Fans of Brent Weeks undoubtedly waited with anticipation for his latest novel: The Blinding Knife. I certainly did. I found his world of colors and magic very original and quite interesting. The intrigue in the Chromeria and the world of the seven satraps lent just enough credence as powerful parallels to our own world.
His prior novels (at least the ones I've read) were great reads. This series continues with the same non-stop page turning effort I exhibited with the other books. Well, for me it was and continues to be non-stop Kindle-app-on-my-iPhone page tapping. I even walk around the office with my nose to the iPhone, ignoring everything around me like I know better. That makes for a good book, and The Blinding Knife slips easily into that category.
Sometimes, there are times when the story does something special, like a unique turn of a phrase or an excellent use of a metaphor. This happens rarely in most of what I read. I cannot say whether it is due to talent, effort, or consequence, but most authors ply their craft by following templates that push the reader along--cliffhangers and sudden twists of plot--rarely building something that really stops me cold and brings a wry smile to my face.
Well, Weeks pulled one off in The Blinding Knife that pushed my respect meter up several more notches. If you haven't read the book, then stop right here and read it. Otherwise, please continue...
[Spoiler Alert]
Gavin--the real Gavin--spends so much time imprisoned that his mind slowly and inevitably begins to crumble. The walls of his cells are reflective, so he can see himself. Unfortunately, he creates a persona out of the reflection and calls it the Dead Man. Gavin becomes emaciated, weak. The Dead Man reflection becomes the man Gavin needs to believe is not himself. Gavin is a fighter and strong-willed. Succumbing to the realization that he has become the thing in the mirror goes against his nature.
It reaches the point where Gavin doesn't need to see the reflection to carry on a conversation with himself. He even argues with the Dead Man, who knows what Gavin thinks and slowly becomes the more rational individual as he continually warns Gavin about dangers and such.
This is what Weeks builds for the reader. The Dead Man slowly emerges the more rational individual and quite nearly reaches the point of existence when Gavin creeps through the pitch-black tunnels between cells. As he ascends farther away from the green cell, The Dead Man no longer emerges in the reflective walls, but speaks to Gavin in the dark.
When Dazen (a.k.a. Gavin!) finally kills his imprisoned brother, he walks up to the corpse and notices that the only thing reflecting back from the walls is a dead man. Ah-ha!
This is an excellent closure technique for the dead man metaphor. As The Dead Man becomes more real, Gavin gets closer to his own death. The reader also suddenly realizes that the constant reflections of The Dead Man portended his death. Touche!
I highly recommend this book and the series.
