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Noble Dead Saga: Series 3 #2
The Dog in the Dark
Barely escaping the city of Calm Seatt - and the assassins hunting them - Magiere, Leesil, and the elven dog Chap sail south to continue their quest to find the powerful orb of Air before their enemies do. But they are not alone, much to their frustration.
Aging elven assassin Brot’an has forced himself on them by offering his protection. Chap doesn’t believe this ruse, however, and seeks to uncover the assassin’s true agenda - as well as the cause of the secret civil war that has erupted into the open among Brot'an's people.
Meanwhile, Magiere struggles with her own dark nature, using Leesil’s love as an anchor to keep her grounded. For the personal price she paid to procure the orb of Fire was more than she thought - and more than she wants to reveal to anyone else.
But that is exactly what the cunning Brot’an wants to know. And he is willing to do whatever it takes - even if he must reveal his own dreaded secrets, which may cost the entire party their lives...and their very souls
Aging elven assassin Brot’an has forced himself on them by offering his protection. Chap doesn’t believe this ruse, however, and seeks to uncover the assassin’s true agenda - as well as the cause of the secret civil war that has erupted into the open among Brot'an's people.
Meanwhile, Magiere struggles with her own dark nature, using Leesil’s love as an anchor to keep her grounded. For the personal price she paid to procure the orb of Fire was more than she thought - and more than she wants to reveal to anyone else.
But that is exactly what the cunning Brot’an wants to know. And he is willing to do whatever it takes - even if he must reveal his own dreaded secrets, which may cost the entire party their lives...and their very souls
458 pages, Hardcover
First published December 31, 2012
29 people are currently reading
845 people want to read
About the author
Barb Hendee
70 books1,162 followers[See barbhendee.org]
Like most writers, I've worked at many jobs in my life, including teaching pre-school until I completed my master's degree in Composition Theory. Between 1993 and 2006, I taught college English while writing fiction on the side, some independently and some with my husband and life-long partner J.C.
Over the years, we've lived in Washington State, Idaho, Colorado, and now moved just south of Portland, Oregon. I love the Northwest, and it's a great place to write.
We have a lovely and talented daughter, Jaclyn, who lives in Houston, Texas along with our wonderful and talented son-in-law, Paul.
J.C. and I sold Dhampir in 2001, which changed our lives considerably. It was published in January 2003, and we've published a book in the Noble Dead Saga every year since. In May of 2006, we were both able to quit our teaching jobs and move into full time writing.
Recently, I've begun writing romance/suspense novels, beginning with: Alone with a Soldier. I am so glad my books have found an audience because I love to write fiction more than anything else in the world... and I'm not really good at anything else.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
June 23, 2013
I want to start by saying I really enjoyed the start of the
Noble Dead Series
. Dhampir was something new that I had not expected when I first read it and that invested me strongly in the characters.
The Dog In The Dark, is the second book in the third series. I should mention that the whole "series" so far is broken into three groups:
The first part of the series consists of 6 books which focused primarily on Magiere (a Dhampir), Leesil (a half-elf assassin), and Chap (a fay born into the form of a wolf).
The second part of the series consists of 3 books, which focused primarily on Wynn (a young sage), Chane (a vampire), and Shade (a daughter of Chap).
The third part of the series is about getting the group back together, splitting them up again, and hopefully resolving the story in the yet to be released third book in the "third series".
The Dog In The Dark is named for Brot'ân, an elf and master assassin who had shown up in several of the earlier books. This book focuses on slowly eliciting information from him as well as explaining what Magiere, Leesil, and Chap were doing while we were busy with Wynn in the second series. Unfortunately, this exchange of information is done mostly through the use of flashbacks. While many questions were answered, others were added, the trouble was it was hard for me to stay engaged through the story and ended up reading another book while I was reading this one. There are a few action scenes scattered about, some in the flashbacks, some in current time. However, a few of the setups for those events seemed a little forced.
I really wanted to enjoy the book. I became fond of Magiere and Leesil in Dhampir and will finish off the series (I have invested a lot of time in it), but was disappointed not to see more growth in their characters. Some of the issues they were dealing with earlier on, like short tempers and hypersensitivity to issues should have been overcome by this point in the story. I am a firm believer in the growth of characters over the course of a story arch. When I don't see that happening, I start to lose some of my appreciation for the characters and the series. This to me was the hardest part of reading the story.
As a writer myself, I can understand why Barb and J.C. decided to use the flashbacks; already at a projected 12 books in the series, to actually tell the details of the events in this book as they had in the prior books would have extended the series even more. However, it did make it a slower read than the prior books.
I would not recommend the book to someone just entering into the series. It really is only there for people already invested in the tale. My hope is that book 3 in series 3 will wrap things up. However, it will require getting all the players back together and there are a number of them to move around. I would like to give it 2 stars out of 5, but my initial fondness for the series makes me give it a 3.
The Dog In The Dark, is the second book in the third series. I should mention that the whole "series" so far is broken into three groups:
The first part of the series consists of 6 books which focused primarily on Magiere (a Dhampir), Leesil (a half-elf assassin), and Chap (a fay born into the form of a wolf).
The second part of the series consists of 3 books, which focused primarily on Wynn (a young sage), Chane (a vampire), and Shade (a daughter of Chap).
