J. Johnson Higgins, author of Legend of the Dark Messiah: the Mask and the Sword


	J. Johnson Higgins
	Legend of the Dark Messiah: the Mask and the Sword www.authorjjhiggins.com

Reviews

Legend of the Dark Messiah:
The Mask and the Sword
by J. Johnson Higgins

(iUniverse / 0-595-47215-X / 978-0-595-47215-4 / December 2007 / 204 pages / $14.95)

Reviewed by Ron Baxley for PODBRAM

Comic masks, in the modern theater, are often symbolic of comedy itself and go back to ancient Greek drama. Wearing a projected comic mask, President Dmitri von Calvin in J. Johnson Higgins' suspenseful Legend of the Dark Messiah in actuality creates tragedy on his home planet of I-Star, a fantastical planet that blends magic and technology. One would find a match for President Calvin if suddenly Big Brother and Rowling's Minister of Magic and Lord Voldemort had merged under an illusory version of the Guy Fawkes mask from V is for Vendetta. It seems at first that the villains do always get the best development and concepts in fantasies but Higgins soon proves even this old saw rusty. After all, Cassidy, the intriguing main character of his book, can magically see through his mask and becomes involved in what could be a tragedy of her own. Keeping potential tragedy under a mask of his own is part of Higgins' skill.

The suspense of what could be a tragedy is the highlight of this book as Cassidy is shown in a prologue battling an evil force and surrounded by dragons. The dragons are part of the suspense as one begins to wonder what her connection is to them. Perhaps more clues could have been given, but this would have hindered the author's mastery of suspense. Cassidy is soon encased in a kind of magic cryogenic chamber of ice and, upon escape, finds herself on the modern world of I-Star.

I-Star is a technological, highly political world with some magic users, but Higgins, among his politicians, who are a blend of the Jedi-like and the Empire, does not get bogged down into too many political discussions like one of George Lucas' Star Wars prequels. With too much politics and not enough suspense, readers will not be engaged with speculative worlds. However, Higgins engages the reader, leaving him wondering what the connection is between Cassidy and the aforementioned president.

Eventually, after Cassidy discusses with a spy how something should be done about the area's big landmark, a gigantic clock tower, she is sought out by President Calvin to bring a clock tower to its former glory. Little does Cassidy know that President Calvin is a dark figure from her past. Irony abounds as the reader grows aware of this while Cassidy is skillfully kept unaware by the author.

Hindering the suspense is some of the dialogue, which focuses on mundane aspects of life. True, modern people have many mundane tasks that they engage in, but the author need not create verisimilitude in a fantasy book by having the characters harp on about the minutia of life.

The author creates more excitement with the dialogue and plot surrounding Cassidy's magic powers. Soon, Cassidy discovers that she has them, powers that also connect her to her past. She, much like popular culture characters like Phoenix and the little girl from Firestarter, realizes that she has trouble controlling her powers and often times they are based in anger. She also begins to realize her connection to President Calvin and seeks him out with some friends with adventurous gusto. Some of her realization occurs through a little too much exposition from minor characters and the antagonist.

Though the author could have kept more of the potential tragedy more skillfully hidden under the mask, Higgins does a good job keeping most of it incognito. Probably the weakest element in Legend of the Dark Messiah is that the author could have displayed somewhat more of the storyline's depth through a show, don't tell methodology instead of a narrated back-story from other characters. Details could have been expanded to increase the narrative. Higgins also has great potential for future books because many of his characters have a secret connection that will have to be experienced to be believed. What Higgins ends up with in this slim volume is a comedy in the oldest sense of the word, an adventurous romp with a happy ending. This first novel displays a commendable level of taut editing and clean proofreading, too. The excitement and suspense of the basic plotline will keep the reader turning the pages. J. Johnson Higgins has composed a promising first effort.

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LEGEND OF THE DARK MESSIAH BY J.JOHNSON HIGGINS

BOOK REVIEW
BY
JIM CHERRY

Urban fantasy is a new genre combining fabulist elements within an urban setting to add resonances of verisimilitude while revealing magical elements of the world that a reader might not otherwise be aware of. Legend of the Dark Messiah by J.J. Higgins presents a viable world where technology and magic coexist as equals in a world that isn't too dissimilar from our own.

Cassidy Mage wakes up in a cave and has no memory of how she got there or who she is. The only thing she is able to ascertain in a pool of water is that she has a gem embedded in her forehead. Unknowingly, Cassidy is the dark Messiah, a destroyer of worlds whose power was contained and sealed in the cave. She is able to find her way out of the cave, and wanders down to the city of I-Star, a utopian city that seems to be free of strife and want, and respect for the planet, as cities are finite, only built in certain areas and the borders aren't expanded so that the planet remains "powerful and energy rich." As Cassidy strives to fit into a society, she finds a job, starts to take classes and to learn about the world she finds herself in. After a few months of blending into society she discovers she's not the only one with a gem embedded in her forehead.

She meets Rede who has a similar lapse of memory regarding his origins but is now working for the government in the IJA, the secret service of I-Star. He explains the I-Star society gives equal weight to magic and technology and the practioneers of each discipline have equal standing in the world. He also explains the social stratifications of the I-Star world. The magicians have control of the political system and the bureaucracy in the personification of the president of I-Star, Dimitri von Calvin. Cassidy starts to wonder about the world she finds herself in and her place in it when she discovers she's the only one who is able to see that von Calvin is wearing a mask.

Von Calvin, through a government agency tries to co-opt Cassidy with a project to restore the clock tower, which is one of the original parts of the city and no longer works. While they're planning to restore the memories of her true self in order to utilize her power for their own ends, the struggle becomes, will Cassidy become this original self? A destroyer, or will she be able to break free of Von Calvin's dark powers and exercise free will?

Legend of The Dark Messiah is a timely modern fable about letting ourselves being blindly led into war. Author Higgins embraces the fabulist aspects of the story, Dimitri Von Calvin seems a heavy mixture of the Emperor from Star Wars and V in V for Vendetta, including the rationalization that only through their dark powers will the nation, world, universe reign in peace and enlightenment. That is the promise of the dictator.

The magical elements seemed to be downplayed until the very end, it seems that even though I-Star gives equal recognition to magic and technology, it seems most of I-Star operates almost as prosaically as our world. Cassidy resolves the majority of her problems through the application of science and technology, and a little common sense, and maybe it's the intention of Higgins to show his readers that they too can solve their problems through the resources available to them, but as a reader I was looking forward to a little more magicplay.

In the 'reveal' scene where Cassidy learns of her original self and the destiny Von Calvin has in mind for her, where he needs to seduce her to his side, he tells her that she should unleash the destroyer in her because the world of I-Star is inherently evil and is deserving of being destroyed. If there is a seamy underbelly to the I-Star world we weren't shown it, Cassidy doesn't even wander into a "bad" neighborhood, or Von Calvin is lying to Cassidy, but if that's true a shadow of a doubt should have been placed in the readers mind.

Author J.J. Higgins takes on a lot of issues, not only political systems but the nature of good and evil. He makes it relatable to his audience, illustrating the issues through characterization and metaphor avoiding the didactic, and without preaching to them or to the choir. I think most readers in Higgins target audience will find themselves involved in the fantasy and rooting for the heros and hissing the villians, but maybe harboring a secret wish of Cassidy unleashing her powers.

Legend of the Dark Messiah is available through Amazon or the authors website at www.authorjjhiggins.com

Jim Cherry is the author of The Last Stage available at www.jymsbooks.com