Black Light

Rating:
Summary: Actually 3 and a 1/2 stars
Review: Black Light is a well written, (and as far as I can tell)well researched novel that takes the beliefs of ancient paganism and transports them into the modern world. It does an excellent job of correlating the decadent underground culture of the late 1960s and early 1970s with the decadent practices of certain ancient pagan religions, to the point where they seem like one and the same. It also does an excellent job of keeping the story grounded in a realistic sense of time and place while using elements of supernatural fiction and horror. It has vaguely Lovecraftian elements in the sense that there is some ancient, supernatural power wanting to break through into this realm, and the reader is slowly given more and more insight into this realm as the story progresses. The scenes and settings are quite vividly constructed, and I can still see them in my mind several months after having read the story.

If I had any complaint about this book it would be the seeming lack of any kind of transcendant moral or spiritual sense informing the story in terms of defining good or evil. There are simply the forces of chaos and the forces of order, but one is not ultimately morally superior to the other. Personally, I find this worldview to be wanting. Hence the three and a half stars. Of course, many readers will not be bothered by this, and will simply enjoy the story told in this well written, dark, contemporary fantasy.

Rating:
Summary: Eerie but enchanting
Review: I actually bought "Black Light" in hardcover, I was so eager to dive in. Having read everything else of hers in print that I could find, I was led into temptation by another stunning cover and Elizabeth Hand's phenomenal style. I enjoyed the conflict and story, and the characters were memorable. I've been left with a very striking impression, though: the recurring thematic elements of sex, drugs, exploration and experimentation have made me realize that, by comparison, my childhood was awfully mundane, safe and sheltered. I do enjoy being able to vicariously walk on the wild side. Thank you again, Ms. Hand!

Rating:
Summary: AWESOME!
Review: I DO NOT USUALLY READ BOOKS IN THIS GENRE,BUT THIS BOOK WAS WORTH PICKING UP. I WAS A LITTLE CONFUSED BY SOME OF THE TERMINOLOGY. (PERHAPS BECAUSE THIS WAS MY FIRST E. HAND BOOK.) BUT OVERALL THIS WAS A VERY GOOD BOOK. I READ IT COVER TO COVER WITHOUT CHEATING!

Rating:
Summary: Second Disappointing Book in a Row
Review: I have read every novel written by Elizabeth Hand (in the order of their publication) and have been a devoted fan until now. The Winterlong novels featured a rich prose and surreal imagery reminiscent of Samuel Delaney's best novels (e.g. Triton or Nova). Waking the Moon was a truly spookey novel placed in a modern setting that was more accessable than the fantasy/sci-fi oriented Winterlong books. While much has been made of Hand's darkly atmospheric writing style, I also appreciated the characters and the ideas (though plotting has never been her strong suit). HOWEVER, the last two books, Glimmering and Black Light, seem to have been written on auto-pilot. It was as if someone else tried to write these books "in the style of Elizabeth Hand." In fact, I was so bored by Black Light, I stopped reading it on page 300 after 200 pages of following the main character around from room to room during the course of a party. In both books, the pacing was dreadfully slow and I just did not care about the characters. Both works needed a good editor, frankly.

Rating:
Summary: Second Disappointing Book in a Row
Review: I have read every novel written by Elizabeth Hand (in the order of their publication) and have been a devoted fan until now. The Winterlong novels featured a rich prose and surreal imagery reminiscent of Samuel Delaney's best novels (e.g. Triton or Nova). Waking the Moon was a truly spookey novel placed in a modern setting that was more accessable than the fantasy/sci-fi oriented Winterlong books. While much has been made of Hand's darkly atmospheric writing style, I also appreciated the characters and the ideas (though plotting has never been her strong suit). HOWEVER, the last two books, Glimmering and Black Light, seem to have been written on auto-pilot. It was as if someone else tried to write these books "in the style of Elizabeth Hand." In fact, I was so bored by Black Light, I stopped reading it on page 300 after 200 pages of following the main character around from room to room during the course of a party. In both books, the pacing was dreadfully slow and I just did not care about the characters. Both works needed a good editor, frankly.

