The Dark Lens by T. K. Troupe
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20361/G24G7CAbstract
Troupe, Thomas Kingsley. The Dark Lens. Mankato: 12 Story Library, 2015. Print.
One day, on his way to work at the Gas N’ Grab, Alex takes a detour to avoid a gang of potential muggers. Along the way, he discovers a mysterious, heavy, dark lens. As he holds it up to the sun to inspect it better, he is transported to a dark and dangerous world filled with terrible monsters. Luckily, upon holding the lens up to the sun a second time, he is transported back to his own reality.
However, he is now late for work and feels compelled to explain to his co-worker, Turd, why. Turd, also intrigued by the lens, locks up the station and forces Alex to show him how it works. Alex agrees to let Turd have a brief look and the two boys are once again transported back to the horrible alternate reality. However upon returning, Alex discovers he has lost the keys to the Gas N’ Grab and must return to retrieve them.
Alex soon realizes that Turd is entranced by this horrible world and, as a result, the next trip over isn’t as brief. Alex and Turd end up wrestling over the lens and it becomes lost in a nearby swamp. To make matters worse, it is now getting dark and the lens won’t activate without sunlight. The two must now travel into the burned out city to avoid creatures lurking in the darkness and to hopefully survive the night.
This book will appeal to teens who are reluctant readers as it has a fast-moving plot and accessible language. The author expertly describes the setting and uses vivid imagery and sometimes violent descriptions of grim creatures and scenery which will appeal to readers who enjoy the horror genre. For example, upon arriving to the other side, a creature who “tore into a hunk of mangled meat with twitching legs” is noted by Alex. At only ninety-five pages, it is a quick read but sadly feels somewhat underdeveloped in character and plot. Alex and Turd’s characters are flat and there is no explanation as to where the lens might have come from or how the creatures on the other side became the inhabitants of such a disturbing world. Yet, despite some underdevelopment, it is refreshing to see expanded options for reluctant readers and diversity in hi-lo fiction, a category which typically deals primarily with teen issues and does not often tread into the genres of fantasy or horror.
Recommended with Reservations: 2 out of 4 stars
Reviewer: Aleasha Kachel
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