Book Review & Author Interview: Dark Worlds- Project 31 by Zack Daggy

About Zack Daggy

Zack "The Mothman" Daggy is is an Internet DJ and new media entrepreneur of wide acclaim and a cult fan base. A self-professed workaholic, Zack is the host and creator of a number of original programs including The Mothpod, The Shameless Plugcast, To The Flame, and producer of The Pod 5. Born in 1985 with a rare genetic disorder, Zack's boundless energy and irrepressible imagination lead him to create fantastic worlds of suspense and horror, always shot through with humor. He wrote his first story at age seven, and has been nominated for The People's Choice Podcast Awards. Zack lives in Indianapolis and can be visited at www.zackdaggy.com. Links: Mothpod Productions Dark World's Trilogy Website Zack Daggy's Myspace Follow Zack Daggy on Twitter

Review of Dark Worlds: Project 31

Title: Dark Worlds- Project 31 

Author: Zack Daggy 

Genre: Fiction - Horror 

Finished: May 13, 2009

Zack Daggy's Dark Worlds: Project 31 is book one in what is to be a three part horror series. In Project 31, nightmares become real in the city of Careview as demons use the earth as a personal battleground and take over humans to act as fleshly vessels to give them and their shades physical forms. Because of a drug, a form of heroin called Shadow, humans are more susceptible to possession by a shade. And because demon lords are too strong to step into earth as they are, they must seek out a body to use to enter earth. In 1977, an attempt to give a demon bodily form to destroy it ended in disaster and began a chain of events that culminate in 2008 when ancestors are faced with stopping the rising of a powerful demon named Cervenoko, who has unleashed her shades to aid in her rise to power. Involved in this is Jimmy, the product of a family secret and an ex-alcoholic medical worker who watched his mother get killed by shades as a child. Then there is Lilly, who works in a diner and has special powers. Also important is Casey, an older man who has psychic powers that he tries to use for good-- in his own way. Of course, we can't forget Allison, the serial killer of serial killers who sells Shadow on the side. Each one of them has a connection to the events of 1977 and must "return" to the moment to try to stop the rise of Cervenoko. At least, that's what some of them think is going to happen.

The thing that sticks out the most about this book is how much it reads like a movie script. The dialogue, the descriptions, and the actions sequences all have the style of a script. There were times when reading that I would stop and think how that scene would play out if I were watching it on a screen. Someone needs to alert Fangoria or Rue Morgue now. Project 31 doesn't have a lot of in-depth and overly completely internal dialogue and reflection, at least none done in such a way that it couldn't be portrayed visually. I really do think that this book would be perfect for film adaptation, and without a lot of reworking and editing of the plot to get the film elements right. In fact, I think some of it would be better were it a visual and not words. Some of the descriptions about bodies splitting open and becoming strange creatures would work better on the screen, definitely. Project 31 is a fast paced and nightmarish book, playing with themes of humanity, the human soul and conscience, and the lengths people will go to get what they want. It's about human weakness and our natural fallibility, as well as the evil that is in some people. Project 31 full of action and suspense, with a few twist and turns along the way. The details of the past are revealed slowly, so the tension builds behind a wall of unfurling mystery, only to explode into a climactic ending rather than a steady uncoil.

Watch the trailer for Dark Worlds: Project 31

Interview with Zack Daggy

Q: What's your favorite iPod track this week?

A: Pony by Far. It's a great indie track with awesome hooks, and just the right amount of dirtyness to the lyrics.

Q: What is your guilty pleasure band?

A: Nickelback. A LOT of my friends think that bands like Nickelback are what's wrong with the music industry, but I can't help but dig their tracks.

Q: What is your favorite movie?

A: The Usual Suspects is the best movie ever made. Nuff said.

Q: What's the last meal you would eat if you were on death row?

A: A bowl of my mom's homemade beef and barley soup. I could eat it for lunch and dinner every day and still not get sick of it.

Q: Have you read any great books lately?

A: The last great book I read was Wicked Game by Jeri Smith-Ready. It's about a radio station run by vampires. Think Buffy The Vampire Slayer but with con artists, a passion for music, and a lot more vampire sex.

Q: What gets you up in the morning?

A: Mostly caffeine and a constant craving to create something new. Honestly I don't know which addiction is worse.

Q: What's the weirdest thing that's ever happened to you?

A: As a child (like 4 or 5 years old) I used to see and talk to my Great Grandfather who I had never met since he had died before I was born. I used to tell my parents of the things that he'd say, and they were always shocked by the accuracy and detail of the information that I shouldn't have had any means of knowing... And people wonder why I write the genre that I do.

Q: What's the most expensive thing you've ever bought?

A: That would have to be my computer. It's a Mac Pro, but since I do a lot of audio/video work it's pretty pimped out. It's got three 750GB Harddrives, 8GB of ram, two Quad Processors, a 30 inch screen, etc.

Q: What's the most indulgent thing you've ever done?

A: Had a theme song made about me. Now let me explain. See, I host an independent music program called the Mothpod and I needed something special for it's one year anniversary episode, and it just so happens that one of the artists I had featured (now a friend of mine) makes custom jingles/songs. It was a perfectly logistical PR move, so that's why I had it made... Has nothing to do with the fact that I'm a shameless bastard.

Q: Can you share with me a favorite quote?

A: I forget who exactly said it and the exact phrasing, but... "The world becomes much more sane if one is to assume that everyone is at least a little bit crazy."