Dark Shadow of Babylon is a paranormal/horror book written by Julian Speed. The cover is a clear indication that readers will encounter a series of gruesome events, but there is also a great adventure awaiting. The first chapters look at the origin of the evil that creeps into modern times and Speed adds a nice touch regarding his characters, despite the big time difference. Mystery and suspense only play a moderate part as Speed doesn’t really focus on keeping the reader in the dark, but prefers to create a clear picture in order to promote a sense of enjoyment.
The Roman invasion of Britannia in 61 AD marks the starting point of the story. Two notable characters, namely Frederick and Antonio are introduced along with their fearless commander Proverus. The latter is the source of pain for several Celtic tribes and his last onslaught against the druids seals his fate. A strange entity called Thaddeus comes to warn the druids of their impending death and offers his help in exchange for using their power source. The leader of the druids, Andringael, rejects the offer but allows another druid and a desperate queen with nothing to lose to show him the way. These three end up trapped after destroying the Roman army.
In modern times we see Frederick again, but not as a Roman soldier. Instead he is a college student that unknowingly opens the tomb of Thaddeus along with his professor. This leads to several freakish deaths at the excavation site. The deaths follow Frederic as he returns to the States. Ultimately he is confronted by a gypsy called Eva and he is forced to involve his sister Mira along with his childhood friend Antonio. But this time there is a secret society with a mysterious mission involved in addition to the vindictive spirit causing all the havoc.
Revenge is the order of the day for the dark entities while personal gain fuels the secret society. With the combination of enemies and danger Frederic and his companions face there is an added sense of excitement. There is also no lack of graphical detail regarding the death of the characters. Speed does a great job at elevating the emotions of those who are staring death in the face. He doesn’t need to stretch out the experience for it to be more gruesome. The selected words he uses to describe fatal scenarios are very effective in leaving the reader somewhat unnerved.
Another compliment has to be extended to Speed for his choice of time periods. Whereas most horror writers prefer to stay within this century simply because it’s much easier, Speed was a little more daring. Travelling back so far opens a door for critique even if the book is fictional. He was careful of the speech used by the characters and he described the setting with authority and confidence.
The characters are colorful and exciting, the perfect combination for a good story. Frederic and his sometimes indifferent, playful traits help to bring some lightheartedness to an otherwise dark situation. The overall pace of the book is somewhat slow, but this is neither a good nor a bad thing as it will mostly depend on the preference of the reader. Speed took his time to produce an authentic style which many readers will appreciate.
Reviewed by Damnetha Jules
Damnetha is a staff writer, horror book and movie critic.