The Dark Net

by Benjamin Percy

[Beth C.]

What happens when evil decides to take advantage of humanity's dependence upon electronics and the Internet? When demons use servers to take over Portland, Oregon? In The Dark Net, we find out. It's a hell of a ride, and not a comfortable one.

The book is intense, and verges on straight-up horror with a side of supernatural thrown in for good measure. Only the horror is less the monsters and more the consequences of our screen-addicted society. Once the story gets moving - and that doesn't take long - it moves at a fairly constant clip.

The characters are a diverse lot. A man who used to be famous for what he "saw" in the afterlife. A journalist who wrote about a serial killer and goes back to the scene of his crimes. A young girl, niece to the journalist, who is blind but was recently fitted with new technology to allow her to see - and who sees more than anyone would have guessed. And a paranoid, self-proclaimed "geek". There are a few other characters that come and go, but these are the most constant throughout the story. They are well-written and even though the story is not long and moves fast, there is enough of the characters to have the reader rooting for them.

The book is set in Portland, Oregon - a very techie city indeed. It was cool to read about the various places and things, and the initial mention of Powell's Books is quite long and seems like a love letter to the store. Which of course happens to be one of my favorite things about Portland.

Overall, I pretty much read the book from start to finish. It's not long, and it just sort of pulls you in. I really enjoyed it - and honestly, am a little freaked out about using my computer to type this review.