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The Light is the Darkness
Conrad Navarro is a champion of the Pageant, a gruesome modern day gladiatorial exhibition held in secret arenas across the globe. Indentured by a cabal of ultra-rich patrons, his world is one of blood and mayhem, an existence where savagery reigns supreme while mercy leads to annihilation.
Conrad's sister has vanished while traveling in Mexico. Imogene, a decorated special agent for the FBI, was hot on the trail of a legendary scientist whose vile eugenics experiments landed him on an international most-wanted list. Imogene left behind a sequence of bizarre clues that indicate she uncovered evidence of a Byzantine occult conspiracy against civilization itself—a threat so vast and terrible, its ultimate fruition would herald an event more inimical to all terrestrial life than mere extinction.
Now, Conrad is on the hunt, searching for his missing sister while malign forces seek to manipulate and destroy him by turns. It is an odyssey that will send this man of war from the lush jungles of South America, to the debauched court of an Aegean Prince, to the blasted moonscape of the American desert as he becomes inexorably enmeshed within a web of primordial evil that stretches back unto prehistory. All the while struggling to maintain a vestige of humanity; for Conrad has gazed into an abyss where the light is the darkness, and he has begun the metamorphosis into something more than human.
Conrad's sister has vanished while traveling in Mexico. Imogene, a decorated special agent for the FBI, was hot on the trail of a legendary scientist whose vile eugenics experiments landed him on an international most-wanted list. Imogene left behind a sequence of bizarre clues that indicate she uncovered evidence of a Byzantine occult conspiracy against civilization itself—a threat so vast and terrible, its ultimate fruition would herald an event more inimical to all terrestrial life than mere extinction.
Now, Conrad is on the hunt, searching for his missing sister while malign forces seek to manipulate and destroy him by turns. It is an odyssey that will send this man of war from the lush jungles of South America, to the debauched court of an Aegean Prince, to the blasted moonscape of the American desert as he becomes inexorably enmeshed within a web of primordial evil that stretches back unto prehistory. All the while struggling to maintain a vestige of humanity; for Conrad has gazed into an abyss where the light is the darkness, and he has begun the metamorphosis into something more than human.
216 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2011
23 people are currently reading
1641 people want to read
About the author
Laird Barron
174 books2,856 followersLaird Barron, an expat Alaskan, is the author of several books, including The Imago Sequence and Other Stories; Swift to Chase; and Blood Standard. Currently, Barron lives in the Rondout Valley of New York State and is at work on tales about the evil that men do.
Photo credit belongs to Ardi Alspach
Agent: Janet Reid of New Leaf Literary & Media
Photo credit belongs to Ardi Alspach
Agent: Janet Reid of New Leaf Literary & Media
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
December 29, 2017
Conrad Navarro, a modern day gladiator in an underground fighting league, has been searching for his missing sister Imogene for years. His search takes him all over the world and what he finds may devour humanity...
With this book, my quest to read all of the works of Laird Barron by the end of 2017 is complete. Honestly, it took me a little while to get into this one. I was puzzled over what it was supposed to be. At some point, things turned over and I was hooked.
Most of the descriptions I've read for The Light is the Darkness emphasize Conrad's job, that of a gladiator that fights to death or dismemberment in secret arenas all over the world. That part is secondary, I'd say. The Light is the Darkness is more about Conrad's search for his sister and all the secrets he uncovers along the way.
The Light is the Darkness actually feels more like a Roger Zelazny book than anything else, particularly This Immortal, albeit infused with the Barronoid mythos. Like the titular character whose first name he shares, Conrad is one of those capable, somewhat smart-mouthed protagonists that still manages to get way out of his depth.
Barron's prose is as delicious as always, with a poet's gift for phrasing. I caught a few more comic and pulp references than usual, like the one to the Shadow. One of the drawbacks of reading a physical book over an ebook is that you can't highlight things for later reference. There were a lot of sentences I would have highlighted in this one.
The cosmic horror lurks in the background for most of this book, although there are hints of the Children of Old Leech in the background and "time is a circle" was mention a couple times. As Conrad unearthed more secrets, I was pretty sure the book was heading toward a Jim Thompson sort of ending.
The Light is the Darkness is nasty, brutish, and short, quite a good way to spend a cold afternoon. Four out of five stars. Now that I've devoured the works of Laird Barron like an uncaring cosmic worm, I'm waiting patiently for Blood Standard.
With this book, my quest to read all of the works of Laird Barron by the end of 2017 is complete. Honestly, it took me a little while to get into this one. I was puzzled over what it was supposed to be. At some point, things turned over and I was hooked.
Most of the descriptions I've read for The Light is the Darkness emphasize Conrad's job, that of a gladiator that fights to death or dismemberment in secret arenas all over the world. That part is secondary, I'd say. The Light is the Darkness is more about Conrad's search for his sister and all the secrets he uncovers along the way.
The Light is the Darkness actually feels more like a Roger Zelazny book than anything else, particularly This Immortal, albeit infused with the Barronoid mythos. Like the titular character whose first name he shares, Conrad is one of those capable, somewhat smart-mouthed protagonists that still manages to get way out of his depth.
Barron's prose is as delicious as always, with a poet's gift for phrasing. I caught a few more comic and pulp references than usual, like the one to the Shadow. One of the drawbacks of reading a physical book over an ebook is that you can't highlight things for later reference. There were a lot of sentences I would have highlighted in this one.
The cosmic horror lurks in the background for most of this book, although there are hints of the Children of Old Leech in the background and "time is a circle" was mention a couple times. As Conrad unearthed more secrets, I was pretty sure the book was heading toward a Jim Thompson sort of ending.
The Light is the Darkness is nasty, brutish, and short, quite a good way to spend a cold afternoon. Four out of five stars. Now that I've devoured the works of Laird Barron like an uncaring cosmic worm, I'm waiting patiently for Blood Standard.
June 6, 2013
Meet Conrad Navarro, a contender in an underground type of fight club, called The Pageant. Conrad has a sister named Imogene who is missing. And so begins this crazy, beautifully written, weird story.
I've been mulling over what to say about this book. It was so good I want to do it justice, while at the same time I don't want to look like an idiot. Let me start with the quality, beauty, darkness and denseness of the prose. I submit this quote for your perusal:
"The room throbbed with bloodless light, the ashen flush of a landscape under the caul of an eclipse. The amniotic light sluiced against cheap blinds, dripped and seeped through chinks and seams, patterned great, ominous shadows against the clapboard walls."
A dense description surely...one that must be read slowly and savored.
How about this one:"The city lifted itself from the flat-backed plains as a colony of blue-bottle glass and aerodynamic steel." Can you picture it? I can.
Let's move on to the story. The pacing was excellent. We follow our protagonist Conrad on the search for his sister, Imogene. A search that leads him to both dark people and places. We find out things about Conrad that even he didn't know. We are not "told" these things, we are taken along on the voyage of Conrad's discovery. It's written so that it's like a continuous progression, hurtling on to the very end.
The last half and the final chapters are where this book really spreads its wings. I could name some famous authors whose work is like this (Lovecraft for sure), but in the end, this work is Mr. Barron's and Mr. Barron's alone. There are several things mentioned that I just NEED to know more about. The Imago sequence is one of them. This quote also piqued my interest:
"Whatever plucked the strings existed partially upon another plane and across an improbable gulf; an entity that radiated malignant hunger and rage of scarcely conceivable scale."
Now tell me, who could read that quote without hungering for more? Certainly not me. I will be tracking down and reading more of Mr. Barron's work shortly. What about you?
