Dark Corner, by Brandon Massey
Book Review by Jeff Edwards
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David Hunter moves to Mason's Corner, Mississippi, to learn more about the father he never really knew. But David is not the only new resident. A vampire named Kyle Coiraut has moved into the dilapidated mansion that looks down over the town. Behind the property's iron gate, Kyle plans to release his own father from a centuries-long sleep, and when he does, there will be two vampires in Dark Corner, hungry for blood - and revenge.
Brandon Massey describes Dark Corner as "a vampire thriller in the tradition of Stephen King's classic novel, 'Salem's Lot.'" For the first 100 pages of Dark Corner, it is obvious that Massey used King's book as his inspiration. In both novels, a man moves into town, meets a girl in the park, and falls in love; the girl argues with her mother about the relationship; a vampire and his human assistant move into the town's "haunted house," and the vampire's assistant hires two men to do some manual labor. But once this foundation is in place, Massey builds his own compelling story of good versus evil, adding new twists to vampire mythology. In Massey's book, religious icons have no effect on vampires; the creatures can venture forth in the daylight; they possess the power of telekinesis, and can even control the weather.
The novel's pace slows toward the midpoint, while David struggles to accept what he is being called upon to do. Also, a side plot involving David's new girlfriend and a stalker could have been eliminated, as it does little to advance the story. Massey more than redeems himself by delivering relentless action scenes hurtling to the explosive conclusion, as brave townspeople arm themselves with guns, Molotov cocktails, and a flamethrower in a desperate battle against the vampires.
Although this is only Massey's second novel, his writing is confident, switching tones appropriately between characters; he employs believable slang for the teenagers and more formal language for the vampires and highly educated characters such as Franklin Bennett. The formality may be a bit overdone, though, with speeches from Kyle like, "My father and I had foreseen that it would not be long before you and your crew of intrepid adventurers made an expedition to our temporary residence. We had grown tired of the visits by your meddlesome kin, and have therefore found another sanctuary." Massey also betrays a fondness for frequent variations of the phrase, "A chill ran down his spine." Such quibbles aside, Massey thankfully resists the overuse of adverbs and unnecessarily descriptive versions of the word "said" - pitfalls that even perennial best-selling authors do not always avoid.
It will be interesting to follow this new writer's career. Massey is already at work on his next projects, including a ghost story and a sequel to Dark Corner.
Brandon Massey describes Dark Corner as "a vampire thriller in the tradition of Stephen King's classic novel, 'Salem's Lot.'" For the first 100 pages of Dark Corner, it is obvious that Massey used King's book as his inspiration. In both novels, a man moves into town, meets a girl in the park, and falls in love; the girl argues with her mother about the relationship; a vampire and his human assistant move into the town's "haunted house," and the vampire's assistant hires two men to do some manual labor. But once this foundation is in place, Massey builds his own compelling story of good versus evil, adding new twists to vampire mythology. In Massey's book, religious icons have no effect on vampires; the creatures can venture forth in the daylight; they possess the power of telekinesis, and can even control the weather.
The novel's pace slows toward the midpoint, while David struggles to accept what he is being called upon to do. Also, a side plot involving David's new girlfriend and a stalker could have been eliminated, as it does little to advance the story. Massey more than redeems himself by delivering relentless action scenes hurtling to the explosive conclusion, as brave townspeople arm themselves with guns, Molotov cocktails, and a flamethrower in a desperate battle against the vampires.
Although this is only Massey's second novel, his writing is confident, switching tones appropriately between characters; he employs believable slang for the teenagers and more formal language for the vampires and highly educated characters such as Franklin Bennett. The formality may be a bit overdone, though, with speeches from Kyle like, "My father and I had foreseen that it would not be long before you and your crew of intrepid adventurers made an expedition to our temporary residence. We had grown tired of the visits by your meddlesome kin, and have therefore found another sanctuary." Massey also betrays a fondness for frequent variations of the phrase, "A chill ran down his spine." Such quibbles aside, Massey thankfully resists the overuse of adverbs and unnecessarily descriptive versions of the word "said" - pitfalls that even perennial best-selling authors do not always avoid.
It will be interesting to follow this new writer's career. Massey is already at work on his next projects, including a ghost story and a sequel to Dark Corner.
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