The Mirror's Edge

Title: The Mirror's Edge
Author: Steven Sidor
ISBN: 0312354134, 9780312354138
Publication: St. Martin's Press, April 1 2008

The Mirror's Edge is fast paced, cut-throat, and immensely entertaining. The narrative is perfectly paced to keep readers engaged, but without the normal stall tactics and switchbacks normally employed to break up the action. Cover-to-cover, this book is pure action.

Don't let all that action fool you - this is a psychological thriller, not just a bunch of action packed nonsense. With every page the mind sinks deeper into the dark underbelly of the human imagination. The settings and characters are so richly detailed that it's easy to forget you're reading a book.

What most impressed me about the novel is Sidor's ability to tackle the tricky subject of satanism in a way that stays one step ahead of cliche but still provides enough mainstream imagery to strike a chord with the reader. This book was frightening in a very tangible way. When the pages are closed and the novel settled back onto the shelf, you will be left with lingering fingers of fear. I guarantee it.

Another thing about this book - I really liked the language. Throughout Mirror's Edge Steven Sidor uses a very sharp clipped style of writing that I felt fit perfectly with the subject matter and the characterization of the narrator. One of my primary problems with writing is that I tend to go overboard. I say too much and in such a convoluted way. I was actually able to learn something from Sidor about paring it down - I can say just as much without it sounding like too much detail. He's able to work in the nuances of a situation without you even realizing that he provided them to you - the way something smells, the taste, etc. This book is really well written, and I cannot wait to read more from this author.

Just for the record - I liked this book so well that for the first time ever, I actually contacted the author to tell him.