Nightwing

Like another reviewer wrote, I'm compelled to give my two cents worth because of the surprisingly negative reviews of what I consider to be a beautifully crafted novel. Stephen King was right when he called NIGHTWING one of the best horror novels of the past twenty years. Make that thirty years at the writing of this review. The only negative thing I have to say about NIGHTWING and Martin Cruz Smith is that he has abandoned the horror genre in favor of thrillers such as the Arkady Renko series and DECEMBER 6. Those are fine reads, but a brilliant storyteller like Cruz Smith is sorely needed in horror fiction. However, I can see why Cruz Smith stays away from horror literature when I see feedback such as "chapters are too long because they're over 20 pages," or the expressed opinion that there's not enough action. In fact, I found the story suspenseful and possessing of a cultural depth and insight that only a brilliant writer in command of his craft could pull off, and that's just what Cruz Smith does. So if you have a chance to read NIGHTWING, I say go for it and you won't be disappointed. One thing does ring true throughout the other reviews - the movie adaptation was dreadful.

Yet another book giving bats a bad rap. A horror tale in the vein of large numbers of flying things run amok, if not stopped by plucky locals and the odd person with a modicum of knowledge. Think more along the lines of The Birds. Much better than the bad movie, being quite competently handled by Cruz Smith. A sheriff and a woman have to stop some very nasty chiroptera before they cause a lot of problems.

I felt compelled to write this review after seeing the negative nature of the other posts. Why are there only four reviews anyway? It is not hard to be critical of "Nightwing" when you consider it next to Smith's other works. It isn't a particurly complex plot and the protagonist (though you get several different first person accounts) is somewhat flawed. And not in the traditional "likable tragic hero" sense, he is more just passive and melancholy. Once into the book, though, you do begin to develop a connection. In the story vampire bats come across the Mexican border into American Indian country, and various bedlam ensues for our characters. Smith actually presents a supringly plausible plot for a novel involving migratory, ravenous bats. It should be noted that the novel is not exclusively a bat adventure. The stoic Indian protagonist battle against the bats forces him to make hard choices about his identity and the future of his culture. I really did enjoy reading this book. In the last twenty pages I came to realize I had developed more empathy for the characters than I thought. Might not be Smith's best, but the bredth of what he attempts on the subject of personal identity is commendably ambitious.

Smith is a favorite of mine. I must admit I was skeptical with this book. (A horror story about bats.) But it was totally convincing. The hero (as typical in Smith books) is reluctant and flawed, but very interesting. The details of Native American life are great, the landscapes are beautifully evoked, and the bats are very interesting. The scene about midway through when the bad guy is remembering a particularly bad trek he and his father made through a cave is unbelievably creepy. Months later, I still remember it and shudder. YOU MUST READ IT!