The third part of the series is about getting the group back together, splitting them up again, and hopefully resolving the story in the yet to be released third book in the "third series".
The Dog In The Dark is named for Brot'ân, an elf and master assassin who had shown up in several of the earlier books. This book focuses on slowly eliciting information from him as well as explaining what Magiere, Leesil, and Chap were doing while we were busy with Wynn in the second series. Unfortunately, this exchange of information is done mostly through the use of flashbacks. While many questions were answered, others were added, the trouble was it was hard for me to stay engaged through the story and ended up reading another book while I was reading this one. There are a few action scenes scattered about, some in the flashbacks, some in current time. However, a few of the setups for those events seemed a little forced.
I really wanted to enjoy the book. I became fond of Magiere and Leesil in Dhampir and will finish off the series (I have invested a lot of time in it), but was disappointed not to see more growth in their characters. Some of the issues they were dealing with earlier on, like short tempers and hypersensitivity to issues should have been overcome by this point in the story. I am a firm believer in the growth of characters over the course of a story arch. When I don't see that happening, I start to lose some of my appreciation for the characters and the series. This to me was the hardest part of reading the story.
As a writer myself, I can understand why Barb and J.C. decided to use the flashbacks; already at a projected 12 books in the series, to actually tell the details of the events in this book as they had in the prior books would have extended the series even more. However, it did make it a slower read than the prior books.
I would not recommend the book to someone just entering into the series. It really is only there for people already invested in the tale. My hope is that book 3 in series 3 will wrap things up. However, it will require getting all the players back together and there are a number of them to move around. I would like to give it 2 stars out of 5, but my initial fondness for the series makes me give it a 3.
May 3, 2013
The Dog in the Dark; Barb & J.C. Hendee, 2013; ROC
"The Dog in the Dark" is book thirteen in the Noble Dead series that has been broken up into three parts. And as much as I enjoy the Hendee team books (Barb & J.C.), I have to say its starting to become a struggle to get through these last two ("Between Their Worlds"). It's not that the writing has deteriorated or that I've suddenly developed an aversion to elves, dampirs, fey, and things that go bump in the night. But what I am discovering is that when a story goes over three books and finds no resolution, my attention span begins to wane. And to top that off, by the time I finish the last page I'm almost as depressed as the characters themselves.
Let's face it folks, when an author deferrers hope for too long, not only does it make the heart-sick, but it does nothing to enhance my desire to continue reading about the character's failure to launch. And I'm not just picking on the Hendee's. There are several other authors whose works I follow that have written umpteen million books involving the same character(s) and I feel the same way about them. After a while it's just time to let the poor things die. I might be disappointed. I might even call you bad names and rant about 'how dare you - the author - kill off so and so" (I think that happened to Dana Stabenow when she had the courage to kill off our beloved Jack Morgan in "Hunter's Moon"), but for the health of the character an author can't always let the readers and publishers tell them what is or isn't good authorship.
Anyhow. As a whole I like "The Dog in the Dark". The character's are well-developed, the storyline, though a little more convoluted than usual, is really good, and truly the Hendee team are one the better authors at being able to juggle multiple plots at once. But as for the stories continuance, I'd really like to move on.
Will I read the next novel in the series, "The Wind in the Night"? Darn Skippy I will. Remember, reader loyalty is Uno numeral with me, and whether I'm personally fed up with Lesil, Magiere, Chap, Brot'an, Wynn, Chane and Osha always being just one step ahead of disaster or not, I will stay with them until the last monster is destroyed.
On my reader's scale of 1-5 stars, I'm giving "The Dog in the Dark" 4 stars for overall good story, and 3.5 stars making me depressed.
"The Dog in the Dark" is book thirteen in the Noble Dead series that has been broken up into three parts. And as much as I enjoy the Hendee team books (Barb & J.C.), I have to say its starting to become a struggle to get through these last two ("Between Their Worlds"). It's not that the writing has deteriorated or that I've suddenly developed an aversion to elves, dampirs, fey, and things that go bump in the night. But what I am discovering is that when a story goes over three books and finds no resolution, my attention span begins to wane. And to top that off, by the time I finish the last page I'm almost as depressed as the characters themselves.
Let's face it folks, when an author deferrers hope for too long, not only does it make the heart-sick, but it does nothing to enhance my desire to continue reading about the character's failure to launch. And I'm not just picking on the Hendee's. There are several other authors whose works I follow that have written umpteen million books involving the same character(s) and I feel the same way about them. After a while it's just time to let the poor things die. I might be disappointed. I might even call you bad names and rant about 'how dare you - the author - kill off so and so" (I think that happened to Dana Stabenow when she had the courage to kill off our beloved Jack Morgan in "Hunter's Moon"), but for the health of the character an author can't always let the readers and publishers tell them what is or isn't good authorship.
Anyhow. As a whole I like "The Dog in the Dark". The character's are well-developed, the storyline, though a little more convoluted than usual, is really good, and truly the Hendee team are one the better authors at being able to juggle multiple plots at once. But as for the stories continuance, I'd really like to move on.
