Book Review – Scar Night
Author: Alan Campbell
Cover Artist: Stephen Youll
Publisher: Bantam
Binding: Paperback
Publication Date: 2006
here is a complex theology at the heart Scar Night, the first book of the series known as the Deepgate Codex. The celestial goddess Ayen banished her son Ulcis to Hell because she wanted to close access to Heaven to mortals, while Ulcis, in a Promethean way, disagrees with her, She cast him down to Hell, which is at the bottom of a seemingly endless abyss. The city of Deepgate is built over the this abyss, hanging from chains. At its center is the Church of Ulcis, where the dead are properly disposed of through its rituals; bodies are flung down in the abyss, where their souls can join Ulcis’ army and storm Heaven. Bodies that are improperly cared for are damned to Iril, a blood-soaked labyrinth even further below the abyss.
The city has two angels. Dill is a temple archon, an winged angel raised to follow the complex and ultimately hollow rituals of the Church. The city is haunted by an immortal mad angel named Carnival. During moonless nights, she hunts the city, and drains hapless victims blood, like a vampire. The city is also involved in an endless war with Ayen’s worshipers, who live in the wasteland surrounding Deepgate.
Devon, a developer of poisons for the war, has grown insane, with the death of his wife being the final straw. He begins a covert war against Deepgate, with a plot to develop deadly angelwine, which grants it’s consumer superhuman power. It does require human blood, and he begins stalking the city for prey, under the nose of the Church, in a Jack the Ripper-like manner. Meanwhile, Mr. Nettle seeks vengeance for the mysterious death of his daughter, which he blames on the evil angel Carnival.
Scar Night’s plot is irresistible. The author fits the sections together neatly, like a puzzle. At no one point does he lose control. It’s a magical thriller full of atmosphere and suspense. The elaborate Dickens-meets-Peake world he’s built is as impressive as it is improbable. One will get whiffs of Mieville’s New Crouzobon, with the gritty texture and grotesque imagery, even if it lacks Mieville’s gloriously baroque language. The twists and turns are generally surprising, and the writing skillfully places the reader in an alien world. The author has history working in video games, and his action sequences reflect that.
The one weakness is the character building. Dill, the hero, is a bit Luke Skywalker as acted by Mark Hamill, callow and a little gee-whiz. The priests of the Church of Ulcis have deus ex machina motivations. While Rachel, his guardian, is given some fleshing out, and some kick-ass Buffy-like scenes against Carnival, she’s a little flat. The villains are more finely drawn—the old saying is ‘The Devil has the best lines’ and this is true. The tormented angel Carnival is vividly described, to the point that you have sympathy for her. And Devon, the Poisoner, is provided with believable nihilism.
Scar Night is a promising first novel. Further adventures in the sequence will hopefully show more nuance and growth as it progresses.
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