Stazama i dvoranama podzemlja

The River Into Darkness #1

by Sean Russell

Prvi deo duologije Rečni sliv tmine

Vreme magova je na izmaku...

Preostao je samo jedan od ovih zastrašujućih, misterioznih ljudi - mračni i zagonetni lord Eldrič. Krije se od ljudi i pažljivo čuva svoja neprocenjivo vredna znanja. Mnogi sumnjaju da je uopšte živ. Iz sopstvenih nedokučivih poriva Eldrič je posvetio život zatiranju svih preostalih tragova magije u svetu. Međutim, postoje i oni koji žele da ospore njegov rad, oni koji su zakleti da sačuvaju tajno znanje od uništenja...

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Magic, Speculative Fiction

446 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Aka Sean Thomas Russell

Sean Russel has co-written, with Ian Dennis, a mystery series called "Memoirs of a Bow Street Runner". The first volume of the series was published by Bantam under their joint pen name, T.F. Banks.

Sean Russell was born 1952 in Toronto. At the age of three his family moved to the outskirts of the city, where they lived in a cottage at the beach of Lake Ontario. At the age of ten he decided to become an author, and the fantasy genre caught him years later, while reading J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. After university, he moved to Vancouver, and two years later to Vancouver Island, where he still lives with his family. He published his first novel in 1991.His first historical naval novel Under Enemy Colours, published in 2007, introduced a new Royal Navy hero, Charles Hayden, and HMS Themis, a fictitious frigate.

Mr. Russell cites history as one of his passions, collects old yachting and sailing books, skis, sails and travels. Past interests include caving, rock climbing, hiking, and racing sailboats.

Reviews

[Paul Weiss · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Just like a priest, to try to sew the seeds of distrust and dissension”

Six groups of people with unclear motivations work through, around, toward and away from, search for and clash over the near extinct skills of magic. Eldrich, the last surviving mage, wants to make sure that all magical skills die with him. (For my money, it’s a distinct shortcoming in the novel that the reasons for this are never discussed in the novel). The church and its priests, in a self-serving quest for power retention and promulgation (that is not particularly distinguishable from the real-life venal behaviour of any organized religion), fervently support Eldrich’s desire to eliminate magic. A group of young neo-mages, if you will, are in deep hiding but seek to resurrect the lost skills. Similarly two impoverished young scholars seek to uncover the long lost knowledge for the simple fact of its historical existence and, of course, for the dreams of the wealth that the knowledge may bring them. Last but not least, two governments and their espionage teams, battle over the plans for a cannon that seems but distantly related to the tenuous magic.

In short, the characters, their motivations and the plot are a hot mess and all but impossible to unwind and follow.

That said, it must be acknowledged that the writing is superb, the dialogue is credible and convincing, the scenery and atmosphere are beautifully described AND the breathtaking description of the skills, thrills and dangers of spelunking, which occupy almost half of the novel, make BENEATH THE VAULTED HILLS a passable read despite its obvious shortcomings.

And BE WARNED: There is NO ending. Sean Russell, his editors and the publishers saw fit to allow the story line to abruptly come to a halt in the middle of nowhere. This was clearly a case of a 1000 page novel that was simply cut in half to make it a more palatable size for selling purposes. There is no climax, no dénouement and no resolution. For that, if you are so inclined, you have to press on to THE COMPASS OF THE SOUL. I don't think I'll bother.

Paul Weiss

[✨Arielle✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

My brain is constantly vying between this book being underrated and my affection being due to nostalgia. If I rated this book 13 years ago when I first read it I would have definitely given it 5 stars. It was the first adult fantasy I had read and I had experienced nothing quite like it up til then. Now as an adult I can see more flaws that I would have just looked past in favour of the exciting adventure when I was a kid.

My two biggest issues were the lack of important female representation and the quite snobbish annoying characters.

