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Darkfall
As a brutal storm unleashes its fury on the city, detective Jack Cardiff and his squad investigate the mysterious disappearance of employees from a high-rise building where only a grisly clue is left, plunging them into a nightmarish world of unimaginable horror and evil. Original.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 1992
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506 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Laws
58 books137 followersStephen Laws is a full-time novelist, born in Newcastle upon Tyne. Married, with three children, he lives and works in his birthplace. The author of 11 novels, numerous short stories, (collected in THE MIDNIGHT MAN) columnist, reviewer, film-festival interviewer, pianist and recipient of a number of awards, Stephen Laws recently wrote and starred in the short horror movie THE SECRET.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
April 21, 2024
Beware of storms. They might be something different. They might lead you into another dimension, maybe to hell. This nail biting blast from the past describes a "Darkfall" storm happening at Fernley Building in Newcastle. Where have the party people on Christmas Eve gone? What about the police and special inspector Rohmer? You'll see a group of people getting deeper and deeper in some very mysterious troubles. What about the references to Mary Celeste and The Bermuda Triangle? Is there a dark side of electricity and what can it do? Couldn't put this one down. Hell of a page turner. A horror classic from the early 90s. Highly recommended!
December 14, 2023
I like Stephen Laws and have read several of his novels but while I liked Darkfall, it is not one of his best. The basis of this one is cool-- a strange electrical storm centers on a 14 story building in Newcastle on Christmas Eve and after a lightening strike, all the Christmas partiers suddenly vanish. At the same time, the custodian, boozing in the basement, hears a frightening loud noise and thinks the boilers are going to explode; he rushes up to evacuate the building and finds no one there; in fact, the only thing he finds is a human hand on the 14th floor. Freaking out a bit, he calls the cops.
Detective Jack Cardiff, our main protagonist, eventually arrives at the scene after the cops call him and verify it is not a prank or a drunken call-- there really is a severed human hand at the building. The cops search the building and find no one, but there are lots of cars in the parking lot. Weirdly, the storm seems to be intensifying and the cops have a hard time connecting to headquarters via phone or whatever due to the storm. Then, another lightening strike hits the building and the cops on the upper floors also vanish. Cardiff is still trying to puzzle out what the hell is going on when some government types arrive at the scene who obviously know something about what is going on...
This started out fine, but as it went on, it became harder and harder to suspend my sense of disbelief. It also started to feel a bit 'paint by the numbers', with every 20 pages or so having a 'scare' or some new, strange event; the ending was especially cliché. I keep hoping Laws will blow me away like he did with Spectre so I keep reading him, but as of yet, no dice. 2.5 stars, rounding up for the first 100 pages.
Detective Jack Cardiff, our main protagonist, eventually arrives at the scene after the cops call him and verify it is not a prank or a drunken call-- there really is a severed human hand at the building. The cops search the building and find no one, but there are lots of cars in the parking lot. Weirdly, the storm seems to be intensifying and the cops have a hard time connecting to headquarters via phone or whatever due to the storm. Then, another lightening strike hits the building and the cops on the upper floors also vanish. Cardiff is still trying to puzzle out what the hell is going on when some government types arrive at the scene who obviously know something about what is going on...
This started out fine, but as it went on, it became harder and harder to suspend my sense of disbelief. It also started to feel a bit 'paint by the numbers', with every 20 pages or so having a 'scare' or some new, strange event; the ending was especially cliché. I keep hoping Laws will blow me away like he did with Spectre so I keep reading him, but as of yet, no dice. 2.5 stars, rounding up for the first 100 pages.
April 1, 2010
I had a hard time relating to the reviews here after reading some of the book, but they really all turned out to be correct - this book is unreadable...The first hundred pages flew by like butter, I was adoring this premise and the writing was smooth and enticing, then as if suddenly the author was replaced by a robot filling out mad libs with nouns and verbs, it all got very dry, repetitive and extremely boring. I am not kidding when I say that I took many breaks from the book to clean my room, watch hours of TV - which I rarely do and even finished a scarf I started knitting last year, then I forced myself to wallow through the last pages of this dud, gosh, I am still suffering form the aftereffects.
The book starts of simple enough, a bunch of people disappear thought out the Fernley House - a high rise at the edges of some unknown city in England. It all has to do with the terrible storm, people vanish and suddenly strange things star happening to the policemen who go to investigate. There is countless page of people running around and screaming, underdeveloped characters who perish but who are hard to identify and care for, brittle dry police work procedures and discussions, the author wrote as if he was a drill sergeant and not a story teller - the tale started of amazing and fizzled to unimaginable levels of dullness.
