'Light A Last Candle' (217 pp) was published by Ballantine Books in July 1969. The cover art is by Robert Foster.
UK author King (1935 - 2000) wrote four sci-fi novels during the interval from 1969 - 1976. For a review of his 1971 novel 'Candy Man', readers are directed here.
'Light A Last Candle' is set in a future North America under the heel of an Alien occupation. The first-person protagonist, known only as Ice Lover, is one of the few remaining Free Men on the planet; that is, he is not a 'Mod', a genetically engineered mutant designed to serve the needs of the Aliens.
As 'Light' opens, Ice Lover is living a lonely existence amidst the snowdrifts and forests of the Great North (i.e., Canada). A battle with an Alien survey team leads him to seek refuge among the farms and villages of the Alien-controlled sector of what used to be the U.S. There he learns of a resistance movement led by a mysterious figure named Craghead.
After some deliberation, Ice Lover sets out to find the secret installation where Craghead, so it is said, is preparing a force to overthrow the Aliens. And although Craghead's force is composed entirely of Mods, Ice Lover is confident he can conceal his status as a Free Man long enough to deal a blow to Alien rule. But as Ice Lover is about to find out, who and what constitutes an 'Alien' is not always as clear as it seems........
'Light A Last Candle' starts out on a promising note, with crisp actions sequences and a plot that seems straightforward: the liberation of a captive Earth from its alien despots. However, although author King's use of a decidedly colloquial prose style for Ice Lover can get awkward (it's an Englishman's interpretation of American slang, circa 1969) it's King's constant use of ellipses and hyphens that gives the narrative a very abrupt and choppy diction:
"I came down east of that.....maybe I saw some smoke...." The Mod didn't trust me. He wasn't sure - suspicious again. You couldn't blame him. "Sorry about the 'bacco - it's been frozen a long time...." I waited, lit my fag again. Then I tried once more. "But what about those guys....those Riders ? Bandits are they ? Or mad.....? Or what....? Hey ....! Could they be Free Men ? Are there any of them left ?"
The Mod was very still. Then he spat in the fire.
"They must be mad," I said. "I mean, taking on the Aliens.....life ain't that bad - is it ? I mean.....we're living....."
This devotion to ellipses and hyphens is present all throughout the entirety of 'Light A last Candle', making the book a labored read.
Another rationale for my two-star Score is the book's closing chapters, where the author piles on plot twists and revelations with such frequency, and disregard for their consistency with the main plot, that 'Light A Last Candle' can't help but finish on an unconvincing note.
The verdict ? I can't recommend 'Light A Last Candle' to anyone save devoted late 60s sci-fi fans.
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