The main character Erasmus, and some of the other male characters, but mostly Erasmus, have very haughty personalities that makes it difficult to like them. Erasmus especially has a high bred-better than you air. He is above brothels "but he is no prude" and is a fantastic lover. He quotes ironic poetry to a prostitute hitting on him and when she doesn't understand he says "it's from a play, my dear". Like he is patronizing or looking down on her for her job. His narrator also likes to point out how smart and great he is, how even though he is an unfashionable recluse everyone respects him and distinct women fall at his feet not long after meeting. Considering all that, Erasmus doesn't do well with praise which sucks for him. Flattery is a very fitting last name and I wonder how intentional it was? Erasmus himself isn't actually quite so horrible but the way everyone swoons over him and admires him gets to be a bit much at times.

Unfortunately there are also no likeable women of substance. Initially as a few women are introduced I thought the author did a good job of creating clever and intelligent ladies but unfortunately they end up quickly becoming foils for the men. Take the Countess for example. She is a smart and personable woman but her introduction is that of most beautiful woman in the land which quickly takes president over any intelligent thought she might have. She ends up using her brains to help a man she is in love with and obsesses over. Naturally when that doesn't work out, she ends up sleeping with Erasmus (at least she acknowledges she didn't fall in love with him after that, startling but satisfying). Other than chasing a man and sleeping with another man then being kidnapped by another man she does not have any valuable purpose. She also has a female best friend and companion and unfortunately, none of their conversations pass the bechdel test... There is also another somewhat prominent female in the mageling Anna. However Anna is not impressive at all. Often afraid and worried, not likeable and, naturally, she falls for Erasmus after only a short meeting. She isn't even worth mentioning otherwise imo. Reading some of these characters was quite monotonous but I thought the plot was the exact opposite.

Russell has really done a good job creating a mysterious world. Mages and churches hiding secrets from the population, radical groups and curious individuals searching for the truth and key to enlightenment. Don't get me started on the cave exploration (or do). The journey to the faerie galleries and beyond takes up the mass of the novel and once the story gets into it, the plot gives in to rich imagery and suspense. As someone who is afraid to go in caves, small spaces and of drowning maybe that added a bit of thrill to the adventure but I thought it was quite well done. I was so intrigued by what could be hidden deep within the land that so many people were keen to discover or keep hidden while fearing for everyone who was brave enough to venture down (I also wondered how these fops all had such great endurance for spelunking considering aristocrats I'm sure weren't keen on exercising? Lol).

If I read this book for the first time now with all the characterization issues I would have rated it a 3 but my nostalgia and love of the cave exploring prevents me from rating it less than a 4. I dunno, maybe if the issues persist in the next one I will be disappointed enough to change to a 3. But now I definitely have to read the second one to see how everyone faired!

[Dietrich Kappe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of all of Sean Russell's books, this is perhaps the best one. Alternate historical fantasy, magic in Britain, cooky Oxbridge Dons exploring the world. Most of this story takes place underneath the earth, in a series of caves in a search of a crypt (more powerful magic, etc.). The plot may sound derivative, but the writing is so beautiful, the characters so finely sketched, and Russell is able to immerse you so completely in the fictive dream, that you will descend into this book and not emerge above ground until the very last sentence.

[Sanja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kad bi me pitao neko da prepričam knjigu bilo bi: "hm, kako?". Dosta junaka, dosta pojedinačnih priča koje počinju postajati međusobno povezane. Puno informacija, a još više pitanja. Čak i drugi deo knjige, koji postaje statičniji, u sebi sadrži dosta misterije i još više pitanja.

Sve u svemu, sviđa mi se.

Kraj ukazuje da ima nastavka, tako da se bacam što pre na njega.

[Megan Cutler · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book isn't quite as weighted by heavy descriptions as the first series was. Unfortunately, that's about the only good thing I can say about it. Like the first series, this was clearly one large novel cut in half to make it easier to print and sell. Which means the ending is abrupt and none of the plot threads receive any kind of resolution. It feels unfinished, though the cliffhanger isn't quite as steep this time around.

But the biggest problem I had with this book is that none of the characters are remotely likable, with the sole exception of Hayes who is about as minor as it gets. The book opens with the main character spying himself in the mirror and thinking he would be the only person worth talking to at a party before realizing - oh yeah - that's my reflection. Later in the same chapter he makes it explicitly clear that he only wants to 'help' his friend insofar as it gains him information but doesn't actually draw him into the situation.

