Pillar of Darkness

By Dave Duncan

A mysterious adventure awaits nine strangers who venture inside a dangerous region that defies science, in this novel by an award-winning author.

Thirty years ago, a terrifying anomaly known as Sungoback appeared over North Africa. Two hundred miles wide, the mysterious zone manifests as a pillar of darkness during the day and as a pillar of light at night. There is no telling what secrets it holds inside, as it defies science and destroys technology. Entering Sungoback is considered tantamount to suicide since most who do so are never seen again. 

Now, nine strangers are headed to Sungoback. Each has their own motive for risking everything to enter. They should hope they don’t all share the same fate inside . . .

Praise for Dave Duncan 

“For panache, style, and sheer storytelling audacity, Duncan has few peers.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Dave Duncan knows how to spin a ripping good yarn.” —SFReviews.net

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Media
• Release date: Jul 18, 2023
• ISBN: 9781504086035

Dave Duncan

Dave Duncan is an award-winning author whose fantasy trilogy, The Seventh Sword, is considered a sword-and-sorcery classic. His numerous novels include three Tales of the King's Blades -- The Gilded Chain, Lord of the Fire Lands, and Sky of Swords; Paragon Lost, a previous Chronicle of the King’s Blades; Strings, Hero; the popular tetralogies A Man of His Word and A Handful of Men; and the remarkable, critically acclaimed fantasy trilogy The Great Game.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Rita left the funeral early and took a cab to the airport. Rain mixed with snow swirled through streets almost devoid of traffic, but she would not have to put up with that sort of weather for long, perhaps never again. It did delay her, and she was barely in time for her flight. She ran, with her ski bag racing along behind her.

The security droid raised its eyebrows at the ski bag, although the scanners showed that it contained neither skis nor firearms. What it did contain was not forbidden, but it had to be sealed for stowage in the baggage compartment. She was the last passenger to board.

Normally Rita could put herself to sleep on planes even when she was forced to fly sardine class, and she had expected the funeral to provide some closure, but she found the week-long nightmare was not yet willing to release her. She tried reading up on Sungoback, but all she could see was Sarah’s face. Sorrow and guilt haunted her all night, all the way across the Atlantic. She did start to nod as the plane crossed the Spanish coast, but then in no time it was preparing to land in Madrid.

She had a long layover to endure there. She bought light beige-coloured shorts and tops, two of each, in the overpriced airport boutiques, and changed in the restroom of the Higher Flier Lounge, leaving her mourning dress and other discards in full view for the cleaner droids to remove. She ate, not because she wanted to, but because she knew she should.

Again she tried to read up on Sungoback. She ought to know all about it, for she had been born on Sungoback Night. As a child she had been endlessly teased about that. The great financial crash had been all her fault, the others had said. Her arrival had caused the planes and satellites to fall, the stock markets of the world to follow them down, and so on. Now she discovered that there were many things she did not know about it, but she was too tired to take it in.

Even on the flight to Casablanca, sleep eluded her. It was early morning when she landed in Morocco. The immigration officer was human, tall, dark, and sexy. He summed her up swiftly and correctly as a North American business executive, mature but not over the hill, and undoubtedly very wealthy by his standards, but his smile vanished when he saw her one-way ticket.

Purpose of visit?

Sungoback, she said.

Madame is aware that her country has laws against travel to Sungoback?

But yours does not.

He stared at her for a few moments, then shrugged sadly and stamped her passport. He muttered, Bonne Chance, as he returned it.

The customs official demanded to know what was in her ski bag, so she opened it for him. He frowned and said, Sungoback?

Yes.

He disapproved. You know the odds, madame?

Yes.

You are going alone?

I’m hoping to meet my brother there. Which was true so far as it went.

He rolled his eyes at the craziness of Americans, but he let her through. She called the hotel she had booked to confirm that her room was ready, then fell asleep in the cab, which had to shout to waken her. After showering she put on fresh underwear, but the same outer garments she had bought in Madrid.

Even so, the mirror was reasonably reassuring. She was thirty now, no denying it, but well preserved, and a natural blonde. She had avoided the surgeon’s knife so far, and wrinkles were currently the least of her problems. Although she had been starved of sleep for over a week now and was already feeling jet lag, she must waste no time. Malcolm had a ten-day start, which she was determined to make up.

