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Aedyn Chronicles #3
Darkness Shall Fall
As the volcano’s dark and deadly cloud draws closer, Peter, Julia, and Louisa fight to protect the people of Aedyn, attempting to shelter themselves from the strengthening dark forces. As their enemy closes in, a stranger arrives, claiming to come from the Lord of Hosts to help in their escape to Aedyn and safety. But Louisa doesn’t trust this stranger, and her mistrust leads to further conflict. Can Peter, Julia, and Louisa overcome their disagreements in time to lead the people in the fight for freedom and truth, even when all seems lost?
214 pages, Hardcover
First published September 6, 2011
5 people are currently reading
202 people want to read
About the author
Alister E. McGrath
459 books507 followersAlister Edgar McGrath is a Northern Irish theologian, priest, intellectual historian, scientist, and Christian apologist. He currently holds the Andreas Idreos Professorship in Science and Religion in the Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Oxford, and is Professor of Divinity at Gresham College. He was previously Professor of Theology, Ministry, and Education at King's College London and Head of the Centre for Theology, Religion and Culture, Professor of Historical Theology at the University of Oxford, and was principal of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, until 2005. He is an Anglican priest and is ordained within the Church of England.
Aside from being a faculty member at Oxford, McGrath has also taught at Cambridge University and is a Teaching Fellow at Regent College. McGrath holds three doctorates from the University of Oxford, a DPhil in Molecular Biophysics, a Doctor of Divinity in Theology and a Doctor of Letters in Intellectual History.
McGrath is noted for his work in historical theology, systematic theology, and the relationship between science and religion, as well as his writings on apologetics. He is also known for his opposition to New Atheism and antireligionism and his advocacy of theological critical realism. Among his best-known books are The Twilight of Atheism, The Dawkins Delusion?: Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine, Dawkins' God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life, and A Scientific Theology. He is also the author of a number of popular textbooks on theology.
Aside from being a faculty member at Oxford, McGrath has also taught at Cambridge University and is a Teaching Fellow at Regent College. McGrath holds three doctorates from the University of Oxford, a DPhil in Molecular Biophysics, a Doctor of Divinity in Theology and a Doctor of Letters in Intellectual History.
McGrath is noted for his work in historical theology, systematic theology, and the relationship between science and religion, as well as his writings on apologetics. He is also known for his opposition to New Atheism and antireligionism and his advocacy of theological critical realism. Among his best-known books are The Twilight of Atheism, The Dawkins Delusion?: Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine, Dawkins' God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life, and A Scientific Theology. He is also the author of a number of popular textbooks on theology.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 11, 2017
It completes the series and wraps everything up, maybe not in the way you expect or with everything explained but with a satisfactory outcome. Encouraging and uplifting at times, it's a story that proves that others can understand what you're going through.
February 6, 2014
Unfortunately this book was a big flop. It started off right where the preceding volume had ended-- which was a good thing, because the ending of the previous book had been way too abrupt and we needed more info on what happened to the characters. I think probably Mr McGrath had originally written the two books as a whole single volume, and then been advised to split them up for the sake of length.
Sadly, Mr McGrath appears to have been giving way to much too much advice in the writing of these sequels. It is startling how inferior both the sequels were to the first book in the trilogy, The Chosen Ones. This makes me think that either Mr McGrath could not keep up the appearance of a superior author for long, or that he is a superior author but allowed himself to be swayed by bad advice on the part of editors and agents. I suspect the latter, since Mr McGrath is, unlike C.S.Lewis, a professor of theology and science and not a professor of English literature. C.S.Lewis was fairly comfortable in the writing world and familiar with most storytelling devices and traditions. Mr McGrath is a newcomer to the writing world, and not overly sure of himself. He should have stuck to his previous formula of subtle religious allegory and sibling drama-- when he tried to branch out into teen angst in a jungle, the result was disastrous.
This last volume, Darkness Shall Fall, is even weaker than the second book in the series-- and that one had some serious problems. Both of them feel like a clumsy effort at the typical genre fantasy story. The religious elements are simplified and weakened so badly that the book could just as well have been written by a Zoroastrian as by a Christian-- there is nothing uniquely Christian about the concepts of darkness and light, and these are all the concepts he offers in this book. It's all oddly shallow and vague, and unfortunately, the much talked of Lord of Hosts never makes a single appearance. Unlike Aslan, who appears in every book, this " Lord of Hosts" is obnoxiously uninterested in getting off his big rear end and helping his people get free from bondage. You may say that in real life God doesn't make a physical appearance very often. No, He doesn't. But what is the point of setting the whole thing in a fantasy world if abstract concepts like God are not allowed to make a concrete appearance on the scene-- otherwise how are you supposed to illustrate your ideas?