Will I read the next novel in the series, "The Wind in the Night"? Darn Skippy I will. Remember, reader loyalty is Uno numeral with me, and whether I'm personally fed up with Lesil, Magiere, Chap, Brot'an, Wynn, Chane and Osha always being just one step ahead of disaster or not, I will stay with them until the last monster is destroyed.
On my reader's scale of 1-5 stars, I'm giving "The Dog in the Dark" 4 stars for overall good story, and 3.5 stars making me depressed.
January 29, 2013
Hmm...this has to be my least favorite book so far in the series.
Good things:
- I liked the added narrative from Brot'an's point of view as it brought a new perspective to some events, particularly as I am not a fan of Leesil or Leanalham.
- Filled in what happened in the Wastes.
- Magiere continues to...develop, shall we say.
Bad things:
- There were too many flashbacks and there wasn't enough action happening in the main storyline.
- The last few pages...argh! Now I have to wait another year...
- I got lost in all of the elves because I did not remember their back stories. It would be helpful to have a character glossary in the back, e.g., so I could look up En'nish and remember why she hates Leesil.
- The section in the Wastes was uneven - some things described in useless detail, while the main action section was short & choppy.
I miss Chane (and Wynn)...but it sounds like the next book will bring them back into the narrative. I am also wondering when there is going to be a Lhoin'na character of note (or maybe they just aren't as important as the An'Croan).
Good things:
- I liked the added narrative from Brot'an's point of view as it brought a new perspective to some events, particularly as I am not a fan of Leesil or Leanalham.
- Filled in what happened in the Wastes.
- Magiere continues to...develop, shall we say.
Bad things:
- There were too many flashbacks and there wasn't enough action happening in the main storyline.
- The last few pages...argh! Now I have to wait another year...
- I got lost in all of the elves because I did not remember their back stories. It would be helpful to have a character glossary in the back, e.g., so I could look up En'nish and remember why she hates Leesil.
- The section in the Wastes was uneven - some things described in useless detail, while the main action section was short & choppy.
I miss Chane (and Wynn)...but it sounds like the next book will bring them back into the narrative. I am also wondering when there is going to be a Lhoin'na character of note (or maybe they just aren't as important as the An'Croan).
January 19, 2013
I have really enjoyed this series. So why only three stars? I would love to give 3.5, but don't have option with this app.
That said, there were far too many flashbacks & they played havoc with continuity for me. Some of tensions between the players seem to just drag on as no one seems to be able work out their issues and that is problematic.
Of course we know that Bot'an'duive is the proverbial dog in the dark. Yet we also see this sentence, 'Until then Chap lingered in the dark.'
This brings up an issue I've had from the outset. It appears that Barb & JC are of two minds regarding the sacred Majay-hi. One of them pushes the Majay-hi as a wolf-like creature, who should be revered. The other one always refers to Chap as a dog. So, which is it?
If Between Their Worlds was meant to be a bridge, perhaps that what's going on with this installment. Will the third book be yet another bridge? Yes, both books presented information that was needed, it wasn't until the last few pages that they actually progressed on their journey. So in my mind, there were flashbacks & very little actually accomplished. No orbs were found.
All in all I have to say that even though I found some of the flashbacks rather annoying, I still enjoyed the book & will continue on with the series, however I will likely wait for the next books to be released in paperback before I continue on.
That said, there were far too many flashbacks & they played havoc with continuity for me. Some of tensions between the players seem to just drag on as no one seems to be able work out their issues and that is problematic.
Of course we know that Bot'an'duive is the proverbial dog in the dark. Yet we also see this sentence, 'Until then Chap lingered in the dark.'
This brings up an issue I've had from the outset. It appears that Barb & JC are of two minds regarding the sacred Majay-hi. One of them pushes the Majay-hi as a wolf-like creature, who should be revered. The other one always refers to Chap as a dog. So, which is it?
If Between Their Worlds was meant to be a bridge, perhaps that what's going on with this installment. Will the third book be yet another bridge? Yes, both books presented information that was needed, it wasn't until the last few pages that they actually progressed on their journey. So in my mind, there were flashbacks & very little actually accomplished. No orbs were found.
All in all I have to say that even though I found some of the flashbacks rather annoying, I still enjoyed the book & will continue on with the series, however I will likely wait for the next books to be released in paperback before I continue on.
January 6, 2013
too many flashbacks to catch us up with what happened during the Wynn Series. I honestly wish that we will see more of Wynn, Chane and Osha in the next book.
December 15, 2023
It was good...but depressing.
June 12, 2022
So as the name suggests, this time we're centred around Brotan and the mystery of his hidden agenda. Can we trust him? Why is he even here?
He grew on me. I know in the past he got on their bad side (especially Leesil's), but they should understand more than anyone what it's like to be tied to orders. Especially in the past. He's here and helping now, so I wish they could get over it and work together.
This book is almost PERFECT. If not for one thing: 3/4 of it is told in flashbacks! Whyyyyyy
I love how we finally get to see the missing pieces of what happened to Magiere and Leesil while they were out in the wastes, the dangerous journey. And while most of the story takes place back in the elf territory where Brotan started, I don't understand why it had to be in flashbacks. It takes away so much of the tension knowing that since they're here in the present, none of the past's danger is a threat.
