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Dark Advent
It arrived without warning. A plague of unknown origin. Like a biblical pestilence, it swept through modern civilization almost overnight, destroying good and evil alike. Leaving only a handful of survivors to make their way through an empty landscape and face the unknown horrors that lay hidden in a savage new world.In a deserted Midwestern department store, a few people banded together for survival. But beyond their temporary haven, an evil was stirring, an evil that preyed upon human weakness for its own twisted ends. Soon all that would stand between the world and a reign of insanity was this unlikely fortress of humanity, armed with what could be found on a department store shelf and what courage they could muster to battle a monstrous, merciless scourge...
Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 1988
35 people are currently reading
577 people want to read
About the author
Brian Hodge
149 books460 followersBrian Hodge, called “a writer of spectacularly unflinching gifts” by Peter Straub, is the award-winning author of ten novels of horror and crime/noir. He’s also written well over 100 short stories, novelettes, and novellas, and four full-length collections. His first collection, The Convulsion Factory, was ranked by critic Stanley Wiater as among the 113 best books of modern horror.
He lives in Colorado, where he also dabbles in music and photography; loves everything about organic gardening except the thieving squirrels; and trains in Krav Maga, grappling, and kickboxing, which are of no use at all against the squirrels.
He lives in Colorado, where he also dabbles in music and photography; loves everything about organic gardening except the thieving squirrels; and trains in Krav Maga, grappling, and kickboxing, which are of no use at all against the squirrels.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
February 7, 2022
Decided to read this one because it was compared to The Stand by Stephen King, which is my all time favourite book but this was just completely derivative and in a mediocre way.
It wasn't terrible, I think he's a good writer and detailed with the descriptions of the surroundings; which I enjoy because it sets the scene and creates an atmospheric read.
My favourite character was Peter Solomon, who is basically just Randall Flagg; apart from this character the character development was very poor and I was let down by that.
It wasn't terrible, I think he's a good writer and detailed with the descriptions of the surroundings; which I enjoy because it sets the scene and creates an atmospheric read.
My favourite character was Peter Solomon, who is basically just Randall Flagg; apart from this character the character development was very poor and I was let down by that.
August 1, 2021
A fairly early novel by Hodge, DA has often been compared to The Stand and Swan Song for very good reasons. Published in 1988 and set in the same year, we begin with a long intro section where the various characters (and there are many) are given backstories before the virus hits. From the back blurb, we know a nasty virus is going to wipe out the USA if not the world, just like in the novels mentioned above. In this case, the 'bionic plague' is a version of the bubonic plague (aka black death) that has been enhanced by modern science; mortality rate about 99.6%. Which leaves us with the survivors and their struggles.
Unlike The Stand or Swan Song, DV does not really have any supernatural aspects outside of some minor ESP among the survivors and instead focuses upon the human condition among the survivors. On the one hand we have our lead Jason, his 'girlfriend' Erika and a few dozen others who find refuge in a downtown department store in St. Louis. On the other hand, we have Travis and Solomon (Solomon being the guy who let loose the plague) holed up in the Omni Hotel, also in St. Louis. Jason's group just wants to find a decent place to start over; they embody the good, hopeful, emphatic aspects of humanity. Travis and pals, however, represent the other half of humanity-- nasty, cruel and vindictive to the extreme. They want to rule what is left over and create an empire of sorts, where you are either with them or against them.
Hodge really likes to develop his characters in great detail, and that is surely the case here. While Jason, Erika, Travis and Solomon get the greatest amount of attention, there must be a few dozen more that receive numerous pages as well; all of their backstories before the plague must take up at least 20% of the book. If you really love character driven fiction, you will probably like Hodge.
This is not however, some cosmic struggle between good and evil (e.g., The Stand), but rather a struggle over the nature of humanity, and what will come forth in times of tragedy. There is a fair amount of action along the way and Hodge can trade some brutal stories with the best of them when it comes to cruelty; probably quite a few 'triggers' may be hit here. Oddly enough, however, DA is strangely hopeful novel even given the great tragedies and misery. Nothing quite as cheesy as love conquers all, but more like how through love we can make great sacrifices in the hopes of a better future.
While I am sure many will probably write this off as 'derivative' of The Stand (and yeah, the whole plague and end of the world thing probably helps with this) but it really is distinctive as more of a morality play (for lack of better words) rather than a cosmic good/evil narrative. I am probably biased here as I really did not like The Stand that much and in fact, that book turned me off King for decades, precisely due to King trying to tie in a good plot with a cosmic good/evil battle. Also, King's characters in The Stand, especially women and non-whites, were not developed well, falling into stereotypes that come across as quite painful today. Hodge is much better here, especially with female characters, who are complex albeit flawed (but I could say this about all of his characters really). So, if you are in the mood for a fairly slow-paced, character driven end of the world story, you could do much worse than DA. 3.5 stars, rounding down due to the ending.
Unlike The Stand or Swan Song, DV does not really have any supernatural aspects outside of some minor ESP among the survivors and instead focuses upon the human condition among the survivors. On the one hand we have our lead Jason, his 'girlfriend' Erika and a few dozen others who find refuge in a downtown department store in St. Louis. On the other hand, we have Travis and Solomon (Solomon being the guy who let loose the plague) holed up in the Omni Hotel, also in St. Louis. Jason's group just wants to find a decent place to start over; they embody the good, hopeful, emphatic aspects of humanity. Travis and pals, however, represent the other half of humanity-- nasty, cruel and vindictive to the extreme. They want to rule what is left over and create an empire of sorts, where you are either with them or against them.
Hodge really likes to develop his characters in great detail, and that is surely the case here. While Jason, Erika, Travis and Solomon get the greatest amount of attention, there must be a few dozen more that receive numerous pages as well; all of their backstories before the plague must take up at least 20% of the book. If you really love character driven fiction, you will probably like Hodge.
This is not however, some cosmic struggle between good and evil (e.g., The Stand), but rather a struggle over the nature of humanity, and what will come forth in times of tragedy. There is a fair amount of action along the way and Hodge can trade some brutal stories with the best of them when it comes to cruelty; probably quite a few 'triggers' may be hit here. Oddly enough, however, DA is strangely hopeful novel even given the great tragedies and misery. Nothing quite as cheesy as love conquers all, but more like how through love we can make great sacrifices in the hopes of a better future.
While I am sure many will probably write this off as 'derivative' of The Stand (and yeah, the whole plague and end of the world thing probably helps with this) but it really is distinctive as more of a morality play (for lack of better words) rather than a cosmic good/evil narrative. I am probably biased here as I really did not like The Stand that much and in fact, that book turned me off King for decades, precisely due to King trying to tie in a good plot with a cosmic good/evil battle. Also, King's characters in The Stand, especially women and non-whites, were not developed well, falling into stereotypes that come across as quite painful today. Hodge is much better here, especially with female characters, who are complex albeit flawed (but I could say this about all of his characters really). So, if you are in the mood for a fairly slow-paced, character driven end of the world story, you could do much worse than DA. 3.5 stars, rounding down due to the ending.
July 20, 2019
Excellent post-apocalyptic tale that should be mentioned right up there with The Stand and Swan Song, and what makes it different than those is the purely human element of this story. There are hints of preternatural occurrences, but for the most part, this tale is about the struggle of humans after a world-altering catastrophe to try and carry on, despite the temptations to revert to our baser natures.
Yes, like the previous novels, there's the expected "two camps" - some humans band together collectively and retain their values, while some succumb to tyranny, despotic rule, and their own selfish desires. But unlike The Stand and Swan Song, there's no epic, supernatural forces backing each side. It's merely the best and worst of humanity, clashing amidst the debris of modern society, for the future of mankind. This is a book which should be more widely read, for sure.
