Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror Reviews

Book Review: Black Cathedral

By Sandy Amazeen Dec 27, 2008, 17:36 GMT

Right from the start, Department 18 investigator Robert Carter knew there was something nasty in the modest home he and his assistant Sian were sent to investigate, he just didn’t realize how bad. With not even a DNA trace of Sian left at the scene, Carter was hard pressed to explain her disappearance much less answer a number of difficult questions. Meanwhile, a week long executive team building exercise gearing up on the remote Scottish Kulsay Island was about to encounter the stuff of nightmares. After a jog around the island, the team members returned to the ancient manor house just in time to see the last of nine house staff sink into the porch tiles.
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Department 18, a paranormal investigative unit was assigned to look into the latest disappearances on Kulsay Island but for all their experience, nothing could have prepared team for the horrors they were about to uncover. A sinister plan set in motion centuries ago is about to come to fruition as the boundaries between life and death become blurred. Old grievances, ley lines and the continuing battle of good and evil are about to come together and Carter is the conduit that could determine the outcome.

Tapping into some of our deepest primal fears, Maynard and Sims have created a dark horror story that will keep the pages turning long into the night. The addition of ley lines to the classic holy war theme works well, especially when combined with the psychic angle. The climax has a bit of a rushed feel to it, especially as the fate of the main antagonist is not fully resolved but overall, this is a satisfying horror tale.