I've been mulling over what to say about this book. It was so good I want to do it justice, while at the same time I don't want to look like an idiot. Let me start with the quality, beauty, darkness and denseness of the prose. I submit this quote for your perusal:
"The room throbbed with bloodless light, the ashen flush of a landscape under the caul of an eclipse. The amniotic light sluiced against cheap blinds, dripped and seeped through chinks and seams, patterned great, ominous shadows against the clapboard walls."
A dense description surely...one that must be read slowly and savored.
How about this one:"The city lifted itself from the flat-backed plains as a colony of blue-bottle glass and aerodynamic steel." Can you picture it? I can.
Let's move on to the story. The pacing was excellent. We follow our protagonist Conrad on the search for his sister, Imogene. A search that leads him to both dark people and places. We find out things about Conrad that even he didn't know. We are not "told" these things, we are taken along on the voyage of Conrad's discovery. It's written so that it's like a continuous progression, hurtling on to the very end.
The last half and the final chapters are where this book really spreads its wings. I could name some famous authors whose work is like this (Lovecraft for sure), but in the end, this work is Mr. Barron's and Mr. Barron's alone. There are several things mentioned that I just NEED to know more about. The Imago sequence is one of them. This quote also piqued my interest:
"Whatever plucked the strings existed partially upon another plane and across an improbable gulf; an entity that radiated malignant hunger and rage of scarcely conceivable scale."
Now tell me, who could read that quote without hungering for more? Certainly not me. I will be tracking down and reading more of Mr. Barron's work shortly. What about you?
October 8, 2024
Straddling a very fine line between classic noir fiction and Lovecraftian cosmic horror, Laird Barron's novella "The Light is the Darkness" follows his classic-noir protagonist, Conrad Navarro, as he travels the world in search of his sister, Imogene---"Genie" for short---, a rogue FBI agent who went missing in her own personal quest to find a serial killer named Dr. Drake, a medical doctor with a long list of victims.
Navarro is an underground fighter---a contemporary "gladiator"---who is hired by extremely wealthy patrons to fight in lavish underground fights for the uber-wealthy. These fights often are death-matches, and he has the longest run of any of his competitors. Due to this fact, he has accumulated some wealth himself, which makes his side-job as a detective that much easier.
Genie, always five steps ahead of him, leaves him a trail of clues. Separately, they don't mean much. Collectively, though, they tell a horrifying story of an ancient cult that wants to bring about the end of human civilization to make way for, well, another civilization.
As always, Barron writes a compelling story that is a vibrant mix of action-adventure and cosmic horror. Fans of his Isaiah Coleridge novels will enjoy this.
Navarro is an underground fighter---a contemporary "gladiator"---who is hired by extremely wealthy patrons to fight in lavish underground fights for the uber-wealthy. These fights often are death-matches, and he has the longest run of any of his competitors. Due to this fact, he has accumulated some wealth himself, which makes his side-job as a detective that much easier.
Genie, always five steps ahead of him, leaves him a trail of clues. Separately, they don't mean much. Collectively, though, they tell a horrifying story of an ancient cult that wants to bring about the end of human civilization to make way for, well, another civilization.
As always, Barron writes a compelling story that is a vibrant mix of action-adventure and cosmic horror. Fans of his Isaiah Coleridge novels will enjoy this.
August 24, 2020
Ο Barron είναι ένας από τους αγαπημένους μου συγγραφείς στον χώρο του τρόμου. Όπως όλοι οι εξαιρετικοί δημιουργεί, που ξεχωρίζουν από τους υπόλοιπους, έχει εμμονές. Στην περίπτωσή του αυτές μπορούν να συνοψιστούν ως: φρικαλέες οντότητες σε μια άλλη σφαίρα, με ασαφείς προθέσεις, πρωταγωνιστές ολιγόλογοι και στιβαροί που προσπαθούν να βγάλουν άκρη και μπλέκουν σε hard-boiled περιστάσεις, καθώς και ένα κράμα επιστήμης και υψηλής τεχνολογίας.
Το The Light is... είναι ένα μικρό μυθιστόρημα (νουβέλα;), όπου όλα τα καλά του Barron αναμειγνύονται για να δώσουν μια ιστορία νοσηρή, σκοτεινή και βίαιη. Το αποτέλεσμα είναι άκρως εθιστικό, μια ιστορία αριστοτεχνικά γραμμένη και γίνεται φρικιαστική γιατί βγάζει ακόμα και τον κατατοπισμένο αναγνώστη από την βολή του. Υπάρχει κάτι αλλόκοτο και αινιγματικό στις ιστορίες αυτού του ανθρώπου, κι εδώ εκπέμπει πολύ ισχυρά αυτές τις συχνότητες υψηλού κινδύνου. Σα να διαβάζεις κάτι που καλό θα ήταν να αποφύγεις, γιατί μοιάζει να λέει ο Barron πως, ευτυχώς, ζούμε στην άγνοια, και οι περισσότεροι έτσι θα πεθάνουμε. Υπάρχουν, όμως, λίγοι που δεν έχουν αυτή την τύχη, έχοντας μπλεχτεί σε έναν κυκεώνα παράνοιας και βίας, τόσο κοντά μα και τόσο μακριά από την ρουτίνα της μάζας.
Ο Barron είναι εξαιρετικός κι αυτό το βιβλίο είναι μια τρανή απόδειξη. Δεν είναι από τα πιο γνωστά του, και μάλλον αυτό σημαίνει πως όποιος ενδιαφέρεται να τον γνωρίσει, καλύτερα να ξεκινήσει από κάποιο άλλο του βιβλίο. Εγώ το απόλαυσα όσο λίγα βιβλία τους τελευταίους μήνες.
Το The Light is... είναι ένα μικρό μυθιστόρημα (νουβέλα;), όπου όλα τα καλά του Barron αναμειγνύονται για να δώσουν μια ιστορία νοσηρή, σκοτεινή και βίαιη. Το αποτέλεσμα είναι άκρως εθιστικό, μια ιστορία αριστοτεχνικά γραμμένη και γίνεται φρικιαστική γιατί βγάζει ακόμα και τον κατατοπισμένο αναγνώστη από την βολή του. Υπάρχει κάτι αλλόκοτο και αινιγματικό στις ιστορίες αυτού του ανθρώπου, κι εδώ εκπέμπει πολύ ισχυρά αυτές τις συχνότητες υψηλού κινδύνου. Σα να διαβάζεις κάτι που καλό θα ήταν να αποφύγεις, γιατί μοιάζει να λέει ο Barron πως, ευτυχώς, ζούμε στην άγνοια, και οι περισσότεροι έτσι θα πεθάνουμε. Υπάρχουν, όμως, λίγοι που δεν έχουν αυτή την τύχη, έχοντας μπλεχτεί σε έναν κυκεώνα παράνοιας και βίας, τόσο κοντά μα και τόσο μακριά από την ρουτίνα της μάζας.
Ο Barron είναι εξαιρετικός κι αυτό το βιβλίο είναι μια τρανή απόδειξη. Δεν είναι από τα πιο γνωστά του, και μάλλον αυτό σημαίνει πως όποιος ενδιαφέρεται να τον γνωρίσει, καλύτερα να ξεκινήσει από κάποιο άλλο του βιβλίο. Εγώ το απόλαυσα όσο λίγα βιβλία τους τελευταίους μήνες.
March 25, 2018
Evil mad scientists, secret agents gone rogue and crazy underground gladiator fights? Oh my!
I read my first Laid Barron novel last year ("The Croning", amazing! - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...) and it was so good and dark and strange, I just had to get the rest of his work!
