The Dark Edge

Eddon + Vail #1

by Richard Harland

Where no thriller has gone before.

A macabre murder case and a planet on the edge of disaster . . .

Inspector Eddon Brac, from Hegemony Central Police, and Vail ev Vessintor, his parapsych assistant, arrive on Independent Planet P-19 to investigate a series of horrifically violent killings.

They discover a society sliding into chaos -- terrifying nightmares, increasing darkness, storms of psychic energy . . .

As the murders multiply, the ultimate cause begins to appear as something far more sinister than just a single serial killer.

Eddon has the detective skills to deal with the practical evidence, Vail has the psychic talents to understand the seemingly supernatural. But tensions are driving them apart. Together they may be able to solve the horror on Independent Planet P-19 -- if first they can solve their own feelings for each other.

Published by Pan Macmillan, August 1997, and now on the shel

Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

I was born in Yorkshire, England, then migrated to Australia at the age of twenty-one. I was always trying to write, but could never finish the stories I began. Instead I drifted around as a singer, songwriter and poet, then became a university tutor and finally a university lecturer. But after twenty-five years of writer’s block, I finally finished the cult novel, The Vicar of Morbing Vyle, and resigned my lectureship to follow my original dream.

Since then, I've had seventeen books published, all fantasy, SF or horror/supernatural, ranging from Children’s to Young Adult to Adult. My biggest success internationally has come with my YA steampunk fantasies, Worldshaker and its sequels. I've won six Aurealis Awards (Australia's Nebulas) and the Prix Tam-tam du Livre Jeunesse for Le Worldshaker.

I live with partner Aileen near Wollongong, south of Sydney, between golden beaches and green escarpment. Walking Yogi the Labrador while listening to music is my favourite relaxation—when I'm not writing like a mad workaholic, catching up on those wasted twenty-five years …

My website for The Ferren Trilogy and other books is at www.ferren.com.au. I've also put up a comprehensive 145-page guide of tips for writing fantasy fiction at www.writingtips.com.au.

Reviews

[Karen Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently re-read this book and its sequel and enjoyed it on a second reading as much, if not more, than the first time. Harland has a marvelous imagination as evidenced in his first novel, the wonderfully named, Gothic novella, The Vicar of Morbing Vyle. In The Dark Edge, ostensibly science-fiction, Harland's Gothic and macabre roots come the fore with terrific effect.

A crime novel set in the future, the tale centres around a series of grotesque murders on Independent Planet P-19, a mining planet colonized in the furthest reaches of the galaxy. When the hard-boiled (but young and clever) detective Edon is sent to investigate, what he doesn't count on is the presence of Vail, a parapsych and his partner. Newly trained and prone to wearing wild make-up (I kept trying to visualize how she looked and what Vail did with eyeliner and lipstick was bizarre to say the least and I did struggle with her appearance in that regard. Though, as a signifier of her attempt to establish a unique identity and make a statement, it worked), and making assumptions, Vail finds Edon initially frosty. He has no faith in her abilities and she is determined to prove her worth. But when they land on the dour planet and discover more bodies and come closer to solving the terrible secret behind the murders, their relationship transforms as does Edon's appreciation of Vail's talents.

The two main characters are beautifully crafted and I found the way Harland transposed the lingo and ideas underpinning witchcraft and paganism onto a science fiction setting excellent. The murders are utterly gruesome and the descriptions of the planet so visceral that you long to escape. The looming horror of not just the killings and the fear that's aroused but of the planet
Itself, never mind the impact of colonization on settlers and indigenous peoples is also explored as is corporate responsibility.

This is a terrific book and I formed my opinion of it long before Richard became a friend. I am
a great admirer of his prodigious talent and generosity towards other writers. I just wish he would return to this series and give us more Edon and Vail - especially now he's a Worldshaker!

[PRJ Greenwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first and the best of the three. Alas, they go downhill from here.