Black-Eyed Kids
by Ian Rogers
Burning Effigy
Press (2011)
60 pages
ISBN
9781926611136
Canada isn't all maple syrup and ice hockey, you know. We've got
monsters too, and Ian Rogers is a guy who knows how to shine a
spotlight on them. I've already been entertained by the first two
novellas in his Felix Renn series through Burning Effigy
Press, so I was interested to see if Black-Eyed Kids would
make it a trifecta.
If you haven't read my reviews of the first two books, which I posted
on this blog, you can check those out by clicking on the links:
Temporary Monsters and The Ash Angels.
One of the nice things about this series though, is the fact that you
don't necessarily need to read the first two to hop on the bandwagon.
You could start with the third and get caught up with the main story
points in short order.
This time around, Felix is doing some work in Toronto that is much
more mundane and far less life-threatening--for a while, anyway. He's
been hired by a guy to keep an eye on his wife whom is suspected of
being unfaithful, but while Felix has her apartment staked out she is
murdered right under his nose--cut in half with the lower half
missing, and there's no sign of anyone coming or going. It doesn't
take long to realize there is something supernatural going on, as
that sort of thing seems to just gravitate to ol' Felix. A big clue
that things are on the paranormal side of things is when two kids, a
boy and a girl, begin stalking him. Maybe not so disturbing when put
like that, but these kids are Village of the Damned caliber
creepy thanks to eyes that are orbs of pure black. When Felix finds
out the kids are connected to the murder, he also learns the guy who
hired him isn't who he says he is, and there's been more than one
death linked to those kids.
Whoa Nelly, this one was a dark treat to read. The first two books
certainly had their fair share of sinister vibes, but there was
more--how do I put it?--rollickingness. No that's not right.
Maybe sardonic tone is what I mean. Felix is the kind of guy
who will let his world-weary side shine through. This time around
there isn't a lot of room for that, because his life is in imminent
danger even more than the last two times. The story is the most
intense of the three with a threat that Felix comes to believe he
can't defeat. Everything plays out really well with an episodic
quality I've come to expect and appreciate from Ian's work.
I think this would have to be Ian's strongest effort yet of the three
novellas published so far, which bodes well for future iterations,
including a Felix Renn novel that's apparently in the works. If you
enjoy gritty urban fantasy, this should be right up your alley.