Not only is everyone out for themselves in this novel, there's plenty of creepy, stalkerish behavior. Which, I suppose, could be explained by the strange magical compulsion all men end up feeling while they're in the presence of the Countess. But that doesn't explain why the author felt the need to justify and defend it as appropriate behavior. Would it really have been so difficult for the male characters to recognize they were doing something awful and feel a tiny bit of remorse for it? Apparently so, since the plot basically rewards them for their bad behavior.

This book might be worth a 2.5 because it entertained me enough that I didn't quit halfway through (although I was tempted), but I wouldn't recommend it.

[Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is for both 'books' in this series

Memory is fiction, a narrative we write and rewrite to explain an ever changing present, a story in which we are the hero, the victim, the wronged or the incomparable lover. And if memory is fiction, what then is history?

For a modern fantasy novel, The River into Darkness (Gonna call it RID for short) isn’t fluff. It successfully combines a good story with more substantial ruminations on morality, memory, fate, and the expressions of evil. This book wasn’t perfect, and not everyone will enjoy it, but its redeeming qualities far outweighed its failures. It has earned its place on my favorites shelf.

(For clarity, RID was broken down into two separate ‘books’, Beneath the Vaulted Hills and Compass of the Soul. Don’t be fooled, they are really just two volumes of the same book. The publisher, DAW, decided not to print a thousand page mass-market paperback encompassing both parts and instead split the book into two volumes. While RID was written after World Without End (same caveat in re the volumes), it is the chronological prequel.)

RID is set in a fantasy world akin to late 1700’s England. The plot starts out with courtly/aristocratic drama and international intrigue which is revealed to be a skirmish between two groups of magic wielders. Eldrich, the last proper mage, seeks to fulfill his group's wishes and destroy the last remnants of magic from the earth. His nemesis, the secret society of the Tellerites, are dedicated to preserving magic. Sounds pretty straightforward? Trust me, its not. The plot is too complicated and nuanced to be reduced to a paragraph or two (which is why all the book descriptions suck). We don’t even have a main character, there are like five.

I shouldn’t like this book as much as I do. The pacing is inconsistent, some of the characters are rather flat, and others are introduced mainly for their appearance in the next book (looking at you Averil Kent), some scenes are way too long, and others too short. Normally, these are dealbreakers for me, but they just work.

I read a review before reading this book, and someone said that the author spent most of the second volume trying to get you to like Eldrich. I saw that and said “Nah, that’s not something I’d fall for." Fast forward to the climactic scene at the very end. I realized that I was rooting for both Eldrich and the last Tellerite simultaneously. Not that I liked Eldrich at all, I still found him to be a despicable and disturbing character, but Russell was able to infuse RID with enough moral ambiguity to put me on the fence. I count that as a great success. I want to be persuaded like that when I read a book. Entertain me or make me feel conflicted, and this book did both.

Going back to the characters, the closest RID has to a conventional protagonist would be Erasmus Flattery, however, he’s not the main character. He is just along for the ride. He thinks of himself as the main character, and the others sometimes do too, but he’s not. There’s a scene in which Kent wonders what the Countess of Chilton likes about Erasmus. Kent is puzzled because Erasmus is ordinary and bland, lacking distinguishing features to win over the greatest beauty in the Kingdom. I feel like that was the author interjecting and saying that Erasmus is just the connecting character, not the main character. Lines of intrigue converge on Erasmus, but he’s not the subject of the intrigue.

With the exception of ‘Deacon’ (*coughs* Grand Inquisitor) Rose, I found the characters worthy of loving and hating. Russell did a good job of painting characters that felt real. They came off of the page and alive in my head.

About free will and decision making. Erasmus floats about like a falling leaf. The Countess of Chilton starts out the same way too. As the story progresses, she is presented with the illusion of choice. Essentially kidnapped, made to see visions, and scared out of her mind, she ‘makes a choice’ that she has to live with for the rest of the novel. She has to wrestle with the fact that she made the choice, even though it was under duress. The author plays with the moral ambiguity of a situation like that in a way that I found satisfying and worthy of the nuances.

