2015 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention: Blue on Black by Carole Cummings

[reviews_and_ramblings]

Blue on Black by Carole Cummings
Gay Fantasy
Paperback: 380 pages
Publisher: DSP Publications (June 16, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1632169495
ISBN-13: 978-1632169495
Amazon: Blue on Black
Amazon Kindle: Blue on Black

Kimolijah Adani―Class 2 gridTech, beloved brother, most promising student the Academy's ever had the privilege of calling their own, genius mechanical gridstream engineer, brilliantly pioneering inventor... and dead man. But that's what happens when a whiz kid messes with dynamic crystals and, apparently, comes to the attention of Baron Petra Stanslo. Killed for his revolutionary designs, Kimolijah Adani had been set to change the world with his impossible train that runs on nothing more than gridstream locked in a crystal. Technically it shouldn't even be possible, but there is no doubt it works.

Bas is convinced the notoriously covetous and corrupt Stanslo had something to do with Kimolijah Adani's tragic and suspicious end. A Directorate Tracker, Bas has finally managed to catch the scent of Kimolijah Adani's killer, and it leads right into Stanslo's little desert barony. For almost three years, Bas has tried to find a way into Stanslo's Bridge, and when he finally makes it, shock is too small a word for what―or, rather, whom―he finds there.


Very gritty world, and the author did a good job describing it without going into all sorts of exposition. The love interest has to be one of the oddest ones I’ve seen in a book, and very refreshing to see a new take on something like that. The author used a lot of customized terms and concepts for the magic/technology system, sometimes without enough explanation as to what a term actually means. The slow build of the plot and the one-side attraction keep the reader interested. The fact that the protagonist was interested in men and not women was secondary to the actual plot, and handled very well. The story dose suffer from the “build drama because the characters just tell each other things” trope. Overall really enjoyed it.

I am absolutely over the moon about this book. It starts out right in the middle of the action and fills in gaps expertly as we go along. The voice of Bas is really crisp and distinct, and the writing style and narration is simply phenomenal. I highly recommend this book and just love the way it unfolded.

The writing and plot and characters were superb, and the novel strikes some familiar vibes, à la Steven King's "Dark Tower" series, in that it's a bit steampunk, a bit horror, and a bit psychological thriller. There's also an element of fantastic realism, or magic.