If asked by friends about the book, you will almost certainly describe it as a werewolf story. And even as this statement rings true Š—ê yes, this is a lycan tale, and yes, the boy does kiss the girl Š—ê you will feel this description is not quite right, and does not fully paint the world created in Red Moon, a second novel by Benjamin Percy.
Red Moon is the story of an alternate world, and, while not set in the future per se, it is a dystopia of sorts, and re-imagines the polarizing elements society has begun to cling to increasingly. Through the lives of inter-related characters, Percy examines an eerily similar America as tensions between non-Lycan and Lycan (werewolf) citizens come to a head.
The novel is careful to balance real world elements and pop culture against the alternate landscape presented. It incorporates historical moments such as the Chicago riots, and uses them as a backdrop for not only civil-rights but the Lycan-rights movement as well. Percy relies on elements of Jim Crow, the AIDS epidemic, homeland terrorism, soldier occupation, pivotal events effecting laws and cloaked hypocrisy to spin his tale. He avoids being preachy and refrains from judging his characters in this confused place.
As the story opens, a dramatic act of lycan terrorism plays out onboard a commercial airline flight, leaving only a sole passenger survivor, Patrick, alive in the wake of gruesome horror. Percy’s heroes like Patrick, the new guy, and Claire, the student, are underdogs. They feel pain, and fear, and at times panic and run off into adventure, giving the long story (and it is a beast at 500-plus pages) a great burst of momentum. His villains are measured and idealistic, like the Bradburian “Tall Man,” or the shadowy Balor. They believe their actions carry purpose, and, as so, they are empowered to commit great spectacles of horror. Percy does not hesitate to follow through in these moments of blood spilling. The world of Red Moon can be gray at times, and readers may find themselves with conflicting allegiances.
Red Moon is neither pure fantasy nor a glossy political allegory. Readers can tell Percy’s scientific fantasy is researched and reasoned, and written with passionate detail. He describes periodic tables and pathogen histories Š—ê not convenient magic or weak plot devices. When we are presented with soldiers in the heat of action, their movements and dialogue feel realistic and exact, just as real as when he describes the body of a semi-truck, a system of underground caves, or any number of the tiny aspects and characters filling this epic tale.
The novel is substance-filled, and takes readers on a ride through society’s current condition Š—ê the likes of Orwell previous. It magnifies our fears and struggles to cope with partisan gaps and mechanisms so much larger than ourselves. It explores the desperate need for human connection in the midst of absolute tragedy, and it shines a light on the primal darkness possibly hiding within all of us.
Red Moon is a dark novel full of many shades of beasts. It pays homage to classic horror and adventure, all-the-while maintaining depths of meaning and relevance. It will make readers look at and examine the messy world around them. And maybe it is about time we should.