Yes, like the previous novels, there's the expected "two camps" - some humans band together collectively and retain their values, while some succumb to tyranny, despotic rule, and their own selfish desires. But unlike The Stand and Swan Song, there's no epic, supernatural forces backing each side. It's merely the best and worst of humanity, clashing amidst the debris of modern society, for the future of mankind. This is a book which should be more widely read, for sure.
October 8, 2025
So you know oft quoted and overused phrase "never judge a book by it's cover"? I don't think that statement could ring more true than it does for this book. Yes, I will whole-heatedly, 100% agree that the cover for "Dark Advent" is ridiculous, silly, and quite stupid. Intact, it might possibly be the dumbest cover I've ever seen, or, at least, the most blatantly misleading one. I'll give a very minor spoiler alert here and say that Nowhere within these pages do we get anything even close to a pissed off demon or children running around in the flames of hell. Instead, what you get is the perfect example of what all post apocalyptic novels should be.
It's true that Brian Hodge (at least to me) isn't an incredibly popular name you can drop in the midst of your horror book-club friends, and when you're discussing the whole post apocalyptic sub genre, there's no doubt that "the Stand" and "Swan Song" are gonna come up within that conversation. And rightfully so as, respectively, both King and McCammons novels are sprawling 900+ page epics that defined the genre. Yet, as seems to be the case, the best of the time frame (late 1980's) seems to be "Dark Advent" by that little known author.
I won't bore you with the similarities between the 3 books because there are a lot. Just know that At times, all 3 of these stories could overlap and be the same basic novel. However where McCammon took 900 something pages to tell his story and King took over 1100, Hodge manages to keep his novel under 450...barely. And thats where we can see how much better of a book "Advent" really is. There's not a ton of backstory or lengthy dialogue or the author trying to ram his personal thoughts down our throats (we all know King struggles with this practically all the time). Nope. What we get is 448 pages of a raw, brutal, tough world where it's every man for himself. I know I use the term a lot to describe quickly paced novels but "Dark Advent" really is a non stop ride that you can out down. Honestly, the only reason it room me a week to read it was because I wanted to savor every moment I had with it, and, like has happened before, albeit rarely, I felt a connection with the characters, a literary relationship that I didn't want to end with the conclusion. I think maybe only 3 other novels have managed to pull me In so completely that when it ended, I felt I was losing friends.
You know what other rare feat this novel managed to do? It managed to make my top 10 list. Not too ten horror or disaster. In talking too 10 list of EVERYTHING. Is it the literary equivalent of "Crime and Punishment"? Or did it match the prose and complexity of Cronin's "The Passage"? No, but that's ok, because unlike many other books i have read (and will read), there's not a single thing wrong with this (minus the cover of course).
Perhaps the sad thing is that this book doesn't seem to be in print anymore. It's next to impossible to find a new copy (although you can shell out 35 bucks for one on Amazon). That's a real shame because this is a novel that shouldn't be overlooked or forgotten about. It's highly underrated and when compared to King, well, you'll just have to trust me that it's a far superior story.
It's true that Brian Hodge (at least to me) isn't an incredibly popular name you can drop in the midst of your horror book-club friends, and when you're discussing the whole post apocalyptic sub genre, there's no doubt that "the Stand" and "Swan Song" are gonna come up within that conversation. And rightfully so as, respectively, both King and McCammons novels are sprawling 900+ page epics that defined the genre. Yet, as seems to be the case, the best of the time frame (late 1980's) seems to be "Dark Advent" by that little known author.
I won't bore you with the similarities between the 3 books because there are a lot. Just know that At times, all 3 of these stories could overlap and be the same basic novel. However where McCammon took 900 something pages to tell his story and King took over 1100, Hodge manages to keep his novel under 450...barely. And thats where we can see how much better of a book "Advent" really is. There's not a ton of backstory or lengthy dialogue or the author trying to ram his personal thoughts down our throats (we all know King struggles with this practically all the time). Nope. What we get is 448 pages of a raw, brutal, tough world where it's every man for himself. I know I use the term a lot to describe quickly paced novels but "Dark Advent" really is a non stop ride that you can out down. Honestly, the only reason it room me a week to read it was because I wanted to savor every moment I had with it, and, like has happened before, albeit rarely, I felt a connection with the characters, a literary relationship that I didn't want to end with the conclusion. I think maybe only 3 other novels have managed to pull me In so completely that when it ended, I felt I was losing friends.