"The Light is the Darkness" is the story of Conrad Navarro, a modern-day gladiator who fights in the Pageant, a sort of wrestling league that entertains mysterious and obnoxiously wealthy patrons. But there is more to him than that: the US secret service have kept a close eye on him since his sister Imogene, an FBI special agent, has vanished on a revenge mission: finding Dr. Ambrose Drake, whom she believes to be responsible for her brother's death and father's corruption. She leaves clues for Conrad to follow, clues that seem to indicate a sinister and occult conspiracy.
Barron has quite a gift for creating grotesque and creepy atmospheres, from Conrad's long drives to the strange laboratories and fighting rings. An intriguing, hallucinatory and unsettling short novel of cosmic horror. Very good!
I read my first Laid Barron novel last year ("The Croning", amazing! - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...) and it was so good and dark and strange, I just had to get the rest of his work!
"The Light is the Darkness" is the story of Conrad Navarro, a modern-day gladiator who fights in the Pageant, a sort of wrestling league that entertains mysterious and obnoxiously wealthy patrons. But there is more to him than that: the US secret service have kept a close eye on him since his sister Imogene, an FBI special agent, has vanished on a revenge mission: finding Dr. Ambrose Drake, whom she believes to be responsible for her brother's death and father's corruption. She leaves clues for Conrad to follow, clues that seem to indicate a sinister and occult conspiracy.
Barron has quite a gift for creating grotesque and creepy atmospheres, from Conrad's long drives to the strange laboratories and fighting rings. An intriguing, hallucinatory and unsettling short novel of cosmic horror. Very good!
September 17, 2012
This was a damn good book. Other reviewers have done a superb job mapping out the story, its strengths, how Barron writes circles around us, makes us actually believe that this pulpy goodness is probably happening out there right now, eternally and goodness, thank you, Mr. Barron for making this seem all too "right now." I've learned a lot from this work.
I read this on my Kindle. Apparently it's a novella. Mr. Barron, if you are reading this, I want you to know that as long as you write these, I'll read them. If it takes a long cold winter for you to make this happen, then let me know that you are on your way to the cabin the woods and I'll try not to tear my eyeballs out while waiting to devour more of your work.
I read Barron's piece in the Datlow edited "Supernatural Noir," couldn't shake it out of my system and don't know why I waited so long to read this gem. "The Croning" is apparently awesome, too, so will have to find out for myself, but I'm still too close to this one, still want to place myself back in the center and walk away with some of Barron's skill, some of that light. If I stand too close to the fire....but, that's where good fiction takes us, right? Too close? Too mesmerizing.
I read this on my Kindle. Apparently it's a novella. Mr. Barron, if you are reading this, I want you to know that as long as you write these, I'll read them. If it takes a long cold winter for you to make this happen, then let me know that you are on your way to the cabin the woods and I'll try not to tear my eyeballs out while waiting to devour more of your work.
I read Barron's piece in the Datlow edited "Supernatural Noir," couldn't shake it out of my system and don't know why I waited so long to read this gem. "The Croning" is apparently awesome, too, so will have to find out for myself, but I'm still too close to this one, still want to place myself back in the center and walk away with some of Barron's skill, some of that light. If I stand too close to the fire....but, that's where good fiction takes us, right? Too close? Too mesmerizing.
November 26, 2013
There is a lot going on in this one. A strange dark trip into the cosmos.
Conrad is the best fight club gladiator around and he’s been engineered that way. Born to be an unstoppable force…maybe even…a God.
A desperate search for his lost sister takes Conrad on a strange and dark journey to unravel sinister family secrets and ultimately, the truth about himself. There is a lot going on in this one. Government conspiracy, mad scientists, Old Gods, gladiator fights, and even ink blots. This is cosmic horror at its finest and an excellent homage to the HP mythos.
Deep, elegant prose and not a fast read - this one is heavy, original and very dark. I will be thinking about this one for a long time. Highly recommended!
Conrad is the best fight club gladiator around and he’s been engineered that way. Born to be an unstoppable force…maybe even…a God.
A desperate search for his lost sister takes Conrad on a strange and dark journey to unravel sinister family secrets and ultimately, the truth about himself. There is a lot going on in this one. Government conspiracy, mad scientists, Old Gods, gladiator fights, and even ink blots. This is cosmic horror at its finest and an excellent homage to the HP mythos.
Deep, elegant prose and not a fast read - this one is heavy, original and very dark. I will be thinking about this one for a long time. Highly recommended!
July 27, 2015
Conrad Navarro, modern gladiator with a genius IQ, is the apotheosis of all Laird Barron’s previous tough guy protagonists. He is their perfection – the imago, if you will – a poetic image which Barron invokes repeatedly in his body of work. The story of Conrad's transformative journey is violent, hallucinogenic, and terribly sad by turns; it's also surprisingly challenging in its execution.
Known simply as “the American,” Conrad makes his living fighting in ludi (after the games held in conjunction with Roman religious festivals): secret and meticulously orchestrated blood sports in which combatants fight to the death for the pleasure of the wealthy and powerful. Between bouts, Conrad obsessively searches for his missing sister Imogene, an FBI agent gone off the reservation on her own dark odyssey: she’s hunting the ancient, elusive and sinister Dr. Drake, a radical experimental physician who may have killed their cancer-stricken brother Ezra in a botched treatment . . . or was it a ritual? Following her trail, Conrad finds the cryptic messages she has left for him, parlaying each into another step closer to his beloved “Genie,” and his own fate.
However, nothing in Conrad’s surreal world is as it seems. What really happened to Ezra and the others under Dr. Drake’s care? Why did his mother drive herself off a cliff, and what drove his father – less literally – around the bend? Why does Conrad, “a special case,” according to dear old Dad, seem impervious to death, and get stronger, heal faster by the day? And where has Imogene really gone?
What Conrad fails to grasp until it’s far too late, is the extent of the conspiracy that enfolds his family, or the cruel cosmic game in which they are merely pieces on a board. In his blundering search for the truth, he has caught the attention of the darkness, and he will have to pay.
Short, fast and unapologetically brutal, The Light is the Darkness is a gut-punch that shares more stylistically with Barron’s first anthology The Imago Sequence than it does with his most recent (and more subtle) novel, The Croning. . . though one does get the feeling that all of Barron’s stories are taking place in the same savage world, that the cosmic horrors we meet are related, and that human beings almost always exist primarily as “provender” for their obscene needs.
At first I was mildly disappointed with LitD; so much happens so fast . . . it's like like bright strobes illuminate various setpieces, and then, before you can make the necessary connections, it’s over. But it had crept into my brain and wouldn’t leave me alone, so I went back to it. Fortunately just novella-length, its fairly experimental style requires a closer look in order to fully appreciate the layers of imagery and sometimes nonlinear trajectory. Upon a second reading, symbolic patterns and foreshadowing emerge, and cryptic hallucinogenic stream-of-consciousness passages that seemed intrusions on (or excursions from) the main storyline click into place and make Conrad's story richer and ultimately more horrific. For me, real enjoyment of this incredibly weird book demanded study. The Light is the Darkness may not be anybody’s idea of light summer reading, but once again Laird Barron challenges the prevailing assumption that so-called "genre fiction" can't also be intellectually challenging.
Known simply as “the American,” Conrad makes his living fighting in ludi (after the games held in conjunction with Roman religious festivals): secret and meticulously orchestrated blood sports in which combatants fight to the death for the pleasure of the wealthy and powerful. Between bouts, Conrad obsessively searches for his missing sister Imogene, an FBI agent gone off the reservation on her own dark odyssey: she’s hunting the ancient, elusive and sinister Dr. Drake, a radical experimental physician who may have killed their cancer-stricken brother Ezra in a botched treatment . . . or was it a ritual? Following her trail, Conrad finds the cryptic messages she has left for him, parlaying each into another step closer to his beloved “Genie,” and his own fate.
