Rating: 
Summary: Mosley's only bad book
Review: Although I am mostly a science fiction fan, I've always loved Walter Mosley's books. The farther afield he has stretched in the past from the detective stories that made him famous, the better I liked him -- his Gone Fishin' and Always Outnumbered are even better than his mysteries. So I figured that Mosley and science fiction would be two great tastes that taste great together.I was wrong. In his efforts to convince us of the earth-shattering importance of the events of his story, he resorts to telling us over and over again that they are important, rather than giving us facts that would lead us to decide for ourselves that they are. In his efforts to convince us those affected by the Blue Light of the title are more than human, he has his worshipful protagonist Chance tell us over and over how trancendent they are, even though many of them seem less functional, and far less interesting, than the ordinary humans who usually populate Mosely works. Also, Mosely seems intentionally to piece out the stories of the various characters in such a way that just when we are starting to get into them, the narrative switches to another storyline. As a result, the book never gains momentum. Mosely did a better job creating a story arc that carried us along with it in his collection of short stories, Always Outnumbered, than he does in this novel. Another thing: I am not much of a fan of protagonists who do very little, and Chance is one of these passive protagonists. Even when he does have one of his rare bouts of action or feeling, he is invariably wrong or manages to embarrass himself somehow. I know this is a matter of taste, but frankly, I did not like or enjoy any major character in this book. Mosely's way with language is really the only bright spot I saw in Blue Light. He is a true prose stylist and deserves the praise reserved for self-indulgent peacocks like David Guterson. Even when, as here, he writes something I don't like, I like the way he writes about it.
Rating:
Summary: A cop-out of an ending.
Review: Although I have never read a Walter Mosley book, I was intrigued by the premise for "Blue Light" that he described when he was a guest on NPR. Indeed, I was quickly drawn into this hurly-burly world of hippies, blue light, and human super-evolution. The writing is quite good, with apt descriptions, believable dialog and powerful emotional language. However, as the story progressed, the tight narrative structure began to fall apart. Suddenly, characters appeared out of nowhere, wandering in and out of the story. The narrator, Chance, became a whiny irritant. Eventually, the inconsistencies wore me down. (Did blue light make people stronger or weaker? Did it make children grow or not grow? Were the hybrids closer to the future or simply tainted humans?). I was fairly disappointed with the giant battle with Gray Man, but the ending really threw me for a loop. How could a writer with Mosley's reputation pull off such a cheap stunt? I can't give it away, but it was a prime example of what writing teachers warn beginning novelists about. I felt betrayed and most likely won't read another Moseley book again.
Rating:
Summary: A cop-out of an ending.
Review: Although I have never read a Walter Mosley book, I was intrigued by the premise for "Blue Light" that he described when he was a guest on NPR. Indeed, I was quickly drawn into this hurly-burly world of hippies, blue light, and human super-evolution. The writing is quite good, with apt descriptions, believable dialog and powerful emotional language. However, as the story progressed, the tight narrative structure began to fall apart. Suddenly, characters appeared out of nowhere, wandering in and out of the story. The narrator, Chance, became a whiny irritant. Eventually, the inconsistencies wore me down. (Did blue light make people stronger or weaker? Did it make children grow or not grow? Were the hybrids closer to the future or simply tainted humans?). I was fairly disappointed with the giant battle with Gray Man, but the ending really threw me for a loop. How could a writer with Mosley's reputation pull off such a cheap stunt? I can't give it away, but it was a prime example of what writing teachers warn beginning novelists about. I felt betrayed and most likely won't read another Moseley book again.
Rating: 
Summary: Mosley in midst of a metamorphosis
Review: Before I purchased this book I took a look at the reviews of other Amazon customers and momentarily thought of passing on this Mosley novel. However, based on the strength of Mosley's past work I ordered Blue Light. This was definitely the right thing to do. Blue Light read like free prose and forced me to gaze at Mosley's vision through un-Easy eyes. Although I am a rabid fan of his Rawlins series this book is vastly different and indicates that Mosley is in the midst of a metamorphosis. Fans of the Rawlins series should suspend their expectations of another riveting Easy story and focus on a new cast of characters that are just as riveting. Mosley is obviously exploring outside of his Easy Rawlins series and doing a spectacular job of it. I am eagerly awaiting a continuation that will reveal the fate of the Blues, Chance, & the Gray Man. I hope that you as a reader will not pigeonhole Mosley into being just another "mystery" writer, but support him in his exploration of the myriad of stories he can tell.
Rating:
Summary: Blue Allegory
Review: Blue Light is not the standard Mosley with easily defined characters. This novel is neither for the intellectually challenged nor the faint of heart. Mosley's allegorical tale requires the reader's full attention to details. All of the characters move on several levels of interpretation simultaneously. Blue Light is a wonderful reading experience for those who understand and enjoy Toni Morrison's novels.
Rating: 
Summary: Lacks the punch of Mosley's other books
Review: Blue Light lacks the attention to detail that gives Mosley's other books their impact. The characters never come alive. The plot is slow and the reader waits for something to happen.
Rating:
Summary: Where is the Light?
Review: For the life of me, I had to keep reading this piece. I just had to get to the end to see if I could fully understand this book. When I finally did reach the end, things still didn't make sense. There was no direction, no climax, no scope of story. Characters were in and out and some just simply disappeared. Maybe next time on the SF note, Mosley, will improve.
Rating: 
Summary: Beautifully done and similar to Octavia Butler's work
Review: I am a fan of Walter Moseley although I generally don't like mysteries. I think the book is poetic and I found it hard to put down (read it in two sittings). I recommend the book as an interesting departure from his usual style and because of its prequel qualities.
Rating:
Summary: Slow.Very different for this author. Not his usual stuff.
Review: I am a good story "listener", i.e., tell me a good story and I am yours. This one didn't grab or hold my attention like any of his remaining works have. It seemed to be a narrative of a group of semi-wooden characters reacting to a situation (the blue light) rather than a story about humans. I am a SF AND a Mystery fan but I found this slow and somewhat annoying. In other words it had the "so" but not the "so what". Skip it unless you have nothing better to do.
Rating:
Summary: not a mosley mystery
Review: I am not much for mysteries and never enjoyed Mosley much, but I liked this book a lot. Probably Mosley fans won't like it at all. I didn't even find it very science fictioness. And the review that tell's Mosley to let Dean Koontz write this stuff ignores how terrible Koontz is and how great this story is. Blue Light is positively lyrical. Which makes it slightly difficult to read at times, but well worth the effort. One of my favorite books of the year.
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