I started this review with a quote about memory. One of Eldrich’s favorite things to do is to alter people’s memories. He routinely questions people and makes them forget, erasing himself from their minds, making them forget, his, to be frank, creepy, conduct. For the two artists in the book, Averil Kent the painter, and Marrianne Edden the novelist, memories are their most important possessions. It is what drives them on both their personal and professional levels, and Eldrich deems it fit to strip them of that. During those scenes I could feel their fear and rage on a deep level. Clarendon, on the other hand, has the ‘curse of memory’. He cannot forget. No detail is lost on him. He can remember things twenty years ago as clearly as if they were in front of him. His inability to forget makes him, in the core of his being, sad and miserable, irrational and distraught. His memory is so strong that even Eldrich cannot tamper with it. It truly was a curse for him.

Our antagonist (?) Anna Fielding, the last of the Tellerites, is another ambiguous character. At her center she is a frightened, harmed, and abused child. Messing with things she cannot understand in an attempt to follow her adopted family’s wishes and avenge their deaths. I couldn’t feel but pity, sympathy, and revulsion at her actions. Tragic, is the word I would use to describe her.

Anyway, I really enjoyed this book. Yeah, it was flawed. No, its not gonna be a Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, but it was good. It’s gonna live in my head for a while.

Oh, my favorite quote of the book.

“Are you ready?”
“No. But I shall not become so with time”

I’ll be regularly using that reply with my boss, coworkers, and friends.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had forgotten the name of this book for a long time, but the imagery of the cave exploration haunted me for years. When I found out the name again, I couldn't wait to re-read it. Nothing about it is standard fantasy, and it is very well written. Also, I hadn't realized that it dovetails with the World Without End/Sea Without a Shore novels, and you must read all four. I'm sure I will re-read this series again.

[Dijana Čop Nešić · Rating 5 out of 5]

Šon Rasel -Stazama i dvoranama podzemlja (Prvi deo duologije Rečni sliv tmine)

''Znamo da su sveštenici vekovima gomilali znanje, i to ne samo religijsko''.
Tako ulazimo u poseban magični svet Engleske, u jednu fenomenalnu fantaziju, koja meni staje na listu najbolje knjige meseca jer je zaokupirala sva moja čula.
Misterija prati nekoliko pravaca -priču o magu koji se vratio i priču o misterioznim znanjima koja krije crkva, zatim poteru koju vrše moćne ličnosti povezane sa kraljem, ali i hororične pretpostavke o mestu zvanom Komtonsko Vresište. Na tom mestu, pojavio se stranac, koji kao da niotkuda nije došao niti se ikuda uputio, samo nestao. Medjutim, svedoci koji su imali tu (ne)sreću da priđu njegovim žrtvama, pronašli su ljude okovane strahom. Gotovo imobilisane, nesposobne da nastave dalje svoj normalan život. Taj strah ostao je zagonetka kako za meštane tako i za one moćnike koji traže Stranca.

