Book Review: The Dark Side of the Sky by Francesco Dimitri
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
The Dark Side of the Sky by Francesco Dimitri
Mogsy’s Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Titan Books (May 7, 2024)
Length: 355 pages
Author Information: Website
There’s about a dozen books on my read-shelf that I probably should be reviewing first, but I just finished The Dark Side of the Sky and felt the need to rush to put my thoughts on paper. Over the past week, whenever my kids wanted me to take them swimming, this was the book that kept me company while I played chaperone, and I can’t possibly imagine a more perfectly juicy and horrifyingly addictive read for the poolside. The novel is Italian fantasy author Francesco Dimitri’s third one in English, and just like The Book of Hidden Things and Never the Wind, it had me completely enthralled.
One big reason why: it’s a story about a doomsday cult, but you wouldn’t know it from the way things start. The book begins with an introduction to The Bastion, ostensibly one of dozens of trendy New Age-y spiritual retreats and festivals that have cropped up in the post-Covid environment. With another summer fast approaching, they have started taking applications for the next Open Feast, their annual event celebrating self-discovery and personal enlightenment. Zoey, who is the co-founder and organizer of the SoulJo festival which peddles many of the same offerings, eagerly applies with the intent to infiltrate The Bastion and get the inside scoop on her competition. Meanwhile, a young surgeon named Charlie and her musician husband Bertrand also fill out an application to the Open Feast and are accepted. However, mere weeks before the event starts, tragedy strikes. Bertrand passes away suddenly from a brain aneurysm, leaving a grief-stricken Charlie to attend alone, trying to distract herself from the pain.
The festival guests travel to the sunbaked shores of Puglia in Southern Italy, where they meet Bastion leaders Becca and Ric, as well as their team of helpers which include Lila, one of their long-time members. After three days of spiritual teaching and soul-searching (read: unfettered partying, sex, and drugs) most of the attendees go home, save for Zoey and Charlie, whom The Bastion has identified and chosen for their cause. On their land lies the Inner Pinewood, a place of mystery and enchantment, where past, present, and future meet and the impossible comes to life. Many years ago, this was where Lila experienced real magic. Now her mission is to help Becca and Ric show the newcomers too, teaching them to harness the Pinewood’s powers and protect it at all costs.
The Dark Side of the Sky is also an “aftermath” story, where the major fallout has already happened, only lightly hinted at throughout the book as the plot ramps up towards the grand finale when all the answers are finally revealed. Through the eyes of Zoey, Charlie, Lila, and occasionally the collective Bastion, we’re supposedly getting the “true story” from the insiders of how things actually went down, because the world has already condemned them all as a crazy sex orgy death cult.
Here’s where I think the novel will likely be contentious among readers, as is typical with a lot of books containing magical realism themes. While there’s an element of the supernatural, it’s never made overt. The ambiguity of what is actually happening—real magic or mass hysteria—is always on the forefront which can be frustrating for some, including myself. However, Dimitri has a way of weaving this uncertainty into narrative that keeps one engaged, which is why I also loved his other books (and I was excited to find references from both The Book of Hidden Things and Never the Wind included in The Dark Side of the Sky, implying all of them exist in the same shared world).
What’s not contentious though, is how the author has captured the psychology and the descent into the mind of cultists. The narrative structure he has chosen is also surprisingly effective and conducive to this intent, portraying the gradual and always subtle indoctrination process with chilling detail. Character development was phenomenal and the key to what made this novel so successful. Dimitri’s afterword gives some insight into how he was able to handle this aspect of the novel with such authenticity and empathy; it’s a fascinating deep dive into the fragile state of the human mind, exploring the power of manipulation when trying to understand the vulnerabilities and motivations that lead people to their beliefs.
The Dark Side of the Sky is a book you either love or hate. Personally, I loved it, which is surprising given my usual reservations about stories with a huge magical realism component. But as always, Francesco Dimitri is an exception to the rule with his novels that take me out of my comfort zone and make me question everything while capturing my imagination completely.
The BiblioSanctum 
Ooh. Not a title of author I’ve heard of but this sounds right up my street. Thank you!
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so glad to put his name on your radar. He definitely deserves more attention!
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Either love and hate, well if I only knew 😉
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Haha, yes those are the most difficult books to decide whether or not to pick up.
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I’ve never heard of this author and the subject matter wouldn’t normally appeal to me. Your review has made me really interested though so it’s probably one that I will pick up if I see it but not rush out and buy.
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His books seem to tend towards magic realism which isn’t my thing at all, but somehow his work always works for me even this one about cults! Glad to have put him on your radar!
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I’m glad you had such a fantastic time with this one, especially as magical realism isn’t always your thing. I’m not entirely sure if this would be my kind of read or not. Cults intrigue me but not so much the excuse to excessively party within them. But I think I added at least one of the authors other books to my tbr and as they hint at being set within the world Ill probably check this out if I enjoy those ones.
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The concept was of a cult that was masking as a new age festival/workshop so at first I was not expecting it! Definitely intrigued when the plot took a turn and magic realism or not I was hooked lol!
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This wasn’t even on my radar! And the cover does not say sex and drug cult to me at all, so color me intrigued!
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Yes iit’s a very surprising book!
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Wow, when you said you liked it I wasn’t expecting it to be quite this much! It’s definitely on my radar now—I was mostly just waiting to hear your thoughts. And I enjoyed the image of you telling your kids to go back in the water so you could find out what happened next 😂
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Lol yes, I even took less pool time so I could hang out on the deck and finish this book!
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The… mechanics of cults and how they manage to attract people is a theme that I find very interesting, and I would read this book on the strength of this alone. Your five-star rating is indeed the added bonus 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
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Agreed, and it was interesting to read about cults from this angle, which was like a mostly contemporary fiction but with a splash of magic realism.
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Based on the cover I’d likely have completely overlooked this if you hadn’t rated it so highly. I’ve never read this author but I’d certainly be curious to try.
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Yes, the cover is beautiful but somewhat understated. It doesn’t prepare you at all for the content and subject of the book!!
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So happy you reviewed this and had a good time with it too. I will surely end up adding it to my TBR.
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I’m so glad! All his English books so far seem to be taking place in a shared world. The next one if there will be another one is definitely going to be a must read.
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Wonderful review, Mogsy:)). While I’m unlikely to read this one in the near future – it sounds like the sort of book I’d have picked up before Life got so unco-operative. Thank you for sharing.
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I hear ya. Sometimes all I want to do is read but life just keeps throwing curveballs. I hope things have settled somewhat for you!
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I don’t recall hearing about this one before but it sounds like something I will love – onto the wishlist.
Lynn 😀
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