In the Long Dark

by Brian Carter

Set in South Devon, this novel is about battles and loyalties in the magical, brutal world of feral cats.

Genres: Cats, Animals

243 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Casimir Laski · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the Long Dark marks the last of Carter’s xenofiction works, and his final entry in the genre centers around a colony of feral cats living in small-town England, whose loose community is threatened by the arrival of a powerful gang led by the vicious and deranged tom Skeets. Unfortunately, the author’s fourth novel is also his weakest—rather than the split animal/human perspectives of its predecessors, In the Long Dark is told exclusively from the perspective of cats, and though it contains elements of mythic xenofiction, it never truly capitalizes upon these to the extent that A Black Fox Running or Nightworld did, leaving the book's feline culture largely unexplored and undeveloped. Additionally, while the novel still contains above-average prose throughout, true gems are only encountered sporadically—perhaps once every page or two, rather than nearly every sentence, as in his earlier works.

And while Carter’s fatalistic philosophical musings are present—the title itself being a reference both to the threat posed by Skeets’ gang, and the looming shadow of broader mortality—here, this subject matter lacks the narrative centrality or emotional weight of his prior three novels. The story itself remains rather unfocused—but unlike in A Black Fox Running, where the meandering nature not only makes sense in following the life of a wild fox, but meshes seamlessly with the transcendental themes, helping the reader to experience the connectedness of all things, In the Long Dark’s firm focalization in the cats’ perspectives and heavy focus on the tensions between the two feline groups—this conflict itself being resolved quite suddenly, partially through deus ex machina—leads to the novel lacking much else in the way of holding the reader’s attention.

Though not a bad novel by any stretch, Carter’s last work of xenofiction is mediocre by the standards I had come to expect from the author, leaving me wondering whether he had felt compelled to write more at the behest of his publisher, or was perhaps seeking to produce something more suitable for younger audiences. Regardless, I can only give the novel a tepid recommendation at most, and even then only to those interested in stories about cats. [5/10]

[Lone Wolf · Rating 2 out of 5]

‘In the Long Dark’ tells the story of a group of feral cats whose territory is invaded by a vicious rival group. The blurb on the back makes it sound like Silver is the main character, but it is actually a cat called Ben (no explanation given as to why a feral cat has a human name). I struggled to take the antagonist seriously as he’s supposed to be terrifying, but is called Skeets, which makes him sound like a sweet little kitty named by a child. He also suffers from a brain tumour, which makes him more pitiable than anything.

The author makes occasional mistakes regarding cats’ body language, behaviour and genetics, and they constantly use human gestures like nodding and shaking the head to mean yes and no. They also use human words and slang (I found a cat saying “Get your ass off my patch” to be particularly cringeworthy), and even know human songs. Additionally, the book suggests that neutering a feral cat immediately makes it into a friendly, docile pet, which is of course not the case.

As with ‘A Black Fox Running’ by the same author, the book is full of rambling, unnecessary descriptions and place names. The author seems very keen to show off his local knowledge, despite the fact that his characters are animals who would have no idea that this road is Church Street and the next one is Winner Street and so forth.

This isn’t quite as bad as ‘A Black Fox Running’, but it isn’t great. I wouldn’t say don’t read it, but I can’t really recommend it either.

[Woolfish_Wonders · Rating 3 out of 5]

"It's that dream all the time, I am running down the long dark. The long dark...."

The long dark is a metaphor for the incoming terror which is about to rock Paignton and a local group of feral cats, lead by the courageous Tom Silver. The terror is in the form of a new group of Toms, the Shadows, lead by a cat called Skeets who isn't what he seems....

A descriptive book which mainly recalls two cats PoVs, Ben and Lucy, In the Long Dark shows the journey of the cats as the Shadows descend on the group's territory and threatens their very existence.

There is not much else which can be said with spoilers but what can be said is this.

The story carries itself well, though at times it is heavy on the landscape descriptions and what the cats are doing rather than story progression. Some sections are slow (particularly later on in the book) when the PoV is split. It is however a self contained story with a clear three part structure and is both beautiful and sad whilst showing the real world elements within a feral cat's life. It also shows the struggles of a feral cat well and the lengths they will go to protect the ones they love or fight for what which they do not have.

Please note that there are scenes which some animal lovers may find disturbing and these can be graphic in nature at times.

Overall though, this book is recommended for adults who like reading from an animal's perspective and want a story about the harsh realities of a feral cat but also about friendship, love and companionship.

Content warning for: illness, occasional graphic scenes involving harm to cats