But something I REALLY enjoyed, was Leanlham's story. At first, it's kind of annoying, because she seems to take Wynn's place, only has less to offer skill-wise. But you start to feel for her, not having a place to belong, and even her interest in Osha is overshadowed by Wynn, who isn't even reciprocating.
We DO get to see some action again, finally, which is what I loved about the series to start with, only most of it's fighting anmaglahk again, nothing to do with the undead. Still, I LOVE it when Leesil gets his kills in, he's so cool~!
A random note about elven homes. Living in trees sounds amazing at first, but then you start to imagine all the bugs, and the allergies, sitting on actual grass and dirt all day.. the reality of it starts to get to me. Sort of like how people sensualize sunsets and laying in fields of grass when all I can think about is the itchiness of grass, bugs, animal faeces, and especially the mosquitos after sunset. But the nature aesthetic is pleasing!
Magiere and Chap each have their own drive in this as well. Her problem is that she's losing more and more control of her Dhampir side, and Chap is obsessively watchful over Brotan, ever suspicious of his actions.
This book seemed longer than the rest for some reason, but most of the answers we had get answered. We have to be getting closer to the orb by now! Next book, Let's goooo!
He grew on me. I know in the past he got on their bad side (especially Leesil's), but they should understand more than anyone what it's like to be tied to orders. Especially in the past. He's here and helping now, so I wish they could get over it and work together.
This book is almost PERFECT. If not for one thing: 3/4 of it is told in flashbacks! Whyyyyyy
I love how we finally get to see the missing pieces of what happened to Magiere and Leesil while they were out in the wastes, the dangerous journey. And while most of the story takes place back in the elf territory where Brotan started, I don't understand why it had to be in flashbacks. It takes away so much of the tension knowing that since they're here in the present, none of the past's danger is a threat.
But something I REALLY enjoyed, was Leanlham's story. At first, it's kind of annoying, because she seems to take Wynn's place, only has less to offer skill-wise. But you start to feel for her, not having a place to belong, and even her interest in Osha is overshadowed by Wynn, who isn't even reciprocating.
We DO get to see some action again, finally, which is what I loved about the series to start with, only most of it's fighting anmaglahk again, nothing to do with the undead. Still, I LOVE it when Leesil gets his kills in, he's so cool~!
A random note about elven homes. Living in trees sounds amazing at first, but then you start to imagine all the bugs, and the allergies, sitting on actual grass and dirt all day.. the reality of it starts to get to me. Sort of like how people sensualize sunsets and laying in fields of grass when all I can think about is the itchiness of grass, bugs, animal faeces, and especially the mosquitos after sunset. But the nature aesthetic is pleasing!
Magiere and Chap each have their own drive in this as well. Her problem is that she's losing more and more control of her Dhampir side, and Chap is obsessively watchful over Brotan, ever suspicious of his actions.
This book seemed longer than the rest for some reason, but most of the answers we had get answered. We have to be getting closer to the orb by now! Next book, Let's goooo!
May 29, 2024
4.75/5
This review is taken from my notes from when I finished the book years ago.
Magerie, Leesil, and Chap head out to find the fourth orb. Brot'an, who they don't trust, and Leanalham are chased by the remaining assassins of Most Aged Father. They are moving down the coast by sea to get to the Suman lands to talk to Ghassan Il Sanke.
This is a high fantasy series in a medieval setting with Vampires. If this sounds appealing, this might be the series for you. It is complete.
This review is taken from my notes from when I finished the book years ago.
Magerie, Leesil, and Chap head out to find the fourth orb. Brot'an, who they don't trust, and Leanalham are chased by the remaining assassins of Most Aged Father. They are moving down the coast by sea to get to the Suman lands to talk to Ghassan Il Sanke.
This is a high fantasy series in a medieval setting with Vampires. If this sounds appealing, this might be the series for you. It is complete.
November 11, 2017
My main problem with this book was that the sheer number of ellipses leading into flashbacks got me to the point where my eyes started rolling very quickly.
Flashbacks are well and good if you absolutely must drop some backstory in, but this book was about 75% backstory...all conveyed via flashbacks. A better title would have been 'Memory Lane'.
Flashbacks are well and good if you absolutely must drop some backstory in, but this book was about 75% backstory...all conveyed via flashbacks. A better title would have been 'Memory Lane'.
November 19, 2018
So I accidently read these out of order. All of a sudden, the last one makes much more sense. I really enjoy this story, but I am still trying to decide how I feel about the story progressing mostly through a progression of flashbacks.
January 12, 2023
This book did not progress the story a lot, mostly just filled in the backstory of what happened with the main characters leading up to the previous book as they travel by ship to their next destination. I am really looking forward to the next book!
November 8, 2025
I’ve loved this series for years. I’ve done many rereads. I have both read the books and listened to the audiobooks. I prefer the audiobook. The narrator did a good job, and I enjoyed the mix of accents. Though she does mispronounced somethings that didn’t take away from the whole series.
July 20, 2020
this book in the series was a slog for me. the flashbacks were a majority of the story and got confusing at times. I love this series as a whole and am looking forward to the next book.
August 1, 2021
Is this the one where almost all of the story is told to us in flashbacks, while our characters are aboard a barge of sorts and very little else happens? I think so.
