Jonathon has always had a life that was on the edge of normalcy. He is 14 years old, and he would be more than happy to have a boring life that is shared by other London teens. You see, his father Alain has a bit of a dark addiction. It is a little mysterious, but it has a habit of making him sick. So much so that Alain ends up in a coma for long periods of time.

Now, his father is once again suffering from a coma, and someone is hunting down Londoners. It all starts when Ricky Thomas is kidnapped by a mysterious trio from the Darkside, a mirror London that developed when Queen Victoria and her forces pushed out all of the seedy and unwanted citizens into it. It is filled with werewolves, vampires, bounty hunters, and murderers.

It turns out that Jonathan and Ricky have been targeted by Grimshaw, and important denizen of Darkside who is hoping to use them in a gladiator-style fight with some wolves. Jonathan is able to use his father's research to get a better understanding of what is happening and finds help in the form of Carnegie, and old friend of Alain's who is a werewolf.

Thanks to Carnegie, Jonathan learns that he and Ricky were targeted because their mixed heritage allows them to pass back and forth between Lightside and Darkside more easily and allows them to feel at home in both locations.

The story is fast-paced and will be sure to keep many younger readers on the edge of their seats with this interesting and well-designed suspense work. The character development is not strong, but it never is in this type of work. The tale is plot driven, and it is a great ride. Think Goosebumps, but much better drawn.