However, nothing in Conrad’s surreal world is as it seems. What really happened to Ezra and the others under Dr. Drake’s care? Why did his mother drive herself off a cliff, and what drove his father – less literally – around the bend? Why does Conrad, “a special case,” according to dear old Dad, seem impervious to death, and get stronger, heal faster by the day? And where has Imogene really gone?
What Conrad fails to grasp until it’s far too late, is the extent of the conspiracy that enfolds his family, or the cruel cosmic game in which they are merely pieces on a board. In his blundering search for the truth, he has caught the attention of the darkness, and he will have to pay.
Short, fast and unapologetically brutal, The Light is the Darkness is a gut-punch that shares more stylistically with Barron’s first anthology The Imago Sequence than it does with his most recent (and more subtle) novel, The Croning. . . though one does get the feeling that all of Barron’s stories are taking place in the same savage world, that the cosmic horrors we meet are related, and that human beings almost always exist primarily as “provender” for their obscene needs.
At first I was mildly disappointed with LitD; so much happens so fast . . . it's like like bright strobes illuminate various setpieces, and then, before you can make the necessary connections, it’s over. But it had crept into my brain and wouldn’t leave me alone, so I went back to it. Fortunately just novella-length, its fairly experimental style requires a closer look in order to fully appreciate the layers of imagery and sometimes nonlinear trajectory. Upon a second reading, symbolic patterns and foreshadowing emerge, and cryptic hallucinogenic stream-of-consciousness passages that seemed intrusions on (or excursions from) the main storyline click into place and make Conrad's story richer and ultimately more horrific. For me, real enjoyment of this incredibly weird book demanded study. The Light is the Darkness may not be anybody’s idea of light summer reading, but once again Laird Barron challenges the prevailing assumption that so-called "genre fiction" can't also be intellectually challenging.
June 16, 2012
THE LIGHT IS THE DARKNESS (LitD) is one of Barron's longer pieces (not quite as long as the Croning though), and reads like a Hunter Thompson-esque drug fueled odyssey for one Conrad Navarro. I of course enjoy Barron's prose but this one really amped up the street poet prose style, and perfectly enhanced a certain sardonic bleak humor, which left me grimly smiling and chuckling at various passages involving Conrad's interactions with other really whacked out characters.
This story is ostensibly about Conrad's desperate search for his sister, who has gone MIA (in her own desperate search for cosmic answers). However, as we continue to read into the story, this outer plot shell is pulled back, revealing a more personal search for Conrad to discover who he really is and what he is "evolving" into.
Barron's mixing of the noir with the cosmic is exquisite, and you really get an overwhelming sense that the characters that our protagonist interacts with are always wreathed in shadows, both figuratively and literally.
While there are no direct links between LitD and the Croning (at least none that I can discern), I still got a sense that we were exploring the same dark world in this one as we did in the Croning. We are also introduced to the Order of the Imago, which strikes me a little like either a competing faction with the Order of the Old Leech (as introduced in the Croning) or perhaps the same cult with a different name. Furthermore, assuming we are still dealing with the same cosmic horrors, Barron provides us with further glimpses of how this otherworldly alien engages in its nefarious machinations here on this planet. Likewise, we are left with a realization that there may be numerous "Old Leeches" competing with each other to harvest and devour human souls. Conrad's revelation that mom and dad were not his only progenitors was chilling... and explained quite a bit about how he was evolving and what he was becoming.
Another great story, adding more noir and cosmic mystery to Barron's burgeoning mythos. Highly recommended!!
As a side note... the physical book is absolutely gorgeous... the picture really does not do it justice. I'm glad to know that in this day and age of Kindle and Nook, there are still companies who have not given up on the art of publishing beautiful books.
This story is ostensibly about Conrad's desperate search for his sister, who has gone MIA (in her own desperate search for cosmic answers). However, as we continue to read into the story, this outer plot shell is pulled back, revealing a more personal search for Conrad to discover who he really is and what he is "evolving" into.
Barron's mixing of the noir with the cosmic is exquisite, and you really get an overwhelming sense that the characters that our protagonist interacts with are always wreathed in shadows, both figuratively and literally.
While there are no direct links between LitD and the Croning (at least none that I can discern), I still got a sense that we were exploring the same dark world in this one as we did in the Croning. We are also introduced to the Order of the Imago, which strikes me a little like either a competing faction with the Order of the Old Leech (as introduced in the Croning) or perhaps the same cult with a different name. Furthermore, assuming we are still dealing with the same cosmic horrors, Barron provides us with further glimpses of how this otherworldly alien engages in its nefarious machinations here on this planet. Likewise, we are left with a realization that there may be numerous "Old Leeches" competing with each other to harvest and devour human souls. Conrad's revelation that mom and dad were not his only progenitors was chilling... and explained quite a bit about how he was evolving and what he was becoming.
Another great story, adding more noir and cosmic mystery to Barron's burgeoning mythos. Highly recommended!!
As a side note... the physical book is absolutely gorgeous... the picture really does not do it justice. I'm glad to know that in this day and age of Kindle and Nook, there are still companies who have not given up on the art of publishing beautiful books.
April 22, 2013
Wow. It is a courageous horror writer who takes on HP Lovecraft. In our postmodern, endlessly self-referential age, it is is extremely difficult to do so without seeming trite or ironic. That Laird Barron not only avoids such pitfalls, but comes across as blazingly original, is no mean feat.
This is a really intense short novel, honed to the bone, with no extraneous fat on the narrative. Every word and image is considered carefully for maximum impact. The result is a visceral and lingering read.
Conrad Navarro is a latterday gladiator working for a shadowy cabal called the Pageant. The conflation of the worst excesses of the Roman empire with a Lovecraftian mythos is a particularly ingenious move on the part of Barron, who manages to make Navarro both appealing and abhorrent.
Navarro is also trying to track down his sister, who went missing while avenging the death of his younger brother at the hands of the mysterious Dr. Drake, who may or may not be human anymore after quaffing an immortality elixir, with unintended consequences.
The quest for Imogene leads Navarro to some very dark corners of his own family history, and to an ultimate confrontation with the Lovecraftian horrors that the Pageant is but a front for. Fantastic, spine-chilling, gore-soaked stuff written with heart and grace.
P.S. This is the first book by Laird Barron I have read. According to other reviewers and fans, Light is the Darkness references some of his earlier stories, such as from his collection The Imago Sequence. If you are coming to Barron cold, like I did, I am happy to report this in no way detracts from the reading experience. Indeed, it is another sign of Barron's consummate skill as a writer that he so deftly accommodates both new and old readers of his work.
This is a really intense short novel, honed to the bone, with no extraneous fat on the narrative. Every word and image is considered carefully for maximum impact. The result is a visceral and lingering read.
Conrad Navarro is a latterday gladiator working for a shadowy cabal called the Pageant. The conflation of the worst excesses of the Roman empire with a Lovecraftian mythos is a particularly ingenious move on the part of Barron, who manages to make Navarro both appealing and abhorrent.
Navarro is also trying to track down his sister, who went missing while avenging the death of his younger brother at the hands of the mysterious Dr. Drake, who may or may not be human anymore after quaffing an immortality elixir, with unintended consequences.
The quest for Imogene leads Navarro to some very dark corners of his own family history, and to an ultimate confrontation with the Lovecraftian horrors that the Pageant is but a front for. Fantastic, spine-chilling, gore-soaked stuff written with heart and grace.
P.S. This is the first book by Laird Barron I have read. According to other reviewers and fans, Light is the Darkness references some of his earlier stories, such as from his collection The Imago Sequence. If you are coming to Barron cold, like I did, I am happy to report this in no way detracts from the reading experience. Indeed, it is another sign of Barron's consummate skill as a writer that he so deftly accommodates both new and old readers of his work.
