This Brilliant Darkness

By: Red Tash

Narrated by: Jack Wallen

A brooding monster. A quirky professor. A small Indiana town with a soul of its own.

Nothing is as it seems to be, and no one behaves in ways characters are "supposed" to act. How will it end? It's anyone's guess, in a book that keeps you turning pages, racing to find out what will happen next.

Christine Grace finds her predictable scholarly life comforting, if a bit boring. Her live-in boyfriend presses her for marriage, but she's too philosophically inclined to take an interest. So, really, why does she suddenly start imagining things in the window's reflection? Is time truly starting and stopping all around her, or is she inexplicably cracking up?

Greachin is an age-old being so tortured by his own karmic cycle that he no longer knows how to connect, except to identify potential threats through the cosmic ripples of space. When he zeroes in on Christine Grace, he experiences second thoughts for the first time in millenia. Will he go through with his grisly plan of murder and destruction?

And what of these other characters - an aging physicist of ill-repute, a stubborn monk who takes his vow of silence too far, and a time-shifting star visible only from Bloomington? What a tangled web we weave, when monsters practice to deceive. Dive into This Brilliant Darkness, and follow the journeys of these characters, from Britain to the Heartland, from January's snowfall to Halloween's costumed festivities.

This Brilliant Darkness is a smart, karmic mystery populated by lovable brainy characters. Climb on, strap in, and hold tight.

©2011 Red Tash (P)2014 Red Tash

A brooding thriller

This is the kind of book that makes me check behind the door at night to make sure the boogey man isn't there. It's great for getting your heart pumping. Jack Wallen delivers an amazing performance, as well. Recommend.

Poetic, dark fantasy

What did you love best about This Brilliant Darkness?

Dark, quirky, written from many viewpoints, this novel is a surreal look into an eternal battle between good and evil that spans time. The current incarnation of this battle happens in Bloomington, IN, a college town, with its very own star in the sky. The tension of supernatural events builds and plays out wonderfully. By the end you'll be wishing for more.

What other book might you compare This Brilliant Darkness to and why?

This book reminds me of the dark fantasy comics I used to read in the 90s. Neil Gaman's Sandaman comes to mind. Religion and supernatural are darkly mixed in with the task world.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

The different, varied points of view add character to this book, but because of them, it is easier to follow the flow of things in one setting, or more practically in larger chunks. That's ok though because you don't want to put it down anyhow.

Any additional comments?

The audio version is beautifully read and easy to listen to. The reader does a great job with the voices. It is not hard to follow the characters from one person's point of view to another's. Having read the e book first, I can say I anlmost like the audio better in fact. If you like most, dark fantasy, give it a try.