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The Dark Man
The Dark Man is a near-future thriller about a master of disguise working to eradicate Christianity in America. Charles Graves is haunted by his dead brother, his lost mother, and a phantom arising cryptically from a child's puzzle. But sometimes he who persecutes the church is destined to serve her.
398 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 16, 2010
For some time, I've been enjoying the increase in variety in Christian fiction outside of standard women's-fiction themes. However, I'm still finding it hard to get my hands on work that really diversifies away from some well-established obligatory points. This one's a win.
This is not a book of behaving well in spite of sad things, such that everything turns out well in the end. It's not a book of lessons in repentance from typical minor mistakes. It's a book of broken, lonely people behaving in messy ways, such that everything turns out gritty in the end.
In that sense, it's the classic idea of a tragedy. However, it's a tragedy where God wins and eternity triumphs, even though the world rolls on. This novel gives deeper hope than the obligatory imaginary happy ending.
It's also a literary challenger. It'll probably take criticism till Kingdom come for its inversion and melding of internal and external events. Also for "rough voice," something I particularly enjoyed about it. The author has a way of firing off his lines point-blank, blunt-worded, without worrying about making it pretty. It's either to love or to complain about. I loved the rawness and the reality. It cuts to the core. The instinctive emotional clarity is a refreshing change from the studied lines that compose the majority of products.
This isn't for-dummies self-explanatory fiction. It majors on gut-wrenching innovation in showing the human experience. At the same time, it carries a solid underpinning of relatable storytelling with unpredictable plot shifts that combine to build consistent action.
Great book, tons of ways to enjoy it. Has become an all-time favourite and one of a very few I'll take time to re-read.
This is not a book of behaving well in spite of sad things, such that everything turns out well in the end. It's not a book of lessons in repentance from typical minor mistakes. It's a book of broken, lonely people behaving in messy ways, such that everything turns out gritty in the end.
In that sense, it's the classic idea of a tragedy. However, it's a tragedy where God wins and eternity triumphs, even though the world rolls on. This novel gives deeper hope than the obligatory imaginary happy ending.
It's also a literary challenger. It'll probably take criticism till Kingdom come for its inversion and melding of internal and external events. Also for "rough voice," something I particularly enjoyed about it. The author has a way of firing off his lines point-blank, blunt-worded, without worrying about making it pretty. It's either to love or to complain about. I loved the rawness and the reality. It cuts to the core. The instinctive emotional clarity is a refreshing change from the studied lines that compose the majority of products.
This isn't for-dummies self-explanatory fiction. It majors on gut-wrenching innovation in showing the human experience. At the same time, it carries a solid underpinning of relatable storytelling with unpredictable plot shifts that combine to build consistent action.
Great book, tons of ways to enjoy it. Has become an all-time favourite and one of a very few I'll take time to re-read.
October 5, 2014
The Dark Man is action packed while giving you the opportunity to really get to know the characters within its deep POV. I don't usually read this genre, but the plot managed to pull me in right away and hold my attention. It's not a predictable read--so hold onto your seat while turning the pages.
January 15, 2011
Even though I’ve read through this novel twice now, and digested it as well as I could, I still find it difficult to know what to make of The Dark Man as a whole. I could focus on only one aspect on the novel and criticize it negatively or neutrally, depending on what aspect I was looking at. But that would be unfair, because this novel has affected by thinking greatly since I first read it, giving me a new metaphor to examine my own life. It is a powerful story, though not so much in the emotional sense that people usually mean when they call a work of fiction “powerful.”
Part of my difficulty with interpreting The Dark Man is that I’m unfamiliar with its genre. I wish that I had read some of Stephen King’s novels, as well as the fundamental Christian speculative and spiritual warfare works by Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker. Since I haven’t read any of those, my suspicion that The Dark Man may have certain similarities to the styles and techniques in those works is, of course, nothing but a suspicion. I have been calling The Dark Man paranormal, and I know that is has been compared to The Twilight Zone (some of the episodes of which I have seen). The difficulty in comparing The Dark Man to The Twilight Zone is that in The Dark Man, the paranormal elements have very little impact upon reality. There are a lot of bizarre visions, as well as the anomalous character of the dark man for which the book is named. The visions have meaning in regard to the plot line, but they never accomplish anything physical, as far as I can tell. Any possibility that the visions may be directly spiritual seems to be refuted by the story, where an important character says that the dark man cannot be a demon. Therefore, The Dark Man is not primarily a spiritual warfare novel. In fact, it is not even extremely speculative, although it has a sense of unexplainable mystery that justifies its claim to be speculative.