March 22, 2015
I never reviewed and I'm watching his live interview so before I forget:
If you read The Great and Secret Show and love the Jaff (Jaffe?), then you want to read this.
You want to read this.
If you read The Great and Secret Show and love the Jaff (Jaffe?), then you want to read this.
You want to read this.
December 30, 2025
Novela que mezcla el toque noir de Barron con lo Lovecraftiano.
La trama nos presenta a Conrad ,un luchador perteneciente a una red secreta internacional que organiza combates a muerte entre hombres y entre hombres y bestias para deleite de los obscenamente ricos. Pero Conrad es mucho más que un simple gladiador moderno ya quue también posee una inteligencia superior que utilizará `para buscar a Imogen, su hermana desaparecida cuando ella misma se hallaba embarcada en una misión de venganza contra el mefistofélico doctor Drake, responsable de la muerte treinta años atrás del hermano mayor de ambos.
Esa búsqueda ira alumbrando horrores cada vez más grandes al tiempo que nuestro protagonista se sumerge en las tinieblas de un submundo buscando al malvado doctor.
Es una novela interesante pero a mi parecer sólo daba para un relato largo. El protagonista parece demasiado simple a veces, pese a su supuesta gran inteligencia. Tiene conceptos interesantes pero me quedo antes con los libros de relatos de Barron. Ahí si que suele dar en el clavo.
La trama nos presenta a Conrad ,un luchador perteneciente a una red secreta internacional que organiza combates a muerte entre hombres y entre hombres y bestias para deleite de los obscenamente ricos. Pero Conrad es mucho más que un simple gladiador moderno ya quue también posee una inteligencia superior que utilizará `para buscar a Imogen, su hermana desaparecida cuando ella misma se hallaba embarcada en una misión de venganza contra el mefistofélico doctor Drake, responsable de la muerte treinta años atrás del hermano mayor de ambos.
Esa búsqueda ira alumbrando horrores cada vez más grandes al tiempo que nuestro protagonista se sumerge en las tinieblas de un submundo buscando al malvado doctor.
Es una novela interesante pero a mi parecer sólo daba para un relato largo. El protagonista parece demasiado simple a veces, pese a su supuesta gran inteligencia. Tiene conceptos interesantes pero me quedo antes con los libros de relatos de Barron. Ahí si que suele dar en el clavo.
November 25, 2013
First rule about the Light Is The Darkness is....ok I won't go there but you can't help but flash on Fight Club as you read this book. Don't get me wrong: this is one of the most original books I have read for some time and the author tells a fantastic story that combines science and supernatural elements with brutal bone snapping violence. This is a quick read and a lot of fun, highly recommended.
January 10, 2013
Laird Barron’s other debut novel The Light is the Darkness (2011) is, despite its slim length, a brutish beast of a book. Slightly overshadowed by its big brother The Croning (2012), this story of the modern-day gladiator Conrad Navarro inhabits a similar universe but does it in an even more audacious way.
Conrad, the protagonist, is a lumbering mountain of a man, an übermensch created in shady experiments conducted by a seemingly undying doctor called Drake. Although prodigiously intelligent, Conrad’s made his fortune on an underground fight circuit called the Pageant, a brutal bloodsport for the entertainment of the ridiculously wealthy.
Despite being the undisputed champion, Conrad is a morose man with a serious deathwish. But when his sister Imogene mysteriously disappears while looking for information on doctor Drake, Conrad’s moved into action. In the best Lovecraftian tradition, his search reveals hidden secrets about his own past and nature, culminating in a titanic showdown of the cosmic variety.
All this is accomplished in a condensed, almost brutish style. There’s a manly pulp feel to the storytelling, most of the story is presented as is and nothing is embellished or lingered upon for very long. Barron’s ruggedly elegant language is as strong as ever, creating Cormac McCarthyesque fireworks of words and phrases. The character of Conrad seems to share similarities with some of Robert E. Howard’s pulp characters, such as the protagonist of the novella Skull-Face (1929), who also gained superior qualities thanks to scientific means provided by a seemingly undying man dabbling in the occult.
There are some problems with the story; it’s slightly uneven at places, and many of the characters come across as little more than cardboard. Sure, it’s part of the pulp appeal, same as the somewhat convenient coincidences where characters literally step out of the shadows at the end of the novel, because, well, it’s the end of the novel.
However, despite the pulpy edifice, there are always implications of something larger at work behind the scenes. The ideas are larger than the execution, and there are references to Barron’s other stories, creating a sense of an overencompassing mythology. It’s not as explicit as in the case of The Croning, but then again, The Light is the Darkness feels more like a one-off, an almost purposely exaggerated, testosterone-infused version of a Laird Barron story. And it’s not as if the other stories have been pussyfooting, it’s just that The Light in the Darkness raises all that has come previously to a new, outrageous level of its own.
While The Light is the Darkness is its own thing, it also feels like a bare bones trial run on how to write a novel-length narrative. It expands the approach and themes of Barron’s short stories, with excellent interlude chapters providing depth to the otherwise linearly told story. While at the end The Light is the Darkness doesn’t quite pull things off as smoothly as The Croning did, it does throw some spectacular punches, some of them straight in the gut. With glee.
Read all my reviews at mikareadshorrorfiction.wordpress.com
Conrad, the protagonist, is a lumbering mountain of a man, an übermensch created in shady experiments conducted by a seemingly undying doctor called Drake. Although prodigiously intelligent, Conrad’s made his fortune on an underground fight circuit called the Pageant, a brutal bloodsport for the entertainment of the ridiculously wealthy.
Despite being the undisputed champion, Conrad is a morose man with a serious deathwish. But when his sister Imogene mysteriously disappears while looking for information on doctor Drake, Conrad’s moved into action. In the best Lovecraftian tradition, his search reveals hidden secrets about his own past and nature, culminating in a titanic showdown of the cosmic variety.
All this is accomplished in a condensed, almost brutish style. There’s a manly pulp feel to the storytelling, most of the story is presented as is and nothing is embellished or lingered upon for very long. Barron’s ruggedly elegant language is as strong as ever, creating Cormac McCarthyesque fireworks of words and phrases. The character of Conrad seems to share similarities with some of Robert E. Howard’s pulp characters, such as the protagonist of the novella Skull-Face (1929), who also gained superior qualities thanks to scientific means provided by a seemingly undying man dabbling in the occult.
There are some problems with the story; it’s slightly uneven at places, and many of the characters come across as little more than cardboard. Sure, it’s part of the pulp appeal, same as the somewhat convenient coincidences where characters literally step out of the shadows at the end of the novel, because, well, it’s the end of the novel.
However, despite the pulpy edifice, there are always implications of something larger at work behind the scenes. The ideas are larger than the execution, and there are references to Barron’s other stories, creating a sense of an overencompassing mythology. It’s not as explicit as in the case of The Croning, but then again, The Light is the Darkness feels more like a one-off, an almost purposely exaggerated, testosterone-infused version of a Laird Barron story. And it’s not as if the other stories have been pussyfooting, it’s just that The Light in the Darkness raises all that has come previously to a new, outrageous level of its own.
While The Light is the Darkness is its own thing, it also feels like a bare bones trial run on how to write a novel-length narrative. It expands the approach and themes of Barron’s short stories, with excellent interlude chapters providing depth to the otherwise linearly told story. While at the end The Light is the Darkness doesn’t quite pull things off as smoothly as The Croning did, it does throw some spectacular punches, some of them straight in the gut. With glee.
Read all my reviews at mikareadshorrorfiction.wordpress.com
July 27, 2014
Once again, thanks to Goodreads for failing to save my initial wordy review. It would be impossible to recreate, but given time is a circle, I'll instead provide a dot point summation of my thoughts about The Light is the Darkness:
- A dark, dense, difficult read that spoon feeds nothing and requires maintained attention.
- There was a great deal going on in a relatively small number of pages: including, but not limited to, crazy doctors, underground fight clubs, psychedelic trips on unknown substances, missing sisters, murdered brothers, crazy fathers and mysterious benefactors.
- Though this will clearly be the minority opinion, there are times when the book felt as if it sagged under the weight of all of this and more. Yet within the required heavy lifting, I caught glimpses of fascinating cosmic horror concepts which I would love to see fleshed out further.
- I appreciated the noir elements fused with the horror on display.
- The hefty weight of expectation I carried into this one likely undermined my experience of it, as I did not enjoy it as much as I thought I would, hence the average rating.
- But I'll be back for more from Barron. Even as I type this I can see The Croning on my bookcase, mocking me to take up the extended challenge ...
3 Old Gods Made Flesh for The Light is the Darkness.
- A dark, dense, difficult read that spoon feeds nothing and requires maintained attention.
- There was a great deal going on in a relatively small number of pages: including, but not limited to, crazy doctors, underground fight clubs, psychedelic trips on unknown substances, missing sisters, murdered brothers, crazy fathers and mysterious benefactors.
- Though this will clearly be the minority opinion, there are times when the book felt as if it sagged under the weight of all of this and more. Yet within the required heavy lifting, I caught glimpses of fascinating cosmic horror concepts which I would love to see fleshed out further.
- I appreciated the noir elements fused with the horror on display.
- The hefty weight of expectation I carried into this one likely undermined my experience of it, as I did not enjoy it as much as I thought I would, hence the average rating.
- But I'll be back for more from Barron. Even as I type this I can see The Croning on my bookcase, mocking me to take up the extended challenge ...
3 Old Gods Made Flesh for The Light is the Darkness.
December 4, 2012
This book is intense. It took me a while to get to understand the author's super heavy, intensely descriptive prose. Heck, I probably should've had a dictionary next to me while reading this.
However, I got used to it.
But... then I lost all sense of time and place. This novel turned into some huge acid trip. Over sixty percent through this book, I was staring at my Kindle going 'What the heck and I reading? What the heck is going on here?' I was lost but enjoying the ride, the path that the author was taking me on; is he even taking me on a path?
I would say that when I was around 80 percent complete, I finally thought the story clicked for me and I had a good grasp of the situation, but then I continued to read to the end.
I need to read this novel again to better understand what I just read. It was a really cool, intense, ORIGINAL, read. Lovecraftian fiction fans would like this. Which surprises me even more... how often is Lovecraftian fiction ORIGINAL these days? I've read so much Lovecraftian fiction I can usually guess the end result after the first chapter.
CrAzY. I think this one will need to be reread by me a few times. I am scared to get his other novel.
However, I got used to it.
But... then I lost all sense of time and place. This novel turned into some huge acid trip. Over sixty percent through this book, I was staring at my Kindle going 'What the heck and I reading? What the heck is going on here?' I was lost but enjoying the ride, the path that the author was taking me on; is he even taking me on a path?
I would say that when I was around 80 percent complete, I finally thought the story clicked for me and I had a good grasp of the situation, but then I continued to read to the end.
I need to read this novel again to better understand what I just read. It was a really cool, intense, ORIGINAL, read. Lovecraftian fiction fans would like this. Which surprises me even more... how often is Lovecraftian fiction ORIGINAL these days? I've read so much Lovecraftian fiction I can usually guess the end result after the first chapter.
CrAzY. I think this one will need to be reread by me a few times. I am scared to get his other novel.
March 27, 2013
Unholy brutalities! Fantastic novel!
First, I'd read 'The Croning' and then in a fit of being consumed by the wonderful concepts, prose and cosmic dread of that novel, and instantly picked up 'The Light is the Darkness'.
I was immediately struck by how the narrative and style were so changed from one book to another, in a very good way mind you. Laid Barron went from a more literary style of prose to a more terse pulp style without skipping a beat. And pulled it off gloriously!
'The Light is the Darkness' is rough, rugged, mean, weird, mystical, horrifying, fantastical, thrilling, tense, dark, grimy, noir-ish, humorous, bold, psychedelic, animated, daring, sweaty, bruised, intoxicating, dangerous...I could go on.
It's a fairly quick read but deep and complex, you will be breathless at the end of the ride. I suggest cracking your knuckles, sharpening a blade, pumping some iron and slamming some good whiskey in preparation of reading this book.
It feels like the lovechild of Doc Savage, Jodorowsky's El Topo, interwoven with shades of Peckinpah, Lynch and Bava.
Highly recommended.
First, I'd read 'The Croning' and then in a fit of being consumed by the wonderful concepts, prose and cosmic dread of that novel, and instantly picked up 'The Light is the Darkness'.
I was immediately struck by how the narrative and style were so changed from one book to another, in a very good way mind you. Laid Barron went from a more literary style of prose to a more terse pulp style without skipping a beat. And pulled it off gloriously!
'The Light is the Darkness' is rough, rugged, mean, weird, mystical, horrifying, fantastical, thrilling, tense, dark, grimy, noir-ish, humorous, bold, psychedelic, animated, daring, sweaty, bruised, intoxicating, dangerous...I could go on.
It's a fairly quick read but deep and complex, you will be breathless at the end of the ride. I suggest cracking your knuckles, sharpening a blade, pumping some iron and slamming some good whiskey in preparation of reading this book.
It feels like the lovechild of Doc Savage, Jodorowsky's El Topo, interwoven with shades of Peckinpah, Lynch and Bava.
Highly recommended.
April 2, 2017
I love everything by Laird Barron and hadn't read this before. It's superb, instantly among my favourites of his work. Epic, though of novella length, filled with mind-bending dimensions and brutal violence. Top stuff!
August 4, 2014
Once again, Barron delivers a layered, beautiful, terrifying mind-fuck of a story. Absolutely one of the best horror writers working today.
June 11, 2012
Before I write anything else, I'll mention that this review is based on a PDF ARC, which didn't contain any artwork. The published book will contain beautiful and atmospheric art by David Ho.
The Light is the Darkness is a fantastically written story about occultism, secret projects, family secrets and blood sport. It can be categorized as literary horror, dark fantasy and weird fiction, because it contains several different elements.
Here's some information about the plot:
The protagonist, Conrad, is a modern day gladiator, who's looking for his missing sister, Imogene. Imogene disappeared mysteriously while she was searching for the brilliant, but sinister Dr. Drake, who may have possibly murdered their brother Ezra (Imogene suspected that Dr. Drake murdered him and used him in horrible experiments). As the story begins to unfold and secrets are revealed, Conrad finds out several disturbing things about his family, especially about his father. He also learns that he may be changing into something non-human. The reader will also find out what kind of a man Conrad is and what has been done to him.
Laird Barron is a master of beautiful and nuanced prose. This novella is a perfect example of his writing skills and masterful storytelling, because he has created a multilayered and complex plot, which hooks the reader immediately. In my opinion this novella is an irresistible combination of literary horror and dark fantasy. It's almost like a one man's incredible odyssey from light to darkness, but it's also much more than that, because the protagonist undergoes a physical change and is born again as a new being.
Laird Barron's character development is flawless and he makes Conrad a believable character. He writes fluently about Conrad's childhood and later life. He also writes unflichingly about Conrad's fights. Other characters (Uncle Kosokian, Marsh, Singh etc) are also interesting, but the author concentrates mostly on Conrad and his feelings, which is good, because the events are seen through his eyes.
