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| Value for Money | 7/10  |
|---|---|
| Overall rating | 7/10 |
Full review by
Dreadlocksmile
expert review 
on 7th Sep 2004
User Rating : 7
Respect :
+1
Good Points: A good construction of characterization and an intriguing and involved storyline.
Bad Points: A little repetitive once the plot was set out and a poor twist ending that was badly delivered.
General comments: Stephen Laws, Daemonic - Synopsis:
"Jack Draegerman loves deals. He made his first fortune in the fields of architecture, engineering and design, with a reputation not only as a ruthless businessman but also as an infamous director of some of the most extreme horror movies ever made. No one has seen Jack Draegerman for ten years now. He lives in a huge fortress he designed and built himself. Known as The Rock, its interior is a crazy structure of labyrinthine, descending corridors. With no way out. But now, a band of uniformed henchmen is approaching a selection of unconnected people on Draegerman's behalf. He wants them to visit him, and he's prepared to pay for the privilege. Because Jack Draegerman has made contact with a Daemonic force. A Daemonic force who also loves a deal".
Stephen Laws starts out this dark tale with an intriguing and gripping start, as he slowly twists the fabric of the storyline together. We are introduced to the principal characters from the start, paying attention to the development of their personalities and the characterization involved. This is perhaps the novel's strongest point - the characterization. The story itself is intriguing from the first page, but Laws spends way too much time within the same environment without enough change to keep you entertained. It's not a dull novel, don't get me wrong, it's just maybe a little repetitive throughout. His clever approach of basing the novel's foundations on 1950's style horror flicks and jazzing them up with added splatter for the 90's is indeed an interesting and an enjoyable approach. It's just that the book seemed to stick with the same unfolding plot that never really changed or came alive. The story's potential was certainly there, but for me anyway, it did fall short once the storyline was out on the table.
Again, the twist ending that Laws threw into the novel seemed to have not been pre-planned but rather created by a moment of inspiration at the end, then carefully worked around the workings of the whole storyline that came beforehand. This seems obvious and makes the twist seem unbelievable and poorly thought out.
Enough of the negative points because I did actually enjoy reading the novel. It wasn't entirely gripping, but certainly was a book that kept me involved. The written construction of The Rock is vivid and darkly fascinating. The characters are believable and with very strong personalities. This is a book that is worth picking up.
First published back in 1995 by Hodder & Stoughton, the book runs for 488 pages with quite small print.
Dreadlocksmile's review and ratings | 457 words | 1 comment added.
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