Anyway, the religious areas are weak and oversimplified. That's a big problem. The worst faults, however, are the flat, boring dialogue between flat, boring characters who do not differ in any way from each other-- and the horrible angsty presentation of the stepmother and stepbrother. They are cheap cartoon villains and their reformation at the end was abrupt, unbelievable, and--sadly--ridiculous. Louisa's reformation was equally unexplained and abrupt. We never explored her mind at all. It's good that the author is willing to allow one of the cartoon villains to become a worthwhile person, even a leader in the Lord's cause--but we are never enlightened as to how this transformation took place. She simply bounced from being a cartoon villain to a cartoon angel. :( There was potential for a lot of drama between her and Peras, the guy who masquerades as a messenger from God but who is proved to be a fake in the end-- but there was basically no drama at all between them. Mostly we just watched Peras tower above Peter and threaten him on a raft.
Oh, and another thing-- Peter and the other Aedyn guys are terrified to death of this Peras because he's tall and strong, like Thor. Okay, then. He's tall and strong. But that doesn't mean if they banded together they couldn't defeat him-- he's Thor, after all, not Planet Earth. And why were they all thinking about resorting to cannibalism when their rafts were still not far from land? Poor Mr McGrath--how did you overlook these plot-holes?
I could go on and on. Julia's reflections about Gregory being attractive but too old for her were startling-- largely because until this point I had gotten the impression that he was only about Peter's age and that there was no attraction between him and Julia. Probably Mr McGrath was advised to stick in some sort of romance-- and since he couldn't put one in between Louisa and Peras, or Peter and Alyce, he was forced to resort to a weird, taped-on relationship between Julia and Gregory.
On top of everything else, there was a curiously large amount of grossness--the Gul'nog were described in unnecessary detail and were extremely boring, mindless villains. We didn't get anything like the complexity or realism of villains like Jadis or Miraz-- here we just watched a lot of trolls go to the bathroom on the ground and eat raw meat. Boring and repulsive stuff.
Poor Mr McGrath. You have not done justice to your own abilities. This book was pathetic. The ending scene alone is enough to convince anyone that you were not at your best when writing this-- it is shockingly dumb and unrealistic.
From a 4 star to a 2 star to a 1 star... like a comet, Mr McGrath descends to earth. Sad stuff. :(
Sadly, Mr McGrath appears to have been giving way to much too much advice in the writing of these sequels. It is startling how inferior both the sequels were to the first book in the trilogy, The Chosen Ones. This makes me think that either Mr McGrath could not keep up the appearance of a superior author for long, or that he is a superior author but allowed himself to be swayed by bad advice on the part of editors and agents. I suspect the latter, since Mr McGrath is, unlike C.S.Lewis, a professor of theology and science and not a professor of English literature. C.S.Lewis was fairly comfortable in the writing world and familiar with most storytelling devices and traditions. Mr McGrath is a newcomer to the writing world, and not overly sure of himself. He should have stuck to his previous formula of subtle religious allegory and sibling drama-- when he tried to branch out into teen angst in a jungle, the result was disastrous.
This last volume, Darkness Shall Fall, is even weaker than the second book in the series-- and that one had some serious problems. Both of them feel like a clumsy effort at the typical genre fantasy story. The religious elements are simplified and weakened so badly that the book could just as well have been written by a Zoroastrian as by a Christian-- there is nothing uniquely Christian about the concepts of darkness and light, and these are all the concepts he offers in this book. It's all oddly shallow and vague, and unfortunately, the much talked of Lord of Hosts never makes a single appearance. Unlike Aslan, who appears in every book, this " Lord of Hosts" is obnoxiously uninterested in getting off his big rear end and helping his people get free from bondage. You may say that in real life God doesn't make a physical appearance very often. No, He doesn't. But what is the point of setting the whole thing in a fantasy world if abstract concepts like God are not allowed to make a concrete appearance on the scene-- otherwise how are you supposed to illustrate your ideas?
Anyway, the religious areas are weak and oversimplified. That's a big problem. The worst faults, however, are the flat, boring dialogue between flat, boring characters who do not differ in any way from each other-- and the horrible angsty presentation of the stepmother and stepbrother. They are cheap cartoon villains and their reformation at the end was abrupt, unbelievable, and--sadly--ridiculous. Louisa's reformation was equally unexplained and abrupt. We never explored her mind at all. It's good that the author is willing to allow one of the cartoon villains to become a worthwhile person, even a leader in the Lord's cause--but we are never enlightened as to how this transformation took place. She simply bounced from being a cartoon villain to a cartoon angel. :( There was potential for a lot of drama between her and Peras, the guy who masquerades as a messenger from God but who is proved to be a fake in the end-- but there was basically no drama at all between them. Mostly we just watched Peras tower above Peter and threaten him on a raft.