Most, but not all, of the content of the visions in the story could be explained as psychological phenomena. However, it’s not accurate to say that they are only psychological. Nearly every major character in the novel is shown to have some sort of internal psychological dialog at one time or another. Surely they all can’t merely be hallucinating! Furthermore, they share common elements in their visions. The dark man is primarily a part of Charles and is the main subject of many of his visions, but other characters also see the dark man, even if they don’t know what it is. My theory is that these visions and internal conversations are abstractions or personifications. They represent the inner spiritual struggles and psychological confusion that the characters face. The characters all think they’re just crazy, or simply just dreaming, and in the cases of the protagonist and the main supporting character, the internal conversations are indeed somehow related to the characters’ psychological states. Early in the novel, a vision seems to be a real supernatural enemy during an intense spiritual battle. However, in both cases, I believe that the visions are only visualizations of the psychological and spiritual drama, more directed to the reader than to the fictional characters. That the characters see and interact with these visions is the mysterious paranormal element of the story, which I believe intentionally defies explanation.
Going beyond the inability to interpret the speculative elements in the context of the literal story, I think The Dark Man may be like the dream-vision literature of the Middle Ages. Not that I’m a scholar of such literature, but from the two or three examples that I have read in my high school education (and what was taught about them), the visions in The Dark Man have some of the same unearthly quality, with abstract representations of virtues and vices. There is no specific scheme of allegory in The Dark Man as in works like The Pilgrim’s Progress, and even the symbolism is more general. However, the character of the dark man itself is somewhat like the personified characterizations in works like The Summoning of Everyman and The Pilgrim’s Progress. The dark man is many things in this story, most of which I don’t understand, but the novel directly states at one point that the dark man is the flesh, the corrupt human drive toward selfishness and sin. In the medieval dream-vision literature, the dark man’s name would have been Flesh. Here, the personification is much more complicated, but it does have that same sense of direct analogy as well, which is really the only identifiable symbol in the whole book. Of course, the comparison of The Dark Man to dream-vision literature is limited, because The Dark Man has a literal story as well as abstract symbolism.
There’s a whole lot more to The Dark Man than the bizarre visions. Partly because it’s only slightly speculative, it could probably fit into many other categories of fiction. It is appealing to people who like the paranormal feel of the Twilight Zone and those who are interested in literary symbolism, but it is also an action thriller with espionage themes. Some of the scenes of intrigue are very, very cool. The action sequences never really cross the line to unbelievable, and yet they are often intense. The action and spy scenes are enhanced by interesting technological gadgets that give the novel the right to be classified as near-future science fiction as well. Finally, the story contains several scenes of tender romance.
The most inconsistent element of The Dark Man may be the writing style. Sometimes, the writing really drew me in and engaged me, as in the elaborate, precise description in the first part of the first chapter. That descriptive prose suggested classical mythology and Mount Olympus to me, setting me in the mood to appreciate the epic conflict that lies above and parallel to the literal conflict in the form of the visions. However, at other times the writing struggles awkwardly, such as in some of the action sequences. The writing is terse and often uses conversation phrases, which are sometimes unclear and vague. For instance, how am I supposed to imagine a “that oughta do it” gesture? Several times, the prose immediately after a line of dialog or of internal thought will put a pun or play off of what was said or thought. Too often, a single sentence is set off in its own paragraph for profound emphasis, which is a fair enough technique, but in many cases the emphasis seems unnecessary and awkward.
A strength of this novel is its cast of characters. The reader comes to know several of them very intimately through their abstract visions. The character of Cleveland is particularly well done and entertaining. The protagonist, Charles, is intentionally not as distinctive. His role is that of an Everyman figure that the reader can not only sympathize with, but to some degree identify with in his quest for personal identity. In his relationship to the main supporting character, Charles is also a Christ figure, I think. The main antagonist is also a very colorful character. He is not a very sympathetic villain, but he is believable. The important characters are dynamic, not only in the typical sense in that the characters develop and change as a result of the conflict, but the reader’s perception of at least one major character changes drastically as the plot unfolds.
As I conclude this review, I should mention that the external formatting is sometimes problematic, and that it was occasionally an annoyance or distraction while reading. The thing that annoys me the most is the inconsistent use of italics. I wish all the characters’ specific thoughts were always italicized. As it is, characters’ thoughts are in normal roman text without quote marks, sometimes making it difficult to see specifically what sentences are internal dialog, which is a huge part of the narrative in this novel. There are some places were italics are used, apparently randomly. In one place, a line of dialog within a vision is both quoted and italicized, perhaps for extra emphasis.
That complaint aside, The Dark Man by Marc Schooley is intriguing and memorable. It may not be an extremely refined and polished read, but it is profound and sincere, as well as exciting. It has the ability to help us view our selfish inclination in a way that can prevent us from being discouraged by it while not giving in to it.
Part of my difficulty with interpreting The Dark Man is that I’m unfamiliar with its genre. I wish that I had read some of Stephen King’s novels, as well as the fundamental Christian speculative and spiritual warfare works by Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker. Since I haven’t read any of those, my suspicion that The Dark Man may have certain similarities to the styles and techniques in those works is, of course, nothing but a suspicion. I have been calling The Dark Man paranormal, and I know that is has been compared to The Twilight Zone (some of the episodes of which I have seen). The difficulty in comparing The Dark Man to The Twilight Zone is that in The Dark Man, the paranormal elements have very little impact upon reality. There are a lot of bizarre visions, as well as the anomalous character of the dark man for which the book is named. The visions have meaning in regard to the plot line, but they never accomplish anything physical, as far as I can tell. Any possibility that the visions may be directly spiritual seems to be refuted by the story, where an important character says that the dark man cannot be a demon. Therefore, The Dark Man is not primarily a spiritual warfare novel. In fact, it is not even extremely speculative, although it has a sense of unexplainable mystery that justifies its claim to be speculative.