She suspected that Free Time itself owned the hotel, for its office was only two blocks away, so she walked along the bustling sidewalk with her ski bag following at her heels like the periscope of some subterranean submarine. The gaudy loose clothing, the sharp smells of spices, the unfamiliar jabber of tongues—all were bewildering. She was no novice traveller, but her experience of foreign cities was fancy hotels, hasty interviews in office towers, and airports, airports, airports. This swimming through noisy crowds was utterly alien to her.

She came at last to a five-story office block. The entrance reeked of money. A holographic directory board in six or seven languages listed Free Time as being on the top floor, but there was no elevator, which she guessed was a deliberate test of applicants’ physical fitness. She hoisted the ski bag on her shoulder and ran up. She waited at the top to catch her breath, which did not take long, for she had kept in trim: the fancy hotels had always provided gyms.

The door was opaque, with the company name in English, French, Spanish, and Arabic squiggles. No doubt English was placed first because the company specialized in English-speaking clients. There were hundreds of companies in Africa willing to promise safe trips into Sungoback and back; but safety was a relative term, and back even more so.

Rita went in—and almost reversed right out again, repelled by a steamy stink of sweat, ordure, bad meat, and exotic cooking. She was in a rank and derelict hut, whose single window overlooked a junkyard and more tumbledown shanties beyond it, but the pane was fortunately so grimy and obscured by thorns and thistles as to be almost opaque. The only furniture was a pair of battered wooden chairs, each with its own view screen, both badly balanced on a sagging plank floor, while the only decoration was a potpourri of squashed mosquitoes and dead cockroaches. Those were definitely overkill.

A small, brownish man leered at her from one of the chairs. He was bare-chested, white-haired, and ugly, and his teeth were few and yellow. He was a sagging grease blob, with a wrinkle count suggesting he was well into his sixties. Repellent, in short. In the dim light it was impossible to tell if he was human or droid.

Good morning, pretty lady! How may we please you?

As a reception area, this would drive Heather insane; Wrightaway Inc. placed much emphasis on first impressions. Rita’s briefing had warned her that Free Time did, too, in its way. She just wasn’t prepared for anything so extreme.

You could start by excusing this disgusting decor.

He leered again. You no like? You go away.

I thought that might be it. Rita scowled at the second chair, wondering how much of the dirt would soil her shorts. She sat down anyway. I want to go to Sungoback.

Is only reason anyone come here. First you must most carefully read the waiver form. He indicated the screen beside Rita, which now bore a forbiddingly dense text.

Rita liked the look of the form even less than she liked the surroundings. I’ll have to read the contract first, she said.

No contract. We do not sign anything. You do. The waiver must come first.

You expect me to give you a sizable fortune with no legal protection whatsoever? She already knew the answer.

You are protected by our worldwide reputation. He smirked.

Am I? Your reputation is that you kill four fifths of your clients. Why does a huge multinational corporation like yours try to drive away potential customers with a toxic dumpster for an office?

He showed nasty brown teeth in a smile. Questions later, please. When you have read each page most carefully, sign it with your name and the last five digits of your UP code.

I am not required to give more than four digits for adequate identification in any civil transaction.

The little man sighed. American law, is that? I suggest, Rita, that you apply to one of our competitors. Free Time Inc. makes no exceptions to its rules.

This hectoring went beyond any business technique she had ever heard of. It was almost laughable. In any normal transaction she and her ski bag would be out in the street already, but her present urgency to find Malcolm overrode everything. How do you know my name?

Company secret.

Of course either the airline or someone in the airport had told him. It would be easy enough to pinpoint travellers entering the country on one-way tickets from English-speaking countries—all of which forbade their citizens to visit Sungoback. Her motorized ski bag would have made her conspicuous. She wondered if Magic Worlds would be more welcoming, but Free Time had a better reputation than Magic Worlds, and the knowledge of her name did indicate efficiency.

I will sign your form if you will tell me one thing. I am looking for my brother, Malcolm Ravenscroft. I know he came to see you ten days ago. Did he go on to Sungoback?

