Currier & Ives Print of the Battle of Gettysburg

On Day 2 of my review of "Darkness Follows" I will talk about the plot. Pay attention to the image above. For a pivotal part of the plot involves events that took place during the Battle of Gettysburg.

“Darkness Follows” is more than just a title. It is the nature of the book. For, as you delve deeper into the story, darkness follows you and the story gets darker and darker and darker! Today, let me cover the plot and the storyline.

The first chapter begins right in the middle of the action right after a prologue that takes place during the battle of Gettysburg. Within a few pages, we are thrust into the strangely tilting world of Sam Travis. We learn of his recent injury that has impaired his thinking. We learn of the attack on his house by someone firing a gun although there is no evidence of the bullet. Immediately we see how deeply he is loved by his wife, Molly and his daughter, Eva and we learn very soon that Eva’s “invisible friend” is telling her to love and pray for her father. So, right off we realize that bad things are about to happen.

It doesn’t take long for Sam to find his old hunting rifle and try to shoot a critter in the backyard. We learn he hasn’t touched the gun in years and there is a very good reason for that. As the story unfolds, it is this incident from the past that burns with suspense in the background. The reader begins to realize that we may know what he did, but there is just enough blurring to his memories that we hope we are wrong!

Enter Symon, a hideous, amnesiac killer who takes out anyone standing in his way with a cold and numbing efficiency that chills the reader’s blood. And, right off we learn he has one goal in mind, to kidnap Eva. As I said on day one, this turn of events disturbed me greatly. I do not like stories in which children are endangered, hurt, or killed. This is not a statement against the quality of Mike’s writing or the direction of his story, for both are powerful. It is a personal bias. But, at this point, I was so hooked by Sam’s story and his apparent black out spells during which he recounted the events of a Union soldier’s experience at Gettysburg, that I could not possible put the book down. I had to KNOW what was going to happen. This is the power of Mike’s narrative. I literally could not put the book down until I reached the ending, gasping for breath; shocked and thrilled; and yes, a bit relieved although to his credit, Mike did not give us a tidy, saccharin ending. In fact, the final pages are so cryptic that I wonder if there is more to this story than is completely revealed and if we will read about the forces behind Symon in future books. I certainly hope so!

The story of Eva’s friendship with her “imaginary friend” was consistent and moving and it represents the redemptive element of this story. Certainly her love for her father and Molly’s devotion to her ailing husband provide the background for the unconditional love that is at the center of the theistic worldview.

In summary, a rapid paced plot with many turns and twists with characters you can’t wait to learn more about. A very, very good book! Disturbing, dark, violent in places, but ultimately redemptive.

On the third day, I’ll summarize the strengths and weakness of the book.