Most, but not all, of the content of the visions in the story could be explained as psychological phenomena. However, it’s not accurate to say that they are only psychological. Nearly every major character in the novel is shown to have some sort of internal psychological dialog at one time or another. Surely they all can’t merely be hallucinating! Furthermore, they share common elements in their visions. The dark man is primarily a part of Charles and is the main subject of many of his visions, but other characters also see the dark man, even if they don’t know what it is. My theory is that these visions and internal conversations are abstractions or personifications. They represent the inner spiritual struggles and psychological confusion that the characters face. The characters all think they’re just crazy, or simply just dreaming, and in the cases of the protagonist and the main supporting character, the internal conversations are indeed somehow related to the characters’ psychological states. Early in the novel, a vision seems to be a real supernatural enemy during an intense spiritual battle. However, in both cases, I believe that the visions are only visualizations of the psychological and spiritual drama, more directed to the reader than to the fictional characters. That the characters see and interact with these visions is the mysterious paranormal element of the story, which I believe intentionally defies explanation.
Going beyond the inability to interpret the speculative elements in the context of the literal story, I think The Dark Man may be like the dream-vision literature of the Middle Ages. Not that I’m a scholar of such literature, but from the two or three examples that I have read in my high school education (and what was taught about them), the visions in The Dark Man have some of the same unearthly quality, with abstract representations of virtues and vices. There is no specific scheme of allegory in The Dark Man as in works like The Pilgrim’s Progress, and even the symbolism is more general. However, the character of the dark man itself is somewhat like the personified characterizations in works like The Summoning of Everyman and The Pilgrim’s Progress. The dark man is many things in this story, most of which I don’t understand, but the novel directly states at one point that the dark man is the flesh, the corrupt human drive toward selfishness and sin. In the medieval dream-vision literature, the dark man’s name would have been Flesh. Here, the personification is much more complicated, but it does have that same sense of direct analogy as well, which is really the only identifiable symbol in the whole book. Of course, the comparison of The Dark Man to dream-vision literature is limited, because The Dark Man has a literal story as well as abstract symbolism.
There’s a whole lot more to The Dark Man than the bizarre visions. Partly because it’s only slightly speculative, it could probably fit into many other categories of fiction. It is appealing to people who like the paranormal feel of the Twilight Zone and those who are interested in literary symbolism, but it is also an action thriller with espionage themes. Some of the scenes of intrigue are very, very cool. The action sequences never really cross the line to unbelievable, and yet they are often intense. The action and spy scenes are enhanced by interesting technological gadgets that give the novel the right to be classified as near-future science fiction as well. Finally, the story contains several scenes of tender romance.
The most inconsistent element of The Dark Man may be the writing style. Sometimes, the writing really drew me in and engaged me, as in the elaborate, precise description in the first part of the first chapter. That descriptive prose suggested classical mythology and Mount Olympus to me, setting me in the mood to appreciate the epic conflict that lies above and parallel to the literal conflict in the form of the visions. However, at other times the writing struggles awkwardly, such as in some of the action sequences. The writing is terse and often uses conversation phrases, which are sometimes unclear and vague. For instance, how am I supposed to imagine a “that oughta do it” gesture? Several times, the prose immediately after a line of dialog or of internal thought will put a pun or play off of what was said or thought. Too often, a single sentence is set off in its own paragraph for profound emphasis, which is a fair enough technique, but in many cases the emphasis seems unnecessary and awkward.
A strength of this novel is its cast of characters. The reader comes to know several of them very intimately through their abstract visions. The character of Cleveland is particularly well done and entertaining. The protagonist, Charles, is intentionally not as distinctive. His role is that of an Everyman figure that the reader can not only sympathize with, but to some degree identify with in his quest for personal identity. In his relationship to the main supporting character, Charles is also a Christ figure, I think. The main antagonist is also a very colorful character. He is not a very sympathetic villain, but he is believable. The important characters are dynamic, not only in the typical sense in that the characters develop and change as a result of the conflict, but the reader’s perception of at least one major character changes drastically as the plot unfolds.
As I conclude this review, I should mention that the external formatting is sometimes problematic, and that it was occasionally an annoyance or distraction while reading. The thing that annoys me the most is the inconsistent use of italics. I wish all the characters’ specific thoughts were always italicized. As it is, characters’ thoughts are in normal roman text without quote marks, sometimes making it difficult to see specifically what sentences are internal dialog, which is a huge part of the narrative in this novel. There are some places were italics are used, apparently randomly. In one place, a line of dialog within a vision is both quoted and italicized, perhaps for extra emphasis.
That complaint aside, The Dark Man by Marc Schooley is intriguing and memorable. It may not be an extremely refined and polished read, but it is profound and sincere, as well as exciting. It has the ability to help us view our selfish inclination in a way that can prevent us from being discouraged by it while not giving in to it.