Rating:
Summary: Not up to Par
Review: I like Elizabeth Hand's writing, but to be honest, it was a chore to get through this book. It had fairly decent reviews, so I went ahead and read it. Maybe I just didn't get it, I read it pretty fast, but it just seemed so random in parts, the narrative was so abstract, and I could never get into it. I loved Waking the Moon, plot holes and all, and Winterlong was fairly good (till the end). To me, it seemed like she was continuing the themes of those two prior books, but it was nowhere near as satisfying or enjoyable. I finished it out of loyalty to her. I didn't like the characters, I didn't relate to them at all. Even the main character, I couldn't understand her motivations, what she was doing, or why she stuck around. Overall, a disapointing read. Given the choice, read Waking the Moon, a much better book, even though it does have problems of it's own.

Rating:
Summary: Now that I understand it better...
Review: I retract my previous negative review. The more I learn about the cult of Dionysus, the more I realize just how well-researched and how well-crafted this novel is. I still say it might be a little boring if you don't know what's really going on--but think about Dionysus, think about Ariadne and her myth, learn everything you can. and then look at it again and see the pieces begin to fall into place.

Rating:
Summary: one of the best books I've read
Review: I was neither born in the right place nor the right time to have experienced Andy Warhol's Factory days or to have experienced one of my favorite bands, The Velvet Underground, in the flesh. However, I have Elizabeth Hand to thank for surrounding me in that cloak of dark, soft, glowing ambiance and letting me experience it vicariously through her work. I usually don't suggest music to listen to while reading for fear of tainting someone else's experience, but I believe Elizabeth Hand may have had this in mind all along. After you have finished reading this book, and are maybe tempted to pick it up and read it again immediately, stop and go to your CD collection, your local independent music store or to Napster and listen to some vintage Velvet Underground: It Was A Pleasure Then, Pale Blue Eyes, Heroin, All Tomorrow's Parties - which swirls the images of the last several chapters through my head every time I hear it: Dark, unknown forests with rotting mulchy foliage underfoot. Branches and limbs scratching shadowy things as they pass, the trees shuddering in their wake. Things you cannot see, but most defintely feel, deep in your marrow. Your bones quake. A wild end-of-the-world party thrown on the edge of these forests. A mansion that belongs to time itself. Doors opening to reveal old shimmering secrets and fetid new worlds... "Waking the Moon" was one of my favorite all-time books and I still revere it, but "Black Light" has wormed its way deeper into my soul, even now, months after my last reading of it. A truly haunting book.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic descriptions
Review: Read this book for the stylistic surroundings, not for the plot. Lit is a teenager caught between this world and a world that she just learns she is a part of. She is faced with the decision of which world to stay with. While I appreciated the intricate and fantastic descriptions of the various times in history that Lit is suddenly able to see, and the dark changing house of Bolerium, I didn't really understand why all of this was happening until the the last few pages. I was minorly disappointed in the Hollywood-type ending when Lit is going through the streets of her hometown of Kamensic. Still, if this book were to end up a series, I would definitely read it. I'm rating it 4 stars because of the great descriptions, not because of the storyline.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic descriptions
Review: Read this book for the stylistic surroundings, not for the plot. Lit is a teenager caught between this world and a world that she just learns she is a part of. She is faced with the decision of which world to stay with. While I appreciated the intricate and fantastic descriptions of the various times in history that Lit is suddenly able to see, and the dark changing house of Bolerium, I didn't really understand why all of this was happening until the the last few pages. I was minorly disappointed in the Hollywood-type ending when Lit is going through the streets of her hometown of Kamensic. Still, if this book were to end up a series, I would definitely read it. I'm rating it 4 stars because of the great descriptions, not because of the storyline.