You know what other rare feat this novel managed to do? It managed to make my top 10 list. Not too ten horror or disaster. In talking too 10 list of EVERYTHING. Is it the literary equivalent of "Crime and Punishment"? Or did it match the prose and complexity of Cronin's "The Passage"? No, but that's ok, because unlike many other books i have read (and will read), there's not a single thing wrong with this (minus the cover of course).
Perhaps the sad thing is that this book doesn't seem to be in print anymore. It's next to impossible to find a new copy (although you can shell out 35 bucks for one on Amazon). That's a real shame because this is a novel that shouldn't be overlooked or forgotten about. It's highly underrated and when compared to King, well, you'll just have to trust me that it's a far superior story.
March 30, 2020
Dark Advent
By Brian Hodge.
Pinnacle Horror.
1989.
🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃
Dark Advent is one of the best novels I have ever read. This one goes beyond the scope of this Instagram page. It's one of those rare books from the horror paperback boom that isn't just a great example of what that relatively small world of genre writing has to offer, but a straight up excellent piece of fiction.
In fact, I think the #paperbacksfromhell cover art treatment that this one got, probably hurt sales. It certainly couldn't have done reputation any favors, as I am sure plenty of 1989 horror fans grabbed this expecting children in some sort of fiery peril while running from angry demons, BECAUSE, ya know, that's what's on the cover, and got a sprawling action-adventure post-apocalyptic opus .
There are plenty of sprinklings of horror, and a touch of supernatural tone, but this is a largely character driven story with some great action sequences. The approach of focusing less on the ongoing horror, and more of the impact that the horror had on its characters, reminded me of the equally excellent Ash Wednesday by Chet Williamson. Give that one a read too.
While there isn't a monster or fiery hellscapes; there is a rich, exciting story of the end of the world as we know it and an ongoing war between two groups of survivors. I highly recommend this, without any reservations.
I am quite sure if you read at all, you'll find something to enjoy here. The only deterrents I can think of? If you're a collector of the original editions of these, the rare copy of this bad guy often goes for steep prices. Then, if you're lucky enough to grab it, this has about the TINIEST print I have ever seen that goes for 450 pages!
The good news is the book is so good, it's easy to get over it and find yourself lost in the fantastic writing. Quintessential.
Dark Advent
By Brian Hodge.
Pinnacle Horror.
1989.
🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃
Dark Advent is one of the best novels I have ever read. This one goes beyond the scope of this Instagram page. It's one of those rare books from the horror paperback boom that isn't just a great example of what that relatively small world of genre writing has to offer, but a straight up excellent piece of fiction.
In fact, I think the #paperbacksfromhell cover art treatment that this one got, probably hurt sales. It certainly couldn't have done reputation any favors, as I am sure plenty of 1989 horror fans grabbed this expecting children in some sort of fiery peril while running from angry demons, BECAUSE, ya know, that's what's on the cover, and got a sprawling action-adventure post-apocalyptic opus .
There are plenty of sprinklings of horror, and a touch of supernatural tone, but this is a largely character driven story with some great action sequences. The approach of focusing less on the ongoing horror, and more of the impact that the horror had on its characters, reminded me of the equally excellent Ash Wednesday by Chet Williamson. Give that one a read too.
While there isn't a monster or fiery hellscapes; there is a rich, exciting story of the end of the world as we know it and an ongoing war between two groups of survivors. I highly recommend this, without any reservations.
