Dark Dimensions #13

"Sempiternal" by HWTaft : A Book Review

Reviewed by CelticRose

Sempiternal by Helen Taft [@HWTaft] is much more than just another vampire story. Its blurb was enough to draw me into the prologue: 

Forget Hell, this is Gehenna. You die, you're damned and then you wake up here, but that's not the worst part. If you don't redeem, or die the second and final death, you slowly turn into a demon—a vampire--and then you really do belong in hell. But, even Hell has its crackpots. 

Supremacy cults advocating an all-human buffet have been popping up since time immemorial, and have always faded away just as fast, until now. A perfect demon, an unheard of phenomenon, has the old quarter in his thrall. Michael Thane is under no illusions; he's being used on the premise of 'to catch a killer, use a killer', with his wife as bait all over again.

I’m not sure what intrigued me the most – the concept of Gehenna rather than Hell, the synonymous relationship between vampire and demon (about time someone made the connection again) or ‘even Hell has its crackpots’. That’s before we even get onto the idea of an all-human buffet, and the intriguing character of Michael Thane and his unfortunate wife. 

Needless to say, I clicked “Start Reading”. 

I was shocked to see that the prologue has received only fifteen reads, one vote and two comments – and both comments were five months ago. 

The story is masterfully written and cleverly told, without spelling and grammatical errors. Gehenna is an entire society, a well constructed and meticulously planned dystopian world of demons and human testing labs. It puts me in mind of TheRake’s New World Underground, with its dark themes and conflicted, three-dimensional characters. It seems odd to root for a protagonist (or in this case, protagonists) who are already in Hell, but complex shades of grey are my favourite narrative colours... 

I must say that I really appreciate the way the theology is naturally interwoven rather than nailed on, and the whole story could be taking place in some post-apocalyptic society rather than in a demonic space. It’s that twist of chilling realism which really sets this story apart, giving it the feel of a graphic novel world like Constantine. The danger is real, and the threat palpable – and the main character, Thane, is as dark and dangerous a hero – or perhaps that should be antihero – as they come. 

Since the plotting is quite tight and the flow natural, there is little I can reveal about the plot without giving things away. So far only the prologue and two chapters are posted, but that’s enough to make me add it to my library and keep reading. If you like demons, dystopia, suspense, drama and thrills, you should try it too! 

-CelticRose