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Light #1
Dead Of Light
paperback, fine
352 pages, Paperback
First published September 7, 1995
22 people are currently reading
145 people want to read
About the author
Chaz Brenchley
115 books79 followersChaz Brenchley has been making a living as a writer since he was eighteen. He is the author of nine thrillers, most recently Shelter, and two major fantasy series: The Books of Outremer, based on the world of the Crusades, and Selling Water by the River, set in an alternate Ottoman Istanbul. A winner of the British Fantasy Award, he has also published three books for children and more than 500 short stories in various genres. His time as Crimewriter-in-Residence at the St Peter's Riverside Sculpture Project in Sunderland resulted in the collection Blood Waters. He is a prizewinning ex-poet, and has been writer in residence at the University of Northumbria, as well as tutoring their MA in Creative Writing. His novel Dead of Light is currently in development with an independent film company; Shelter has been optioned by Granada TV. He was Northern Writer of the Year 2000, and lives in Newcastle upon Tyne with a quantum cat and a famous teddy bear.
Also known as author Daniel Fox.
Also known as author Daniel Fox.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
July 30, 2010
For a full review, see the Bitten by Books website: http://bittenbybooks.com.
August 16, 2015
To be fair I didn't read more than 60 pages of this book. It failed to get off the ground for me so I gave up. This is unusual for Brenchley and I was disappointed for the first time.
July 25, 2014
Dead of Light is a contemporary fantasy with some horror and suspense, but with Chaz Brenchley writing it, you know it's not going to be typical, and it doesn't fit the expected genre tropes.
There is a mafia-like family, the Macallan clan, who can do magic, and they rule their town by bullying and intimidation. They have the ability to take power from star or moon light and use it, and the hierarchy is determined by who has the strongest ability. Benedict Macallan is the black sheep of the family. He has no ability whatsoever, and, in disagreeing with their bullying mindset, he walks out on them and tries to build a normal life as a college student. It works for a few years until his cousins start getting killed off by someone who has the Macallan abilities, when as far as the family knows no one should have their abilities. Ben isn't really able to ignore his family then, and one thing leads to another, and he's in the thick of things when his sister and girl he is crushing on are involved.
One thing that always stands out with Brenchley is his writing. This work is not just written well, there's eloquence, a kind of poetic quality to it. It is the strength of his writing that makes this story work. It would be a bit slow for urban fantasy fans and just not enough action happening, though there are several deaths that are imaginatively gruesome. It is more a character study of a coward but intriguingly presented as how it's not necessarily a bad thing or wrong when Ben could have been just another Macallan bully. The story is told from Ben's point of view and focuses on his character. Ben is a self-confessed failure and coward, whose first response is to run away. In lesser hands, it would get pathetic pretty quickly with self-pity and self-criticism, but Brenchley captures Ben's experience in a way that makes him understandable and eloquently self-aware without wallowing.
Not being a typical genre piece, the climax did not come with a big buildup, bang, high drama, high action, or huge revelation. No big explanations at the reveal. It was almost anti-climactic. Personally, I missed the reveal until it slipped out and still had to backtrack to make sense of it. There are hints, and the biggest clue is that Ben, for all his overthinking, refers to Occam's Razor when he is trying to figure out possible solutions.
I get the feel this title and Brenchley's work in general, gets overlooked since it does not really fit, and it's a shame, with the quality of writing. The covers for Dead of Light kind of don't help either, as both the print and e-book ones are not particularly attractive or interesting.
Brenchley writes under several pseudonyms, and the protagonist's name, Ben Macallan, is listed as the author for his paranormal fantasy books, Desdaemona and Pandaemonium. I liked the sense of humor in that, and that is part of the reason I read Dead of Light. And there is humor, even with the dark storyline, if you can guess with the puns in the title and in the chapter names.
There is a mafia-like family, the Macallan clan, who can do magic, and they rule their town by bullying and intimidation. They have the ability to take power from star or moon light and use it, and the hierarchy is determined by who has the strongest ability. Benedict Macallan is the black sheep of the family. He has no ability whatsoever, and, in disagreeing with their bullying mindset, he walks out on them and tries to build a normal life as a college student. It works for a few years until his cousins start getting killed off by someone who has the Macallan abilities, when as far as the family knows no one should have their abilities. Ben isn't really able to ignore his family then, and one thing leads to another, and he's in the thick of things when his sister and girl he is crushing on are involved.
