The Dark Side - Anthony O'Neill (english review)

Disclaimer: English is my third language,  so I want to apologize in advance for there may be mistakes in the text below. If you find any, please let me know so that I can correct it. I'd really appreciate it. Thanks. You can read this review also in spanish here.

Before starting the reading of the novel I will comment today, The Dark Side, written by Anthony O'Neill, I finished Moon, by Ian McDonald. Reading two novels located in the same location one afther the other generated me some doubts, especially since I loved Moon and I did not want that the assessment of The Dark Side was influenced by comparisons.

The truth is that comparisons are impossible. The plots of the two novels have nothing to do, and the "use" of the moon as a scenario is totally different. With that I do not mean that I didn't like The Dark Side, on the contrary, I think it is a very original and different novel, funny sometimes, and very well documented in what refers to the technological needs of human life on our satellite.

The novel has two distinct plots. On the one hand a history of police investigation, political conspiracies and power struggles led by a policeman who has just arrived from the Earth to the city of Purgatory. This city is a haven for criminals of all kinds, a city without law like the ones of the borders in the far west, but located on the dark side of the moon, ruled by a flamboyant billionaire whose next project is the colonization of Mars.

The other plot is starred by an android who has lost his memory and his inhibitions that prevent him from harming humans. After his escape from a base in the lunar south pole is heading walking to Purgatory. As he moves toward his destination he meets different inhabitants of the moon. This part is where the author shows his imagination and creativity, with very funny dialogues (I really liked how the author uses dialogues), but after a certain number of meetings it becomes a bit repetitive and unsurprising. The two plots are interspersed, using multiple views, which generates a variety that favors the experience of reading the book. The plots come together in the last pages in a final expected in some aspects, but surprising in others.

In short: an entertaining book, often surprising and funny, which uses the moon as a very original setting, and treats the details carefully.