Indigo by Various Authors
St. Martin’s Press (June 2017)
352 pages; $19.27 hardback; $14.99 e-book
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington
I found Indigo to be overall satisfying, but it was certainly not without its faults.
Indigo features the talents of great genre writers like Charlaine Harris, Christopher Golden, Kelley Armstrong, Jonathan Maberry, Kat Richardson, Seanan McGuire, Tim Lebbon, Cherie Priest, James Moore, and Mark Morris. However, with these many strong writers, each bringing their own voice to the story, there were times when, as a reader, it seemed the tale would be going in one direction and suddenly it would change dramatically as a new writer took the reins. There was also a lot of repetition and I would have liked a little less exposition and more story.
Indigo is conceptually strong with the lead character, Nora, using shadows to move from one location to another and having the power to use those same shadows as weapons. I loved the early action as she all but obliterated the local chapter of The Children of Phonos, a worldwide black magic cult. I thought, “Finally, a superhero who gets the job done.” But then things took a turn and we got dragged down into a morass of self-doubt and self-discovery which caused the story to drag on for a long time.
Negatives aside, there is real depth to be found in Indigo. It was certainly a revelation when Nora finds out everything she believed about herself to be a lie.
Somehow she had taken the stories of a bunch of superheroes, twisted them, and adopted them for herself.
I’m glad I read Indigo, but I can’t strongly recommend this one. Of course, your experience may vary, and with this many talented writers there really is something for everyone.
