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The Hidden Earth Chronicles #2
Heights of the Depths
On the Damned World, it’s every man for himself. Only it’s not just mankind who dwells here . . . The Earth of the future is not one you’d recognize. Creatures previously thought to be simply myth— vampires, two-legged dragons, abominable snowmen, and nine other races—have overrun the planet and made it their own. Humanity is nearly extinct. But now the Twelve Races have discovered that their own fortunes are inextricably linked with the remnants of the human race. And so one of the last remaining humans, a young slave girl named Jepp (who holds the key to the future of the world), is on her way to a fateful meeting with the most powerful creature on the face of the planet. Except the question isn’t what will happen when she gets there . . . but if she’s going to make it there alive.
438 pages, Paperback
First published February 12, 2012
3 people are currently reading
78 people want to read
About the author
Peter David
3,568 books1,365 followersaka David Peters
Peter Allen David, often abbreviated PAD, was an American writer of comic books, novels, television, films, and video games. His notable comic book work includes an award-winning 12-year run on The Incredible Hulk, as well as runs on Aquaman, Young Justice, SpyBoy, Supergirl, Fallen Angel, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2099, Captain Marvel, and X-Factor.
His Star Trek work included comic books and novels such as the New Frontier book series. His other novels included film adaptations, media tie-ins, and original works, such as the Apropos of Nothing and Knight Life series. His television work includes series such as Babylon 5, Young Justice, Ben 10: Alien Force and Nickelodeon's Space Cases, which he co-created with Bill Mumy.
David often jokingly described his occupation as "Writer of Stuff", and he was noted for his prolific writing, characterized by its mingling of real-world issues with humor and references to popular culture, as well as elements of metafiction and self-reference.
David earned multiple awards for his work, including a 1992 Eisner Award, a 1993 Wizard Fan Award, a 1996 Haxtur Award, a 2007 Julie Award and a 2011 GLAAD Media Award.
Peter Allen David, often abbreviated PAD, was an American writer of comic books, novels, television, films, and video games. His notable comic book work includes an award-winning 12-year run on The Incredible Hulk, as well as runs on Aquaman, Young Justice, SpyBoy, Supergirl, Fallen Angel, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2099, Captain Marvel, and X-Factor.
His Star Trek work included comic books and novels such as the New Frontier book series. His other novels included film adaptations, media tie-ins, and original works, such as the Apropos of Nothing and Knight Life series. His television work includes series such as Babylon 5, Young Justice, Ben 10: Alien Force and Nickelodeon's Space Cases, which he co-created with Bill Mumy.
David often jokingly described his occupation as "Writer of Stuff", and he was noted for his prolific writing, characterized by its mingling of real-world issues with humor and references to popular culture, as well as elements of metafiction and self-reference.
David earned multiple awards for his work, including a 1992 Eisner Award, a 1993 Wizard Fan Award, a 1996 Haxtur Award, a 2007 Julie Award and a 2011 GLAAD Media Award.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 25, 2012
This is the sequel to Darkness of the Light, the first book in a series which was published a few years back and then....no sequel. It looks like David needed to go out on his own and self-publish to get this out (probably because the first book didn't sell too well).
I enjoyed the first book and kept checking back for the sequel. After giving up hope, I noticed that this title was mentioned on David's website. A few months later, the book was published, my copy arrived from Amazon, and after a quick read, my review is now before you.
So was it good? I'll digress for a second and comment on the impact of cover art on the mind of this reader. The first edition of Darkness of the Light featured a cover that showed a nuclear explosion, a somewhat scantily clad woman chocking a lizard man with a sword, all on an orange / yellow background. To me, this was very much a WOTC Dark Suns look, and my mental image of the story was influenced in that manner from the start. THIS book features TERRIBLE artwork, and with the first in the series re-issued with similar TERRIBLE artwork, I can honestly say that I would never have picked it up at a bookstore. I'll leave it that.
The book itself starts out strong with a scene from the invasion of the Damned World. It clarifies much of the backstory and sets the primary conflict up for the rest of the novel. Unfortunately, some of the mystery that was setup up in Book1 is now revealed, and to my taste, David's reveal isn't quite as exciting as I'd hoped. The plot moves forward with no real feeling of danger for any of the characters. Instead, I had the impression that the pieces were being moved into place by author for the 'next' reveal; in the next volume.
Collectively, I would give this a 'meh' and a hope that the final(?) book better give some solid payoff or I'm going to be irritated.
I enjoyed the first book and kept checking back for the sequel. After giving up hope, I noticed that this title was mentioned on David's website. A few months later, the book was published, my copy arrived from Amazon, and after a quick read, my review is now before you.
So was it good? I'll digress for a second and comment on the impact of cover art on the mind of this reader. The first edition of Darkness of the Light featured a cover that showed a nuclear explosion, a somewhat scantily clad woman chocking a lizard man with a sword, all on an orange / yellow background. To me, this was very much a WOTC Dark Suns look, and my mental image of the story was influenced in that manner from the start. THIS book features TERRIBLE artwork, and with the first in the series re-issued with similar TERRIBLE artwork, I can honestly say that I would never have picked it up at a bookstore. I'll leave it that.