Right. So with that in mind, THIS is the book where we play a LOT of catch up. To the point where not a whole lot is actually happening, and what we are seeing all came from the past. Because if memory serves, Brot'an wants to know what led up to that moment where they're all together, and it gets revealed in spurts. These flashbacks, if you will, were the events that occurred between Child of a Dead God and Between Their Worlds, when we were reading exclusively from Wynn's point of view. It's kind of weird; not the concept, but the passage of time. When we're reading from the present, the pacing was much slower. But when reading from the past, I remember it flying by. Funny how that works.
Anyway, if you read my earlier reviews of the series, I've already hinted at how I'd have liked to see this being done differently. First of all, I think we could have easily read from dual perspectives throughout the second arc (when we exclusively read from Wynns's), which would have saved us all of the trouble of living through flashbacks and old memories. We'd already be aware of these events, so we wouldn't need it all to be spelled out. Granted, and this is my second point, that would have rendered this book almost completely unnecessary, since the point of this book was mostly TO play catch up. But that just means we could have had other information introduced here to keep the plot moving, and maybe the layout of this and the future books would be a little different. Which I think could have been a good thing.
Given the way it was executed, this was a clever way of tying up those loose ends. But it could have been done differently, so this book could have focused on something else. Especially if what I read in the past was right, about this book being the one where the publishers asked the authors to condense their plot and finish it sooner than intended. Maybe we could have gotten just a little bit more of the intended plot if the events of this book had been distributed between the previous four.
It did catch the reader up and added to the plot. It tied things together. But I would have liked to see it be executed differently.
Nevertheless, despite this complaint, I still gave the book five stars because I really enjoyed it. I would have liked to see things being done differently, but the way it WAS handled still captivated me. And honestly, I was just so glad to read things from Leesil and Magiere'e point of view that almost nothing could have diminished my happiness. So I believe my five star rating and I'd happily reread this installment again.
Right. So with that in mind, THIS is the book where we play a LOT of catch up. To the point where not a whole lot is actually happening, and what we are seeing all came from the past. Because if memory serves, Brot'an wants to know what led up to that moment where they're all together, and it gets revealed in spurts. These flashbacks, if you will, were the events that occurred between Child of a Dead God and Between Their Worlds, when we were reading exclusively from Wynn's point of view. It's kind of weird; not the concept, but the passage of time. When we're reading from the present, the pacing was much slower. But when reading from the past, I remember it flying by. Funny how that works.
Anyway, if you read my earlier reviews of the series, I've already hinted at how I'd have liked to see this being done differently. First of all, I think we could have easily read from dual perspectives throughout the second arc (when we exclusively read from Wynns's), which would have saved us all of the trouble of living through flashbacks and old memories. We'd already be aware of these events, so we wouldn't need it all to be spelled out. Granted, and this is my second point, that would have rendered this book almost completely unnecessary, since the point of this book was mostly TO play catch up. But that just means we could have had other information introduced here to keep the plot moving, and maybe the layout of this and the future books would be a little different. Which I think could have been a good thing.
Given the way it was executed, this was a clever way of tying up those loose ends. But it could have been done differently, so this book could have focused on something else. Especially if what I read in the past was right, about this book being the one where the publishers asked the authors to condense their plot and finish it sooner than intended. Maybe we could have gotten just a little bit more of the intended plot if the events of this book had been distributed between the previous four.
It did catch the reader up and added to the plot. It tied things together. But I would have liked to see it be executed differently.
Nevertheless, despite this complaint, I still gave the book five stars because I really enjoyed it. I would have liked to see things being done differently, but the way it WAS handled still captivated me. And honestly, I was just so glad to read things from Leesil and Magiere'e point of view that almost nothing could have diminished my happiness. So I believe my five star rating and I'd happily reread this installment again.
January 2, 2013
Magiere, Leesil, and Chap take center stage once more as they journey to find the location of yet another powerful orb that the ancient enemy might use to return and start another war. Now in the company of the deadly Brot'ânduivé and the young Leanâlhâm, the group finds themselves tracked by the Loyalists of Most Aged father - most of which have personal scores to settle in addition to completing their task for their beloved "father". Magiere and the others will have to face the events of the near past and the dangers of the present if any of them hope to save the future from the ancient enemy.
Barb and JC Hendee really work their magic in this story. The Dog in the Dark has the same feeling of the first series, which readers loved. This is possible because a lot of what really captivated audiences from the start returns in this book: physical and emotional battles, exciting encounters with the Noble Dead, and the twists and turns in the story that will keep you turning the page. Readers finally learn what Magiere, Leesil, and Chap were doing during the events of the second series, and they will not be disappointed at all. We also learn a lot about other characters and who the story has come to where it is now. It would have been easy to lose the forward progress of the present day story amid learning about past events, but the Hendees do a fantastic job at keeping the present day story moving forward while "catching us up" to the present.
On a personal note, I had some shifts in opinions about characters prior to this book that have once again shifted -- I will not say which characters as each reader must have their own experiences with each character in the story. A lot of things have been answered in this book, but in wonderful Hendee fashion there are also many questions raised that make the yearlong wait for the next installment nearly unbearable!!
