Wow.Completely and unequivocably, wow.
Telling the story of several inhabitants of a world called Noreela, and the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy which will bring Magic back to the world, Dusk is one of the richest dark fantasies I've ever read. Lebbon's imagination is so involved that you have no idea what's going to come next in the story. While getting you caught up in the miniscule lives of those involved in a cataclysmic confrontation, he deals with interesting pseudo-political and semi-religious concepts - drawing interesting parallels with our own world without drawing attention to the fact that he's doing it, (it's so unintrusive, in fact, that you wonder if Lebbon even realized he was doing it).
One of the most interesting examples of this is an order called the Red Monks that are absolutely hellbent on destroying that which they love most - just so they won't lose it, an attribute that can be easily applied to any number of organizations... (including the United States Government?).
Known best for his horror, Tim Lebbon has birthed a dark fantasy that sits up there with the best of the best. An absolute Titan of a book, and certainly only the beginning of what will be a powerhouse of a series. The second book, Dawn, is due out in March, and word is that Tim has signed with Bantam Spectra for two more Noreela books - one of which apparently entitled Fallen, and the other called The Island.
If you have an interest in speculative fiction at all, I give this book my highest recommendation.
To find out more about Dusk and Noreela, check out http://www.noreela.com/. To check out Tim Lebbon's site proper, go to http://www.timlebbon.net/.
Rated 5 out of 5
(Originally reviewed in "The Daily Cave" on January 17th, 2007)
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