March 25, 2012
Marc Schooley has written his novel based on a brilliant premise - a modern-day re-telling of the life and conversion of the Apostle Paul. In this case, master of disguise Charles Graves, a man working to eradicate Christianity in America, is in great need of a conversion. The book's marketing copy promised a picture of a world where Christianity was illegal, and believers were hunted down and imprisoned, or worse.
Despite the intelligent premise, I had trouble finishing the book. The marketing copy over-promised and the book's storyline under-delivered.
While the character of Charles Graves was expertly crafted, including his tortured past and exciting path to redemption, there were a number of holes in the plot that left me scratching my head. The largest of which, was the believability behind the premise that Christianity is illegal. Granted, I understand this is a speculative fiction novel, yet the failure of the author to fully execute this premise prevented me from suspending my disbelief.
Frank Cotton Graves, Charles' father, makes a comment that 87% of Americans no longer believe in Christianity, and follow prism therapy instead. However, no where in the book could I find a single shred of explanation as to WHAT HAPPENED to Christianity? How did things get so messed up? The reader is left confused and guessing, which was annoying.
Also, the author never mentions other religions. The U.S. has many other religions besides Christianity. What about religious freedom? What about the Constitution? The author's vision of the future is a bit myopic so as to be almost ludicrous. If an author is going to write a believable book about a futuristic government working to eradicate Christianity in America, he or she better follow through on how that happened. Some things should be left to the reader's imagination, yet this author provides ZERO detail in order to make the story believable.
Humans go crazy over their religion. Look at the Middle East. Wars have been fought for thousands of years between Christians and Muslims. If the U.S. Government really tried to outlaw Christianity, I believe there would be riots in the streets. There would be war in our cities. Society would break down. The author makes it sound like everyone just willingly gave up Christ and was happy to follow prism therapy. What about the Catholic Church? They consider themselves Christians. What about Mormons and their temples? What about Christian universities?
Additionally, how was the world at large affected by Christianity being banned? Were there mass exoduses of Christians from the U.S. to other countries that didn't ban Christianity? How did other Christian nations react? How were global politics affected?
Because the author painted such a poor picture of the world in which Charles Graves lives, the whole premise falls flat.
Likewise, the author never explains prism therapy. How was this idea first conceived? How did it replace Christianity? This concept could have been explored more.
Additionally, I thought Charles' eventual conversion to Christianity wasn't as strong as it could have been. I only understood the "Saul" analogy because the marketing copy TOLD me that, and the characters mention the Apostle Paul several times. Yet Charles Graves' behavior didn't relate to Saul hardly at all. If you've read Scripture, Saul was a bad guy who murdered and hunted down Christians. The Christians feared him. Charles Graves doesn't come across as some scary murderer trying to kill Christianity. He comes across as a troubled guy who works for his dad and is haunted by the death of his mom and brother. He needs a good therapist more than anything. The author provides ZERO back story on WHY the reader should fear Charles. I actually liked him in the story, whereas the author's intent was likely for me to dislike Charles because he was persecuting the church. A lot of opportunities were missed with the writing.
I actually got pissed off when I read the conversion scenes because I was in utter disbelief that the author didn't create Charles to be a worse guy. In the Bible Paul's conversion was powerful because he had a wicked back story. Charles' conversion fell completely flat. His conversion should have been one of the most rewarding scenes in the book because the reader is emotionally invested in the character. Yet I felt no emotional connection at all.
The book did have some great action scenes, and was enjoyable. Despite the holes in the story, I'll definitely check out Marc Schooley's other work.
Despite the intelligent premise, I had trouble finishing the book. The marketing copy over-promised and the book's storyline under-delivered.
While the character of Charles Graves was expertly crafted, including his tortured past and exciting path to redemption, there were a number of holes in the plot that left me scratching my head. The largest of which, was the believability behind the premise that Christianity is illegal. Granted, I understand this is a speculative fiction novel, yet the failure of the author to fully execute this premise prevented me from suspending my disbelief.
Frank Cotton Graves, Charles' father, makes a comment that 87% of Americans no longer believe in Christianity, and follow prism therapy instead. However, no where in the book could I find a single shred of explanation as to WHAT HAPPENED to Christianity? How did things get so messed up? The reader is left confused and guessing, which was annoying.
Also, the author never mentions other religions. The U.S. has many other religions besides Christianity. What about religious freedom? What about the Constitution? The author's vision of the future is a bit myopic so as to be almost ludicrous. If an author is going to write a believable book about a futuristic government working to eradicate Christianity in America, he or she better follow through on how that happened. Some things should be left to the reader's imagination, yet this author provides ZERO detail in order to make the story believable.
Humans go crazy over their religion. Look at the Middle East. Wars have been fought for thousands of years between Christians and Muslims. If the U.S. Government really tried to outlaw Christianity, I believe there would be riots in the streets. There would be war in our cities. Society would break down. The author makes it sound like everyone just willingly gave up Christ and was happy to follow prism therapy. What about the Catholic Church? They consider themselves Christians. What about Mormons and their temples? What about Christian universities?