The ending of this story is simply amazing and it demonstrates that Lovecraftian dark fantasy and cosmic horror hasn't lost its appeal over the decades. The ending is pure delight for fans of cosmic horror – it won't leave anybody cold.
It was interesting to read about the fight between Conrad and his father, because it was a short, but emotionally and physically brutal fight, which changed Conrad's life. It was also fascinating to read about the conflict between Uncle Kosokian and Dr. Drake, because it was an old feud, which couldn't be resolved easily and Conrad seemed to be in the middle of it.
Unfortunately I can't say anything about the artwork, because the PDF ARC didn't contain artwork, but I'm sure that David Ho's artwork will look beautiful. I've only seen one illustration in the author's Livejournal and it looked stunningly beautiful (click here to see it).
If you've never read any of Laird Barron's stories, this is a good place to start. If you get hooked and want to read more stories, I can highly recommend Barron's two short story collections (The Imago Sequence and Occultation), because they're full of fantastic and fascinating stories.
If you like weird fiction, you must read The Light Is the Darkness. It's essential reading for everybody, who likes weird fiction and literary horror (it's difficult to find better weird fiction, so make sure that you'll read this novella).
Highly recommended!
The Light is the Darkness is a fantastically written story about occultism, secret projects, family secrets and blood sport. It can be categorized as literary horror, dark fantasy and weird fiction, because it contains several different elements.
Here's some information about the plot:
The protagonist, Conrad, is a modern day gladiator, who's looking for his missing sister, Imogene. Imogene disappeared mysteriously while she was searching for the brilliant, but sinister Dr. Drake, who may have possibly murdered their brother Ezra (Imogene suspected that Dr. Drake murdered him and used him in horrible experiments). As the story begins to unfold and secrets are revealed, Conrad finds out several disturbing things about his family, especially about his father. He also learns that he may be changing into something non-human. The reader will also find out what kind of a man Conrad is and what has been done to him.
Laird Barron is a master of beautiful and nuanced prose. This novella is a perfect example of his writing skills and masterful storytelling, because he has created a multilayered and complex plot, which hooks the reader immediately. In my opinion this novella is an irresistible combination of literary horror and dark fantasy. It's almost like a one man's incredible odyssey from light to darkness, but it's also much more than that, because the protagonist undergoes a physical change and is born again as a new being.
Laird Barron's character development is flawless and he makes Conrad a believable character. He writes fluently about Conrad's childhood and later life. He also writes unflichingly about Conrad's fights. Other characters (Uncle Kosokian, Marsh, Singh etc) are also interesting, but the author concentrates mostly on Conrad and his feelings, which is good, because the events are seen through his eyes.
The ending of this story is simply amazing and it demonstrates that Lovecraftian dark fantasy and cosmic horror hasn't lost its appeal over the decades. The ending is pure delight for fans of cosmic horror – it won't leave anybody cold.
It was interesting to read about the fight between Conrad and his father, because it was a short, but emotionally and physically brutal fight, which changed Conrad's life. It was also fascinating to read about the conflict between Uncle Kosokian and Dr. Drake, because it was an old feud, which couldn't be resolved easily and Conrad seemed to be in the middle of it.
Unfortunately I can't say anything about the artwork, because the PDF ARC didn't contain artwork, but I'm sure that David Ho's artwork will look beautiful. I've only seen one illustration in the author's Livejournal and it looked stunningly beautiful (click here to see it).
If you've never read any of Laird Barron's stories, this is a good place to start. If you get hooked and want to read more stories, I can highly recommend Barron's two short story collections (The Imago Sequence and Occultation), because they're full of fantastic and fascinating stories.
If you like weird fiction, you must read The Light Is the Darkness. It's essential reading for everybody, who likes weird fiction and literary horror (it's difficult to find better weird fiction, so make sure that you'll read this novella).
Highly recommended!
June 12, 2015
A somewhat short novel interspersed with the occasional (and excellent) illustration. I found the story and the characters engaging and was gripped until the end.
A complex yet familiar story of someone getting involved in something they don't understand, slowly uncovering a conspiracy of monstrous depth and depravity. You never know quite where it's going to go next and so it keeps you on your toes.
And yet, when all was said and done, I didn't find this as satisfying as his other novel The Croning. In particular the ending felt a bit too abrupt and rushed. Similar themes are explored in this story but I felt were better expounded in the other book. Perhaps I would have done better to read this first?
Still, well worth reading to any fans of his work who haven't yet done so but not as an introduction to his work; for that I would recommend one of his excellent collections.
A complex yet familiar story of someone getting involved in something they don't understand, slowly uncovering a conspiracy of monstrous depth and depravity. You never know quite where it's going to go next and so it keeps you on your toes.
And yet, when all was said and done, I didn't find this as satisfying as his other novel The Croning. In particular the ending felt a bit too abrupt and rushed. Similar themes are explored in this story but I felt were better expounded in the other book. Perhaps I would have done better to read this first?
Still, well worth reading to any fans of his work who haven't yet done so but not as an introduction to his work; for that I would recommend one of his excellent collections.
June 23, 2014
I noticed that some of my goodreads friends, and others with tastes similar to mine, gave high ratings for this novella, so I decided to give it a go.
I don't think I've read anything like this before. Its sort of like cosmic horror mixed with a thriller/suspense plot--and also is funny at times. The book had me turning the page. I read it while taking the train to and from work--which for me is a sign that I'm really liking this book.
The plot is wild--the protagonist, named Conrad, is biologically enhanced and fights in secret, to-the death battles. Think Fight Club to the 10th power. He is searching for his missing sister Imogene, who was investigating a mad scientist named Dr. Drake. Towards the end of the novel, Conrad finds out the truth about everybody and everything involved.
I don't think I've read anything like this before. Its sort of like cosmic horror mixed with a thriller/suspense plot--and also is funny at times. The book had me turning the page. I read it while taking the train to and from work--which for me is a sign that I'm really liking this book.
The plot is wild--the protagonist, named Conrad, is biologically enhanced and fights in secret, to-the death battles. Think Fight Club to the 10th power. He is searching for his missing sister Imogene, who was investigating a mad scientist named Dr. Drake. Towards the end of the novel, Conrad finds out the truth about everybody and everything involved.
Read
August 3, 2015You know that awesome book you read where it seems like the author is sitting across the table from you telling you a story? Yeah!
Well, this isn't that book. It's densely written and right now I don't have the patience to slow down to try and process it.
Moving to the dnf pile until a new mood inspires me to try again.
Well, this isn't that book. It's densely written and right now I don't have the patience to slow down to try and process it.
Moving to the dnf pile until a new mood inspires me to try again.
October 9, 2023
Fight Club for guys who want to bang their sister rather than their inner Chad.
September 13, 2012
THE LIGHT IS THE DARKNESS by Laird Barron
Modern day gladiator Conrad Navarro has Daddy issues of the Biblical kind, and Dad is not a sympathetic character. In fact, none of the characters in this tale of stygian darkness can be described as sympathetic as they act out their betrayal from a specific yet mutable hell tailor-made for world domination by the Old Ones. With a stylistic nod to NAKED LUNCH by William S. Burroughs, Barron takes us on a non-linear odyssey through what, on the surface, resembles the mad landscape of a schizophrenic’s inner world, and it is not until the very last page that we fully understand the horrific objective in this tale of deliberate madness.
In THE LIGHT IS THE DARKNESS readers revisit Barron’s former stories The Imago Sequence, Six Six Six, -30-, and Old Virginia, to name a few, and garner a clearer understanding of “the Bigger Picture,” in which Barron has included the flip side of the savior theme. This said, abandon all hope, ye who enter here, for here you will not find redemption. The beginning is the end and the end is the beginning as the worm turns and Ouroboros devours its tail. Readers who have already ventured into horror literature, especially those of you already familiar with Laird Barron’s brand of Lovecraftian Mythos (if not, may I suggest you read his excellent collections THE IMAGO SEQUENCE and OCCULTATION) are in for some nice shivers.
