The Eye That Blinds
B.E. Scully
DarkFuse
March 17, 2015
Reviewed by Tim Potter
B.E. Scully’s DarkFuse release The Eye That Blinds is an interesting, if unfocused, glimpse into the horrors of the social media age. Three friends navigate post-college life and the beginnings of adulthood by drifting deeper and deeper into lives dominated by online activities. There are some great ideas at play here, but there isn’t enough time to explore most of them or get to know the characters involved.
The novella begins strong, detailing the life of Ross Devlin, a late-twenties man desperate to achieve some level of fame and fortune. As his girlfriend leaves him and he loses his job he becomes obsessed with reality TV shows and getting on one. He even creates an online persona, “Mad Dog”, to be more edgy and interesting that plain old Ross. His big break comes when when he is approached by “The Eye”, a show that will film him through hidden cameras in his apartment and clandestine cameras following his everywhere else. The show send his messages, tasks to complete, and he must follow through with them, without regard to how humiliating they may be, to win the ultimate prize of two million dollars and his own Tv show. As the tasks become more absurd, Ross becomes more and more detached from reality and slips further into madness.
Brooke Merrill is Ross’s ex-girlfriend who has retreated into cyberspace following their breakup and unwanted news from her doctor. Her retreat from reality makes her especially vulnerable to Tyler Wickett, their friend from college, who is obsessively following her every move online. Tyler has been in love with Brooke since meeting her many years before and he plans to take advantage of her breakup with Ross and become the man in her life. The characters are interesting, and considering the economy of words that went into the story, fairly well realized.
The other characters are two investigating detectives and the manager of the building where Ross lives. Too much time is spent is spent with these characters. They don’t have any real effect on the greater plot and the time spent with them would have been much better spent furthering the arcs of the three main characters.
The book’s biggest weakness is in the lack of specific focus and the use of too many plot elements and characters. The idea of “the Eye” watching Ross is fascinating, but it only really comes into play in the first few and last few pages. It’s an idea that the book could have done more with and would have better served to follow Ross in his deterioration. The book leaves the reader wanting more or at least a better focus on the main story points.
There is an underlying theme of paranoia that starts quietly and builds nicely through the novella, ultimately exploding in a violent climax. Any time the biggest fault in a book is that it leaves the reader wanting more it’s a sign that much of the books works well. The Eye That Blinds is a mostly entertaining read with some great ideas.
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