EVER THE NIGHT ROAD is the story of Dagny, a poor girl taken in by a prosperous family after her tenement home is washed away in a flood. Dagny lives in a futuristic Dark Age; the Regime of Man has long passed, leaving only relics and remnants reclaimed by nature. But, while the world has devolved technologically, a subtle type of magic has returned. The world is again filled with exotic and unexplored places, superstitions, and spirit guides.
Dagny and her friends consider themselves “adventurers,” searching through the relics of a long, dead world for prophecies of the future. After Dagny rescues a lost child, she’s given clues that lead her on a far more personal quest: the search for her long-lost sister, Gretchen. For years, Dagny believed her younger sister had died in the tenement flood. But Gretchen lives, though she has fallen in with a band of ruffians in a bad part of town. Dagny vows to rescue her. But Gretchen is quite capable of taking care of herself. How did Dagny’s little sister become so street-wise and book-smart? Why does she seem older and more mature than Dagny? Who is rescuing who?
Hats off to author Michael Breen for continuing Dagny and Gretchen’s story beyond the limits of a traditional rescue tale. Missing years and vastly different life experiences threaten to break the childhood bond between the sisters, leading to a family drama that is as riveting as the novel’s swashbuckling premise. Breen handles both styles with skill; the action is suspenseful, and the love scenes are tender. Breen subtly builds the world of EVER THE NIGHT ROAD, revealing hints of what once was: a patch of asphalt roadway peeking out from dirt and weeds, crumbled church steeples, and decayed buildings overrun by an untamed forest.
Breen packs a lot into his novel. As a fantasy thriller, EVER THE NIGHT ROAD has an Indiana Jones vibe combined with the “lawless frontier” themes of a good Zane Grey western. There’s a sense of a supernatural hand guiding Dagny toward reuniting with her sister. But Breen elevates these genre elements by successfully incorporating moments of sibling rivalry, budding romance, and the grit of human relationships. One of the novel’s most powerful scenes features Dagny’s new friends correctly calling her out for being a selfish manipulator. Dagny’s a hero but far from flawless. She’s also prone to childish temper tantrums. Dagny’s got a lot to learn, and she’ll likely get her chance. EVER THE NIGHT ROAD feels like a series starter, and Breen gets things off on the right foot.
EVER THE NIGHT ROAD by Michael Breen is a fantastic adventure tale filled with believable characters, striking imagery, and enlightening allegory. An excellent read for fans of character-driven, coming-of-age fantasy.
~Rob Errera for IndieReader