Indigo by Charlaine Harris, Christopher Golden, Jonathan Maberry, Kelley Armstrong, Tim Lebbon, Kat Richardson, Seanan McGuire, Cherie Priest, Mark Morris, and James A. Moore

St. Martin’s Press, 2017

ISBN-13: 978-1250076786

Available: Hardcover, Kindle edition, audiobook

The authors of this book all have produced amazing dark fantasy and horror fiction, both novels and short stories.  In this shared world anthology, they collaborated to tell a novel-length story, with each writer taking a turn to continue the narrative to its end. These talented storytellers have come up with an entertaining tale that can be enjoyed both by casual readers and by fans of the individual authors, although identifying which author has written which section is not as simple as it seems.

Nora Hesper works as an investigative reporter. She’s an intriguing character, with a curious backstory, and considerable personality. When she was a teen, Nora’s parents died, and to cope, she studied the occult at a monastery to deal with the pain and solitude. That plot summary suggests a tired retread of superhero origin stories, but then the story diverts.

Nora learns to harness the powers of the night.When the light is pulled away by the shadows, she becomes Indigo in the slivers of the moonlight. Indigo can use the shadows to manipulate the darkness into weapons and slip into the passing shadows to transport herself in and out of trouble across the globe.

Nora’s opponents are the Children of Phonos, a sadistic group who hold a darkness inside that rivals that of Indigo. The Children of Phonos are murdering children across New York City, and Nora realizes that she must eliminate all of them to protect the children. Then an event occurs that sheds light on her origin and family that throws her into chaos, a mess that she must solve to find the peace again in her life.

Combining all of these voices in one novel is tough. It’s not perfect, but it is entertaining. Go into it with that mindset, and you may find an enjoyable tale.

Contains: violence, child sacrifice

Reviewed by Dave Simms