Additionally, how was the world at large affected by Christianity being banned? Were there mass exoduses of Christians from the U.S. to other countries that didn't ban Christianity? How did other Christian nations react? How were global politics affected?
Because the author painted such a poor picture of the world in which Charles Graves lives, the whole premise falls flat.
Likewise, the author never explains prism therapy. How was this idea first conceived? How did it replace Christianity? This concept could have been explored more.
Additionally, I thought Charles' eventual conversion to Christianity wasn't as strong as it could have been. I only understood the "Saul" analogy because the marketing copy TOLD me that, and the characters mention the Apostle Paul several times. Yet Charles Graves' behavior didn't relate to Saul hardly at all. If you've read Scripture, Saul was a bad guy who murdered and hunted down Christians. The Christians feared him. Charles Graves doesn't come across as some scary murderer trying to kill Christianity. He comes across as a troubled guy who works for his dad and is haunted by the death of his mom and brother. He needs a good therapist more than anything. The author provides ZERO back story on WHY the reader should fear Charles. I actually liked him in the story, whereas the author's intent was likely for me to dislike Charles because he was persecuting the church. A lot of opportunities were missed with the writing.
I actually got pissed off when I read the conversion scenes because I was in utter disbelief that the author didn't create Charles to be a worse guy. In the Bible Paul's conversion was powerful because he had a wicked back story. Charles' conversion fell completely flat. His conversion should have been one of the most rewarding scenes in the book because the reader is emotionally invested in the character. Yet I felt no emotional connection at all.
The book did have some great action scenes, and was enjoyable. Despite the holes in the story, I'll definitely check out Marc Schooley's other work.
June 24, 2012
Unusual novel about a tormented man whose power of disguise helps him round of Christians, but in the end the Christians round up him.
Charles Graves is an agent with an incredible affinity for stealth and disguise. In a future world where only approved music and movies are allowed, and the dominant form of belief centers around prisms, he is good at busting illegal Christians.
He is also quite possibly insane.
Charles is tormented by an ever-present companion, a Dark Man who whispers to him through a child's wooden block puzzle he keeps as a memento. He also hallucinates eerie visions and is on the verge of losing it due to the horrific experience of his own mother being taken away for her faith. But he has one more mission left, to corral one of the biggest underground church leaders. But instead, convicted to his soul, he finds himself one of them. Now he must battle his own agency and the Dark Man ever inside him to find safety and peace.
The book has a great beginning and a raw energy that shows serious promise. An unreliable narrator on the side of the villains is unusual for Christian fiction, as is a realistic take on persecution where Christians don't always escape. But Charles gets converted way too early and then the book devolves into a general chase-and-rescue action thriller. This is bad because there really isn't much explanation about the world after that. What happened to the world where Christians are persecuted, yet life more or less goes on and even your average agency guy isn't ideologically motivated against them?
The book also gets repetitive, especially with its catchphrases. Electricity, girly-girl, etc-they get repeated way too much. The plot gets a little weird too at the end, with a certain vehicle that is a wee bit unrealistic compared to the tone of the book. I also would have liked a bit better resolution of the Dark Man, as the whole "is it real, is Charles mad, is it..?" is a very cool part of the book.
So it's good, but there are some issues. I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could. Marcher Lord Press has been coming out with some very creative takes on Christian SF and Fantasy, and this definitely is a creative and unusual book. It's just a little too rough to be truly great.
Charles Graves is an agent with an incredible affinity for stealth and disguise. In a future world where only approved music and movies are allowed, and the dominant form of belief centers around prisms, he is good at busting illegal Christians.
He is also quite possibly insane.
Charles is tormented by an ever-present companion, a Dark Man who whispers to him through a child's wooden block puzzle he keeps as a memento. He also hallucinates eerie visions and is on the verge of losing it due to the horrific experience of his own mother being taken away for her faith. But he has one more mission left, to corral one of the biggest underground church leaders. But instead, convicted to his soul, he finds himself one of them. Now he must battle his own agency and the Dark Man ever inside him to find safety and peace.
The book has a great beginning and a raw energy that shows serious promise. An unreliable narrator on the side of the villains is unusual for Christian fiction, as is a realistic take on persecution where Christians don't always escape. But Charles gets converted way too early and then the book devolves into a general chase-and-rescue action thriller. This is bad because there really isn't much explanation about the world after that. What happened to the world where Christians are persecuted, yet life more or less goes on and even your average agency guy isn't ideologically motivated against them?
The book also gets repetitive, especially with its catchphrases. Electricity, girly-girl, etc-they get repeated way too much. The plot gets a little weird too at the end, with a certain vehicle that is a wee bit unrealistic compared to the tone of the book. I also would have liked a bit better resolution of the Dark Man, as the whole "is it real, is Charles mad, is it..?" is a very cool part of the book.
So it's good, but there are some issues. I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could. Marcher Lord Press has been coming out with some very creative takes on Christian SF and Fantasy, and this definitely is a creative and unusual book. It's just a little too rough to be truly great.
