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Judges #3
JUDGES: When The Light Lay Still
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 2038 A.D.
Ezekiel Jones was a cop, and proud of it—until his partner shot a kid and covered it up. Ezekiel testified against her, but the inquiry went nowhere, leaving everything he’d believed in ruins. He joined the new Judges programme the next day.
Moulded and shaped to be the first of the new breed of law-makers, Jones hits the streets again. But as a new weapon gets into the hands of radicals and the tension rises, both Jones and those he serves have to decide where their loyalties lie.
Ezekiel Jones was a cop, and proud of it—until his partner shot a kid and covered it up. Ezekiel testified against her, but the inquiry went nowhere, leaving everything he’d believed in ruins. He joined the new Judges programme the next day.
Moulded and shaped to be the first of the new breed of law-makers, Jones hits the streets again. But as a new weapon gets into the hands of radicals and the tension rises, both Jones and those he serves have to decide where their loyalties lie.
125 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 13, 2019
6 people are currently reading
202 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 13, 2019
When the Light Lay Still is the third story in The Genesis of the World of Judge Dredd trilogy. While the other two kept a great pace and flowed well, this story was the opposite and was difficult to keep reading through to the end.
The problems weren't just the constant swearing and how it seems the author was pushing political views, or adding racial commentary that wasn't needed. The bigger issue is that the authors writing style and flow was impossible for me to connect to. The frequent first person perspective, using "I" can work, but not when the story leaves the reader behind. Many times I read half a chapter before realizing the person whose mind I thought I was in, was wrong, and I would have to go back and reread it to properly understand.
Even when I did understand the perspective, the sentence structure and attempts to through metaphors around made the majority of sentences confusing, so I would reread sections two or three times. By the middle of the book, I would give up, and when it didn't make sense I would skip it as it was a painful and frustrating process to attempt to understand.
For me, I just couldn't connect with the way Charles Eskew decided to tell this story. At the end of the story and looking back, it wasn't even the kind of story that appeals to me at all. I can't imagine why this was included as part of the trilogy, because it is vastly different than the previous two.
I am English, and grew up in England, and I understand that 2000AD is a British publication, but the story itself is set in the USA. Charles decided to write in slang, and using cryptic terms that I have no idea what he means, either as an Englishman, or as someone who has lived in the USA for many years.
My recommendation would be to read the other two books, "The Avalanche" and "Lone Wolf" but skip this one completely.
The problems weren't just the constant swearing and how it seems the author was pushing political views, or adding racial commentary that wasn't needed. The bigger issue is that the authors writing style and flow was impossible for me to connect to. The frequent first person perspective, using "I" can work, but not when the story leaves the reader behind. Many times I read half a chapter before realizing the person whose mind I thought I was in, was wrong, and I would have to go back and reread it to properly understand.
Even when I did understand the perspective, the sentence structure and attempts to through metaphors around made the majority of sentences confusing, so I would reread sections two or three times. By the middle of the book, I would give up, and when it didn't make sense I would skip it as it was a painful and frustrating process to attempt to understand.
For me, I just couldn't connect with the way Charles Eskew decided to tell this story. At the end of the story and looking back, it wasn't even the kind of story that appeals to me at all. I can't imagine why this was included as part of the trilogy, because it is vastly different than the previous two.
I am English, and grew up in England, and I understand that 2000AD is a British publication, but the story itself is set in the USA. Charles decided to write in slang, and using cryptic terms that I have no idea what he means, either as an Englishman, or as someone who has lived in the USA for many years.
My recommendation would be to read the other two books, "The Avalanche" and "Lone Wolf" but skip this one completely.
August 16, 2020
Painfully overwritten, narratively incoherent, and dramatically inert. I wish I could have enjoyed this novella; it tackles subjects (police brutality, systemic racism) that are INCREDIBLY important and relevant right now... but it fails to effectively dramatize them, instead endlessly proselytizing at the reader through characters who all make long, rambling speeches.
And I lost count of the number of times the author has a character roll his-or-her eyes in response to something.
A miserable chore to get through.
And I lost count of the number of times the author has a character roll his-or-her eyes in response to something.
A miserable chore to get through.
September 17, 2021
A frustrating read that I can only describe as a rushed first draft that needed at least one or two more drafts. There are several good ideas buried beneath the incoherent writing. It has glimpses of promise but it is just a woeful reading experience that made me look forward to reaching the end, just so i could move on.
May 10, 2019
I read this as part of the complete Judges novel. The first two stories, Avalanche and Lone Wolf were okay. This third one made me quit. This is the first story in a long time that I couldn't force myself to finish.
July 3, 2025
I have no idea what I just read. Shouldn't have picked a book further along in a series...
I hated the dual POV and the changing timelines. Still not sure if it's about criminals or revolutionaries and the ending left me even more confused.
I hated the dual POV and the changing timelines. Still not sure if it's about criminals or revolutionaries and the ending left me even more confused.
March 16, 2019
Hard one to get along with, very disjointed and kept jumping around with flashbacks. Shame really as this new series started so well.
June 14, 2019
This book SUCKED.
August 8, 2019
Didn't enjoy this as much as the others in this series.
May 19, 2021
Ive never struggled to finish a story in the Dredd universe before. This was tough.
April 12, 2025
Good, but very difficult to read
I had a hard time with the way this book was written. I'm my opinion, it did not flow very well.
I had a hard time with the way this book was written. I'm my opinion, it did not flow very well.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews