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Black Prism
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January 1, 2022
It's like an old joke: A space scientist, a Roman soldier and a medieval nun went to Yale. Newly appointed Chad the scientist is dreaming about the other two, the soldier getting crucified for being a Christian and the nun just being a bitch. Curiously, the nun begins appearing around Yale in flesh as well, driving around in a car and attacking babysitters and kids.
The novel twists itself in a knot trying to explain why Chad's having these dreams, but apparently it has something to do with black holes and resurrection. Or maybe the old ruins of a monastery on his backyard are haunted. What the novel lacks in sensible plot, it makes up in atmosphere, at least for a spell in the beginning. It's all about Yale, with the family's arrival turning into a proper sightseeing tour with stops at famous belltowers and secret societies.
However, it soon gets a bit repetitive, with Chad being helped in turn by doctors, psychiatrists and finally a fellow scientist who isn't afraid to go there with his loony theories. There's some light violence with the emphasis on light, and essentially nothing important happens until the inexplicable ending. By that point the reader is beyond caring, since Chad the super clever scientist constantly comes across as a completely useless idiot who somehow doesn't realize he also moonlights as the homicidal nun. His oblivious wife is barely better, with the couple constantly bickering in surprisingly nasty tones. It's not really a surprise that their kid has exactly one character trait, that of being a moron.
The only likable character in the novel is Nils the crackpot scientist, but unfortunately he comes along too late to salvage anything from this steaming mess of Yale and nuns.
The novel twists itself in a knot trying to explain why Chad's having these dreams, but apparently it has something to do with black holes and resurrection. Or maybe the old ruins of a monastery on his backyard are haunted. What the novel lacks in sensible plot, it makes up in atmosphere, at least for a spell in the beginning. It's all about Yale, with the family's arrival turning into a proper sightseeing tour with stops at famous belltowers and secret societies.
However, it soon gets a bit repetitive, with Chad being helped in turn by doctors, psychiatrists and finally a fellow scientist who isn't afraid to go there with his loony theories. There's some light violence with the emphasis on light, and essentially nothing important happens until the inexplicable ending. By that point the reader is beyond caring, since Chad the super clever scientist constantly comes across as a completely useless idiot who somehow doesn't realize he also moonlights as the homicidal nun. His oblivious wife is barely better, with the couple constantly bickering in surprisingly nasty tones. It's not really a surprise that their kid has exactly one character trait, that of being a moron.
The only likable character in the novel is Nils the crackpot scientist, but unfortunately he comes along too late to salvage anything from this steaming mess of Yale and nuns.
Displaying 1 of 1 review