For those who enjoyed the idea of people vanishing into walls and floors, there's a much better book written by another Brit - Graham Masterton, a book called "Walkers" ( Walkers ) where a whole institute full of mentally insane vanish into walls, but keep coming back to get you, good stuff!
The book starts of simple enough, a bunch of people disappear thought out the Fernley House - a high rise at the edges of some unknown city in England. It all has to do with the terrible storm, people vanish and suddenly strange things star happening to the policemen who go to investigate. There is countless page of people running around and screaming, underdeveloped characters who perish but who are hard to identify and care for, brittle dry police work procedures and discussions, the author wrote as if he was a drill sergeant and not a story teller - the tale started of amazing and fizzled to unimaginable levels of dullness.
For those who enjoyed the idea of people vanishing into walls and floors, there's a much better book written by another Brit - Graham Masterton, a book called "Walkers" ( Walkers ) where a whole institute full of mentally insane vanish into walls, but keep coming back to get you, good stuff!
January 17, 2008
This is one of the very few books who actualy made me sorta creeped out and spooked. Told in a remarkable way as to make you crave turning to the next page this book is full of suspence and you dont quite figure out what is actualy happening till the very end. This is in part due to the fact that it feeds you small chunks at a time of terror and keeps you guessing till the very end as to what actualy happend.
The story starts suspensfull and creepy and a night janitor gets drunk while hanging out in the boiler room of this large scyscraper in new york on Christmas Eve while office workers party upstairs. Soon a sound louder that thunder filles the building and after rocovering his senses the janitor wanders up stairs but finds nothing sxcept for one neatly severed hand layng by the far wall. If you want to know more I suggest you read this.
The story starts suspensfull and creepy and a night janitor gets drunk while hanging out in the boiler room of this large scyscraper in new york on Christmas Eve while office workers party upstairs. Soon a sound louder that thunder filles the building and after rocovering his senses the janitor wanders up stairs but finds nothing sxcept for one neatly severed hand layng by the far wall. If you want to know more I suggest you read this.
November 6, 2007
Fantastic! This is a story about a strange storm sending constant bolts of mysterious, terrifying lightning crashing into an office high-rise in Great Britain, and the book is so engaging, you'll want to read it all in one sitting, even if you don't have the time to do so.
Highly recommend!
Highly recommend!
December 11, 2013
This is a great, intense horror novel with fascinating characters--Jimmy and Cardiff, in particular--and one of the most interesting ideas I've read in quite some time. There are a bunch of Christmas parties in an office building in Newcastle when a storm comes along. Soon, the caretaker discovers that everyone in the building has vanished in the blink of an eye. The cops are called in to figure out the mystery, but they just don't know enough about something called a Darkfall to succeed without the help of a government spook. My only problem with the book is the explanation. I don't buy it, but that's not enough to stop me from enjoying this book.
June 9, 2012
There are some things we are told as children not to worry about. I distinctly remember my mom telling me that as long as we inside during a storm we were safe. I tell my daughter that as well with some degree of confidence when a storm rolls in, in order to ease her fears- we all do, don‘t we? Should we? In his novel. Darkfalls, Laws gives his readers reason to take pause each time they see the storms clouds approaching.
It really is a brilliant piece of work. From the beginning there is a sense of dread and creepiness that lingers and builds until the very last passage. The attention to detail and characterization is wonderful. It is one of the scariest most unique stories I have read in a long while. When you have characters crafted so well you can easily fuel your fear with theirs adding to the effect.
I will be looking for more by Stephen Laws.
It really is a brilliant piece of work. From the beginning there is a sense of dread and creepiness that lingers and builds until the very last passage. The attention to detail and characterization is wonderful. It is one of the scariest most unique stories I have read in a long while. When you have characters crafted so well you can easily fuel your fear with theirs adding to the effect.
I will be looking for more by Stephen Laws.
October 24, 2016
What an excellent horror! Loved the grim, dark atmosphere. The writing is great, easy yet descriptive and intense. Definitely a page turner. Was also very easy to visualise it all and feel like you're there amongst the mayhem as it unfolds. One of the creepiest books I've read in a while. Would make a good, jumpy movie. Had to go and order another 5 of Laws' books straight away. A great October read :)
June 5, 2009
Great little horror story that plays on our fears of large buildings and being trapped within it. The building becomes a character of it's own and the invention of becoming part of the walls if you touch them is truly original. The end is a bit overwhelming and introduces elements that aren't exactly explained, but overall a fun read.
August 4, 2007
If you read ONE horror novel in your lifetime, this should be the one. Spooky, SO ORIGINAL and ingenious. Would make a fabulous movie. Seriously it is the product of a feverishly creative mind and gives me chills just thinking about it. Scared of thunderstorms? Just wait...
