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THOSE WHO WALK IN DARKNESS is John Ridley's fourth book. He has also made a name for himself in TV and movies as the producer for THIRD WATCH and the writer-producer of UNDERCOVER BROTHER. In THOSE WHO WALK IN DARKNESS superheroes exist and live on Earth. Unfortunately, where there are superheroes, there are super-villains. After a battle, between these two forces, destroys San Francisco, the United States outlawed and began hunting the "freaks." In the eyes of the law there is no difference between the superheroes and the villains – they are all freaks. The freaks were given the opportunity to leave the country to find a place where they will be welcome; however, many refused to leave. Soledad O'Roark joins the LAPD's M-Tac unit for personal reasons. This unit hunts down and captures the freaks. Unfortunately, this unit has a 50% death rate per mission. On Soledad's first mission, her team is attacked, yet no one dies at the scene. In her spare time, Soledad created "special ammo" that will kill most of the freaks. She uses this weapon and is suspended from the unit pending investigate. For Soledad, the only important thing in her life is to destroy all of the freaks and nothing and no one will stand in her way. THOSE WHO WALK IN DARKNESS is an incredibly dark and disturbing book. Ridley is taking a part of pop culture cherished by many, the idea of a superhero and outlawing them. In American pop culture, the superhero represents the idea of hope and justice. They constantly battle evil and protect humanity from evil. This conception is turned on its head. Even though superheroes still do the good deeds expected of them, their very existence is somehow immoral. In this book, there is not a nice and simple division between good and evil. To have to step away from preconceived notions of justice and hope can be difficult and confusing for the reader. This, of course, is the very point of Ridley's work. Nothing is clear-cut and even our heroes are not perfect. In this book, the freaks are presented as any minority in a larger intolerant population. They do not appear to all be monsters nor are they all saints. They are simply people who are trying to fit into a place that does not welcome them and to govern their own when trouble occurs. The idea of people attempting to find a place for themselves is timeless; there will always be those on the fringes of society. THOSE WHO WALK IN DARKNESS is a gritty look at societal tensions, delusions and the concept of justice. Through a somewhat futuristic world, Ridley forces people to truly see the weaknesses inherent in modern social mores. This book will force readers to reevaluate their conception of the world around them and the decision that they must make in everyday life.
Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, July 2003
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