Darkside. Tom Becker

Picture a windy dark night. The rain is hammering against the house. The lights are flickering from the wind pounding the power lines. The rest of the house is asleep. The clock slowly inches towards 2:00am. Does that catch your attention? Well, I had to set the mood for how I found myself last night with the horrible weather and DARKSIDE in my hands. I had spent the better part of the day in bed with a migraine. So, finally feeling better, the rest of the family was asleep, and I was wide awake. And in more ways than one. DARKSIDE had my pulse racing from page one, and with the weather conditions going on outside, I wasn't sure if I should keep reading or put the book down and wait until the sun came out the next day. But I was already wrapped up in the developing story of Jonathan Starling and his journey to Darkside. Jonathan is fourteen, a loner, and can pretty much do as he pleases. His father is often hospitalized for what he calls "the darkening," leaving Jonathan to fend for himself. After his father's latest hospital admission, Jonathan and their neighbor, Mrs. Elwood, venture off to find Carnegie. Jonathan has never heard of this Mr. Carnegie before, and Mrs. Elwood is evasive. Driving toward the Thames River, Mrs. Elwood's car is attacked. The passenger door is literally ripped off the side of the car. Mrs. Elwood tells Jonathan to run, and the heart-pounding adventure begins. Jonathan has investigated his father's study (which he has usually found locked) and discovered references to this Darkside. His father has never mentioned it before, and Jonathan can only surmise it is the reason behind his dad's illness. Following hints he's uncovered, he is able to find his way to Darkside and to the well known Mr. Carnegie. Darkside is the opposite of Lightside, or the world as we know it. Darkside is the meanest, vilest parts of London. Inhabited by the likes of weremen, vampires, and the progeny of Jack the Ripper, Jonathan is forced to survive if he has any hope of helping his dad recover from his latest hospital admission. Mr. Becker has written a fast-paced, page-turning adventure. I am not usually a fan of the fantasy genre, but I was pulled into the action of the book from the first page. The story is a bit graphic in the descriptions of Darkside, so the younger reader should be warned. But the book was quite thrilling and the ending has been left open for more adventures featuring Jonathan and Carnegie. Reviewed by: Jaglvr

What a wonderful book. It took no time to finish it (probably because I didn't want to put it down). The story takes place in London. There are two places to live in London. One is the Darkside and the other is the Lightside. Usually everyone lives in the Lightside. Most people don't even know of the Darkside and the ones that do tend to go a little crazy. Darkside was made a long time ago when they decided to get rid of all the 'bad' people. Now it's a very scary and dangerous place to go especially for a Lightsider. But Jonathan has to do just that. There he meets many interesting people/creatures, has many close brushes with death and is on the most scary adventures of his life. This is the first book of what I'm sure to be a wonderful series. If you like a bit of horror and something that gives you chills in the night, then you'll love this book. Not for the timid though.

I LOVE this book. I stayed up half the night to finish it....the story is well written. It made me feel like I was in Darkside, running through the alleys with the "wereman" and the boys. I read a lot of Young Adult books so I can recommend books to the kids and teens who come to our Library (yes, I do work in a Library.)and I must say Tom Becker will be an author I will suggest. Especially to fans of the Twightlight series by Stephanie Meyer and The Great and terrible Beauty series by Libba Bray. The Darkside books are a little "darker" but in a great, exciting way. I ordered the other 2 in the series and cannot wait for them to arrive! Spinetingling fun!

Picture a windy dark night. The rain is hammering against the house. The lights are flickering from the wind pounding the power lines. The rest of the house is asleep. The clock slowly inches towards 2:00am. Does that catch your attention? Well, I had to set the mood for how I found myself last night with the horrible weather and DARKSIDE in my hands. I had spent the better part of the day in bed with a migraine. So, finally feeling better, the rest of the family was asleep, and I was wide awake. And in more ways than one. DARKSIDE had my pulse racing from page one, and with the weather conditions going on outside, I wasn't sure if I should keep reading or put the book down and wait until the sun came out the next day. But I was already wrapped up in the developing story of Jonathan Starling and his journey to Darkside. Jonathan is fourteen, a loner, and can pretty much do as he pleases. His father is often hospitalized for what he calls "the darkening," leaving Jonathan to fend for himself. After his father's latest hospital admission, Jonathan and their neighbor, Mrs. Elwood, venture off to find Carnegie. Jonathan has never heard of this Mr. Carnegie before, and Mrs. Elwood is evasive. Driving toward the Thames River, Mrs. Elwood's car is attacked. The passenger door is literally ripped off the side of the car. Mrs. Elwood tells Jonathan to run, and the heart-pounding adventure begins. Jonathan has investigated his father's study (which he has usually found locked) and discovered references to this Darkside. His father has never mentioned it before, and Jonathan can only surmise it is the reason behind his dad's illness. Following hints he's uncovered, he is able to find his way to Darkside and to the well known Mr. Carnegie. Darkside is the opposite of Lightside, or the world as we know it. Darkside is the meanest, vilest parts of London. Inhabited by the likes of weremen, vampires, and the progeny of Jack the Ripper, Jonathan is forced to survive if he has any hope of helping his dad recover from his latest hospital admission. Mr. Becker has written a fast-paced, page-turning adventure. I am not usually a fan of the fantasy genre, but I was pulled into the action of the book from the first page. The story is a bit graphic in the descriptions of Darkside, so the younger reader should be warned. But the book was quite thrilling and the ending has been left open for more adventures featuring Jonathan and Carnegie. Reviewed by: Jaglvr

Jonathan Starling cannot remember his mother, and his father barely speaks to him when they pass each other in the hall. Most of his father's time is spent in the study, behind the only locked door in the house. Jonathan would give anything to get into that room and find out what keeps his father in such a secretive state of mind. That is, until the day his father is placed in an asylum and Jonathan finds himself trapped in the very room he wanted to enter. Barricading himself behind the door to escape the claws of his attacker, Jonathan calls his only friend, Mrs. Elwood, for help. Finding an old photograph of his mother in the study prompts Jonathan to follow mysterious clues his father has scribbled on little scraps of paper, tucked away in ragged books. A rare text located in the British Library gives Jonathan the nudge he needs to confront his dad about his mother's disappearance and a hidden part of London called Darkside. As Jonathan visits his father in the hospital where he is recovering from "the darkening," he begins to uncover secrets that will lead him into unraveling the mysteries of his past and ultimately force him to try and save his father's life, and his own. British author Tom Becker wanted to become an author as soon as he learned to write. At 25 years of age, he has created a wonderful teen novel in his first book, Darkside. From Carnegie, the werewolf detective, to Mrs. Elwood, the neighbor who is more of a mother to Jonathan than a friend, Becker's characters are imaginative and well thought out. Darkside is an easy to read, attention-grabbing work that will keep teen readers interested and looking forward to the next book in the series.