September 22, 2021
Darkfall е роман, който е разделен на три части, но практически е от две такива. Първата е мистерията около случващото се, която е много добре направена и действително кара тръпки да те лазят по гърба. Изчезванията като цитирания в книгата случай на кораба “Мария Селесте” винаги са зловещи, защото плашат с тайната на неизвестното, а Darkfall покачва този ефект на максимум. Втората половина от книгата е посветена на разкриването на тайната и битки с отблъскващи и чудовищни изроди, появили се в плод на мистериозното явление. Тази част от романа също е направена добре и макар да не плаши толкова, действа потискащо на психиката с дементните уроди, които преследват главните герои. Те между впрочем не са подбрани зле, като към ченгето се добавят млад престъпник и момиче, изпаднало от минало десетилетие, които оформят доста оригинално трио. Злодеят е отвратителен, особено когато мутира, а цялата атмосфера успешно е обобщена от фенове, описващи тази книга като “Умирай трудно” среща “Нещото”. Въпреки това на моменти тя ми ставаше досадна и се чудя дали причината не е в обема от 350 страници – за такава история 200 според мен щяха да са по-точни и подходящи. Тук доста се разтегляха финалните преследвания нагоре-надолу из сградата с пъплещите изчадия по петите на героите, накрая не бяха избегнати и някои клишета.
Цялото ми ревю може да прочетете в Цитаделата:
https://citadelata.com/darkfall/
Цялото ми ревю може да прочетете в Цитаделата:
https://citadelata.com/darkfall/
August 16, 2021
This genuinely creepy, suspenseful horror novel is so inventive that it's unlike anything I've read before or since. I started it one evening after work, stayed up too late reading during the night, and then called in sick the next morning so that I could stay home and finish it - the only time I've ever done that. The characters are appealing, the writing is fluid, and the plot moves along quickly, satisfyingly accompanied by a growing sense of dread. Highly recommended!
February 4, 2014
Another excellent book by an underrated author, suggested for any 'King' fans.
January 3, 2015
Very interesting concept. Would make a great movie if the right studio and director were on board.
September 3, 2022
But this storm was different.
A ‘very British’ paperback horror story, Stephen Laws’ Darkfall is another one of those tales that begins with a roar of sturm und drang but dries to a heavy drizzle just about halfway through the book. Which is a shame because up until that point, Laws creates a moody, atmospheric chiller as an ugly stormfront moves into English Newcastle on Christmas Eve. As rain pellets fall, behind the dark, impersonal glass of an office tower, a handful of holiday partygoers are celebrating by clinking glasses and sneaking off to neck in the cupboards as the (now unnatural) storm grows. Thunder roars and the parties … suddenly … stop.
I liked Laws’ initial approach of ‘gritty police procedural’ as beat cops and dour detectives puzzle through the mystery of the vanished tenants while bodies (and some cars) begin raining down around on the country. The worsening storm mixes well with the damaged personalities of the main characters and the claustrophobic glass and steel tomb of the Fernley House office building -- creating a moody, ominous tension. The spider’s web approach of the first part of the book with the bloody and bizarre happening at the edges and the poisoned office building lurking like a fat malevolent monster in the center of the supernatural mystery absolutely lassoed me.
The noose slips though as Laws turns away from this balancing act to lock a just a handful of main characters inside the office building which – after far too many pages of thunderous booms and juddering staircases – becomes just an extended chase by a few generic monsters of the protagonists through a collapsing funhouse. The federal agents who are introduced mid-book are (of course) cliched, closet megalomaniacs, there is a bit of explanatory hokum about ‘good’ and ‘bad’ electricity, and a lot of wrasslin’ over the book’s two guns. If the first half of the book was elegant, the second half was (to me anyway) tedious – a lot of ‘run from the monster!’ until we can (spoiler!) drop an elevator on its head.
Three stars because the idea and initial execution was sound, but I had a tuff time finishing this one off.
June 18, 2021
It's Christmas and a bunch of office workers are having a party when a storm rises outside. Down below in the cellar, a drunk caretaker of the 14-story office building drinks and dreams of better times, when he hears strange sounds. Going upstairs to investigate he discovers everyone has disappeared, except for one human hand.
The police arrive to investigate, led by Cardiff the DI, but so do some shady government folks led by the clearly evil Rohmer who are in on what's going on. Soon some of the people who disappeared are reappearing elsewhere, but transformed, with one old lady having turned mostly into plaster and concrete and hungry for some human meat. And then some of the policemen and a hapless reporter are sucked into the walls of the building.