One thing that always stands out with Brenchley is his writing. This work is not just written well, there's eloquence, a kind of poetic quality to it. It is the strength of his writing that makes this story work. It would be a bit slow for urban fantasy fans and just not enough action happening, though there are several deaths that are imaginatively gruesome. It is more a character study of a coward but intriguingly presented as how it's not necessarily a bad thing or wrong when Ben could have been just another Macallan bully. The story is told from Ben's point of view and focuses on his character. Ben is a self-confessed failure and coward, whose first response is to run away. In lesser hands, it would get pathetic pretty quickly with self-pity and self-criticism, but Brenchley captures Ben's experience in a way that makes him understandable and eloquently self-aware without wallowing.
Not being a typical genre piece, the climax did not come with a big buildup, bang, high drama, high action, or huge revelation. No big explanations at the reveal. It was almost anti-climactic. Personally, I missed the reveal until it slipped out and still had to backtrack to make sense of it. There are hints, and the biggest clue is that Ben, for all his overthinking, refers to Occam's Razor when he is trying to figure out possible solutions.
I get the feel this title and Brenchley's work in general, gets overlooked since it does not really fit, and it's a shame, with the quality of writing. The covers for Dead of Light kind of don't help either, as both the print and e-book ones are not particularly attractive or interesting.
Brenchley writes under several pseudonyms, and the protagonist's name, Ben Macallan, is listed as the author for his paranormal fantasy books, Desdaemona and Pandaemonium. I liked the sense of humor in that, and that is part of the reason I read Dead of Light. And there is humor, even with the dark storyline, if you can guess with the puns in the title and in the chapter names.
July 9, 2012
For some reason I missed blogging this book when I first bought it as an e-book from Book View Café, so this is to remedy the omission.
The Macallans run the city. They are not only a tough-as-old-boots Mafia-like crime family, but they are magical too. No wonder no one can withstand them. No one except one of their own. Young Ben Macallan has had enough. He wants a normal life, university, a girlfriend who isn't scared witless of his family's reputation. He 'disinvests' from the family firm. And they aren't really sorry to see him go; they don't think he's got the guts for the lifestyle.
It's all going so well, but then members of his family start to die – horribly – and Ben learns that blood is thicker, and stickier, and messier than water, and a damn sight more complex. Like it or not he's drawn back into the family business, seeking the murderer, following clues in true whodunnit style. Not only whodunnit, but whydunnit.
I bought this before I had a kindle and had to read it on screen as a pdf. It says a lot for the book that I stayed glued to the laptop and read it straight through. It's gripping, visceral and nail-biting. The pace is relentless without feeling rushed. Mr. Brenchley makes you care about the characters in spades, and not just the main characters either. Even the innocent bystanders and thuggish members of the family get your sympathy - mostly.
Ben struggles to find his place in life, and in the manner of all good coming-of-age stories undergoes change by the end of the novel.
Highly recommended.
The Macallans run the city. They are not only a tough-as-old-boots Mafia-like crime family, but they are magical too. No wonder no one can withstand them. No one except one of their own. Young Ben Macallan has had enough. He wants a normal life, university, a girlfriend who isn't scared witless of his family's reputation. He 'disinvests' from the family firm. And they aren't really sorry to see him go; they don't think he's got the guts for the lifestyle.
It's all going so well, but then members of his family start to die – horribly – and Ben learns that blood is thicker, and stickier, and messier than water, and a damn sight more complex. Like it or not he's drawn back into the family business, seeking the murderer, following clues in true whodunnit style. Not only whodunnit, but whydunnit.
I bought this before I had a kindle and had to read it on screen as a pdf. It says a lot for the book that I stayed glued to the laptop and read it straight through. It's gripping, visceral and nail-biting. The pace is relentless without feeling rushed. Mr. Brenchley makes you care about the characters in spades, and not just the main characters either. Even the innocent bystanders and thuggish members of the family get your sympathy - mostly.
