No writer combines the delight in dread with social consciousness and metaphysical meaning the way John Shirley does. Although In Darkness Waiting begins in much the same vein as many horror novels (mysterious deaths; a small town invaded by evil; plucky, attractive young lovers; the logical level-headed doctor; some salt-of-the-earth townsfolk...) by its end you will have discovered it is not just another horror novel. With its exploration of the insect inside us all, In Darkness Waiting proves more relevant today than ever. Considering a read of In Darkness Waiting is like considering a trip through the Amazon with no weapons and no vaccinations and no shoes. Its like contemplating a journey in the Arctic clad only in your underwear. Or maybe its more like dropping into one of those spelunkers challenges, those chilling pitch-black shafts into the Earths crust-and when you get down there your light burns out and you remember the chitinous fauna of the cavern...Unlike undertaking those endeavors, you can get through the harrowing pages of In Darkness Waiting alive (although we are not promising youll remain unscathed.) Towards the end youll discover one of the most extreme yet literate passages ever written. It may well be the most outre scene ever created.But John Shirley wasnt after shock alone. Shock is never enough for him.