View source for The Dark (The Dead 2) by David Gatward

{{infobox1
|title=The Dark (The Dead 2)
|sort=Dark (The Dead), The
|author=David Gatward
|reviewer=Jill Murphy
|genre=Teens
|summary=The second book in this gory series won't disappoint fans of the genre. It's quite gruesome! There's also some good character development for those who like a decent narrative thread. This series is going to find plenty of fans.
|rating=4
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=352
|publisher=Hodder
|website=http://www.davidgatward.com/
|date=October 2010
|isbn=0340999705
|cover=0340999705
|aznuk=0340999705
|aznus=B00466HQ24
}}

We pick up exactly where we left off in this second book in David Gatward's ''The Dead'' series. Lazarus Stone has been killed (twice), resurrected (twice), been to the world of the Dead (don't ask), become a Keeper (dangerous job), got himself a personal guardian angel (Arielle, alcoholic), a Dead guide (Red, whose skin's fallen off), and has gone some way to locating his father (prisoner of the Dark and seriously not having a good time of it). Along with best mate Craig and ex-possessed nurse Clair, Lazarus has a mission.

But there's a problem...

... as Lazarus sees it, his mission is to rescue his father, the Keeper before him, who has put the world at risk by opening a hole in the fabric separating the lands of the living and the dead. But as Arielle and Red see it, the mission is much bigger: saving the world from Armageddon.

Either way, the next step is finding the mysterious Abaddon. And there's no time to waste.

There is no denying that David Gatward knows his horror. ''The Dark'' is a veritable gore-fest! Otherworldly blood and guts is everywhere and you can't escape the stench of decay and death. There are some wonderful fight scenes and some wonderful chase scenes and lots and lots of tension. But we get some humour too, largely from the ass-kicking, wisecracking guardian angel Arielle and Lazarus's best friend Craig, who can find a decent one liner for any situation. The plot moves on quite a bit and we also see some character development as Lazarus moves from naive teen to resurrected being with otherworldly powers. We also get a big new character in the person of Abaddon, who is just fantastic - a revenge-fuelled anti-hero readers are going to love.

It's not easy to combine this much gore with a sensible plot and developing characters, but I think Gatward has pulled it off in ''The Dark''. Fans of the genre are going to love it.

My thanks to the good people at Hodder for sending the book.

They might also like to look at [[Witchfinder: Dawn of the Demontide by William Hussey]] and [[The Devouring by Simon Holt]].

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[[Category:Horror]]