I am quite sure if you read at all, you'll find something to enjoy here. The only deterrents I can think of? If you're a collector of the original editions of these, the rare copy of this bad guy often goes for steep prices. Then, if you're lucky enough to grab it, this has about the TINIEST print I have ever seen that goes for 450 pages!
The good news is the book is so good, it's easy to get over it and find yourself lost in the fantastic writing. Quintessential.
March 16, 2012
Saw this book mentioned in a discussion on Horror Aficionados, then saw it in the shelves of a used bookstore the very next weekend for a dollar. Happy to say, I didn't waste the dollar. It was an entertaining read, in spite of a lot of deja vu if you've read either The Stand or Swan Song. It's not as good as those two novels, but they're tough acts to follow. The main bad guy, Solomon Peter, is not as fleshed out as some of his henchmen are, and his motives are never particularly clear. Also there were times when both the good guys and bad guys pulled incredibly bad decisions, probably as a way of just keeping the novel going. As mentioned in other reviews, the cover is from some art director's in-box and slapped on to this book as if someone said, "Just give me a cover that's got apocalypse on it and roll with it!" It's got nothing to do with the story at all.
August 23, 2019
Pinnacle horror at it's best. The cover made me believe this to be a cheesy story about kids going to hell or plagued by a demon. What we get is an end of the world story. A very well done one at that. This book was 448 pages of small writing, and in my case, dogeared and yellowed. Most books like this I would of gave up on. This one, I charged ahead.
A group of people from in and around St. Louis find themselves coming together in a department store to last out the end of days. Meanwhile a group of rouges and crazies move close by in a mall of their own. Things heat up when the evil group want's to rule the whole city. One man goes south to find a sanctuary away from all the conflict. A place he can bring his group to.
A group of people from in and around St. Louis find themselves coming together in a department store to last out the end of days. Meanwhile a group of rouges and crazies move close by in a mall of their own. Things heat up when the evil group want's to rule the whole city. One man goes south to find a sanctuary away from all the conflict. A place he can bring his group to.
February 14, 2024
3.5/5 rounded up.
I had some serious issues with this book, and the fact that it's a pretty blatant rip off of The Stand and Swan Song, isn't even chief among them. It doesn't come close to either of those, but it has enough working in its favour to make it worth recommending, especially if y0u love those two books and want more in that vein.
Hodge's writing is solid, for the most part, and he really nails the action scenes, and is able to drum up a lot of excitement in those moments. The thing that holds me back from rating it higher is that the characters kind of drove me crazy. There are some pretty good ones within, but at times they make decisions that are so mind numbingly stupid, that I almost threw the book across the room on multiple occasions.
Overall it's a good read though, and has a strong conclusion, so check it out if you can get your hands on a copy.
I had some serious issues with this book, and the fact that it's a pretty blatant rip off of The Stand and Swan Song, isn't even chief among them. It doesn't come close to either of those, but it has enough working in its favour to make it worth recommending, especially if y0u love those two books and want more in that vein.
Hodge's writing is solid, for the most part, and he really nails the action scenes, and is able to drum up a lot of excitement in those moments. The thing that holds me back from rating it higher is that the characters kind of drove me crazy. There are some pretty good ones within, but at times they make decisions that are so mind numbingly stupid, that I almost threw the book across the room on multiple occasions.
Overall it's a good read though, and has a strong conclusion, so check it out if you can get your hands on a copy.
March 27, 2016
Like THE STAND, it brings forth the underside of human nature. The plot is well-crafted and the narrative is strong.
Want to read
April 25, 2017This hardcover edition copy is one of 750 copies signed and numbered by Brian Hodge.
Want to read
January 30, 2019Signed Limted Edition of 750
April 16, 2020
A watered-down version of The Stand, sans the truly supernatural, and devoid of anything to really make it seem a work of its own. In modern terms, it reads like a seasonal arc of The Walking Dead without zombies. Good guys vs bad guys in a post-apocalyptic setting. Shorter than King's seminal work, it still feels too long for what it is.
