I
recently read my fourth book by Storm Constantine.
Thin Air is a title which describes exactly the story
between the covers.
It is loosely based on a rock
star by the name of Richey Edwards, who was a guitarist and
lyricist for the band Manic Street Preachers. He went missing
on the first of February 1995 and has not been seen since. Although
speculation abounds and sightings of him have been reported, the
truth has not been determined.
So Storm wrote this story, published in 1999. The main character,
Dex, is based on Edwards. He is a famous rock star with emotional
problems, a bad temper and lots of money. His fans love him, his
record company love him and, it seems, so does everyone else.
Then there's Jay, the reporter whose job is to review music and
write a column in newspapers. She thinks very little of the music
she listens to and has a very cold attitude towards rock and pop
stars.
When Dex and Jay meet at a party, they are surprised to find
they fall in love. Dex is perfect when he's around Jay, always
polite and kind, but when she's away, he becomes a drinking, swearing
rogue.
Jay travels with him for a while, but then has to return home
to do her work. Suddenly she gets a message from one of her friends
that Dex is missing. This is normal for Dex, disappearing for
days on end, but when he doesn't show up or call her, she gets
worried.
A
few years on, Jay has erased as much of Dex as she can, and now
has a new boyfriend. But then the sightings of Dex increase and
suddenly there is a rumour going around he was seen in the town.
With her.
Suddenly, the record company is desperate to find him and Jay
is threatened. Where is the mystery final tape, the last album
Dex was working on before he disappeared and why is it so important
to the strange cabal of powerful men who run the business that
it be found? Jay finds herself in the situation of having to investigate
the man she loved and to dig into his past -- a past she discovers
she knew nothing about.
This is where I stop and let you read the rest for yourself.
The story is about disappearing into a dream world. It's about
those citizens who, as the forgotten victims of the media, fall
between the cracks in our society. Like Dex.
I do recommend this story for Storm fans and for basic mystery
fans. It is a good read and has a lot of depth to it. I'm highly
impressed by this haunting tale.
Brilliant
book, a must read!
About the Author:
DragonStar lives in Australia. She's related to another big Wraeththu fan
-- up to you to guess who. You can reach her at at thedarkvoice@hotmail.com.
