Falls the Darkness by Mark N. Drake ~ a Review

by MK French

Josine and Jack are still working as investigators a year after their shattering losses. Charles Deverby hires the two to find an employee that went missing on Darkisle in the middle of a dig for thunderstones. The locals were unhappy with the job, and Jack is afraid there's more to the disappearance than anyone is willing to admit.

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January 2024; Aethos Publications; 979-8877458673
ebook, print (279 pages); horror

Falls the Darkness is the fourth of the Darkisle novels, following The Gathering of Shadows, Those Under Hill, and What Festers Within. The small island of Darkisle is home to cosmic horrors and creatures beyond human understanding. Jack Glennison and Josine Young had featured in prior novels, working to stem the tide against the creatures and save humanity. The Prologue is a summary of major events from prior novels and sets up this one, so you can dive right in if you missed the earlier books. Any necessary details are explained along the way as Jack begins his investigation and we're introduced to the people involved on Darkisle. We follow what seems to be a straightforward missing persons case, though the plant life in the area is odd and the Darkisle people hate outsiders.

The oddities of Darkisle crept in slowly, and once it did, it became very clear why it's a Darkisle story. The mystery is solved by the end, with the ending coming in a literal bang. It kept me engrossed, and even if you don't know anything about cosmic horror or the prior Darkisle novels, this would be an excellent entry point into the series.

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Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three young children, and a golden retriever.

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