September 28, 2010
His name is Charles Graves. He can wear any face; imitate any voice; fit in anywhere. His work for the Agency is legendary, especially among the hidden clusters of Christians he has helped uncover and “reclaim.” His father and only remaining family, Senator Cotton Graves, loves him. His coworker, relentless logic-girl Julia Jenkins, will do anything for him. His competition, Agency hot-shot Richard Farris, is determined to discredit him.
But no one, least of all Charles himself, really knows who Charles Graves is.
Haunted by his traumatic childhood and equally addicted to alcohol and playing with a wood-block puzzle, Charles turns himself into other people in a desperate attempt to escape himself. On assignment to find the Reverend James Cleveland, a dangerous preacher on the loose in downtown Houston, Charles is just minutes away from the crowning success of his career—until he sees the light in Cleveland’s arresting presentation of the gospel.
Suddenly, Charles has changed sides and plunged himself, Julia, Cotton, and Cleveland into a pitched battle with the world, the flesh, and the devil—a battle that will bring each one face-to-face with their reality’s most startling, life-changing truths.
Marc Schooley’s dystopian novel The Dark Man is an elegantly written psychological drama that’s nearly as spell-binding as one of James Cleveland’s sermons.
While the book contains plenty of action-movie chases, espionage, and helicopter fights, where it really stands out is in its gripping exploration of the human mind and spirit. Farris, Cotton, Julia, and especially the tormented Charles carry on conversations with themselves, their memories, and their hopes that are revealing, disturbing, and sometimes profound. Into their struggles, the voice of the gospel offers peace and the power of redemptive sacrifice.
The Dark Man is a powerful introduction to Marc Schooley and another memorable offering from Marcher Lord Press.
- Rachel Starr Thomson, author of The Seventh World Trilogy: Worlds Unseen, Burning Light, and Coming Day
But no one, least of all Charles himself, really knows who Charles Graves is.
Haunted by his traumatic childhood and equally addicted to alcohol and playing with a wood-block puzzle, Charles turns himself into other people in a desperate attempt to escape himself. On assignment to find the Reverend James Cleveland, a dangerous preacher on the loose in downtown Houston, Charles is just minutes away from the crowning success of his career—until he sees the light in Cleveland’s arresting presentation of the gospel.
Suddenly, Charles has changed sides and plunged himself, Julia, Cotton, and Cleveland into a pitched battle with the world, the flesh, and the devil—a battle that will bring each one face-to-face with their reality’s most startling, life-changing truths.
Marc Schooley’s dystopian novel The Dark Man is an elegantly written psychological drama that’s nearly as spell-binding as one of James Cleveland’s sermons.
While the book contains plenty of action-movie chases, espionage, and helicopter fights, where it really stands out is in its gripping exploration of the human mind and spirit. Farris, Cotton, Julia, and especially the tormented Charles carry on conversations with themselves, their memories, and their hopes that are revealing, disturbing, and sometimes profound. Into their struggles, the voice of the gospel offers peace and the power of redemptive sacrifice.
The Dark Man is a powerful introduction to Marc Schooley and another memorable offering from Marcher Lord Press.
- Rachel Starr Thomson, author of The Seventh World Trilogy: Worlds Unseen, Burning Light, and Coming Day
July 25, 2013
Genre: Dystopian
Premise: Charles Graves had a messed up childhood. His mother was taken by the government for her Christian leanings. Now, he and his father both work for the governmental agency whose purpose is to eradicate Christianity. And Charles is good at it. He is a master of disguise and can infiltrate any group to seek out underground churches. As far as the world is concerned, he has it all. But the world doesn’t know about The Dark Man, a sinister puzzle come to life that haunts Charles. Who is the Dark Man? Will he help or hinder Charles in his pursuit to seek out the last few Christians in Houston/the nation?
Theology: The war between the flesh and the Spirit
The Dark Man is interesting because the characters’ psyches speak to the reader as much as the characters themselves. Charles Graves is not quite stable, so being inside his head is a unique experience. Marc Schooley does a great job of keeping you guessing at to who and what the Dark Man is. I don’t want to say any more about it because I don’t want to ruin it for you if you’re going to read it. There’s a very powerful come-to-Jesus moment that is one of the best I’ve read in fiction. Well written without being preachy.
Rating: PG
I’m giving The Dark Man a rating of PG not because it contains anything younger readers shouldn’t see, but because I don’t think younger readers would understand it. This book is written with an adult or older YA audience in mind, as far as I can tell. It’s very appropriate/safe for the intended audience.
Writing:
It’s mostly well-written for a debut novel. At some points I felt it was heavy on the internal monologue, but overall the plot moved and the story was entertaining. I wasn’t a fan of the ending. It’s not that the ending was bad, I just would have ended it differently. As I reader, I felt a bit let down.
Star rating: ***1/2
Premise: Charles Graves had a messed up childhood. His mother was taken by the government for her Christian leanings. Now, he and his father both work for the governmental agency whose purpose is to eradicate Christianity. And Charles is good at it. He is a master of disguise and can infiltrate any group to seek out underground churches. As far as the world is concerned, he has it all. But the world doesn’t know about The Dark Man, a sinister puzzle come to life that haunts Charles. Who is the Dark Man? Will he help or hinder Charles in his pursuit to seek out the last few Christians in Houston/the nation?