Wealthy industrialist Cyrano Kosokian sponsors genetically engineered gladiator Conrad Navarro in a global underworld fighting ring that makes legal cage fighting look like a church quilting bee, as these gladiators fight to the death, just like they did back in the good old days of sovereign Rome. But our protagonist Conrad is distracted from his customary rigorous training for these championship bouts because he is obsessed with the disappearance of his FBI sister, Imogene “Genie” Navarro. Conrad suspects Genie is the victim of the mysterious Dr. Drake, an aged geneticist who specializes in eugenics experiments and torture, and embarks upon a mission to find Imogene, or at least find out what happened to her.
What Navarro finds instead is the meaning of his life.
For more information on Laird Barron’s novel,
click: http://www.bloodletting-press.com/tag...
If you are a Laird Barron reader, this is a must read.
Modern day gladiator Conrad Navarro has Daddy issues of the Biblical kind, and Dad is not a sympathetic character. In fact, none of the characters in this tale of stygian darkness can be described as sympathetic as they act out their betrayal from a specific yet mutable hell tailor-made for world domination by the Old Ones. With a stylistic nod to NAKED LUNCH by William S. Burroughs, Barron takes us on a non-linear odyssey through what, on the surface, resembles the mad landscape of a schizophrenic’s inner world, and it is not until the very last page that we fully understand the horrific objective in this tale of deliberate madness.
In THE LIGHT IS THE DARKNESS readers revisit Barron’s former stories The Imago Sequence, Six Six Six, -30-, and Old Virginia, to name a few, and garner a clearer understanding of “the Bigger Picture,” in which Barron has included the flip side of the savior theme. This said, abandon all hope, ye who enter here, for here you will not find redemption. The beginning is the end and the end is the beginning as the worm turns and Ouroboros devours its tail. Readers who have already ventured into horror literature, especially those of you already familiar with Laird Barron’s brand of Lovecraftian Mythos (if not, may I suggest you read his excellent collections THE IMAGO SEQUENCE and OCCULTATION) are in for some nice shivers.
Wealthy industrialist Cyrano Kosokian sponsors genetically engineered gladiator Conrad Navarro in a global underworld fighting ring that makes legal cage fighting look like a church quilting bee, as these gladiators fight to the death, just like they did back in the good old days of sovereign Rome. But our protagonist Conrad is distracted from his customary rigorous training for these championship bouts because he is obsessed with the disappearance of his FBI sister, Imogene “Genie” Navarro. Conrad suspects Genie is the victim of the mysterious Dr. Drake, an aged geneticist who specializes in eugenics experiments and torture, and embarks upon a mission to find Imogene, or at least find out what happened to her.
What Navarro finds instead is the meaning of his life.
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If you are a Laird Barron reader, this is a must read.
August 2, 2013
Far as I know, there isn't anyone out there who writes like (as good as) this guy, who I have read described as "the Cormac McCarthy of the weird." That's fine with me. I've read a good amount of Barron's short stories. You know how, in Jaws, the scenes with the unseen shark are more compelling than when Jaws himself starts tearing shit up onscreen? Laird Barron is the king of that. Sweeter still is that, unlike Jaws, you have no idea what nastiness lurks in his stories until it is revealed in its alien horror, unknowable and obscene. Pretty sweet.
This one kicks total ass. The protagonist is some kind of modern day gladiator who fights-to-the-death-for-big-bucks to entertain degenerate rich fucks. His sister has disappeared under sinister circumstances and he uses his fight-earnings to seek her. That's enough to get you started, but there's also sex, drugs, occult madness, and a triumphant hallucinogenic/apocalyptic conclusion, just so you know. Read or perish!
This one kicks total ass. The protagonist is some kind of modern day gladiator who fights-to-the-death-for-big-bucks to entertain degenerate rich fucks. His sister has disappeared under sinister circumstances and he uses his fight-earnings to seek her. That's enough to get you started, but there's also sex, drugs, occult madness, and a triumphant hallucinogenic/apocalyptic conclusion, just so you know. Read or perish!
August 14, 2013
Conrad Navarro, modern gladiator in a secret underground battle series called The Pageant, pursues his lost (possibly dead) sister Imogene.
Told in a style quite different from Barron’s recent novel The Croning. Pulpy, fast-moving. Seemingly less serious, yet at its core abysmally dark. Some sections more briskly written, while others contain Barron’s characteristically dense, flavorful descriptions.
As with The Croning, strange events are gradually revealed to take place on a grandiose, primordial scale. Part epic, part comic book, part myth. Gods and demigods stride the Earth, concealed among us, concerning themselves with matters frightful and destructive to ordinary mortals.
Told in a style quite different from Barron’s recent novel The Croning. Pulpy, fast-moving. Seemingly less serious, yet at its core abysmally dark. Some sections more briskly written, while others contain Barron’s characteristically dense, flavorful descriptions.
As with The Croning, strange events are gradually revealed to take place on a grandiose, primordial scale. Part epic, part comic book, part myth. Gods and demigods stride the Earth, concealed among us, concerning themselves with matters frightful and destructive to ordinary mortals.
June 16, 2012
Conrad Navarro, modern gladiator in a secret underground battle series called The Pageant, pursues his lost (possibly dead) sister Imogene.
Told in a style quite different from Barron's recent novel The Croning. Pulpy, fast-moving. Seemingly less serious, yet at its core abysmally dark. Some sections more briskly written, while others contain Barron's characteristically dense, flavorful descriptions.
As with The Croning, strange events are gradually revealed to take place on a grandiose, primordial scale. Part epic, part comic book, part myth. Gods and demigods stride the Earth, concealed among us, concerning themselves with matters frightful and destructive to ordinary mortals.
Told in a style quite different from Barron's recent novel The Croning. Pulpy, fast-moving. Seemingly less serious, yet at its core abysmally dark. Some sections more briskly written, while others contain Barron's characteristically dense, flavorful descriptions.
As with The Croning, strange events are gradually revealed to take place on a grandiose, primordial scale. Part epic, part comic book, part myth. Gods and demigods stride the Earth, concealed among us, concerning themselves with matters frightful and destructive to ordinary mortals.
October 17, 2015
What can I say about Laird Barron that hasn't already been said, by me or anybody else? Nothing, really. His work is consistently exhilarating, terrifying, beautiful, and pitch-dark. His prose is luminescent and lean and perfectly crafted. His mythos is transcendent. This is probably one of the incredibly few (as in, 2 or 3) writers whose works have made me fear the dark, left me with a sick scared child-like feeling in my guts. And that's the highest compliment I can give a piece of horror fiction.
If you've ever read any of his work, you know all of this already. If you haven't, stop looking at reviews and just go ingest some.
If you've ever read any of his work, you know all of this already. If you haven't, stop looking at reviews and just go ingest some.
June 9, 2013
That was great. Goes totally bonkers at the end and has an awesome little mind bend.
Rich characters and story that felt ripped from the pages of Hammett or Chandler, if Hammett or Chandler had been smoking opium with H.P. Lovecraft.
Very strongly recommended, and requires no knowledge of Lovecraft mythos (for those of you who may be looking for a piece of cosmic horror that doesn't require a breadth of knowledge on the subjects).
Rich characters and story that felt ripped from the pages of Hammett or Chandler, if Hammett or Chandler had been smoking opium with H.P. Lovecraft.
Very strongly recommended, and requires no knowledge of Lovecraft mythos (for those of you who may be looking for a piece of cosmic horror that doesn't require a breadth of knowledge on the subjects).
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