Ben struggles to find his place in life, and in the manner of all good coming-of-age stories undergoes change by the end of the novel.
Highly recommended.
November 5, 2018
This book was kind of what I imagine Irvine Welsh would write like if he wrote a bit less frenetically and about drugs and if he wrote fantasy/sci-fi. An angry book; but I made my way through it and it wasn’t too bad in the end.
May 31, 2017
good
it kept me captivated.
it was a great find to read.
definitely will like to reread.
it's a recommendation for rainy days.
it kept me captivated.
it was a great find to read.
definitely will like to reread.
it's a recommendation for rainy days.
February 29, 2012
Plot Overview:
Possessing no talent of his own in a family that values power over all else, Ben Macallan, has always been an outsider.
The Macallan clan is a large, prominent and ‘powerful’ family who have a strange and ruthless stranglehold on the city. Their powers come from the night and they use them mercilessly to control their territory. Ben is the black sheep of the family and wants nothing to do with them or their power. It has not been easy to distance himself, but now at university he has finally begun to make a life for himself outside their sphere of influence.
Ben’s new life comes crashing to an end when someone starts picking off members of his family and killing them brutally in a manner that echoes their own family’s power. Ben soon realises that the killer is targeting the weakest members of the family and with no power of his own, Ben is the weakest of them all.
Ben finds that the ties that bind are stronger than he ever knew. He must put the past behind him to confront his family and take responsibility for his life or he and those he loves may not have a future.
What I thought:
Dead of Light is a unique and interesting story with a lot of depth. The publisher lists it as horror (and I must say some of the death scenes are not for the faint of heart) but it is also so much more. It’s about identity and family and has a great murder mystery plot to keep you interested right up to the end. You will find yourself drawn into this dark and disturbing world right alongside Ben.
The character of Ben is complex and relatable, sometimes annoying and insecure, but overall you can see his development throughout the novel as he grows up and discovers himself. The supporting characters are strong and well written and help to round out the story.
The plot and writing are both top notch, the story is fast paced and exciting with lots of action and a bit of magic sprinkled in for your enjoyment. What I liked is that the story does not rely on magic or hit you over the head with it. The magic in the story builds slowly along with the suspense and becomes just another great story element used to tell this tale of Ben and the Macallan family. This means that even if you are not a usual fan of the genre you might find that this book is worth checking out, however if you like your mysteries firmly rooted in the mundane this book would not be for you.
Final Comments:
This was the first book of Chaz Brenchleys’ that I read and I have since gone on to read lots of his other novels. Some of his other work is vastly different but I have never been disappointed, the writing is always amazing and he has some brilliant stories to tell. If you have not read Chaz Brenchley then what are you waiting for, he is a very talented writer, and if you have then you know what I am talking about.
Possessing no talent of his own in a family that values power over all else, Ben Macallan, has always been an outsider.
The Macallan clan is a large, prominent and ‘powerful’ family who have a strange and ruthless stranglehold on the city. Their powers come from the night and they use them mercilessly to control their territory. Ben is the black sheep of the family and wants nothing to do with them or their power. It has not been easy to distance himself, but now at university he has finally begun to make a life for himself outside their sphere of influence.
Ben’s new life comes crashing to an end when someone starts picking off members of his family and killing them brutally in a manner that echoes their own family’s power. Ben soon realises that the killer is targeting the weakest members of the family and with no power of his own, Ben is the weakest of them all.
Ben finds that the ties that bind are stronger than he ever knew. He must put the past behind him to confront his family and take responsibility for his life or he and those he loves may not have a future.
What I thought:
Dead of Light is a unique and interesting story with a lot of depth. The publisher lists it as horror (and I must say some of the death scenes are not for the faint of heart) but it is also so much more. It’s about identity and family and has a great murder mystery plot to keep you interested right up to the end. You will find yourself drawn into this dark and disturbing world right alongside Ben.
The character of Ben is complex and relatable, sometimes annoying and insecure, but overall you can see his development throughout the novel as he grows up and discovers himself. The supporting characters are strong and well written and help to round out the story.
