Sunblind by Michael McBride is a prime example of the exceptional dark fiction published by DarkFuse. The novel is both gritty and harrowing with its backstory, and when the supernatural elements are introduced the plot becomes downright unnerving. Two points of view propel the narrative. One is by a young border patrol agent in Arizona along the Mexico border. Within the first few pages, he finds a young woman barely alive on the US side of the border. She is clearly an illegal immigrant who has suffered massive injuries but somehow made it safely across brutal desert of Mexico. She is just barely able to tell him that he is in danger before she is whisked away for medical attention. He finds her cell phone, however, and sees terrifying pictures of numerous other individuals left behind in the desert who may still be alive. He and two other agents retrace her steps to locate and rescue these others.
The second point of view is the young woman mentioned above. Her account begins a few days earlier and describes her trek with twenty-five others in their desperate attempt to flee Mexico and make it to the US. Her sections are truly disturbing. The conditions of their journey are masterfully portrayed by Mr. McBride. The descriptions of unbearable heat and brutal sunshine are actually tangible. The sense of constant thirst and physical deterioration are painful to read. The interactions among these desperate individuals are beautifully depicted. The inner conflict of wanting to support others in the group versus guarding your own provisions becomes very clear.
When people begin to be picked off one by one by horrifying predators, the grueling narrative really gets kicked into high gear. The attacks by unknown creatures are thrillingly described and you begin to wonder what exactly is going on. I thought I had it figured out but the author had a number of twists which made the creatures (and their activities) highly unusual.
The story alternates between the two points of view – one working forward in time (the woman’s perspective) and the other backward in time (the border agent trying to piece together exactly what happened). This storytelling strategy is effective for this narrative. If I have one criticism it is the author’s tendency repeat himself with descriptions of the desert and the “lair” of the creatures. This is a minor quibble, however and does not detract from the story. Altogether a top-notch horror/monster story.
The second point of view is the young woman mentioned above. Her account begins a few days earlier and describes her trek with twenty-five others in their desperate attempt to flee Mexico and make it to the US. Her sections are truly disturbing. The conditions of their journey are masterfully portrayed by Mr. McBride. The descriptions of unbearable heat and brutal sunshine are actually tangible. The sense of constant thirst and physical deterioration are painful to read. The interactions among these desperate individuals are beautifully depicted. The inner conflict of wanting to support others in the group versus guarding your own provisions becomes very clear.
When people begin to be picked off one by one by horrifying predators, the grueling narrative really gets kicked into high gear. The attacks by unknown creatures are thrillingly described and you begin to wonder what exactly is going on. I thought I had it figured out but the author had a number of twists which made the creatures (and their activities) highly unusual.
The story alternates between the two points of view – one working forward in time (the woman’s perspective) and the other backward in time (the border agent trying to piece together exactly what happened). This storytelling strategy is effective for this narrative. If I have one criticism it is the author’s tendency repeat himself with descriptions of the desert and the “lair” of the creatures. This is a minor quibble, however and does not detract from the story. Altogether a top-notch horror/monster story.
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