November 24, 2019
Hmm. A rewrite of King's The Stand? That's pretty obvious to begin with. But the author should have taken more notice of the way King crafts his apocalyptic novel when he started to put together this bit of a mess. The Stand is a classic dystopian post-plague novel where a group of good people face off against a group of mostly bad people led by a very bad man. Throughout the novel each character arc is carefully crafted to bring the key people to one great moment of crisis where each plays their part in the momentous Biblical battle between man and the devil (represented by the evil Randall Flagg). There are reasons why one group lives where it does: the wonderful Mother Abagail [who represents God's presence on Earth] has dreamt all these happenings and brought her little army of good people together where they need to be to face off with Randall Flagg. Why am I talking about another book here? Well, if you write a copy of The Stand, you're bound to be compared to it. In Dark Advent, after the plague has left only a tiny handful of people alive, the good people group together in St Louis in an old department store. And the bad people (we're talking heads on sticks to mark their territory bad) hole up ... in St Louis too. Uh huh. The whole of the United States of America to pick from and you choose to live down the street from murderous evil.... But that's indicative of the whole of this book. If there's a terrible decision to be made, these characters make it. They find a new place to live in a peaceful settlement in Texas... and send someone back to bring the others with a MAP and WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS how to find it? What do you bet happens? Evil guys capture MAP and WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS? You bet they do. And what's with living in a department store and then debunking to an old factory (still in St Louis) when the bad guys find you? Why not... oh, I don't know... a hotel? The whole of America to choose from and they stay in St Louis and sleep on the floor of an old abandoned factory. I'm literally speechless. The whole of America... fields and fields of crops, animals, wood, stunning luxury houses, lodges, Florida? California? Sunshine? No, St Louis, next to the evil guys, dying of cold in the winter and sleeping on hard concrete.
Beside that, the novel is propelled along with new characters being introduced who have major, major roles for about a page until their usefulness is done. The characters need to have been woven into the narrative from the get go so we can follow their stories until they intercept with our main narrative characters. This is done over and over again right up to the last two pages where Need I say more why this is unacceptable?
And finally... God, this is a long novel. It needs severe editing. The pace is all over the place. Long, long periods of nothing happening but talk and then, wham, something pretty disgusting occurs.
So, for all this, why two stars? Well, I did finish it. I liked the final battle when we eventually got there. But, oh, boy, The Stand this is not.
Beside that, the novel is propelled along with new characters being introduced who have major, major roles for about a page until their usefulness is done. The characters need to have been woven into the narrative from the get go so we can follow their stories until they intercept with our main narrative characters. This is done over and over again right up to the last two pages where Need I say more why this is unacceptable?
And finally... God, this is a long novel. It needs severe editing. The pace is all over the place. Long, long periods of nothing happening but talk and then, wham, something pretty disgusting occurs.
So, for all this, why two stars? Well, I did finish it. I liked the final battle when we eventually got there. But, oh, boy, The Stand this is not.
July 20, 2020
One Dark Adventure
This was refreshing read for me. I've owned the Cemetery Dance version of this book for several years, but never read it. I bought an ebook from Amazon and finally read it. I'm very new to Mr Hodge have read only one book prior, World Of Hurt being that book. I enjoyed it but for some reason I never read anything else. Last year I read Robert McCammon's Swan Song for the first time. I believe that Dark Advent deserves to be right beside it. Along with Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead comic series. Great characters both good and bad. And Brian is never easy on his characters. A great story thAt I am sure to read again.
This was refreshing read for me. I've owned the Cemetery Dance version of this book for several years, but never read it. I bought an ebook from Amazon and finally read it. I'm very new to Mr Hodge have read only one book prior, World Of Hurt being that book. I enjoyed it but for some reason I never read anything else. Last year I read Robert McCammon's Swan Song for the first time. I believe that Dark Advent deserves to be right beside it. Along with Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead comic series. Great characters both good and bad. And Brian is never easy on his characters. A great story thAt I am sure to read again.
