Dark Worlds: Project 31 by Zack Daggy

Scratching in the dead of night. Serial killer stalking his next victim unbeknownst to being stalked himself. A psychic wanting to protect those from future crimes. A woman with special talents. A teen with a secret. A doctor with a traumatic past. Phew! You put all this together and get one freaky page-turner! Zack Daggy will have you fearing the dark like a child in no time with his first installment of the Dark Worlds Trilogy.

Daggy's tale was inspired by a short story that he authored called The Secret. This short alone is a must-read! It is mysterious. It leaves you hanging. And, it leaves you with many questions! Thank heavens for the further explanation through Project 31! In the transition from short to the first in a trilogy, we learn more about the characters initially introduced and meet many more along the way. At first, the combination of characters caused me some confusion, but it did not take long before my "AHA" moment kicked in. What was I confused about? I believe that initially it was because the story jumps between the years 1977 and 2008. The information was there, but it was simply this reader (ME!) missing the details! I also believe it was partially because of the number of important characters within the story. However, all the characters come together so smoothly and unexpectedly, that my befuddlement was left in the dust very quickly!

As I mentioned in my previous post, "Do You Fear Horror?", the horror genre is one of my favorites. Though it was a more common read in my younger years than in more recent ones, I still finish a decent amount and feel confident in saying that this is one of the better horror books that I have read in a very long time! What makes it so good? It's unique. It's dark. And, most importantly, it leaves some of the details up to your own imagination instead of painting that picture for you. What truly can be found in the darkness? THAT (the imagination part) is what made the book for me! Thankfully, it provides the reader with some closure by the last page, but it definitely left me still wanting more and asking questions of what (else) there is to come. According to a recent tweet from the author, this desire will not be met until spring/summer 2010 when the second of the trilogy is expected to be released. Until then I wait . . . hopefully not in the darkness!!

Review copy provided by the author via Ariel Publicity