A Catch in Time

March 15, 2010
Apocalyptic novels come in all sizes and shock levels, but Roddys debut offers something a little different, combining unsettling horror with a touch of New Age mysticism. The setting is present-day San Francisco, where citizens are reeling from two inexplicable blackouts that, sweeping the globe, have brought civilization to a standstill. For almost everyone, the blackouts were accompanied by a sudden loss of awareness and then a wave of black despair. For Laura Morgan, however, an epiphany of blissful, cosmic consciousness made her experience quite different, and shes baffled by the outbreaks of chaos and violence. Together with a ragtag group of refugees, she flees to Las Vegas as a decimated U.S. population begins to regroup. None of them is prepared, however, to face a new breed of soulless humans called Shaitan, whose taste for violence threatens to push humanity back to the Stone Age. Roddys tale suffers from the usual freshman mistakes but includes enough thrills and original ideas to satisfy most horror fans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)