The gnome shrugged expressively, showing both palms. Confidentiality does not allow answer.

Screw confidentiality!

The lights went out, including the view screens and the supposed sunlight beyond the grimy window.

Ach! Power outage. We get those a lot. It may not last too long.

Rita could hear air conditioning running, and very faint street noises, which had not changed to indicate that traffic lights had failed.

Doesn’t it harm the computers? she asked. How about your recording devices?

Is a pleasure to do business with you, Ms. Wright. How badly do you want to know about Malcolm Laville Ravenscroft?

You mean how much am I willing to pay you to give me an answer that I will have no means of confirming or disproving?

Correct. I could show you pictures when the power comes back on, but pictures can be faked. Give me a few minutes and I will show you him paddling a kayak on Lake Baikal and reading today’s grocery flier.

In cash, of course? All I have on me is four thousand unions.

But think of all my poor children! All my wives! The nasty little slug was enjoying himself, and so, in a perverted way, was she. The set-up was so disgusting it was funny. She didn’t care about money. She just wanted Malcolm.

Five, then?

If that is all you can afford, pretty lady.

She reached in her purse, fumbled out five one- thousand uni coins, and held them out. That ought to feed all his children for a week, assuming he had about six hundred of them. The money was removed from her palm and a second later the lights came on. Either he—it—either it was a droid with infrared vision or he must have some special gadget that let him perform that specific trick: a handheld metal detector, perhaps? Free Time was good at extracting payment, but was it as efficient in delivering the services it promised?

Your brother did check in here on the tenth. Nice, well-spoken gentleman, as I recall, if somewhat on the chubby side for his age. In much of a hurry, he was. He signed the waiver and departed for Xanadu, which is our establishment on the border of Sungoback.

She knew most of that already, because the money had gone from a company bank account that Malcolm should not have been able to access. The detectives had lost track of him right here in this office.

And where is he now?

Who knows? He crossed into Sungoback yesterday morning.

Damn! If she believed that, then Malcolm had actually gone through with it. She was surprised.

The nasty little man’s nasty little fingers fiddled with his view screen, which Rita could not see. The next adventure group is still being assembled, but is filling up quite fast. We provide four days’ orientation, you know.

Even if she skipped the orientation part—and what use was orientation in Sungoback?—she would still be at least two days behind Malcolm. But two was a lot better than ten. She pulled her screen around to her lap and scrawled Rita-73451 with her finger on the bottom of the page; the words appeared on the signature line. She flicked for the next page to come up. It didn’t. She had no doubts that this interview was being filmed, which was why the fake power outage had been staged to hide the bribery.

You must read it, Rita.

I retrieved it from the infoglobe. I read every word of it very carefully, she lied. It seems to cover everything imaginable. I must consent to being gang raped, barbecued alive, and served on toast for appetizers.

Such is our intention. Very well, on that understanding, proceed. On the last page you must also fill in your reason for wishing to journey into the Warp.

That is my business.

Is also ours. No exceptions.

Although she had heard about this treatment and expected it, she was finding it absurdly hard not lose her temper. The second page did appear, and all the others to the final, the eleventh, page where she filled in her Reason for Visit with Search for missing relative. The display vanished.

And next the first instalment of the fee, which is, as I am sure you know, non-refundable.

First tell me why Free Time’s reception room is a midden and you are such a horrid little asshole.

He—or it—smiled to show gutter teeth again. Many of our clients, Rita, suffer a failure of nerve at the last moment and turn back instead of entering Sungoback. That is bad publicity for us. Others simply want a vacation in the world’s most luxurious resort. Both types waste our time and resources, so our fees are both excessive and non-refundable. If these surroundings oppress you, then I assure you that conditions in Sungoback will be much, much worse. I suggest you forget it and leave now.

She was tempted. There were other people- smugglers who would charge a lot less, but Sungoback was enormous and she needed to enter through Free Time’s own access point to have any chance of catching up with Malcolm. Magic Worlds’ establishment was the closest to Free Time’s, but even that was more than twenty miles away.

Or is it just that what you do is illegal and you have to cover yourselves against accusations of soliciting?