The plot and writing are both top notch, the story is fast paced and exciting with lots of action and a bit of magic sprinkled in for your enjoyment. What I liked is that the story does not rely on magic or hit you over the head with it. The magic in the story builds slowly along with the suspense and becomes just another great story element used to tell this tale of Ben and the Macallan family. This means that even if you are not a usual fan of the genre you might find that this book is worth checking out, however if you like your mysteries firmly rooted in the mundane this book would not be for you.
Final Comments:
This was the first book of Chaz Brenchleys’ that I read and I have since gone on to read lots of his other novels. Some of his other work is vastly different but I have never been disappointed, the writing is always amazing and he has some brilliant stories to tell. If you have not read Chaz Brenchley then what are you waiting for, he is a very talented writer, and if you have then you know what I am talking about.
June 8, 2012
Benedict Macallan doesn't share his family's talent -- nor their taste for power and violence. He turned his back on them; walked out of the family, if not out of the town that they control. But when a cousin is murdered in a manner that promises danger to the whole family, he's pulled back in against his will. Only for the funeral, only for long enough to say goodbye to a cousin he loved in spite of everything -- but then the body count starts to mount, and whatever Ben may feel about his family, they're his *family*.[return][return]The publisher calls it a horror novel, but it's more of a story about a Mafia-like family, seen through the eyes of a dropout member who understands how they look from both the inside and the outside. The horror element comes in the weapon used by the family to maintain control of their territory, one that's only hinted at initially, and gradually revealed during the first half of the book. Power corrupts, and the Macallan clan has held power for a very long time. Now someone is reflecting that power and threat back at them, killing Macallans as casually as they've killed others. Ben's left trying to protect a family he despises and that mostly despises him; and the outside friends who are afraid of him now they've been reminded exactly who he is; and himself. But Ben has no power of his own...[return][return]Brenchley deftly interweaves a coming of age story with a murder mystery, gradually building a picture of a strange but only too human family, and Ben's love-hate relationship with them. There's some fine world-building and character development to back up the rising tension as Ben tries to solve the lethal riddle. And the use of language is superb, making the book a joy to read for the pure pleasure of the prose. It's not exactly your traditional whodunnit, but the magic elements are never used to cheat the reader, and the clues are there for those who want to play the game. Dead of Light is both lyrical and a gripping, fast-paced read.
September 21, 2016
Expected another formulaic urban fantasy. And it's better than that. Surprise! I even bought the sequel. Sure, the main character is moody and drinks too much and there are blindingly obvious clues to the "mystery" through the book, but Unshaven Young Hero isn't a total goober and he's actually got some real problems. His family is delightfully dysfunctional, a magical Sopranos with a complicated internal hierarchy. His family is also incredibly misogynistic, in a twisted way, and maybe that's the reason behind the one part of the book that just absolutely did not work for me - the relationship between the Hero and a woman who ends up along for the ride, so to speak. She has sex with him to...fix him, in a way, from her point of view, despite the fact that HE DOESN'T ACTUALLY WANT TO HAVE SEX. And says so.
I read the encounter as the author's effort to show that even away from his family and their malignant powers, Ben (the Hero) is still someone who's opinions and feelings are simply disregarded by everyone. He serves a purpose for his family, his friends and in a weird way, this woman. She's not given much of a personality, in the book, she's a sort of cardboard cutout Unusual Love Interest (she's not young and nubile, she's a single mom, she had
has a life outside Ben and his problems), almost like the author was ticking off items on a list to make her different. But she's swept up into his world so he can be the Hero and find his own unique way of doing things, naturally, and she's just another plot device in the end. The part where she's having sex with him despite his obvious reluctance made me very, very uncomfortable, and I think his lack of independent agency could have been established in a wayn that doesn't involve sexual assault at the hands of a well-meaning older woman.
That's a pretty glaring problem, in my view, but the story does work and the underlying mythology and world building done at a pace that doesn't feel like an info-dump or leave the reader scrambling for hints.
I read the encounter as the author's effort to show that even away from his family and their malignant powers, Ben (the Hero) is still someone who's opinions and feelings are simply disregarded by everyone. He serves a purpose for his family, his friends and in a weird way, this woman. She's not given much of a personality, in the book, she's a sort of cardboard cutout Unusual Love Interest (she's not young and nubile, she's a single mom, she had
has a life outside Ben and his problems), almost like the author was ticking off items on a list to make her different. But she's swept up into his world so he can be the Hero and find his own unique way of doing things, naturally, and she's just another plot device in the end. The part where she's having sex with him despite his obvious reluctance made me very, very uncomfortable, and I think his lack of independent agency could have been established in a wayn that doesn't involve sexual assault at the hands of a well-meaning older woman.
That's a pretty glaring problem, in my view, but the story does work and the underlying mythology and world building done at a pace that doesn't feel like an info-dump or leave the reader scrambling for hints.
December 18, 2011
When Ben Macallan finally left home, it was a relief for everyone. “I’m disinvesting” he told them, and did not plan to return. Ben is the odd man out in his family, the only one with no recognizable “talent.” A clan that runs a city and beyond using an arsenal of magical “talents” (think small scale Mafia) doesn’t need any dead weight cluttering up the scenery.
But then one of Ben’s cousins is murdered, ruthlessly and painfully. Evidence suggests that the murderer also possesses magic – powerful, corrosive magic. Ben has been a decent student at university, but the chief lesson here is, you can’t turn your back on family. As the murders continue, Ben notices that it is those perceived as weakest who are being picked off first. And if he doesn’t figure out what’s going on fast, odds are good he’ll soon be a corpse himself.
This was my first book by Chaz Brenchley, but it won’t be my last. The writer has enormous depth, giving us a searing portrait of a young man who has never lived among normal people, and has no idea how relationships are carried out.
It’s possible that a skilled reader of suspense will see where the book is going earlier than I did, but I was so caught up in the protagonist’s POV I arrived at the answer when he did. This book also has horror aspects – the deaths are not soft-pedaled, and I confess to jumping over some of the details. But if you like your fantasy mixed with strong characterization and suspense, with a dollop of genuine horror (and the magic may be the least of the horror, in the end) then you must try a Brenchley novel!
I discovered this as an ebook at Book View Café.
But then one of Ben’s cousins is murdered, ruthlessly and painfully. Evidence suggests that the murderer also possesses magic – powerful, corrosive magic. Ben has been a decent student at university, but the chief lesson here is, you can’t turn your back on family. As the murders continue, Ben notices that it is those perceived as weakest who are being picked off first. And if he doesn’t figure out what’s going on fast, odds are good he’ll soon be a corpse himself.
This was my first book by Chaz Brenchley, but it won’t be my last. The writer has enormous depth, giving us a searing portrait of a young man who has never lived among normal people, and has no idea how relationships are carried out.
It’s possible that a skilled reader of suspense will see where the book is going earlier than I did, but I was so caught up in the protagonist’s POV I arrived at the answer when he did. This book also has horror aspects – the deaths are not soft-pedaled, and I confess to jumping over some of the details. But if you like your fantasy mixed with strong characterization and suspense, with a dollop of genuine horror (and the magic may be the least of the horror, in the end) then you must try a Brenchley novel!
I discovered this as an ebook at Book View Café.
April 5, 2016
The description of this book presents a moody kid having to face reality, and find his courage. I can't really argue with that, but it was really a lot more than that. :) Ben is part of a family of with supernatural powers. They're mostly bullies, and use it to run a town as essentially lords. He disapproves, and since he doesn't seem to have powers, he leaves the family and decides to make it on his own (which I thought actually showed a lot of courage). Because of his lack of powers, they let him leave. But when family members start dying, Ben realizes that as much as he disapproves of them, he loves his family, and doesn't want harm to come to them. As he tries to solve the mystery of who's killing them all, he makes a number of other surprising discoveries as well.
I like Ben, and I like both his courage and his emo self-obsession. He's a fun character -- you can see his melodrama, but (at least for me) it doesn't detract from his strength of will and powerful emotions. This was a surprisingly good book! I bought the next one before I finished this one.
I like Ben, and I like both his courage and his emo self-obsession. He's a fun character -- you can see his melodrama, but (at least for me) it doesn't detract from his strength of will and powerful emotions. This was a surprisingly good book! I bought the next one before I finished this one.