Ovaj svet misticizma, punog po malo gotike, po malo jeze, zaokruženog, naravno, crkvenim tajnama, podzemljem, potragama, konjicom, isprepletan sumnjivim ljudima, grofovima, običnim meštanima, nudi nam kompletnu avanturu bez kraja.
Pisanje je detaljno, dosledno, opisi istančani, gotovo da dodirujete elegantan nameštaj u bogatim četvrtima, čujete topot konja, osećate vazduh koji nudi strah.
U glavnom ulozi je Samjuel Hejz i njegov prijatelj Erazmo Flateri a svi su u potrazi za čovekom po imenu Eldrič.
Po sredi su dva unajmljena čoveka koje je izvesni Skaj poslao da saznaju tajnu maga i da li se mag pojavio i koja je njegova svrha na ovome svetu. Ali, kako je ta potraga završila sa velikim komplikacijama, ubrzo se mnogima komplikuje život.
Takodje, postoji i politički zaplet izmedju Farske zemlje i Entonaca , te pojave oružja koju je jedna strana krišom napravila, a druga poslala špijune da ga iskopiraju.
Zatežu se odnosi izmedju dveju zemalja , iako je politički deo i mogući rat na kraju najmanja briga , obzirom na to šta ih dalje čeka.
Nedostajale su mi ovako dobro napisane knjige fantastike, sa podrobnim opisima i tempom koji ne žuri, već vešto sklapa slagalicu čitaocu u glavi, dok se gomila milion pretpostavki šta je ono što protogonisti traže.
I samo jedan deo će vam biti jasan do kraja ove knjige, jer ona ima i svoj nastavak na koji odmah želim da se nadovežem.
''Sećanje je izmišljotina, naracija koju zapisujemo kako bismo objasnili večitu promenjivost sadašnjice , priče u kojoj smo junaci, žrtve, potlačeni ili neprevaziđeni ljubavnici. Ako je sećanje izmišljotina, šta je tek istorija ?''
Kao najupečatljiviji detalj knjige ,izdvojila bih slavnog slikara Pelijea, čija originalna dela su posebno zanimala izvesnu moćnu osobu.
Grofica od Čiltona, međutim, pati od neuzvraćene ljubavi. Ona, čija reputacija govori o najlepšoj i najmudrijoj ženi koja se kretala njihovim kraljevstvom. Grofica će početi da se zanima za slikarova dela, a ono što Pelijea čini izuzetnim i neprevaziđenim jeste upravo misterija koja okružuje njegove slike.
One izgledaju bezvremeno, čak kao da je sam slikar putovao kroz vreme, te oslikavao svoje vizije koje su se budile na platnu.
Ovo delo takodje spada u high fantasy žanr, te mogu da dodam da dugo nisam naišla na duologiju iz tog žanra koji podrazumeva kompleksniju i ozbiljniju priču, a da je imalo ovoliko zapleta, tajni, ponuđenih odgovora i ceo lavirint ispunjen tragovima, pitanjima i misterioznim dešavanjima.
Na kraju, jedan od zbunjujućih tragova bila su i ubistva, ili bolje preformulisati misteriozna samoubistva, ljudi koji su samovoljno uhodali u vodu do momenta davljenja ili ljudi koji su skakali sa izuzetnih visina prozora dvora i uspeli da nastave da beže, nepovređeni, čak ni zakačeni nekim fizičkim povredama.
I sve počinje ,i nosi poseban trag u zvezdama, u knjizi i na mostu.
Neko čeka sa druge strane, i dugo mu nećemo znati lice, biće to samo uporna noćna mora koja muči našeg dragog i vrlo šarmantnog protogonistu, nepravedno stavljenog u ulogu onoga koji beži od zakona.
Sve je tako predivno isprepletano, da se uživa sa svakim okretanjem stranice.

''Nekada mu je bila draža topla svetlost dana, ali u decenijama koje su usledile nakon što je napunio sto godina postao je naklonjen hladnoći i sjaju zvezda...''

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was by far my favourite of Sean Russell’s books so far. This book is an underrated gem when it comes to fantasy. Although not a standard fantasy novel, it has a lot of suspense and imagery to keep a reader at the edge of their seat as the characters embark on a journey of cave exploration. I did feel the beginning was long but the caverns themselves and the last mage, the Eldrich, are so fascinating that what is discovered and explored make the novel a book to remember. I loved the second half. It shows how well of an author Sean Russell is and I hope the sequel is just as good.

4.5/5 stars ⭐️

[Genevieve Ducharme · Rating 3 out of 5]

And I feel very generous giving it 3 stars.

I was not a fan of the writing style: too much useless words that added nothing to the story or conversations.

It was not boring, but I can't say I found it very fascinating either.

I read the reviews for the second book because I have the 2-in-1 version, but I will not dedicate time to it when I have books that are calling to me wayyyyyy more than tome 2.

I would not NOT recommend it, but it was definitely not for me.

