Take the absurd twisted tail of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ turned dark and for adults. Throw in dialog along the likes of C. J. Cherryh and the scathing sarcasm of William Blake and you will have the premise of this book. When Darkness Fell follows the adventure of a young man who just entered adulthood from a society completely controlled by the Penultimates. Controlled--from their thoughts (shades of “1984”) to when they may eat and what they may eat, and many other such things. Infractions are dealt with by training or harsh sentences.

Heinz, a youth, with his friend Fax found a body dried out by the unforgiving sun of Flatland. It was in this dead man’s hand that the blue diamond was found. Heinz had immediately turned it over to the Penultimates. The Penultimates desired to find more of these for the good of the people. Heinz and his prime physical prowess is a prime candidate for Niche’ta, a trusted citizen who could go and explore the forbidden lands.

He leaves Flatland, traveling to the outer lands and finally enters the area of Darkness. It is an area outside of the regular space/time of Flatland, and indeed the Universe itself, if the Gatekeeper is to be believed. It is an area he must cross or be trapped forever in a time loop.

Will he make it across and come back to Jaala who waits for him with desires to become Queen once he returns triumphant? Or will his life, as so many before him, be forfeit, lost to the Darkness?

My lower rating for When Darkness Fell may simply be read as a personal preference. I found Heinz was a character I could feel little sympathy for even when trapped and confronted by evil tricks. An innocent lamb among wolves is the way his character is played. No doubt made such a way because of how the Penultimates so strictly control all movements and thoughts that it is no wonder he strikes me as quite ‘dumb’. The most annoying of all for me however, was there seems to be little point or direction in the story. Even if someone is lost and trying to find the way out, there should be a sense of some direction or purpose. There was for me little taste of how this young man, being confronted with the afore-unimaginable place, how he was really growing. I found myself becoming exasperated by the slow plodding and obvious plot devices.

But I am quite willing to admit, this may simply be my personal preference. For others this might be a delicious change in reading, a way of exploring another way of thinking. But for me, When Darkness Fell was so slow and thick to move through, I felt exhausted from reading rather than entertained.

Reviewed By Nancy Louise
March 2007