and is interested in controlling all the world. Peter manages to gather about himself the typical ‘motley crew.’ He finds a rogue vampire, a college student, and her professor. Each of them ends up having a role to play in harnessing the goddess.
Not a bad plot; just a pretty standard plot. But Golden manages to infuse it with an energy that keeps the pages turning. The action is almost non-stop from the beginning; our heroes never have a moment to really rest or indulge in the philosophizing that tends to drag a book down. We learn what we need to know about the horror just as our heroes learn it, a bit at a time. The horror is wondering what exactly is happening to humanity and if anyone will survive or recover.
As I said, the story moved swiftly and kept my interest. I enjoyed the characters and was satisfied with their progress. Golden kept his eye on the long-term story and left us with enough mystery and questions for the next story. So far, it has felt as if the challenges Peter has had to face keep getting larger; larger in the sense that he is more personally involved and more vulnerable each time. It’s hard to imagine how Golden will trump the horror and I have a suspicion that he will ramp the tension down in the next book and return to the ‘roots’ of this series – the true nature of vampires/shadows and the key to returning the world to normal and controlling the evil incursions let loose in the first book. ~~ Catherine Book.
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