As someone who loves this Saga, I am very happy that this book has arrived. People who may not have been a fan of the second series, which was very different in style from the first, will, hopefully, realize, through this book, that it has all been worth it. Barb and JC have really shown, with The Dog in the Dark, that they are still very much in touch with the fundamentals of this story that people love so much!! To say this is a must read is a gross understatement!
Barb and JC Hendee really work their magic in this story. The Dog in the Dark has the same feeling of the first series, which readers loved. This is possible because a lot of what really captivated audiences from the start returns in this book: physical and emotional battles, exciting encounters with the Noble Dead, and the twists and turns in the story that will keep you turning the page. Readers finally learn what Magiere, Leesil, and Chap were doing during the events of the second series, and they will not be disappointed at all. We also learn a lot about other characters and who the story has come to where it is now. It would have been easy to lose the forward progress of the present day story amid learning about past events, but the Hendees do a fantastic job at keeping the present day story moving forward while "catching us up" to the present.
On a personal note, I had some shifts in opinions about characters prior to this book that have once again shifted -- I will not say which characters as each reader must have their own experiences with each character in the story. A lot of things have been answered in this book, but in wonderful Hendee fashion there are also many questions raised that make the yearlong wait for the next installment nearly unbearable!!
As someone who loves this Saga, I am very happy that this book has arrived. People who may not have been a fan of the second series, which was very different in style from the first, will, hopefully, realize, through this book, that it has all been worth it. Barb and JC have really shown, with The Dog in the Dark, that they are still very much in touch with the fundamentals of this story that people love so much!! To say this is a must read is a gross understatement!
December 28, 2012
Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Pack Alpha - Michelle L. Olson:
*ARC received from the author in exchange for an honest review
I'm a NOBLE DEAD SAGA groupie. I won't deny it. Since discovering the Hendees and this series in the 90's I eagerly await each and every release. When I got an Advance Reader Copy of Dog in the Dark I was beyond thrilled.
Despite the length, I absolutely devoured it, and immediately upon finishing, knew that 5 Skulls wasn't enough for this book. I have loved this Saga from book one, and the first trilogy was astonishing, but this is my absolute favorite of the Saga thus far - so full of emotion, secrets, action, intrigue, & intensity. It was absolutely incredible!
Our band of misfits is once again broken into 2 distinct groups, each with some unlikely players. The Dog in the Dark focuses on Magiere, Leesil, Chap, Bro'tan and Leanalham and their journey back to where Wynn just came from.
Not only is the journey itself intense, each is dealing with their own inner demons, paranoia, mistrust, etc. Magiere is consistently getting darker and darker and it has Chap and Leesil completely worried. Noboby really trusts Bro'tan because he's always only out for what he wants, and yet they need him. Leanalham has lost pretty much everyone close to her and is still struggling with trying to fit in...anywhere.
The Hendees write this beautifully as a mix of real time action and flashbacks to the things we didn't get to see when we were following Wynn in the 2nd series of the Saga. It makes for intense and gripping reading and illuminates so many things.
The last couple pages before the Epilogue literally gave me goosebumps, & the last couple pages as an intro to the next book had me squealing with anticipation.
Barb and JC are an amazing artistic duo, and I am so happy to be enjoying this journey that they have set up for us all.
LITERAL ADDICTION gives The Dog in the Dark 5 Skulls and would highly recommend it to all Fantasy and Urban Fantasy lovers. I strongly suggest reading the entire saga however...
*ARC received from the author in exchange for an honest review
I'm a NOBLE DEAD SAGA groupie. I won't deny it. Since discovering the Hendees and this series in the 90's I eagerly await each and every release. When I got an Advance Reader Copy of Dog in the Dark I was beyond thrilled.
Despite the length, I absolutely devoured it, and immediately upon finishing, knew that 5 Skulls wasn't enough for this book. I have loved this Saga from book one, and the first trilogy was astonishing, but this is my absolute favorite of the Saga thus far - so full of emotion, secrets, action, intrigue, & intensity. It was absolutely incredible!
Our band of misfits is once again broken into 2 distinct groups, each with some unlikely players. The Dog in the Dark focuses on Magiere, Leesil, Chap, Bro'tan and Leanalham and their journey back to where Wynn just came from.
Not only is the journey itself intense, each is dealing with their own inner demons, paranoia, mistrust, etc. Magiere is consistently getting darker and darker and it has Chap and Leesil completely worried. Noboby really trusts Bro'tan because he's always only out for what he wants, and yet they need him. Leanalham has lost pretty much everyone close to her and is still struggling with trying to fit in...anywhere.
The Hendees write this beautifully as a mix of real time action and flashbacks to the things we didn't get to see when we were following Wynn in the 2nd series of the Saga. It makes for intense and gripping reading and illuminates so many things.
The last couple pages before the Epilogue literally gave me goosebumps, & the last couple pages as an intro to the next book had me squealing with anticipation.
Barb and JC are an amazing artistic duo, and I am so happy to be enjoying this journey that they have set up for us all.
LITERAL ADDICTION gives The Dog in the Dark 5 Skulls and would highly recommend it to all Fantasy and Urban Fantasy lovers. I strongly suggest reading the entire saga however...
