BOOK REVIEW | SYCAMORE | IAN ROGERS

 

 

Back in 1945, the first portal opened--a tear in reality leading from our world into the mysterious Black Lands, a realm of perpetual night filled with strange and deadly entities. Soon another portal appeared. Then another. Today, the government secures every portal they find, but with more and more opening, and no idea how to predict or prevent the next one's arrival, society is teetering on the brink of panic.

Felix Renn knows the Black Lands all too well. His career as a private investigator has dragged him closer to it than most, and has garnered him a reputation for dealing with supernatural threats. But people who interact with the Black Lands have a habit of turning up dead in horrible ways--if they turn up at all--so when the chance comes up to take on a simple missing person's case in the small town of Sycamore, he eagerly jumps at the opportunity.

Only, something else is happening in Sycamore too. A serial killer is on the loose, and as the bodies continue to pile up, it becomes clear that the perpetrator may be something less--or someone more--than human.

Felix may have thought he was done with the Black Lands, but he soon discovers a terrifying truth: the Black Lands isn't done with him.

Since the late forties, the dark has shown itself to the world. Portals have been discovered that lead to a world not like ours, a dark world, The Black Lands, where nightmares have become reality.

Since then, the world has learned to cope with the appearance of these portals. Special government departments have been introduced to manage the explosion of the portals.

In the midst of this Felix Renn makes a living as a private detective. Garnering a reputation as a man who has fought monsters, Renn thinks he will break free of his reputation when he undertakes an investigation set firmly in this world.

Hired by Susan Weaver to find her husband, Renn thinks he will finally get his break until he discovers that what he thought would be a standard missing person case, he soon finds out that the case is very different from his expectations as he is hired to find a dead man.

When done well, horror and crime make excellent bedfellows, and Sycamore is horror and crime done well. With an excellent premise of portals leading to The Black Lands, Sycamore is the first novel set in this world. Prior to this, Ian Rogers has written a number of short stories set in this world, with previous tales featuring Felix Renn (to be re – released by Cemetery Dance in 2025). However, Ian Rogers skilfully introduces the reader to the world of The Black Lands without the feeling that they have missed something.

All the tropes of the two genres are done well, with some of them being turned on their head to bring something new to the genre. For instance, Renn’s secretary is his ex-wife who has ended up working for him due to her acting career taking a nose dive.

For fans of noirish horror, Sycamore is a terrific read, full of great ideas and great writing.

(and if this one interests you, have a look at my review for Grey by the same author)