"Clever girl! This is a test of dedication. No one can ever accuse us of encouraging people to use the services we provide. We try always to discourage. Your own government has laws forbidding its citizens to deal with us, so you, too, are acting in a criminal fashion. I warn you now, although I am not supposed to, that as soon as you have paid the first instalment of the fee, you must undergo a detailed identity inspection, including finger prints, retina pattern, dental X-rays, and DNA sample."

What on earth for? Isn’t my money enough?

Of course not. This information will be fed into the infoglobe. If you are named in a warrant issued by any authority in the world, then you will be arrested, deported, and lose your deposit. He chuckled.

But the briefing she had struggled to read on the plane had warned her that this was one way Free Time and others like it managed to survive the international outrage against the death toll among their clients. They were merchants of death, but they were also flypaper for criminals on the run. Interpol and others like it relied on Free Time to catch the big ones."

Do you manage to collect often?

More often than you would think, Rita. Crooks are stupid, by and large. Often we can claim rewards as well. Although the take does not provide a major portion of our revenues, it is still a substantial amount. The deposit, if you please.

She connected to the infoglobe and transferred U100,000 to Free Time Inc. The little man nodded in satisfaction as the deposit registered.

Thank you. Rita, I am required to ask you now if you understand that eight out of every ten of our clients to enter Sungoback never return?

Eighty-two point five percent.

Quite. Most of them are certainly dead, so your chances of tracking down your brother are infinitesimal. That completes the formalities. If you would be so kind as to step through that door there, the identity inspectors will process you through the next stage.

He rose and offered a hand with black-rimmed nails.

Rita ignored it and departed, closely followed by her ski bag.

The clinic on the other side of the door was starkly hygienic and impeccably professional, a contrast so great that it could have been located on another star. No dust or germ had ever set foot near these white-plastic machines.

The woman who advanced to meet her was young and lovely, and might have just escaped from some fashion magazine, had she not been wearing medical white. Her smile and handshake were both convincing—meaning well taught and well practiced—but no amount of skill could stop Rita believing that she was a player on a stage set, processing clients like a machine skinning chickens.

Droids were not allowed to have eyes as human as those.

Rita! Welcome to Free Time Inc. I am Sharmila. I am required to run a few medical tests on you, and also to vaccinate you against some African diseases. It will only take a minute. If you would be so good as to come this way?

Rita had no choice if she wanted to get anything back for the fortune she had just handed over, so she submitted to a series of jabs and ray scans. They took longer than a minute, but not much longer.

After that, Sharmila led her to the next door and along a corridor of many doors to exactly the sort of grandiose executive corner office one would expect to find in a multi-trillion dollar corporation. One window wall looked out on the Atlas Mountains, and the other down on the blue Atlantic, but the views were undoubtedly projections. The decor emphasized the current soft look, which Rita detested, with the walls cushioned, and everything toned in rose and chartreuse, today’s modish colours. The carpet needed mowing. Nothing as mundane as a desk was in sight anywhere, only seductive chairs and arty coffee tables. Nothing hinted at anything as indelicate as work, not a single screen. All communication would be by neural resonance.

Do sit down, Rita, please. I am required to make one last attempt to talk you out of this while we wait for the lab results. Can I offer you something? Coffee? Tea?

Rita sank into a chair. The ski bag took up position beside it like a bodyguard.

Sharmila smiled at it, balanced on its single wheel and taller than she was. You surely don’t expect to find a ski resort in Sungoback?

I expect to find much stranger things. No refreshment, thanks.

But bows and arrows? You’re an archer?

I used to be. I realize that the steel and fibreglass bows won’t survive very long where I am going, but the yew and braided horsehair one should.

Zone Seven or Eight. Sharmila flashed the professional smile again. "But if you’re skilled enough, it may keep you in food until you get that far. You do realize that you can’t just walk into Sungoback, take a photo or two, then walk out again? Or at least you can’t count on walking out again. Some people have done it."

Yes. But my brother’s idea of exercise is strenuously mixing martinis while watching a football game from the living room couch. He won’t go very far in. He’s not a natural outdoor type at all.

And you are? Being vice-president of a company with several hundred thousand employees doesn’t sound like a rugged mountain-man type of existence.