I mainly wanted to finish it before 2026 🤣

[Ren Bedasbad · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fantasy story about the mystery of the last living magician and the group who want to keep magic alive and for themselves. The premise sounds great, but the book doesn't do much. It is a slow book and the writing is decent. The book is more of an adventure/journey story as a group of people find secrets of magic and history. The book started great, but it just didn't go anywhere.

[heri de ba · Rating 4 out of 5]

do NOT read this if ur claustrophobic shit had me gasping for air

jokes aside, interesting world and great worldbuilding, compelling characters and a plotline that slowly reveals itself as you read and writing that will pull you in very effectively

[Evan Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

See the review for the omnibus edition books 1 and 2. “ river into darkness”

[Aelvana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eldrich is the last mage, and when he dies, magic will die with him. Eldrich himself is determined to see this come to pass, but others aren't so sanguine. A shadowy organization gambles everything on the results of their auguries, while more ordinary men seek to uncover the secrets of the mages. But mages are much like a force of nature: unknowable and unstoppable . . .

I liked several things about this book very much, but I'm on the fence about the book as a whole.

First, the worldbuilding is excellent. It took a bit to get me into it, since we start in the middle of things, and the supporting detail, like the levels of technology and so on, take a while to emerge. This is a world that has just invented cannon, where the intellectual elite compete to join a society of peers, where nobles are made or ruined at the king's whim. The prose is beautiful, and the method of telling is as important as what's being told. People talking to each other, exchanging stories, is most of what happens in the book, and the trick is figuring out what is truth or lies, and how much remains unsaid.

Second, the cast of characters, although large, is well-drawn. Erasmus was easily my favorite, and I was happy to see him move to a more central position by the end of the book. A member of the society, famous for his knowledge of grapes and grapevines, intense, focused, oblivious to the world around him---a man of secrets, who had once lived in the very home of the mage Eldrich, though he never speaks of that time. Perhaps a man with some small (or not so small?) measure of talent for the magical arts. If anything, I wish the plot had focused more on him and his journey, and less on everyone else even tangentially involved in this mess.

Because the giant downside is that this feels like the slow exploration into the lives of these people. The central mystery for most of the book isn't what the back cover would indicate (except maybe for the shadow organization). Most of these people are living their own smaller lives, with their own concerns, gradually swept into a larger concern . . . that doesn't go much of anywhere. And the ending doesn't even have the decency to confirm without a doubt who survived.

I just wish it felt like there was more of a plot here. Eldrich versus the shadow organization is the most compelling piece, but it gets the smallest part of the whole. Both sides are exceedingly sparse with the information given. I thought for sure once everyone was in the hall at the end, some new mystery or magic would come to light, but instead it turned into a simple quest for survival (and with a most dissatisfying way of getting out, mind.... nothing to do with the alter, the door, or the crypt).

So I'm not sure I want to go on and read the second book, since the reviews I'm seeing indicate it also ends in a rather ambiguous fashion. And I like plot. I like movement and things happening, and this book has a lot of slowly boiling mystery. Good characters and layers of intrigue, though. Overall I have to rate this book Neutral, though I'm sure some people will enjoy it more than I do.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, finally. I don't know why this book took so long to read, but I blame the font. Too many characters, too many storylines, and the end wasn't even a cliffhanger--almost nothing was resolved. The caving parts were good, but nothing LED anywhere. There's no there there.

Edit: Okay, my understanding is that this is the first half of a two-book cycle. I'm going to read the second one, because the setup was actually really good--I was just pissed at the lack of payoff, like the book stopped in the middle. So we withhold judgment.

[Chris Moriarty · Rating 5 out of 5]

More End of the Age of Magic proto-steampunk from Sean Russell, and just as good as the rest of this series.

[Charisma · Rating 5 out of 5]

borring some times but you can read it

[Valerie]

I got 100 pages into this book and it is just not holding my interest as the other series by this author did. I am not going to be finishing this one.

[Brian Darvell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moderately fun story which is a much slower paced one than most fantasy novels. Nothing outstanding but still was enjoyable.