May 19, 2018
Heavily influenced by Stephen King's The Stand, this virus driven Post-Apocalyptic story is set mainly in St. Louis Missouri. As with every story we have heroes and villains, good guys and bad. Jason is the flawed good guy and Travis is the flawed bad guy. We have a Randall Flagg-esque character named Peter Solomon, is he a man? or is he a God? why is he so bad?
The good guys are menaced by the bad till they leave St. Louis for Heywood Texas, a community that Jason has found. There is much fighting and dying along the way.
The climax is very good, an epic battle between good and evil, which is The Stand of the five main protagonists; with an earthquake thrown in.
Erica is a good girl with a psychic twinkle.
Dark Advent is good stuff, well written in a great genre. A dead earth.
The good guys are menaced by the bad till they leave St. Louis for Heywood Texas, a community that Jason has found. There is much fighting and dying along the way.
The climax is very good, an epic battle between good and evil, which is The Stand of the five main protagonists; with an earthquake thrown in.
Erica is a good girl with a psychic twinkle.
Dark Advent is good stuff, well written in a great genre. A dead earth.
February 18, 2013
First book I ever really read outside of stuff you'd find in a school or the traditional horror novels because my girlfriends father at the time wanted to see if I actually my brain. Kept me hooked and I gobbled it up in just over a day. I try to reread it once a year because it is THAT good. This is the book that got me into reading for fun, which lead to DMing role playing games using story lines that kept my players coming back for more after the end of each session. Thank you Mr. Hodge. I have a storage shed half full of everything from non fiction to fantasy to sci-fi all because I picked this book out of a drawer.
January 21, 2018
Quite a bit like The Stand, with elements of the Mad Max movies, and other familiar stories, but not nearly as good. Felt contrived in places, and I wasn't enthused with the demise of certain characters, even though I knew that not all of them would make it. Also felt like the author couldn't decide whether to add supernatural elements or not, and in some places, I felt like he switched back and forth. (Mostly the main villain - was he human, or something more? Think he was supposed to be human, but if so, how to explain his supernatural strength in certain fights, etc.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 10, 2020
Excellent read. More realistic than the influencing novels. Def in my top ten books. The cover is misleading as it does not pertain to the story what so ever. Relatable characters, even the “bad guys”. A must read for post-apocalyptic fans.
October 2, 2024
3.5 stars
A megalomaniacal weapons dealer with a god complex releases a mutated version of the black plague so he can remake the world in his image.
Hodge is a good writer, but his tale can't escape the shadow of King's superior The Stand, published 10 years earlier; even though DA doesn't contain supernatural elements. ("Super-normal" elements, yes.)
The proceedings remain just north of ho-hum until a rousing final third that turns into Mad Max in Oklahoma.
Some good characters (and some blasé ones) abound, but at least Hodge's story clocked in at less than 450 pages. Still, if you like end-of-the-world fiction, it's not bad.
Cemetery Dance 2015
Signed/Limted edition of 750 copies
I might be interested in acquiring the Pinnacle paperback, simply for the outrageous cover art (time will tell).
A megalomaniacal weapons dealer with a god complex releases a mutated version of the black plague so he can remake the world in his image.
Hodge is a good writer, but his tale can't escape the shadow of King's superior The Stand, published 10 years earlier; even though DA doesn't contain supernatural elements. ("Super-normal" elements, yes.)
The proceedings remain just north of ho-hum until a rousing final third that turns into Mad Max in Oklahoma.
Some good characters (and some blasé ones) abound, but at least Hodge's story clocked in at less than 450 pages. Still, if you like end-of-the-world fiction, it's not bad.
Cemetery Dance 2015
Signed/Limted edition of 750 copies
I might be interested in acquiring the Pinnacle paperback, simply for the outrageous cover art (time will tell).
January 25, 2020
Excellent book. Not going to compare it to other books as it stands well on its own.