How much of this must Rita put up with? "You’d be surprised. I’m a very keen bird-watcher. Any time I can grab a day or two away from my job, I head out to the

Reviews for Pillar of Darkness

[helsky · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The premise of this book is so interesting. An area in Africa suddenly appeared thirty years ago that challenges the laws of physics, and no one knows how or why. And surely people have set up a profitable business around it. There are people who want to go to Sungoback, and one and all have their own reasons for going.The book starts slowly. The characters are introduced and they spend some time in Xanadu, a luxury resort, before their journey. The journey itself seems very brief compared to the preparations. The travelers find out the secret of Sungoback in the end. The ending was very rushed. It felt like a rug had been pulled under my feet.The author died before the publication of this book. That might explain why this book did not reach it's full potential.Thank you LibraryThing and Five Rivers Publishing for a copy of this book.

[ronploude · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Who among us would willingly enter a forbidden zone from which only a small percentage of people return? Driven by anger and a need for vengeance, the main character of the Pillar of Darkness, Rita Wright, decides to overcome all obstacles to do just that. While incurring a considerable expense for entry into an alien created area is no matter for Rita as she is unfathomably rich, finding trusted allies to help her is more difficult. She must convince a human trafficker to facilitate her entry. He is reticent as he fears being ruined by a probable liability action from her family if she doesn’t return. Moving forward, Rita learns more about herself and, at one point, even wonders if the search for vengeance is enough to justify what she continues to go through. After all, with her wealth, she could have hired someone to take on the physical hardships that she’s enduring on her quest. Moving ahead with a team of like-minded but desperate people, she enters the forbidden zone.The story is about discovery and overcoming obstacles. It’s also about giving up everything of worth in order to discover and experience the challenge of pioneering a new world. This book captivated me with the interaction between the principal characters and with its ever-present mystery.The book’s pace was moderate and I liked the interplay between the characters. Their discourse helped to both develop the characters and to further the story. This book is a quick read that will satisfy anyone with a love of sci-fi and mystery.

[fencingcellist · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have enjoyed every book I've read by Dave Duncan, and this is no exception. A physics-defying, moving, geographical area called Sungoback appeared in Africa 30 years ago. Modern technology drops off as one travels into it, losing levels of technology in a zone system, so that by the time one is deep into it, even modern textiles fall apart.People enter this region for different reasons, usually on an all or nothing basis. Why would you go there? The characters in an expedition each have different reasons. The main character, Rita, goes there to find a family member. Her full agenda is revealed as you progress through the book. Her companions seek God, a peaceful death, escape from the law, a new beginning, revenge, and a Nobel Prize in physics. The first half of the book takes place at a resort on the edge of of Sungoback and introduces the characters and the properties - as much as they are known - of Sungoback. The second half takes place within Sungoback, and this is where it becomes difficult to stop reading.The diverse characters and their reactions to this unknown region make this an excellent book for a group discussion. Even readers who do not usually read science fiction will likely find much food for thought in this novel.However, I did feel the absence of Dave Duncan himself in this final version of the book. I was so sad to hear of his death last year but thrilled to see this book of his published posthumously. However, as other reviewers have mentioned, I felt his absence in the final process of preparing the manuscript for the public. There are editing errors in naming the characters, which makes the book confusing at times. Once the reader realizes this, it is easy enough to determine which character has been misnamed, but this could have easily been fixed by an editor. I feel certain that Duncan himself would have made sure this had not happened. Also, I felt at times that the characters could have been fleshed out more, particularly their ideas about Sungoback. The biggest gap I felt was in the character of Mrs. Davenport, who enters Sungoback for religious reasons. Spoiler: We later find out that she is also a physicist, or at least a former physics teacher who knows more than most of the other characters about the possible scientific explanations for the laws of physics as they exist in Sungoback. However, the theme of science vs. religion - or science with religion - within this character is presented and then dropped. I wanted to know more.I enjoyed reading this book but was greatly disappointed in the ending - both its abruptness and its lack of detail. A new theory is introduced at the very end - with no explanation and nothing to prepare us for it. It is not a bad ending, it just feels unfinished in terms of the transition into it, and the final wrap up of the book. This is where I felt the absence of Duncan in the final editing and possibly writing process. I do not know how much of the book he had completed before his death. I am thrilled to get to read another book by him, but I wish he had been here to finish this book. (I wish he were here to write more books!)I highly recommend this book for Dave Duncan fans, in spite of the few flaws in the book. I hope that another edition will be made to correct the names, if not to improve upon the ending.

