Set in a near future Britain, Dark Satanic Mills tracks a young woman's journey from the flooded landmarks of London to the vast, scorched and abandoned hills of the North. Framed for a murder she did not commit, fearless and resourceful loner Christy has no other choice but to run for her life. Both a cautionary tale and a rip-roaring road trip, Dark Satanic Mills is altogether an intelligent, captivating and thrilling ride - a punked-up Wizard of Oz for a new generation, in in exhilarating shades of light and dark...

You have to take your hat off to the marketing department for the synopsis above, which forms the blurb on the back of the book. The Wizard of Oz this ain't, nor did it feel remotely like it in any way, shape or form. "... exhilarating shades of light and dark..."; that's "black and white" to you and me.

Now I've got that off my chest, Dark Satanic Mills is an interesting tale that follows a female motorcycle courier who is framed for murder because she just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. On the run for her life, she meets up with various other members of society that live on the fringes of civilized society. She also starts to question the rather screwed world she's living in, a place in which the church runs the police presence and deals out tough justice to any that don't fit in with its world view.

The title comes from William Blake's famous poem 'And did those feet in ancient time', which most people know as the anthem 'Jerusalem'. It's a thoroughly interesting tale, although I have to admit that in the opening pages I did find the dialogue a little lumpy.

If you're looking for something a little different than you could do much worse than Dark Satanic Mills.

7

Nick Smithson