The Dark Above

May 6, 2019
Finley’s sequel to 2018’s The Darkest Time of Night, set 15 years later, falls short of the high standard set by its predecessor, which ended with a successful resolution to Lynn Roseworth’s search for her grandson, William Chance, who disappeared as a child. William, who some believe was the victim of an alien abduction, is now 22 and living incognito in a trailer in Arkansas, until he makes a careless misstep that allows a reporter to track him down. More visitors follow: Lois Jumper, “an agent with the Investigative Services Branch of the National Park Service,” and Lily, a nine-year-old African-American girl who supposedly popped up out of nowhere in North Dakota. When William is targeted by mysterious men in suits who murder Lois, Lily kills them by somehow giving them fast-acting cancers. William and Lily’s flight for safety and his family’s parallel search for him aren’t particularly exciting, and Lynn, the first book’s most distinctive character, plays a small role. The limp storytelling doesn’t bode well for future series entries. Agent: Paul Stevens, Donald Maass Literary.

June 7, 2019

This follow-up to Finley's The Darkest Time of Night continues the alien abduction story of William Chance and his grandmother Lynn Roseworth. It's been 15 years since Lynn brought young William home to safety, but the alien enemy is still out there, and the emotional scars and family rifts have not healed. Clunky exposition rehashes family drama, but when the true nature of the power William and others who have been taken reveals itself, the nail-biting adventure begins, resulting in an exciting race to save endangered innocents full of hairpin turns. Some key characters from the first novel, especially William's extended family, are underdeveloped here, but William and his fellow abductees are captivating, responding to supernatural events with fully realized emotions and motivations. VERDICT Fans of Justin Cronin's The Passage, TV's Stranger Things, and all versions of Stephen King's IT will want to sit under summertime stars to binge this quick read. Any teen or adult fan of sf thrillers will enjoy this story, although they may want to read the first installment before jumping in.--Nicole Steeves, Fox River Valley P.L. Dist., IL

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