Although I’ve seen many movies, games and TV portrayals of an apocalypse where the world is left barren, creating a vacuum into which the best and worst of human nature breathes oxygen, it occurred to me as I read DARK BLOOM that my only literary foray into the genre was Stephen King’s epic THE STAND, which I read many years ago. What’s so very interesting about Molly Macabre’s novel is that it focuses in on two characters and charts the arc of their burgeoning relationship against a horrific backdrop as they work to shield each other emotionally and physically from a world that’s gone rotten, overrun by the Infected.
With exquisite world-building, a big heart, and action rich with sensory beats, a terrific opening sequence in a grocery store had me riveted to the page. And the stylish choreography of the action throughout the book is one of its many highlights.
The irony of this apocalypse is that, while so many die or are killed through being infected, this enables both protagonists Kate and Nick to find renewed life, and a new sense of worth. This dire circumstance has provided them with all they needed to be reborn.
Kate is scarred by a brutal relationship. Her ex, an embodiment of evil, in a series of dark flashbacks, justifies his cruel intentions to himself as evil men do. She rises despite this oppression.
Nick is an ex-marine, haunted by events on the battlefield which bring him to, what he feels, is the edge of usefulness. We will these two lost souls to connect.
Told with sensitivity, the tale doesn’t shy away from the quiet moments that let the story and characterisation breathe, with tender beats that delicately add layers to this blossoming relationship. Kate and Nick create power in each other, handing it over when the need is there. This is the real heart of the book, and boy is it written well!
But it’s not just the artfully nuanced relationship that showcases Molly Macabre’s incredible writing. She also finds new ways to lay out this world for us. I felt myself taking good time to admire the well-balanced construction of her sentences, and I was captivated by a beautiful passage about how the land Kate and Nick traverse may be occupied by something more subtle than the ghosts of Confederate soldiers. Another intelligent moment sees Kate’s ruminations on what happens to music, especially streaming music, when the world is taken over by an Infected hoarde.
Horror fans will be pleased to know that this book does not shy away from being at times brutal and shockingly violent, with some very cool deaths. And the final quarter of the book takes a dynamic turn that I absolutely did not expect. The structure of the final scenes is well calculated and provides the backdrop for a heartfelt, powerful conclusion.
Molly Macabre’s talent for world-building, and storytellying through action and quiet moments are undeniable. She’s definitely a writer to watch.