[tinac1_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed Pillar of Darkness and was disappointed when it finished, I felt i could have read on longer, having more of the pillar world to be explored. The ending didn’t make clear to me (spoiler coming up), why they pilgrims could not have returned from the Pillar world, and weirdly all the characters at the end of the story didn’t debate what they should do for any length of time whatsoever. The narrative had Interesting concepts, mystery and intrigue which I felt could have been fleshed out a little more for a more satisfying experience. Some name glitches interrupted the flow of the story - Alexis/Andrei, Kizmet/Kermit, and one other which I now forget.

[lyndainoregon · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Disclaimer: An electronic copy of this book was provided in exchange for review by publishers Five Rivers Publishing, via Library Thing.‘Pillar of Darkness’ is the final book published by author David Duncan, who passed away in 2018 after a prolific career that produced more than 50 books, many in the science-fiction / fantasy genre. It’s easy to see the hand of an experienced and skillful writer here, particularly in the basic concept.The action revolves around a group of people, each determined to enter and explore a mysterious region of Africa, where the titular pillar appeared 30 years previously. Called “Sungoback” by the displaced original inhabitants of the area, time and space seem to warp out of reality and the sun reportedly moves backwards at times. Theories abound, including one that “anyone who can reach the center of Sungoback will be able to control the world [and] that time stops altogether at [its] center”. Technologies also fail as one traverses the region, with different levels failing at different points. And, oh – 80 percent of the adventure-seeking tourists who enter it never come back.Despite, or perhaps because of this danger, a massive tourism industry has built up around Sungoback, with truly staggering sums being paid to visit. The pre-eminent gateway is the fabulously expensive Xanadu, which is kind of a Fantasy Island on steroids, and it is here that the main characters gather:•Rita Wright wants to find her brother;•Self-defined adrenalin junkie Andrei Swagman is seeking the ultimate adventure; •Media stars Pele and Pilar want circumnavigate the boundary to film a 3-hour miniseries;•Physics wunderkind Dr. Prabhakara Tilak, wants to study the phenomenon to determine how and why it utterly shattered humanity’s understanding of matter and energy; and•Jibril el Kibr doesn’t particularly want to be there at all, but he also doesn’t want to disobey his father who is dealing with a revolution in some unnamed Middle Eastern country.Not all these folks are who or what they seem, and the careful unfolding of their story, set against the background of Xandu and, later, Sungoback itself, forms the backbone of the novel.That’s the good stuff, and it’s an enjoyable read overall.Now we come to the parts that led this reviewer to drop the rating from four stars to a strong three. There are a few pesky typos (admittedly, a pet peeve and something that may not bother most readers), but they are glaringly obvious and should be cleaned up. More problematic is the ending, which feels a bit rushed and may even be considered anti-climatic as some goals are reached, others abandoned, and the secret of Sungoback is ultimately revealed. One cannot help but wonder if Duncan left a semi-completed manuscript with the last quarter roughly sketched in, and his literary heirs chose to publish it as he left it rather than to find a collaborator who could apply the fine polish this work deserves

[landwaster_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Dave Duncan died before "Pillar of Darkness" was published. He was a respected, award-winning genre author whose work I have only sampled. This isn't his best work: the pacing is distractingly odd, spending half the text one what amounts to a prologue and rushing through the main narrative. The characters are explored only enough to make you wish to know them more.However, the writing is solid and the premise is fascinating. It's well-executed, although badly in need of proofreading - three separate times I noticed a single incorrect word completely changing a sentence, in one case reversing the meaning and in the other two substituting the wrong character's name, requiring some deciphering to figure out who was meant. It made me wonder how many other minor mistakes changed the author's intent in ways that weren't glaring enough to notice.I'm glad to have had the chance to read this enjoyable work by an author I like, but I'll reach for other works as examples of his quality.