Truly scary supernatural thriller, somewhat reminiscent of "Carrie", in which a bullied adolescent taps into a malevolent power and uses it to wreak revenge on those who tormented him.

The 1990 publication date (and setting) work well to clear the field of 21st-century tech -- there are no cell phones here, no internet. One can only imagine what the "othersyde" forces might do with that kind of power! Their absence allows Straczynaki to concentrate on his main characters -- unhappy and alienated teens who strike up a friendship of convenience and are drawn ever deeper into a malignant communication with forces they don't truly understand and which they realize, too late, that they can't really control.

One does have to be ready to forgive Straczynski a couple of sly self-references, and to accept the almost-mandatory epilogue hinting that the terror isn't really quite over. ( )

I read this years ago when it was first published and Straczynski's "Babylon 5", his fabulous "Five year SF novel for TV", was still fresh in my mind. For anyone who watched that show regularly, you will surely remember Morden who was the human rep for the Shadow. He would target people by asking them, "What do you want?" For a few, this seemingly harmless question subtly pushed them closer to their darkest wishes.

Okay, nothing like that scenario happens in this book. Othersyde is definitely not in the same "universe" as the science fiction TV series. For one thing, Othersyde is not science fiction. It's more urban horror and (perhaps) demon possession than anything else. However, for those who have seen the author's Hugo-winning show, little phrases turn up here and there throughout the book which will give the viewer/reader shivers.

And for the person who has never watched the series? Not to worry. You won't know what you're missing. You'll be busy being overwhelmed by subtle horror, moments of disgust, incipient nightmare and the desperate feeling that nothing can stop the evil gripping the town. For me, the most ghastly moment, the one that runs over and over in my mind, involves the mysterious power's drawn-out and brutal destruction of its human tool when they are done with it. My mind plays that long scene over and over and I can't shake it. Yack!

Othersyde is not perfect. Like a couple of other Straczynski stories, the ending just isn't as good as the rest of the tale. Consequently, I give this 4 stars.

I don't actually own a copy of this book. I think I read it courtesy of interlibrary loan. I remembered it just now when I was inputting data for Staczynski's Demon Night, so I put it on my wish list. ( )

Better than I thought it would be. ( )