Book Review: Black Light

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Black Light     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Elizabeth Hand
Class/Genre:   Fantasy
HarperPrism, Apr 1999, $25.00, 276 pp.

In the early 1970's, teenager Charlotte "Lit" Golding lives in the NYC superb of Kamsenic, where many Hollywood types make their home. After a long absence from the village, Lit's godfather, the legendary but notorious director Axel Kern returns home to throw a party that the townsfolk all attend.

However, Alex has special plans for Lit, whom he sees as a conduit for his personal rebirth as the ancient God Dionysius. Professor Balthazar Warwick, who once loved and lost Lit in a previous reincarnation of the girl, tries to stop Alex from succeeding.

With BLACK LIGHT, Elizabeth Hand confirms why she is a multiple award winning author of the World Fantasy, Nebula, Tiptree, and Mythopaeic awards. This entertaining horror- fantasy novel is very complex. The plot will remind the reader of ROSEMARY'S BABY with a different ending and much more complicated story line. The characters, especially the teens, are fully developed, and the underlying "scientific" principles that bring the plot together will delight horror, fantasy, and SF fans. No more just a distant glimmering light, Ms. Hand is clearly among the top authors worth reading.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner

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