Dark Heavens by Roger Levy (Katie's view)
01/04/2003 . Source: Katie McGivern 

Pub: Gollancz. 389 page enlarged paperback. Price: £10.99 (UK). ISBN: 0-575-07245-8.

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Earth is dying. Rocked by major rifts in the earth surface and pollution, both of which seem insolvable problems.

Auger is the last active member of the Consensual Mass Suicide Department. They are paid to check that the people who promise heaven and salvation in the form of mass suicide are not just practising mass murder.

Auger is a loner, driven to his isolation by the horrific bomb explosion on his wedding day and the subsequent madness of his wife, Jay. This book encompasses corrupt politicians, mad religious prophets and scientists who put research before ethics.

I found that this book had the same effect on me as superglue does - once I got in it my hands I could not put it down. The characters and story is compelling and Levy manages to pace the plot twist so that you neither rush so fast that there is no time to think about the issues raised or too slow that you lose interest the book.

This carries onto the end of the book that leave a nasty feeling in the pit of your stomach!

The characters are defiantly on each side of the divide, the good guys are on the side of good and there are some excellent baddies in this book to enjoy!

I was reminded, as well, of Raymond Chandler; where the only difference between good and evil is the motives behind their actions. The only character I had a problem with is Jay - whose twists of character I found hard to believe and because the other characters were believable it stuck out and stopped the seamless flow of the narrative.

‘Dark Heavens’ is interesting. It is an in-depth look at the desperation of people in a world that is destroying itself. It offers no easy solutions to the problem only that the individual goodness of people would be enough to stop institutional evil.

This is only Levy's second novel and in parts, like the character of Jay, it shows but overall this is a satisfying, enjoyable read.

Katie McGivern