May 21, 2020
A grand tale of good vs evil after a plague ravages the world. Well written characters on both sides of the struggle.
January 22, 2024
great read and too real
I absolutely love this author and would highly recommend. About every 5-6 years I reread this book. That’s how much I love this book.
I absolutely love this author and would highly recommend. About every 5-6 years I reread this book. That’s how much I love this book.
August 1, 2024
Sleep brings peace to a troubled soul and time heals all wounds.
You have seen all the parts of this book in Stephen King's The Stand, but it still is a perfectly sorrowful Post-Apocalyptic novel.
You have seen all the parts of this book in Stephen King's The Stand, but it still is a perfectly sorrowful Post-Apocalyptic novel.
December 29, 2024
Survivors taking
stand against mankind's swan song
long road, no postman
stand against mankind's swan song
long road, no postman
November 13, 2016
Yes, I don't read "horror" often, but in the last year I've finally read The Stand and Swan Song, in addition to this one.
I read them because they also use the theme of an apocalyptic event and survival afterwards. Dark Advent, in my opinion, isn't really horror (despite the awful book cover on this paperback edition), but rather "horrific". Evil and the things evil people do is one of the aspects of the book- my least favorite part.
The average, basically good, people are the interesting part. I didn't care deeply for many of the characters, but there were a few I rooted for because I thought they deserved it, despite what they may have to do.
Not entirely my cup of tea, but I think it would definitely be of interest for those who have read the other two books.
I read them because they also use the theme of an apocalyptic event and survival afterwards. Dark Advent, in my opinion, isn't really horror (despite the awful book cover on this paperback edition), but rather "horrific". Evil and the things evil people do is one of the aspects of the book- my least favorite part.
The average, basically good, people are the interesting part. I didn't care deeply for many of the characters, but there were a few I rooted for because I thought they deserved it, despite what they may have to do.
Not entirely my cup of tea, but I think it would definitely be of interest for those who have read the other two books.
July 27, 2009
This was a good read. I have pretty much been glued to it for the last 2 days cause I did not want to put it down. A lot of similarities in this book to 'The Stand' by Stephen King, but I am pretty sure that this book came out a couple months before King's book based on the copyright dates.
This is pretty much the typical, apocalyptic plague wipes out most of humanity leaving groups of good and groups of evil battling each other for survival, book. The characters are very well developed. The storyline keeps you wanting to read and the ending is a bit of a surprise. I would highly recommend this to any fans of 'The Stand' or ' Swan Song'.
This is pretty much the typical, apocalyptic plague wipes out most of humanity leaving groups of good and groups of evil battling each other for survival, book. The characters are very well developed. The storyline keeps you wanting to read and the ending is a bit of a surprise. I would highly recommend this to any fans of 'The Stand' or ' Swan Song'.
March 31, 2014
An enjoyable post-apocalyptic horror novel, any fans of the genre would find this an entertaining read. The characters were all very well-developed (though I did think Solomon, who is the Dark Advent version of Randall Flagg, could have been scarier). Travis, one of Solomon's minions, I found much more terrifying. I This doesn't come close in depth to The Stand or Swan Song, but then again, what does?
August 16, 2020
hello gang thomas from northern michigan here. i just finished reading dark advent by brian hodge. awesome book. this comes in at 427 pages. this is a post apocoloptic book on what happens after a virus is unleashed on earth.several groups of survivors band together and its an old fashioned shoot out between the good people vs the evil people.hodge tells the story wonderfully. fast paced and exciting. great job. chow for now gang. peace out. thomas
February 29, 2016
It's hard not to compare this book to "The Stand" given the subject matter but the two are radically different narratives of the popular post-apocalyptic story involving groups of survivors who may loosely fit into good versus evil camps. Entertaining from start to finish and certainly shorter than "The Stand", this book was a great find.
December 12, 2016
Although this dates back to the late '80s, I was struck by some of the similarities in this book to "The Walking Dead" and other post- apocalyptic classics like "The Stand." Didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did.
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