The Neon Shadow manages to pull a rabbit out of a hat with very little to work with, the end result is a show that plays out like a technophobic nightmare that teases its main character with the promises of sweet human connection. What the show manages to do so well is conjure an impressive level of depth for such a short show without sacrificing its unique sense of style. The internet, represented by the form of a Joker -style suited clown, takes on an incredibly insidious presence in his life, at one point lying underneath his bed like a full-on bogeyman. On the whole, Greaves commits himself with such energy and electricity that he captures a paling image of isolation. Greaves is a sight to behold, his all-white attire and wicked smile at times evoking A Clockwork Orange ’s Alex, but with a spiralling loss of control and willpower.Īs he slides further into a pit of despair, The Boy (as Greaves’ character is credited) is guilty of some perhaps cliche signposts of loneliness – drawing smiley faces on window condensation is more befitting of a child in the back of a car than a man forced to hold up indoors. As the creepy, clockwork soundtrack unwinds – accompanied by a theremin and synth – a heavy atmosphere of dystopian dread comes to fruition. They don’t go too overboard, but what they achieve nonetheless looks spectacular. The film medium gives Kneehigh the chance to experiment with visual tricks and cues that would otherwise be inaccessible. Though he believes he has found someone special, technology starts to consume him more than he could possibly have imagined.īetween the eerily clean setting and the way Tom Jackson Greaves convulses and floats around the room, this is a mind-warping experience. Imprisoned in his own home (with the padlock, curiously, on the inside of his bedroom door), the protagonist takes to the internet to connect with the outside world. So without stretching the boundaries of imagination, this remains a novel with a touch of somewhat believable fantasy.A claustrophobic piece of physical theatre, Kneehigh‘s The Neon Shadow captures an incarcerating image of isolation. To their credit, the authors stay within their special effects boundary and do not go into an out-and-out Sci-Fi type of genre book. The pace of the novel is, as usual, quite breezy, and works very well as a light read. With their superpowers, they set out to defeat the eternal villain Shiwan Khan. In the fantasy world that this is set in, the fight between good and evil is perennial and it is no different here. Providence brings Maddy to him, who, as they discover to their joint delight, has some superhero gifts like Lamont! They can disappear at will, can bend the mind to their choice, and shoot balls of fire! The dreaded Shiwan Khan doesn’t forget the hiding handed to him 150 years ago and now he’s after them with renewed vigor. The Shadow Author James Patterson in an interviewĪs the World hurtles towards total annihilation, Lamont wakes up 150 years later in a New York City that he does not recognize, and Margo also cannot be found. Until tragedy befalls them and they are taken out of circulation! Their arch-enemy was Shiwan Khan, one who shares his roots with Lamont, but is a diabolical despot.
But the truth was that The Shadow was real, his real name being Lamont Cranston, and he and his lady love, Margo Lane would go around New York City preventing crimes and apprehending criminals. Going back 150 years to 1937, ‘The Shadow’ was apparently a fictional character, made famous by a radio show by the same name – who was a vigilante meting out justice to criminals before the Police could reach. Like all autocrats, he’s narcissistic and genocidal – therefore our world is about to come to an end, at least for the HAVE NOTs. The World as we know it has broken down and is ruled by a World President! The societal divide between the HAVE’s and the HAVE NOT’s is huge, and the President rules with an iron fist.
Even here, one of the chief protagonists is 16 years old Maddy Gomes, in the dystopian world of 2087. This genre that James Patterson has got into – Young Adults – is rather new to me and to be very honest, I’ve mostly liked what I have read. ‘Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?’” Lamont Cranston aka The Shadow My Rating – 4 out of 5 Plot Summary – The Shadow Book Review of The Shadow – Taut Thriller Retold.