It's a classic scifi horror mystery that would make Nigel Kneale proud, reminiscent of many 70s and 80s horror series from British TV. The pseudo-scientific explanations for ghosts, for example, feel like something out of Kneale's excellent The Stone Tape. Most of the action even takes place inside the office building, something TV series often did back in the day because of budget restrictions. The limitations of the style and format were a strength then and Laws uses them to a great effect.
The plot, mostly happening in real time, has a quick pace and the characters fill their roles well enough. The mystery sustains the novel for the first half and the rest is mostly survival, as Laws comes up with ways to keep the people inside the building for the gruesome finale, which manages to conjure up associations with the scifi horror classic The Fly.
Darkfall wears its scifi horror influences proudly and makes them into something new. The horrors themselves may be fairly conventional, basically literary equivalents of people in rubber suits, but the implications - of people being sucked into walls and still retaining some resemblence of consciousness - are fantastically nasty.
The police arrive to investigate, led by Cardiff the DI, but so do some shady government folks led by the clearly evil Rohmer who are in on what's going on. Soon some of the people who disappeared are reappearing elsewhere, but transformed, with one old lady having turned mostly into plaster and concrete and hungry for some human meat. And then some of the policemen and a hapless reporter are sucked into the walls of the building.
It's a classic scifi horror mystery that would make Nigel Kneale proud, reminiscent of many 70s and 80s horror series from British TV. The pseudo-scientific explanations for ghosts, for example, feel like something out of Kneale's excellent The Stone Tape. Most of the action even takes place inside the office building, something TV series often did back in the day because of budget restrictions. The limitations of the style and format were a strength then and Laws uses them to a great effect.
The plot, mostly happening in real time, has a quick pace and the characters fill their roles well enough. The mystery sustains the novel for the first half and the rest is mostly survival, as Laws comes up with ways to keep the people inside the building for the gruesome finale, which manages to conjure up associations with the scifi horror classic The Fly.
Darkfall wears its scifi horror influences proudly and makes them into something new. The horrors themselves may be fairly conventional, basically literary equivalents of people in rubber suits, but the implications - of people being sucked into walls and still retaining some resemblence of consciousness - are fantastically nasty.
December 25, 2019
My first horror genre novel not by Koontz or King in quite a while. It started out rather promising, and I quite liked the concept even to the end. But the way things end up and the explanations given, scientific vs religious, left me wanting something more definitive, I guess. It seems really science-based until about halfway or two-thirds done, wherein it swaps to the religious, and it never really clarifies one way or the other.
The characters were surprisingly flat as well; Koontz' characters usually encourage a little more emotional investment than the characters in this book. I didn't actively dislike anyone in terms of quality, though I wouldn't say I liked any, either. I got so distracted by the plot and backstory that it didn't bother me a whole lot anyway, but I actually liked the characters a touch more in the beginning of the book than I did by the end.
The idea of people being blended with their surrounding environment and being stuck in walls, being able to come back out, was actually a little disturbing. I wouldn't say scary, but a few descriptions did give me the inner shivers of disgust, which is a first. But the other half of the time, the description was so generic or so repetitive with certain words that I couldn't picture what was going on or follow what was happening. Action scenes in particular seemed extremely vague.
The characters were surprisingly flat as well; Koontz' characters usually encourage a little more emotional investment than the characters in this book. I didn't actively dislike anyone in terms of quality, though I wouldn't say I liked any, either. I got so distracted by the plot and backstory that it didn't bother me a whole lot anyway, but I actually liked the characters a touch more in the beginning of the book than I did by the end.
The idea of people being blended with their surrounding environment and being stuck in walls, being able to come back out, was actually a little disturbing. I wouldn't say scary, but a few descriptions did give me the inner shivers of disgust, which is a first. But the other half of the time, the description was so generic or so repetitive with certain words that I couldn't picture what was going on or follow what was happening. Action scenes in particular seemed extremely vague.
February 27, 2021
Darkfall is a tight horror novel with solid pacing and some very well developed characters. I was impressed at how well Stephen Laws was able to focus in on a tight group of characters, while still keeping the massive impact of the events in perspective.
Only negatives I have are some repetitive descriptions, and a little too much reliance on flashing back to a main character's past trauma. It did slow down the pacing a little places.
Overall, I enjoyed the heck of Darkfall, and I'm for sure going to check out more Stephen Laws.
Side note: The edition of the book that I read was full of typos and weird mistakes, like random I's just showing up at the end of a sentence. Didn't hold this against the book itself, but if you get the edition from Brooligan Press, prep yourself.
