Official Review: Towers of Darkness by Stefan Vucak

Drew-MW · Post by **Drew-MW** » 21 May 2015, 20:12

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Towers of Darkness" by Stefan Vucak.]

2 out of 4 stars

Share This Review

Towers of Darkness by Stefan Vucak is a novel of discovery and academic intrigue. While falling ever so slightly outside the realm of political thrillers, this story exhibits all the twist and subtleties that are native to this genre.

The story centers around Dr. Larry Krafter a young, up-and-coming Paleoanthropologist who makes a profound and startling discovery in the midst of Wyoming's coal deposits. Professor Krafter's find is quickly perceived to have the potential to utterly undermine all established theories of mankind's existence and carries the potential to revolutionize the understanding of humanity's development as a species. This catapults Krafter into a whirlwind of conflict within the academic world, leading to an all out opposition by the International Anthropological Society, or IAS. As the story unfolds the tension rises higher and higher as the implications of the professor's find sets the academic world ablaze. The pace continues to rush headlong towards the climax, leaving the reader with a sense of ominous expectation to divine whether Dr. Larry Krafter will be venerated as a herald of truth, or condemned as an outlandish heretic.

The strength of this book lies in its pacing. Despite centering on a field of study that might come across to the lay-reader as erudite and inaccessible, the novel grabs the reader's attention from the start and never lets it go. The author moves the plot forward with a deft skill, creating a sense of anticipation and excitement that yearns to keep the pages turning. This buzz of expectation gives the reader drive to enjoy the overall ethos of the novel. The realities of conflict and struggle are so rarely associated with the academy, and this is precisely the setting in which this novel unfolds. The reader gains an interesting and novel perspective into the inner-workings of the turmoil that can embroil even the most ensconced of ivory towers.

Despite the well paced flow of the story and the novel atmosphere skillfully created by the author, there are some serious falterings that mitigate the reader's capacity to become immersed in the tale. Consistently throughout the story the dialogue comes across as unbearably stiff and unrealistic. The characters strike one as being static and un-relatable pawns caught up and controlled by the drama that is unfolding around them. This disconnection between the reader and the characters, specifically in the case of the protagonist, lead to a profound incapacity for the reader to immerse themselves into the story; there is simply no room to put oneself in the shoes of Larry Krafter. In turn, what the novel excels at in terms of atmosphere, it tragically disappoints in terms of overall purpose. The overarching theme of old, entrenched dogmas being violently overthrown by revolutionary discovery is so overbearing that all sense of an organic and believable storyline are eradicated. Though events are unfolding in such a manner as to not contradict reality, the overall lack of emotional connection make the story altogether unbelievable.

I rate this book at a 2 out of 4 stars. Though the pacing and atmosphere of the story are vastly exciting, the overbearing theme and artificial characters subvert this tale's capacity to reach its full potential. Rather than flourishing into a narrative that propels the reader into new vistas of experience and wonder, this novel climaxes in a flurry of motion without the emotional depth to sustain it.

******
Towers of Darkness
View: on Bookshelves | on Barnes and Noble | on Smashwords

Like Drew-MW's review? Post a comment saying so!

zeldas_lullaby · Post by **zeldas_lullaby** » 23 May 2015, 23:30

This is an amazing review. Your writing is top-notch.

bluemel4 · Post by **bluemel4** » 24 May 2015, 11:35

Great review. I dislike it when characters are emotionally not accessible. Getting to know the characters, in the small slice of life the author writes about, is one of the best parts of reading a novel. The author allowing the reader to truly get involved in their character's lives and inspiring the reader to care about the outcome.

april-ballard · Post by **april-ballard** » 24 May 2015, 13:14

Very nice review! Writing is an art, careful balance between character creation, sequencing events, and dialogue are crucial to fulfill the reader's expectations. This book sounds like it has the potential to be outstanding with a little more attention given it.