Caressa's Reviews > Black: The Birth of Evil

This falls into my category of Brilliant Idea Executed Poorly. I have always had wicked vivid dreams, so novels about dreamscapes, dreams vs reality, dreams portending the future, etc, fascinate me. "Black" intrigued me enough that I forced myself to read six or seven chapters, then I was so irritated that I ranted about it to my poor husband for 20-30 minutes.

What didn't I like? Characters who are at once both ridiculously unbelievable AND flat (our protagonist can't focus long enough to maintain a steady job, but is a karate prodigy. He's dependable enough to financially support his mother & nurse sister, but blew tens of thousands of dollars smuggling crocodile skins in exotic Asian statues rather than paying off the NY Mob loan shark. The apt he shares with his sister is full of said statuary and masks because his import/export business didn't work out. Hey pal, I have one word for you: Ebay. Frickin' idiot). The action reads like a poorly designed video game, the dialogue is clunky and unnatural, and the fantasy/future reality is like a bad episode of He-Man & the Masters of the Universe. When the giant white bats started talking like Jewish grannies at the corner deli, I had to either return the book or be put on suicide watch.