Goodbye, Antoura: A Memoir of the Armenian Genocide
Book
When World War I began, Karnig Panian was only five years old, living among his fellow Armenians in...
She’s the One Who Thinks Too Much (War Stories of the Seven Troublesome Sisters #1)
Book
It’s the 1200’s, and the small realm of Ilari has had peace and prosperity for generations. That...
Historical Fantasy
Wild Lavender (The Aurelian Guard #1)
Book
A brave woman fights to save her kingdom, and herself: A Golden Quill winner for Best Fantasy...
Medieval Fantasy Romance Historical
Change Management in a Week: Managing Change in Seven Simple Steps
Book
Change management just got easierIf an organization does not change in response to the environment...
Contested Markets, Contested Cities
Book
During the past decade many markets have been rediscovered as tourist attractions, food meccas and...
Tacx utility
Health & Fitness and Sports
App
Firmware update for: - Bushido Smart (T2780) - Vortex Smart (T2180) - Neo (T2800) ...
A Comprehensive Look at Fraud Identification and Prevention
Book
Fraudulent activity can approach you or your organization through a variety of avenues, ranging from...
An Anthology of Contemporary Russian Women Poets
Svetlana Kekova, Vera Pavolova, Tatyana Shcherbina and Daniel Weissbort
Book
This anthology, the first of its kind, aims to be comprehensive. Valentina Polukhina surveys the...
In Womens Words: Violence & Everyday Life During the Indonesian Occupation of East Timor, 19751999
Book
Drawing primarily upon oral history interviews, this study presents a woman-centred history of the...
“Violence always gets results.” But at what cost? Victoria Sadler’s dystopian novel <i>Darkness</i> explores and all too realistic scenario set in a not so distant future. The western world has fallen due to war and economic collapse. London has become a ghost city due to the death of thousands of people. Those not killed by bombs or deadly virus succumb to suicide or death by natural causes – if the cold and starvation can be labeled natural.
Laura Lewis is the sole survivor in her block of flats and now needs to make her way through the dangerous streets to St Paul’s Cathedral where what remains of the State will provide her with safety. However before she reaches her final destination she is ambushed by an army of women, a threat to the nation, known as RAZR – Resistance Against State Reformation. Jane, the leader of the resistance, believes she has saved Laura from a fate worse than death. But, as Laura discovers, RAZR may result in an even crueler future.
RAZR was born from a hatred of men, a guerilla feminist movement seizing the opportunity to obliterate the patriarchal society. Since the beginning of time men have oppressed women, regarding them as possessions with which they can do as they please. Despite the apparent equality achieved through past protests, the government, i.e. men, still control the lives of women. RAZR particularly focus on women’s rights to their own body, and are angry at the State’s current use for women: to procreate.
<i>Darkness</i> is full of radical violence, often ending in the mass death of male soldiers. With barely a break to take a breath, the narrative goes from one action scene to the next, heightening the excitement as the novel reaches its climax. As the reader learns more about RAZR and the State, opinions are constantly changed. Who is good, who is bad? Who can Laura trust? Then, to confuse things even more, Laura is not who she initially appears to be at all.
The amount of violence in this novel is disturbing, particularly as the majority of deaths are caused without guilty conscience. <i>Darkness</i> highlights the horrors of war and the wild nature of humanity. Without men and women being able to live in harmony there is no peace, on the other hand, complete equality is not possible. Furthermore, are RAZR feminists or terrorists? It is an obvious fact that the human race cannot survive with merely one gender of the species, so is RAZR doing more harm than good by fatally punishing all men?
Overall, <i>Darkness</i> poses more questions than it answers, yet it is such a griping novel. Women, particularly feminists will enjoy the powerful messages expressed by RAZR, but equally, readers will understand Laura’s hesitation. With so many plot twists to get your head around, you will never get bored of this story. With such an ambiguous ending, it is unclear whether <i>Darkness</i> will remain a standalone novel, or be continued with a sequel. Whatever the case, it will be interesting to read what the feminist, Victoria Sadler, comes up with next.