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It is the 1960s and the charismatic and cunning Spenser Mallon is a campus guru, attracting the devotion and demanding sexual favours of his young acolytes. After he invites his most fervent followers to attend a secret ritual in a local meadow, the only thing that remains is a gruesomely dismembered body - and the shattered souls of all who were present. Years later, one man attempts to understand what happened to his wife and his friends by writing a book about this horrible night, and it's through this process that they begin to examine the unspeakable events that have bound them in ways they cannot fathom, but that have haunted every one of them throughout their lives. As each of the old friends tries to come to grips with the darkness of the past, they find themselves face to face with the evil triggered so many years earlier...
I just finished reading the extended version (The Skylark) of the standard published edition, which I had read about a month ago. Unless you're a total die-hard fan, the standard publication is the one I would recommend, especially at the price. Straub mentioned that 'Skylark' is a bigger, soggier, messier earlier draft. Comparing the two side to side is an absolutely fascinating look at the editing process as performed by a master. I thoroughly enjoyed Skylark, but it is a soggy mess, repetitive in parts, and probably the single most important omission from the final version is Keith Hayward's back story. The fact that this back story is available as the novalla 'A Special Place' limits the appeal of the extended version.Dark Matter is so vividly real and brilliantly paced, that it just sort of kind of 'unspooled' like a movie for me.I've noticed that a surprising number of reviewers didn't like or understand this book. I've think that's at least partially due to the subject matter: 60s teen culture, guru-disciple relationships, and also the multiple semi-reliable narrators. The narrative is complex, and Straub is pretty philosophical. I've enjoyed some Stephen King, but this is a whole greater order of magnitude of depth and maturity.