September 9, 2014
"What was in a name? Everything?" Those following the Noble Dead Saga by the Hendees will no doubt infer the contents of this installment by it's title. The elven assassin, Brot'an, accompanying the series' protagonists, Magiere, Leesil, and Chap, steals the show in this edition, which continues the model of the previous book. That is, the traditional battle against various types of undead that characterizes the series takes a back seat in order to flesh out and begin to conclude the battle between the main party and their elven pursuers. Fortunately, the elves giving chase, assassins trained like Brot'an and Leesil, get as much screen time to develop and grow. Unfortunately, this means that the scant appearance of the undead, which are admittedly more intriguing, leaves the reader wanting. Nevertheless, this addition to the saga drastically improves upon the previous book because it interweaves two additional stories within the surface narrative. These memories appear to be intentionally more engrossing than the surface narrative, which seemed to function as a framework for these reflections and to advance the plot. Overall though, the book begs controversial questions about civil war, slavery, and and identity with unique plot points and character commentary. Brot'an and the elven assassins share thought-provoking views on the schism that suddenly became violent between their people. Leesil challenges law for wanting to free a group of slaves that turn out to be questionably indentured servants. And, out of nowhere, the reader's understanding of each character's identity is flipped over in the span of a few sentences. Chap abandons two of his former brethren spirits, the Fay, to isolation and kills a man in the process; Magiere loses herself to her vampire-half; Leesil becomes the assassin he once was; and Brot'an, even after all of the applause worthy moments of action, turns out to have an incredibly deformed sense of his purpose. It all left me asking, 'What was in a name?'
February 20, 2013
I was waiting for this book as I wanted to know what happened to Magiere, Chap and Leesil and in that respect I was not let down.
Magiere is becoming an interesting character and the more she searches for the Orbs the more I believe she is finding her true self, I did find Leesil and Chap to becoming a problem in Magiere doing this for there own reasons.
The orbs are still only left as back ground information in these books and I now believe that more needs to known especially after what Chap discovered while hiding the first 2.
I was a little weary about how quickly Magiere who is a Dhampur can dispatch the guardians of the orbs so quickly considering how powerfull the old ones are but maybe thats 1 of the reasons she was created.
I was intrigued to hear more about Brot'an and even more intrigued to the hints about Leesil's true purpose and will it take him away from Magiere or will they be enemys?
Leana is a character that I felt was not needed in the story and not much was hinted at as to what her greater part could be, the fact that Brot'an tried to keep her from talking to Magiere was the only interest peeked.
I would have liked more on the finding of the next Orb and less on all the flashbacks, even though they worked well unlike some books that end up confusing me.
By the end of the book I wanted to read the next 1 has it seems to be heading with Wynn.
I do believe that this series may be coming to it's natural end and hope it's allowed to do so.
Magiere is becoming an interesting character and the more she searches for the Orbs the more I believe she is finding her true self, I did find Leesil and Chap to becoming a problem in Magiere doing this for there own reasons.
The orbs are still only left as back ground information in these books and I now believe that more needs to known especially after what Chap discovered while hiding the first 2.
I was a little weary about how quickly Magiere who is a Dhampur can dispatch the guardians of the orbs so quickly considering how powerfull the old ones are but maybe thats 1 of the reasons she was created.
I was intrigued to hear more about Brot'an and even more intrigued to the hints about Leesil's true purpose and will it take him away from Magiere or will they be enemys?
Leana is a character that I felt was not needed in the story and not much was hinted at as to what her greater part could be, the fact that Brot'an tried to keep her from talking to Magiere was the only interest peeked.
I would have liked more on the finding of the next Orb and less on all the flashbacks, even though they worked well unlike some books that end up confusing me.
By the end of the book I wanted to read the next 1 has it seems to be heading with Wynn.
I do believe that this series may be coming to it's natural end and hope it's allowed to do so.
June 19, 2013
I have been reading this series since the beginning, though I started with book three and had to backtrack. I love the characters because they are not always who you think they are. Each is searching and hoping to be more than what is expected of them from various factions.
This entry does not have the action of series one, or the interesting fumbling in matters over their head of a scholar like series two. What is does have is a chance to fill in all the gaps between the ending of one series and the other. The chance to get a voice other than Wynn, Chap, Magiere, or Leesil on the current threat to the world.
Brot'â'duivé, who's name means The Dog in the Dark, is an Anmaglâhk (spy & assassin) of the an'Cróan elves of Leesil and Magiere's continent. He comes to protect Magiere from 'Most Aged Father' and his loyalists. What he gives to us the reader is the story of what happened after Magiere and friends left the Elven lands. He gives his story slowly and only with reluctance as they travel.
We are also allowed to find out what happened to Magiere, Chap and Leesil as they separated from Wynn and went to hide the orb that they had uncovered. Each of them has been changed by the experience and have memories which weigh heavy on them.
If you have enjoyed this series in the past I think you will not be disappointed by this entry. Just know that there are not a lot of battles with Nobel dead but there is action.
This entry does not have the action of series one, or the interesting fumbling in matters over their head of a scholar like series two. What is does have is a chance to fill in all the gaps between the ending of one series and the other. The chance to get a voice other than Wynn, Chap, Magiere, or Leesil on the current threat to the world.
