THE DARK SAVIOUR

by Robert Harling ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 4, 1953

A second (The Paper Palace) story of a nameless newspaperman turns in a first person account of speculative, subversive forces and some excitement which is edged with undercuts at the personnel involved. Sent by his London editor to a Caribbean Island to investigate Hercules Smith, a messiah- or mountebank- who is preaching a new brand of anarchy, a New York correspondent is also faced with the questionable conduct of David Campbell, their string reporter there, who has been holding out on them. Hercules Smith's mystique, a cross between Christianity and Communism, exercises its suspect fascination not only for the natives- but for Eve, petulantly determined to get an exclusive; Smith's dynamic rallies lead to a riot presumably made in Moscow; the correspondent's move to stifle the unrest by publishing a picture which implicates both Smith and Eve has its angry repercussions in a last mass meeting where the dark saviour meets a martyr's and.... A drama with implications beyond the issues involved, and a cool commentary on character and impulse give this a distinction over and above its entertainment values.

Pub Date: March 4, 1953

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Harper

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1953

Categories: FICTION