London, England, is known around the world for its historical
sites and tourist attractions, as well as for its thriving
metropolitan atmosphere. However, London is also notoriously known
for its dark past. One may wonder how a place can change so much,
especially since the Victorian Age. Yet the past and present still
seem to co-exist.

For Jonathan Starling, London is a place that never ceases to
interest him. Despite having lived in the capital for most of his
life, the 14-year-old finds its atmosphere to be an escape from his
troubled school and home life. Jonathan is often in trouble for
truancy and lives with his father Alain, a quiet intellectual. They
get along well, despite not having much of a relationship. When
Alain isn’t locked away in his study --- a place that
Jonathan has never been allowed in --- he is often in the hospital,
gradually recovering from what he refers to as a
“darkening.” As a result, Jonathan has become
self-reliant over the years and tries to care for his father as
much as possible. Their neighbor, Mrs. Elwood, provides them
support, since Jonathan’s mother disappeared years ago. Alain
refuses to talk about her, much to Jonathan’s
frustration.

When Jonathan’s father ends up in the hospital again,
Jonathan can’t help but feel unnerved by the other
patients’ behavior, even though he has visited the
hospital’s mental ward many times before. They’re
afraid, and the atmosphere couldn’t be more ominous. Although
Jonathan has a strange feeling that something isn’t right, he
shrugs it off.  However, when an apparent burglar breaks into
the Starlings’ house that night, and deep scratches appear on
the door of his father’s study, Jonathan begins to think that
there is something more here than meets the eye.

His suspicions are strengthened when, the next day upon entering
his father’s study, he discovers a never-before-seen
photograph of his parents and a reference to a book called THE
DARKEST DESCENT. Why would anyone want to break into his
father’s private study, and what secrets has his father been
keeping from him?

Jonathan goes to the British Library to check out the rare book and
finds a possible link to his father’s
“darkenings” --- a place called Darkside. Before he can
make sense of this surprising discovery, he is befriended by a
strange, charismatic woman with fluorescent hair and sweet-smelling
perfume named Marianne. When Marianne and her two associates,
Humble (a mute giant) and Skeet (a creepy, little bald man),
attempt to kidnap him, Jonathan realizes that he must turn to his
father for answers.

As Alain goes in and out of an apparent stupor, he acknowledges
Darkside and manages to make reference to “Carnegie,”
who, a dismayed Mrs. Elwood explains, is an old friend of Alain
living in Darkside and can protect Jonathan. Jonathan must find
Carnegie, even as the danger becomes alarmingly too close for
comfort.

When Jonathan manages to cross over to Darkside, it appears as
though he has gone back in time, where factories filled the air
with choking, black soot, and dangerous thieves could be around
every corner. The boy tracks down Carnegie, but the introduction
isn’t exactly what he hoped for when he learns that the
private detective is a werewolf --- and narrowly avoids becoming
his next meal!

Jonathan learns from the “wereman” about the origins of
Darkside --- an alternate version of London founded during the
Victorian Age and currently ruled by the descendents of Jack the
Ripper --- but he also discovers a potential clue to his past and
that, while all the residents come from “bad blood,”
some are more dangerous than others. It seems as though everyone is
after Jonathan, and he must keep his wits about him as he begins to
uncover his father’s secrets.

Debut novelist Tom Becker transports readers to the thrilling,
often creepy (and at times grisly) Darkside in this first book of a
new series that fans of horror, adventure and Victorian history
will enjoy. Without a doubt, they will look forward to the release
of its sequel, LIFEBLOOD.

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