Oh, and another thing-- Peter and the other Aedyn guys are terrified to death of this Peras because he's tall and strong, like Thor. Okay, then. He's tall and strong. But that doesn't mean if they banded together they couldn't defeat him-- he's Thor, after all, not Planet Earth. And why were they all thinking about resorting to cannibalism when their rafts were still not far from land? Poor Mr McGrath--how did you overlook these plot-holes?
I could go on and on. Julia's reflections about Gregory being attractive but too old for her were startling-- largely because until this point I had gotten the impression that he was only about Peter's age and that there was no attraction between him and Julia. Probably Mr McGrath was advised to stick in some sort of romance-- and since he couldn't put one in between Louisa and Peras, or Peter and Alyce, he was forced to resort to a weird, taped-on relationship between Julia and Gregory.
On top of everything else, there was a curiously large amount of grossness--the Gul'nog were described in unnecessary detail and were extremely boring, mindless villains. We didn't get anything like the complexity or realism of villains like Jadis or Miraz-- here we just watched a lot of trolls go to the bathroom on the ground and eat raw meat. Boring and repulsive stuff.
Poor Mr McGrath. You have not done justice to your own abilities. This book was pathetic. The ending scene alone is enough to convince anyone that you were not at your best when writing this-- it is shockingly dumb and unrealistic.
From a 4 star to a 2 star to a 1 star... like a comet, Mr McGrath descends to earth. Sad stuff. :(
October 2, 2019
I felt that this book was the best in the series. Tied everything together... great series for those 8-12 year old...
September 25, 2021
** I won this book on goodreads. Very good read.
March 2, 2017
The writing quality isn't fantastic, but I so appreciated the imagery of Light conquering the darkness in this final book. It was very timely and needed for me.
April 5, 2012
Darkness Shall Fall is the third book in The Aedyn Chronicles Trilogy.
I found the story interesting enough to keep reading to the end, because I wanted to find out what happened to the characters. Unfortunately, I did not read the first two books in the trilogy, so some of the back story was not there for me coming into this book. The book was done well enough that I was able to follow the story, though.
The book is the story of Louisa, Peter and Julia and an adventure they are having in the world of Aedyn, having left their "melded" family back on Earth. A volcano has erupted and a shadow covers the world of Aedyn. Their mission is to overcome the shadow and restore Aedyn to the rule of the Lord of Hosts.
It was entertaining enough to keep me going. There were two spots in the book where the author leaves the third person telling and goes into a short (2 or 3 paragraphs) second person telling, in something of a preachy style, which was jarring to the flow of the narrative.
The change to the kids' family when they arrive back home is dramatic but not entirely convincing in the way that it happens. But a good ending to the tale.
This was a Goodread/First Reads book.
I found the story interesting enough to keep reading to the end, because I wanted to find out what happened to the characters. Unfortunately, I did not read the first two books in the trilogy, so some of the back story was not there for me coming into this book. The book was done well enough that I was able to follow the story, though.
The book is the story of Louisa, Peter and Julia and an adventure they are having in the world of Aedyn, having left their "melded" family back on Earth. A volcano has erupted and a shadow covers the world of Aedyn. Their mission is to overcome the shadow and restore Aedyn to the rule of the Lord of Hosts.
It was entertaining enough to keep me going. There were two spots in the book where the author leaves the third person telling and goes into a short (2 or 3 paragraphs) second person telling, in something of a preachy style, which was jarring to the flow of the narrative.
The change to the kids' family when they arrive back home is dramatic but not entirely convincing in the way that it happens. But a good ending to the tale.
This was a Goodread/First Reads book.
June 9, 2012
The Aedyn Chronicles – Darkness Shall Fall was a story about Louisa, Peter and Julia. It is their quest to chase the shadows from Aedyn and return the rule of the Lord of Host. Trapped on the island of Khemia, surrounded by Gul’nog (monstrous creatures) while the volcano continues to erupt, they only know that a Talisman’s fabled power is their only hope. But why isn’t the talisman working ? In the end, they must decide who they can trust and find the strength to fight a battle they are sure to loose.
Darkness Shall Fall has an interesting story premise. Even though I didn’t read the first 2 books in this series, I was able to understand what was going on. Something, in the way this book was narrated, made it difficult for me to become invested in the characters. Darkness Shall Fall seemed to be geared to a younger teen audience which might account for my difficulty with the narrative. That being said, I did find myself drawn in till of conclusion.
This copy was given to me by Goodreads First Reads and Zonderkids in exchange for an honest review.