Only negatives I have are some repetitive descriptions, and a little too much reliance on flashing back to a main character's past trauma. It did slow down the pacing a little places.
Overall, I enjoyed the heck of Darkfall, and I'm for sure going to check out more Stephen Laws.
Side note: The edition of the book that I read was full of typos and weird mistakes, like random I's just showing up at the end of a sentence. Didn't hold this against the book itself, but if you get the edition from Brooligan Press, prep yourself.
July 2, 2023
No coz, uwazam ze pomysl na fabule bardzo ambitny i oryginalny ale samo wykonanie zawiodlo. Bylo wiele momentow gdy przysypialam i doslownie skipowalam opisy bo byly moim zdaniem zbyt obszerne i zwyczajnie zbedne. Uwazam tez ze niektore momenty byly za bardzo udziwnione a cala reszta byla dosyc przewidywalna poniewaz autor postanowil odkryc nam wszystkie karty juz w polowie rozrywki. Aczkolwiek ksiazka dla mnie nadrobila samym pomyslem dzieki czemu wyrobila (ledwo ale wyrobila) na 4 gwiazdki.
May 4, 2017
It's good horror, but really terrible scifi. The science is just... just bad. I found that laughably distracting.
I also found the girl's existence... convenient. Kind of a lazy way to give us a person to care about.
Despite enjoying the story, characters, and general background, when I think back on this book I think of those two flaws, so I can't give it a high rating.
I also found the girl's existence... convenient. Kind of a lazy way to give us a person to care about.
Despite enjoying the story, characters, and general background, when I think back on this book I think of those two flaws, so I can't give it a high rating.
April 11, 2022
I love Stephen Laws, but this is not one of this best.
It's okay till the sciencey bit, then it falls down. Like Jaws is good till you see the shark, Darkfall is only good till the monsters are shown. It reads like a Guy N Smith novel and not in a good way.
I'm going to back and read Gideon instead - which is by far his best work.
It's okay till the sciencey bit, then it falls down. Like Jaws is good till you see the shark, Darkfall is only good till the monsters are shown. It reads like a Guy N Smith novel and not in a good way.
I'm going to back and read Gideon instead - which is by far his best work.
August 16, 2022
Splendid read
I read this a few years ago now and the kindle version needs proof reading. However, I loved it. Stephen Laws was always a good entertaining horror writer. I read recently why his novel writing took a backseat but I hope it all comes well.
Great read and well recommended.
I read this a few years ago now and the kindle version needs proof reading. However, I loved it. Stephen Laws was always a good entertaining horror writer. I read recently why his novel writing took a backseat but I hope it all comes well.
Great read and well recommended.
June 4, 2025
Horrific
Stephen Laws is a master at making sleep difficult. This novel reaches into your very soul and enshrouds it with horror and darkness. Read about things that should remain only as nightmares. A storm is coming, and bringing with it, something terrifying, unbelievable and horrific. Read if you dare……go ahead…..you know you want to.
Stephen Laws is a master at making sleep difficult. This novel reaches into your very soul and enshrouds it with horror and darkness. Read about things that should remain only as nightmares. A storm is coming, and bringing with it, something terrifying, unbelievable and horrific. Read if you dare……go ahead…..you know you want to.
November 14, 2025
3½ stars. For an author I had not read before this was a pleasant surprise. I used to read a lot of this sort of thing in the 80s and 90s, it was a pleasant change from the very lengthy (and often tedious) Stephen king I've been reading recently.
Read this over two nights. I'll have to check out his other work now.
Read this over two nights. I'll have to check out his other work now.
September 19, 2020
Still holds up.
I read this over 15 years ago and thought about it many times over the years. Easily my favorite body horror novel. It still holds up. Does for going into buildings during a lightning storm what "Jaws" did for going in the ocean.
I read this over 15 years ago and thought about it many times over the years. Easily my favorite body horror novel. It still holds up. Does for going into buildings during a lightning storm what "Jaws" did for going in the ocean.
February 24, 2023
i haven’t read a lot of sci-fi, but this book was interesting af. the mystery, the characters, the really creative phenomenon, and then the the full on horror… i was def entertained. not bad for picking it off the goodwill shelf based largely on the cover lol
August 31, 2024
There are times I stumble across something I feel I should of read or watched the moment it came out. I loved this. The mystery, the build up, the insanity towards the end. Just the kind of flavours I enjoy in a meal. Delicious
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June 24, 2021Being from the UK, i started reading horror by English authors. I loved darkfall, an original story, decent characters, with some chilling parts to it, well worth a read
September 16, 2023
Good stuff from Stephen Laws.
3.5 stars rounded up to four.
3.5 stars rounded up to four.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews