Reviewer Sharon Brunner
Joshua Veith’s Dark Straits (Sudden Quiet: Book II) offered a haunting view of survival while various groups battle for regional control. The outbreak of deadly diseases led to the collapse of societal law and order. The various groups involved in the story were Rangers, Indigenous, Eco-elves, and Virals. The Virals referred to themselves as “the chosen.” They were carriers of a deadly disease and were extremely violent and overly sexual. This group captured the hidden inhabitants and either made them slaves, tortured them, killed them or converted them. The Rangers arrested them; the Eco-elves eliminated them. The Eco-elves were referred to as the Naturals and did not use modern weapons, they expertly used bows and arrows. Native Americans provided mystical and natural elements to protect and repair individuals and environments. The book took place at Charlevoix, Kalamazoo, Beaver Island, the Straits and St. Ignace. North of the Mackinac bridge was called the Free North which reminded me of the slave days in which the slaves had to escape and travel north to find safety. All the locations were located in Michigan and St. Ignace and the Straits were part of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (U.P.). Veith’s scenarios resemble the distant past and current times in which disputes over territory served as the common reminder of how countries were formed and battles were fought between good and evil forces. Similar to what has been happening between Russia and Ukraine. The world did face a deadly disease called Covid-19, the main disease in the book was called Covee. It was an apocalyptic story with some truth behind it and there may have been a connection to the political climate in the U.S. and other parts of the world.
One theme that presented itself throughout the book was loyalty. Miin and Mukwa, characters with indigenous roots, expressed devotion to their foster parent, Samantha. When they traveled to the Naturals community, one worked as an instructor and the other as a sentinel. They fell in line with the community’s expectations. Liz, a Viral leader, had a dedicated following. No one questioned her authority. Another theme that surfaced was revenge. When some of the Virals were discovered dead, they would stop at nothing to avenge their deaths. Nighthawk, an Eco-elf, took great steps to rescue her peers. She injured Rangers and abducted a Viral.
I found some of the book related to me personally. I am a Native American who has participated in mystical circumstances such as sweat lodge ceremonies and vision quests. Both ceremonies brought me closer to the spirit world. Animals carry great importance, and I believe we can learn from them. The four leggeds assisted the indigenous with protecting the Free North. I am a tree hugger. I believe trees have powers and they remove carbon from the air. Miin worked with trees and provided instruction to others so they could do the same. My husband and I do a lot to protect the environment by recycling, planting our own vegetable garden, and composting. We have to protect “Mother Earth.”
Beaver Island was mentioned a lot in the book and the book King of Beaver Island: The Life and Assassination of James Jesse Strang came to mind when reading this book. In 1850 Strang was crowned the king of Beaver Island, located in Lake Michigan and near Charlevoix. He was cunning and took advantage of his authority. Strang became a ruthless ruler who made himself and his flowers a force to be feared. The Virals served as a force to be feared. They were also ruthless. The 2007 movie “I am Legend” starring Will Smith was an apocalyptic movie in which years after a plague kills most of humanity and transforms the rest into monsters. Smith’s character was a sole survivor in New York City and he tries to find a cure. Dr. Chow in the book thought he was getting close to finding a cure for the Virals.
I did like the symbols displayed at the beginning of the chapters. It prepared me for who was being featured in each chapter. Places such as the bridge in Charlevoix was something I knew about. I have traveled on the bridge on countless occasions when I was going to Traverse City. Of all the characters in the book, I especially liked the following characters: Autumn and her son, Miin, Mukwa and Samantha. As mentioned earlier, I am a Native American, so I was drawn to those characters. I thought when introducing Anishanaabemowin words in the narrative, there needed to be a better description. I speak part of the Anishanaabemowin language but not everyone was going to know what Nokomis stood for or other words. My suggestion could be the addition of a list of words and their meaning in an appendix or better description in the narrative.
I recommend Dark Straits for its intense life and death circumstances, because of its adversaries based on evil intent, its heroic and determined characters and its powerful mystical and natural elements. Veith staged a battle on the Mackinac Bridge in which the Virals fought the Rangers and Naturals. It appeared that the Virals held their own and had powerful weapons. They were not completely obliterated and some ran off. I can see that Veith has fodder for a third book in the series. Line 5, which has served as a major source of contention, fell under a possible attack by the Virals. Line 5 has been an antiquated pipeline that rests at the bottom of Lake Huron and it is still a source of worry for many people. The Virals wanted to completely contaminate Lake Huron. The book was definitely a page turner. Liz and the Cowboy played devious roles as rulers of the Virals. Those poor individuals who served as slaves, or were tortured. The convicts also served as a destructive and violent force. Veith did a good job of creating characters who were easily despised. Mukwa and Nighthawk served as fearless warriors who fought valiantly against the Virals. An interesting side bar was Veith’s introduction to Panzer Pharmaceuticals who funded the Virals’ organization. Pharmaceutical companies have served as a source of contention in the United States. Veith brought to life what could happen if the world faced massive devastation as a result of deadly diseases and if some of the people became monsters to be feared.
Title: Dark Straits
Author: Joshua Veith
Thank you Sharon Brunner for the time and effort you put into reading and reviewing my novel (the 2nd of the trilogy). I’m a history teacher in Traverse City and I’m glad you appreciated the research I put into various scenes. Also, your favorite characters are mine too!
I’m honored to be featured in the UP Book Review, miigwech!