Darkness Shall Fall has an interesting story premise. Even though I didn’t read the first 2 books in this series, I was able to understand what was going on. Something, in the way this book was narrated, made it difficult for me to become invested in the characters. Darkness Shall Fall seemed to be geared to a younger teen audience which might account for my difficulty with the narrative. That being said, I did find myself drawn in till of conclusion.
This copy was given to me by Goodreads First Reads and Zonderkids in exchange for an honest review.
December 18, 2012
Darkness Shall Fall does have a lesson to be learned. First of all this is the second book and the conclusion to The Aedyn Chronicles. Peter, Julia, and Louisa is stranded on an island with an erupting volcano that is spreading evil from within the earth. As the Shadow grows stronger, the people of Aedyn are losing hope. Peter, Julia, and Louisa are expecting the Lord of Hosts to appear but nothing have happened when the two pieces of the tailman are made whole.
Louisa, who has been mean and cruel to Peter and Julia, is acting much nicer. She has spent more time calming and cheering the people of Aedyn during the darkest time. It is also Louisa who warned them of the false messenger that Peter and Julia was ready to give up their leadership to.
In some way, the story seemed predictable but I have to remember that this story is written for young adults. It is about family and learning what can destroy a family is losing and not having and remembering what love is. It took Peter, Julia, and Louisa to find the courage and love to discover what a family really is.
Louisa, who has been mean and cruel to Peter and Julia, is acting much nicer. She has spent more time calming and cheering the people of Aedyn during the darkest time. It is also Louisa who warned them of the false messenger that Peter and Julia was ready to give up their leadership to.
In some way, the story seemed predictable but I have to remember that this story is written for young adults. It is about family and learning what can destroy a family is losing and not having and remembering what love is. It took Peter, Julia, and Louisa to find the courage and love to discover what a family really is.
August 17, 2012
Free book received from a Goodreads Giveaway
This book concludes the Aedyn Chronicles and it brings together everything which Peter, Louisa, and Julia have learned during their adventures. Peter must realize his mistake in putting his faith in the wrong person. Julia recovers the stolen talisman from the enemy's camp. Louisa becomes brave enough to accept her role as Healer and to lead the band on a daring move to destroy the Shadow once and for all. The books are a bit like Narnia, in that the heroes are sent to a different world by the Lord of Hosts to do His will and save the world. The three English children grow and mature through their experiences in Aedyn and take the new lessons home to heal their broken family.
This book concludes the Aedyn Chronicles and it brings together everything which Peter, Louisa, and Julia have learned during their adventures. Peter must realize his mistake in putting his faith in the wrong person. Julia recovers the stolen talisman from the enemy's camp. Louisa becomes brave enough to accept her role as Healer and to lead the band on a daring move to destroy the Shadow once and for all. The books are a bit like Narnia, in that the heroes are sent to a different world by the Lord of Hosts to do His will and save the world. The three English children grow and mature through their experiences in Aedyn and take the new lessons home to heal their broken family.
September 1, 2012
I got this book through goodreads in a first reads giveaway. This is not a book I would read on a general purpose and I havent read the first two so i was a bit confused as to what was going on in a way.
Although the characters Louisa, Peter and Julia were well written and the story as I could tell was written for a much younger audience than myself. It was enjoyable and a good read the trio were trying to get rid of the shadow the volcano caused over Aedyn so they could get it back to its orignal state. The adventured are paced well enough to keep track of. i would recommend it to a younger audience.
Although the characters Louisa, Peter and Julia were well written and the story as I could tell was written for a much younger audience than myself. It was enjoyable and a good read the trio were trying to get rid of the shadow the volcano caused over Aedyn so they could get it back to its orignal state. The adventured are paced well enough to keep track of. i would recommend it to a younger audience.
September 13, 2012
I received this book thru the Goodreads First Read program. It is a good book for a younger teenager. Well written and the characters are believable and developed.
I have not read the first books in the series so kind of had to catch the drift on the fly. I enjoyed the book it was very different from what I have been reading lately.
I have not read the first books in the series so kind of had to catch the drift on the fly. I enjoyed the book it was very different from what I have been reading lately.
May 3, 2013
This sounds like a wonderful compeling book. Very interesting I am really looking forward to reading this. And as far as my love for covers goes this one is wonderful!! I recieved it today and am looking forward to reading it to my son!!
March 17, 2012
Well written. It was a good change of pace for me, a different kind of read. It was a good change of pace that had full of life characters and great descriptions.
June 18, 2012
Simple, but good. A modern take on Narnia, but you just can't touch Lewis.
December 16, 2012
The conclusion to "Flight of the Outcasts." Julia, Peter, and Louisa all make positive spiritual and moral changes in their lives, which they are later able to impart to their family.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews