"The Sequel to Dark Vanishings On Sale for a limited time only!"
On a May afternoon, people awakened to find themselves alone in their towns, their neighbors mysteriously vanished. Those left behind searched for friends and family, hoping to survive.
But they were not alone in the world.
The spellbinding post-apocalyptic thriller, Dark Vanishings, continues in Episode Two. Tori and Blake flee toward the safety of the new Florida community, but not everyone in the neighborhood is who they seem to be.
Amy and Keeshana return to Charday, searching for Amy's father, while Ricky's dangerous obsession with Amy grows. A terrible beast stalks Dr, Joshua Geldon and Severin through the Great Plains, and only one side will survive the battle.
Teetering on the edge of insanity, Jacob's desire to escape the Iowa compound grows. Can he escape the demons in mind and the real evil who stalks the compound?
A blind marine veteran is left to die alone in a lost world. A swamp infested will alligators and snakes stands between the marine and rescue on the interstate.
The second in Padavona's Dark Fantasy dystopian adventure opens with the series' antagonist, Victor Lupan, showing a very humanistic and even vulnerable side while concerned for his demonic critter that is on the prowl for survivors of the mysterious "rapture-like" event which occurred in the first book. Seeing this side of Dark Vanishing's antagonist is rather refreshing actually, as it brings the inevitable match between good versus evil into a more realistic setting while still giving a fantastic approach.
Padavona's already well-crafted prose has clearly matured with each release he's given us, and while there may be some that could do without Dan's poetic visualizations, there's a very entertaining story being told between them.
The book revisits the characters from the first in the series, and we meet new ones as they come together to build a care-free community within the solar-powered "Florida Bliss." The character, Tori, starts making her way as the role of heroine, as she makes an attempt at grasping the power she holds within her, while the motives of those who would stop her are still unclear, as is the reason for the world's current situation.
While I'm not all that familiar with the subgenre of dystopian and post-apocalyptic fiction, I've no doubt most involve some element of "freedom" in a world near empty. Padavona certainly brings that exciting—yet fearful—element with more locations and scenarios that we almost wish we could be a part of: An empty shopping mall all to ourselves; a vacant, serene beach setting to clear our clouded thoughts, and a tight group of individuals all in the same boat as ourselves, pulling together for both answers and survival.
While I can't say that it's superior, it very much stands up to the first book in the series and like the first, leaves you wanting more.
Demons, monsters, and girls with red hair! I'm so liking this series. We've got a really bad guy who has to be a demon in disguise. We have two guys, one with a magic dagger whom we haven't properly met yet. The good and the evil. Who will win? Where did everybody else go? Will the people in Florida wake up to the danger they're in? A really good read that I am enjoying immensely. Please keep writing Mr. Padavona.you're fantastic at it!
Great story. As new people are finding themselves alone after the disappearance of almost everyone, they find themselves drawn south. As they begin to meet up in Florida a battle is brewing and those who didn't disappear are finding that there was a reason.
Can't wait for the next episode of Dark Vanishings.