The book itself starts out strong with a scene from the invasion of the Damned World. It clarifies much of the backstory and sets the primary conflict up for the rest of the novel. Unfortunately, some of the mystery that was setup up in Book1 is now revealed, and to my taste, David's reveal isn't quite as exciting as I'd hoped. The plot moves forward with no real feeling of danger for any of the characters. Instead, I had the impression that the pieces were being moved into place by author for the 'next' reveal; in the next volume.
Collectively, I would give this a 'meh' and a hope that the final(?) book better give some solid payoff or I'm going to be irritated.
March 8, 2013
Really enjoyed the second book in the Hidden Earth series from Peter David; looking forward to the third (and final?) book, hoping it is not TOO long before it comes out, although I know Mr. David is recovering from a stroke he suffered at the beginning of this year.
December 19, 2014
It took me a while to remember what was going on from the first book but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. The funniest thing is that I envision the oculars looking like a cross between Muno from yo gabba gabba and Marzipan from homestar runner. 5 stars for a fun read!
October 27, 2015
Very exciting,kept me on the edge!
Very eye opening parallels to earth now and in the future. The characters are very colorful and strong, easy to relate to.
Very eye opening parallels to earth now and in the future. The characters are very colorful and strong, easy to relate to.
November 7, 2016
i couldnt remember the characters it was good but too long btw books
October 13, 2023
The second part of this series did not disappoint in storytelling and humour. This is classic Peter David. My only disappointment was the typos and other errors that managed to get past the editing process. Maybe this is just the growing pains of a new publishing company, but I am pedantic enough for it to distract me from the otherwise wonderful book.
August 1, 2017
once again loved it
March 27, 2014
This book wasn't as excellent as the first one, but still pretty good. Maybe because it's the second of a trilogy, always a disadvantage since it loses the excitement of an introduction or resolution and there's more moving characters to a destination.
Also, the eBook version had quite a few typography problems. The spacing would go from single to double with no transition, and the font size would change sometimes. It looked unprofessionally produced, which doesn't match what I know of Peter David -- a consummate writer-fo'-life. I hope this was just a blip.
The book continues where it left off, dropping off some characters from the last book and introducing some new ones. The biggest problem is that there are about six storylines going on, and when you've got that many, each one can only develop a little bit before it moves to the next. There's going to be stories that are interesting and ones that aren't, and you've got to wait for those to pass.
Plus it feels like the intrigue and mystery behind the world got explained away in this one, by the simple act of lifting the curtain. And the end didn't really entice me to read on, since it eliminated what seemed to be the primary obstacle. Now I'm not sure what the big goal is.
But I still will read the next one. I still like this universe, I still love the characters. And I want to see what happens next.
Also, the eBook version had quite a few typography problems. The spacing would go from single to double with no transition, and the font size would change sometimes. It looked unprofessionally produced, which doesn't match what I know of Peter David -- a consummate writer-fo'-life. I hope this was just a blip.
The book continues where it left off, dropping off some characters from the last book and introducing some new ones. The biggest problem is that there are about six storylines going on, and when you've got that many, each one can only develop a little bit before it moves to the next. There's going to be stories that are interesting and ones that aren't, and you've got to wait for those to pass.
Plus it feels like the intrigue and mystery behind the world got explained away in this one, by the simple act of lifting the curtain. And the end didn't really entice me to read on, since it eliminated what seemed to be the primary obstacle. Now I'm not sure what the big goal is.
But I still will read the next one. I still like this universe, I still love the characters. And I want to see what happens next.
February 7, 2013
Like Darkness of the Light, this is definitely part of a trilogy rather than being a standalone novel in its own right. So, be aware that you aren't getting a complete story here. Still, taken on its own merits it works well: it follows up on the previous book, introduces new characters, and pairs up existing characters in new ways. There's a definite sense of moving all the chess pieces into position, but it's not contrived.
After I finished the first book I wasn't sure whether we'd met all 12 of the races. I'm still not sure, but this book does provide more information.
This book includes a few passages which are copied directly from the previous novel; these basically serve as a recap, a bit like the "Previously on ..." segments that you often see at the start of a TV episode. Personally, I didn't need them because I read this book immediately after the previous one. Even if I did want a recap, I'd prefer to do one big "story so far" exposition dump at the start, rather than having these bits dotted around through the book.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to the next book, and hopefully it won't be a long wait.
After I finished the first book I wasn't sure whether we'd met all 12 of the races. I'm still not sure, but this book does provide more information.
This book includes a few passages which are copied directly from the previous novel; these basically serve as a recap, a bit like the "Previously on ..." segments that you often see at the start of a TV episode. Personally, I didn't need them because I read this book immediately after the previous one. Even if I did want a recap, I'd prefer to do one big "story so far" exposition dump at the start, rather than having these bits dotted around through the book.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to the next book, and hopefully it won't be a long wait.
September 21, 2015
Lots going on
It had been a while since I'd read the first book, so the bevy of characters was a bit overwhelming. Lots of pieces in lots of places. Lots of maneuvering to get them in place and a bit of stalling in some story lines. Still, David does a nice job with character humor and action, his staples
It had been a while since I'd read the first book, so the bevy of characters was a bit overwhelming. Lots of pieces in lots of places. Lots of maneuvering to get them in place and a bit of stalling in some story lines. Still, David does a nice job with character humor and action, his staples
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews