A Review:
In Blackness by U.L. Harper
12.11.2011
By Zara D. Garcia-Alvarez / @ZaraAlexis
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Category: Science Fiction
Author: U.L. Harper
Format: Paperback, 285 pages
Publisher: BookLocker.com Inc.
ISBN: 978-1-61434-438-4
Pub Date: July 15, 2011
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I came to the novel completely blind to what it was about, which allowed me to fully enjoy the build-up towards its climax. Though the writing style is not as full-bodied as literary works, the absence of detailed descriptions of setting added to the book’s eerie surrealism. What U.L. Harper lacks in descriptive writing, he makes up in his ability to compel you to turn the page in anticipation of discovering upcoming events.
Though the characters’ flaws could not fully articulate the potential richness of their relationships to one another, which is what I believe U.L. Harper attempted to do in his story, the characters themselves became representations of larger societal values: Lenny, the religious skeptic with survival instincts; Saline, the spiritual seeker and peacemaker; Busak, the “entrepreneur;” and Dustin, the rebellious advocate. Together they form the microcosm of survival.
What was inevitably interesting in this piece was the creative science fiction of what and who these characters needed to face. Its details were reflections of known stereotypes, yet descriptions of horrific and graphic images of potential our communal fear: extermination. This novel could very easily be adapted into a screenplay for a sci-fi movie, which with the right budget, special effects, and producer could help propel it to its fullest potential.
This novel is a simple, yet good start to a science fiction series that can entertain the youthful sci-fi audience in which it is intended.
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Zara’s Rating
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Do you believe in the existence of aliens?
What is your favourite book and/or movie about extra-terrestrial life forms?
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