Review: IndieReader Review
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 14, 2013
Marigold and Jeff Haunt had almost given up trying to have a baby when the unexpected happened and Marigold told Jeff the good news. However, one thing they didn’t anticipate was that the baby would not want to be born—and had a choice in the matter. THE DARKNESS OF THE WOMB takes the reader on a surreal quest with the Haunts to convince their unborn son Aiden to be born, all while battling with Archetypes—like Imagination and Logic—who seem to have their own plans for the boy.The story occurs in the physical realm of Earth as well as the Internal Landscape, and author Richard B. Knight devotes just as much care to each location. Earth feels especially real because of how much attention to detail Knight gives to his characters, particularly Jeff’s schoolteacher friend Steve, whose reaction to Jeff’s situation is complex and fascinating. It is also refreshing to read a story whose protagonists are middle-aged and weary instead of prototypical fantasy heroes; Marigold’s flab and Jeff’s gray hair are far more interesting than any Mary Sue.Knight successfully leads the reader through the Internal Landscape with Marigold, Jeff, and the Archetype Instinct, without overloading the story with exposition. The reader discovers the motivations and scheming of the Archetypes as the protagonists do. While the majority of the story is both exciting and suspenseful, the ending is thought provoking and could lead to multiple interpretations. The few drawbacks to THE DARKNESS OF THE WOMB are some distracting typos and dialogue formatting errors, in addition to the names of the Archetypes being perhaps too direct. Otherwise, the story is fun, challenging, and certainly worth a read.Its suspenseful and thought-provoking storyline makes THE DARKNESS OF THE WOMB an exciting and thoughtful read for those who enjoy quests set in the landscape of the human mind with unique and unexpected protagonists.Reviewed by Melanie J. Cordova for IndieReader.