April 21, 2014
Benedict's family rules the town, but not Benedict. He opted out because he never developed the psychic powers that let the rest of them keep control of everything that goes on. So he keeps his head down, goes to university and fails to get anywhere with the girl of his dreams.
But when someone starts killing members of his family, Benedict's sister drags him back to his parent's home, and soon Benedict is right in the middle of things.
A great book. A paranormal thriller = but not too paranormal. It kept me turning the pages well after I should have gone to sleep. Benedict is flawed but all too human and an engaging narrator. Through the book he begins to come to terms with what he wants out of life and is forced to do some (probably overdue) growing up. The setting is intriguing and it all fits together nicely at the end.
Not deep literature, but entertaining, exciting and amusing, each in their own measure.
But when someone starts killing members of his family, Benedict's sister drags him back to his parent's home, and soon Benedict is right in the middle of things.
A great book. A paranormal thriller = but not too paranormal. It kept me turning the pages well after I should have gone to sleep. Benedict is flawed but all too human and an engaging narrator. Through the book he begins to come to terms with what he wants out of life and is forced to do some (probably overdue) growing up. The setting is intriguing and it all fits together nicely at the end.
Not deep literature, but entertaining, exciting and amusing, each in their own measure.
August 12, 2016
I don't expect much from Kindle Unlimited Titles
I don't expect great writing, superb plots, sublime characters or deep thoughts from Kindle Unlimited books. I read these books to feed my reading habit and because they don't cost me anymore than my fee. However, I do expect properly used punctuation. I'll never know if this was a good book as I only made it to page 9.
This author has a serious issue with run-on sentences. His style is heavy on commas, and semi-colons, and hyphens, and question marks that don't end sentences, and multi-tiered parenthetical structures, and colons and... By the time I'd finished parsing a paragraph-long sentence, I'd forgotten what was supposed to be happening.
If he was trying to be creative, he failed the most important test for me. I didn't like it. I didn't see the need for it, or how it added to my experience, or how it fit the context of the story. It just made it hard to read.
I don't expect great writing, superb plots, sublime characters or deep thoughts from Kindle Unlimited books. I read these books to feed my reading habit and because they don't cost me anymore than my fee. However, I do expect properly used punctuation. I'll never know if this was a good book as I only made it to page 9.
This author has a serious issue with run-on sentences. His style is heavy on commas, and semi-colons, and hyphens, and question marks that don't end sentences, and multi-tiered parenthetical structures, and colons and... By the time I'd finished parsing a paragraph-long sentence, I'd forgotten what was supposed to be happening.
If he was trying to be creative, he failed the most important test for me. I didn't like it. I didn't see the need for it, or how it added to my experience, or how it fit the context of the story. It just made it hard to read.
October 12, 2010
This is just a sublime book. With its hard man swagger with a tinge of teenage angst, Dead of Light, is hard, emotional and in your face. It is essentially a British Gangster story with powers and its got big brass bollocks.
Brenchley was making forays into Urban fantasy via teenage existential, my parents are evil angst, way before Brian K. Vaughn, or Stephenie Meyer dreamed up their stories.
This is one of his best creations.
My only concern now is that Chaz Brenchley manages to write a third in this series.
Brenchley was making forays into Urban fantasy via teenage existential, my parents are evil angst, way before Brian K. Vaughn, or Stephenie Meyer dreamed up their stories.
This is one of his best creations.
My only concern now is that Chaz Brenchley manages to write a third in this series.
February 4, 2013
I don't often read paranormal stories because I outgrew Marvel comics a very long time ago. However, the main character of this book wasn't budding SuperMan. He was a coward, and the ant crushed under his family's boot heel. He doesn't want to get involved when his cousin is murdered, but his family leaves him no choice. And from there on in, I was hooked, racing through the book trying to figure out who the murderer was and if Benedict will survive.
January 12, 2015
New author for me. Super slow. Felt like a self published book but will give the next one a go.
January 1, 2016
Read this long ago when it first came out. Reread it recently and loved it even more. Great story, great characters, and Brenchley's beautiful prose, which is always sharp-edged perfection.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews