Science Fiction
About 19% into Conflict With Shadows and it’s already making a very bold choice: no hanging around before the central threat shows up.
That can be good. The atmosphere gets going quickly, and there’s no faffing about. But I’m not sure yet whether it’s helping the tension or sanding off some of the unease that a slower build might have earned. Fast-paced books sometimes confuse momentum with pressure. Not always, but often enough to be annoying.
Still, it’s got my attention. I’m curious whether it keeps that pace without turning into a sprint in a trench coat.
That can be good. The atmosphere gets going quickly, and there’s no faffing about. But I’m not sure yet whether it’s helping the tension or sanding off some of the unease that a slower build might have earned. Fast-paced books sometimes confuse momentum with pressure. Not always, but often enough to be annoying.
Still, it’s got my attention. I’m curious whether it keeps that pace without turning into a sprint in a trench coat.
A quick opening can work if the book gives you something else to hold onto, usually voice or texture. Without that, the pace just becomes noise. “Invading darkness” sounds like the kind of premise that ought to lean hard on atmosphere, so I’d be watching whether it leaves any room for dread, or just keeps pushing events forward.