Theology: The war between the flesh and the Spirit
The Dark Man is interesting because the characters’ psyches speak to the reader as much as the characters themselves. Charles Graves is not quite stable, so being inside his head is a unique experience. Marc Schooley does a great job of keeping you guessing at to who and what the Dark Man is. I don’t want to say any more about it because I don’t want to ruin it for you if you’re going to read it. There’s a very powerful come-to-Jesus moment that is one of the best I’ve read in fiction. Well written without being preachy.
Rating: PG
I’m giving The Dark Man a rating of PG not because it contains anything younger readers shouldn’t see, but because I don’t think younger readers would understand it. This book is written with an adult or older YA audience in mind, as far as I can tell. It’s very appropriate/safe for the intended audience.
Writing:
It’s mostly well-written for a debut novel. At some points I felt it was heavy on the internal monologue, but overall the plot moved and the story was entertaining. I wasn’t a fan of the ending. It’s not that the ending was bad, I just would have ended it differently. As I reader, I felt a bit let down.
Star rating: ***1/2
June 11, 2009
Review by Jill Williamson
In this near-future psychological thriller, undercover agent Charles Graves is working to bring down the last remnants of Christians in Texas. Charles is capable of the ultimate disguises, like the kind that Tom Cruise uses in the Mission Impossible movies. Charles’ assignment: bring down Reverend James Cleveland, the one remaining influential Christian leader in the US.
Just before Charles can arrest Cleveland, he hears God’s voice through the Reverend’s message. Charles surrenders his heart to God right there and goes awol. Now Charles is working against his former colleagues, including his own father. Charles’ dark past continues to haunt him in the form of a wooden puzzle from his childhood. This “dark man” argues with Charles, urging him to look out for Charles and Charles alone. As Charles tries to serve his new God, he must continually stand up to the dark man of his past.
I thought this book was excellent! It started out with a fascinating slow-pace that, for some reason, reminded me of when I read 1984. I think it was the way Schooley created his future world. It was as if anyone in the government could be watching you, waiting to arrest you for the smallest infraction.
When Charles converts to Christianity, the story turns into a chase. Charles’ ex-comrades are seeking to bring him down, but Charles needs to rescue some people and avert a major disaster without being caught. I liked how everyone had a voice in their head, I thought it was an interesting way to look at how people struggle with decision making and temptation. This is a deep, thought-provoking novel and well worth a read.
In this near-future psychological thriller, undercover agent Charles Graves is working to bring down the last remnants of Christians in Texas. Charles is capable of the ultimate disguises, like the kind that Tom Cruise uses in the Mission Impossible movies. Charles’ assignment: bring down Reverend James Cleveland, the one remaining influential Christian leader in the US.
Just before Charles can arrest Cleveland, he hears God’s voice through the Reverend’s message. Charles surrenders his heart to God right there and goes awol. Now Charles is working against his former colleagues, including his own father. Charles’ dark past continues to haunt him in the form of a wooden puzzle from his childhood. This “dark man” argues with Charles, urging him to look out for Charles and Charles alone. As Charles tries to serve his new God, he must continually stand up to the dark man of his past.
I thought this book was excellent! It started out with a fascinating slow-pace that, for some reason, reminded me of when I read 1984. I think it was the way Schooley created his future world. It was as if anyone in the government could be watching you, waiting to arrest you for the smallest infraction.
When Charles converts to Christianity, the story turns into a chase. Charles’ ex-comrades are seeking to bring him down, but Charles needs to rescue some people and avert a major disaster without being caught. I liked how everyone had a voice in their head, I thought it was an interesting way to look at how people struggle with decision making and temptation. This is a deep, thought-provoking novel and well worth a read.
June 11, 2009
Review by Jill Williamson
In this near-future psychological thriller, undercover agent Charles Graves is working to bring down the last remnants of Christians in Texas. Charles is capable of the ultimate disguises, like the kind that Tom Cruise uses in the Mission Impossible movies. Charles’ assignment: bring down Reverend James Cleveland, the one remaining influential Christian leader in the US.
Just before Charles can arrest Cleveland, he hears God’s voice through the Reverend’s message. Charles surrenders his heart to God right there and goes awol. Now Charles is working against his former colleagues, including his own father. Charles’ dark past continues to haunt him in the form of a wooden puzzle from his childhood. This “dark man” argues with Charles, urging him to look out for Charles and Charles alone. As Charles tries to serve his new God, he must continually stand up to the dark man of his past.
I thought this book was excellent! It started out with a fascinating slow-pace that, for some reason, reminded me of when I read 1984. I think it was the way Schooley created his future world. It was as if anyone in the government could be watching you, waiting to arrest you for the smallest infraction.
When Charles converts to Christianity, the story turns into a chase. Charles’ ex-comrades are seeking to bring him down, but Charles needs to rescue some people and avert a major disaster without being caught. I liked how everyone had a voice in their head, I thought it was an interesting way to look at how people struggle with decision making and temptation. This is a deep, thought-provoking novel and well worth a read.
In this near-future psychological thriller, undercover agent Charles Graves is working to bring down the last remnants of Christians in Texas. Charles is capable of the ultimate disguises, like the kind that Tom Cruise uses in the Mission Impossible movies. Charles’ assignment: bring down Reverend James Cleveland, the one remaining influential Christian leader in the US.
Just before Charles can arrest Cleveland, he hears God’s voice through the Reverend’s message. Charles surrenders his heart to God right there and goes awol. Now Charles is working against his former colleagues, including his own father. Charles’ dark past continues to haunt him in the form of a wooden puzzle from his childhood. This “dark man” argues with Charles, urging him to look out for Charles and Charles alone. As Charles tries to serve his new God, he must continually stand up to the dark man of his past.
I thought this book was excellent! It started out with a fascinating slow-pace that, for some reason, reminded me of when I read 1984. I think it was the way Schooley created his future world. It was as if anyone in the government could be watching you, waiting to arrest you for the smallest infraction.
When Charles converts to Christianity, the story turns into a chase. Charles’ ex-comrades are seeking to bring him down, but Charles needs to rescue some people and avert a major disaster without being caught. I liked how everyone had a voice in their head, I thought it was an interesting way to look at how people struggle with decision making and temptation. This is a deep, thought-provoking novel and well worth a read.
July 17, 2010
Set in the not-too-distant future, this book is a quirky, surreal adventure story that is an emotional roller coaster up to the book's climactic end. Charles Graves is a master of disguise, a government agent dedicated to uncovering underground churches and "reclaiming" its members for a terrifying state religion and its censorship of every form of expression. Outwardly at the top of his game, inwardly Charles is unraveling at a terrifying rate.
I hesitate to say much about the excellently woven plot and vivid characterizations as it might reveal too much this book's great story. I can say that this book is definitely an adventure book that oddly enough reminds me a bit of Roger Zelazny's Doorways in the Sand with its quirky mental puzzles and The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy. It is definitely a story of personal redemption and the price one has to pay to do the right thing. This is a book I will recommend to my friends and I will re-read it.
I hesitate to say much about the excellently woven plot and vivid characterizations as it might reveal too much this book's great story. I can say that this book is definitely an adventure book that oddly enough reminds me a bit of Roger Zelazny's Doorways in the Sand with its quirky mental puzzles and The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy. It is definitely a story of personal redemption and the price one has to pay to do the right thing. This is a book I will recommend to my friends and I will re-read it.
October 11, 2010
This was not a perfect book. Interior monologue dizzied me, morphing into hard-to-follow interior dialogue. A dearth of contractions made the actual dialogue seem stilted in some places. A few scenes were improbable; others strangely saccharine.
I loved it.
Despite its flaws, despite its glitches, despite even the format in which I read the book (PDF), this book captivated me. Charles, Julia, Cleveland, Cotton—even Fah-reese—were vivid and believable characters. I suppose this was partly because of their internal conversations. The realism that the dark men (and woman) lent to their respective characters more than compensated for the clunky nature of the back and forth.
The relationship between Charles and Julia made the book come alive. After the somewhat contrived conversion scene, the book zoomed along to a highly emotional climax that left me feeling bittersweet. In the end, Charles’s love for Julia, for Cleveland, for his father made me forgive all of The Dark Man’s faults. Another winner from Marcher Lord Press.
I loved it.
Despite its flaws, despite its glitches, despite even the format in which I read the book (PDF), this book captivated me. Charles, Julia, Cleveland, Cotton—even Fah-reese—were vivid and believable characters. I suppose this was partly because of their internal conversations. The realism that the dark men (and woman) lent to their respective characters more than compensated for the clunky nature of the back and forth.
The relationship between Charles and Julia made the book come alive. After the somewhat contrived conversion scene, the book zoomed along to a highly emotional climax that left me feeling bittersweet. In the end, Charles’s love for Julia, for Cleveland, for his father made me forgive all of The Dark Man’s faults. Another winner from Marcher Lord Press.
January 25, 2015
The Dark Man is set in the not to distant future. Charles Graves is charged with hunting down the remaining Christians. While listening to the most influential Christian speaker Graves is impacted by the message and his life is changed. Now he is working against his former employer. The Dark Man from his past speaks to him, trying to get him to only thing of himself and to look out for number one.
I really enjoy The Dark Man. I can't wait to see what Schooley comes up with next.
I really enjoy The Dark Man. I can't wait to see what Schooley comes up with next.
March 6, 2013
interesting, not breathtaking but still interesting. Nice write up, good dialogues, realistic descriptions. a good read if you have a time and want to look up something spiritually challenging to amuse yourself.
June 17, 2011
Read the full review at http://newauthors.wordpress.com/2010/...
October 17, 2011
Decent read, but too much internal dialogue with too many of the characters. Everyone is talking to themselves. Other than that, I thought the book was not too shabby.
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