Brot'â'duivé, who's name means The Dog in the Dark, is an Anmaglâhk (spy & assassin) of the an'Cróan elves of Leesil and Magiere's continent. He comes to protect Magiere from 'Most Aged Father' and his loyalists. What he gives to us the reader is the story of what happened after Magiere and friends left the Elven lands. He gives his story slowly and only with reluctance as they travel.
We are also allowed to find out what happened to Magiere, Chap and Leesil as they separated from Wynn and went to hide the orb that they had uncovered. Each of them has been changed by the experience and have memories which weigh heavy on them.
If you have enjoyed this series in the past I think you will not be disappointed by this entry. Just know that there are not a lot of battles with Nobel dead but there is action.
January 27, 2013
This was much better than the previous book. I was much happier to be back with Magiere, Leesil, and Chap and their newly acquired companions. We finally get to hear about what happened in the Wastes, the discovery of the second orb, the hiding of both orbs, all while they slowly move onward towards the third orb. (Or fourth I guess since Wynn also found one.) I also enjoyed the additions of Brot’an and Leanalham to this book and we got to hear their stories that brought them to where they currently are as well. The only reason it didn't get five stars was because sometimes it could get very confusing since everything was told through flashbacks and memories of all the characters. So the view point jumped around a lot and could be sometimes hard to follow. While it was maybe not the best format to express a story, the story itself was still really great and I am glad we finally got some answers. The epilogue made it feel like we were going back to Wynn and Co. and I can't really say I am very excited about that, but I will stick with the series regardless because as a whole it's been great.
August 27, 2016
3.5 Star Rating - Recommended Age: 15+
Like the Wheel of Time, this series will not die, nor does it need to. The plot is so complex, you still can't see the end game. This was a more laid back, comfortable read for me. The action was at a minimum, compared to the other books, but the confrontations between the elves and Magiere's group were dramatic. The fight scenes are always choreographed well. A lot of the backstory is played out through memories, which gives much more detail than just a retelling by the characters. With those flashbacks, I found myself sympathizing with Brot'an.
Short And Sweet: It took a couple of chapters for me to really get into the story, but once I did I stayed intrigued until the end. This story delves deeper into the plots and plans of the elves, but there are still a lot of questions. The reader is kept guessing at the mysteries of the Orbs and their protectors and there is still a lot to learn about the Ancient Enemy and Fey spirits.
For Full Review Wide-Eyed Book Reviews
Like the Wheel of Time, this series will not die, nor does it need to. The plot is so complex, you still can't see the end game. This was a more laid back, comfortable read for me. The action was at a minimum, compared to the other books, but the confrontations between the elves and Magiere's group were dramatic. The fight scenes are always choreographed well. A lot of the backstory is played out through memories, which gives much more detail than just a retelling by the characters. With those flashbacks, I found myself sympathizing with Brot'an.
Short And Sweet: It took a couple of chapters for me to really get into the story, but once I did I stayed intrigued until the end. This story delves deeper into the plots and plans of the elves, but there are still a lot of questions. The reader is kept guessing at the mysteries of the Orbs and their protectors and there is still a lot to learn about the Ancient Enemy and Fey spirits.
For Full Review Wide-Eyed Book Reviews
January 3, 2013
It was nice to return to the narrative involving Magiere, Leesil, and Chap. As much as I enjoyed the second series that detailed Wynn's adventures with Chane and Shade, I still had questions in the back of my mind concerning the original three main characters (and this book definitely gives you some answers on what happened in the Wastes). I also found the narrative concerning Brot’an, aptly named the Dog in the Dark, intriguing and I would like to see more of it. I continue to sit by wondering just how long can Magiere keep what little control she has left of her "true" nature, and how long Leesil will deny this "fate" of his.
I look forward to the next installment, which hopefully has a bit of action from Wynn's end as well. I've been extremely curious to see how things go now that Osha has joined her group and how much of a change Chane could make considering the "competition" Osha brings.
I look forward to the next installment, which hopefully has a bit of action from Wynn's end as well. I've been extremely curious to see how things go now that Osha has joined her group and how much of a change Chane could make considering the "competition" Osha brings.
May 1, 2013
I am still not as thrilled with this series with it's new focus as I was with the original books. A lot of flashbacks and piecing the story together that can make it difficult to follow who's telling what part of the story and what exactly happens in which order while trying to keep track of current events at the same time. Very awkwardly written with very little actual progress in the hunt. We don't actually see or hear anything from Wynn, Shade, Chan or Osha until the epilogue. Margerie is obviously having more trouble with her split sides, but other than that the only real addition is finding out particularly what happened with Margerie and Lessil went to hide the orbs during the earlier books that focused on Wynn and Shade. No new orbs, no final confrontation with their enemies, no resolution with Most Aged Father, no new information on where the last orb might be... just a lot of empty blanks that have been left hanging for awhile.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 26, 2013
An improvement over the stale "Between Their Worlds" is both start of the search for the next orb by Magiere, Leesil and Chap along with the elves that both accompany them and are pursuing them. It is also part flashback as each character reminisces as they sail on events that happened to them while the last trilogy focussed On Wynn, Shade and the Noble Dead, Chane. it's a bit repetitive at times as characters relate the same events from their point of view but, there is far more actual action and intrigue then the last book and some of the incidents we are filled in on are quite compelling and point to some potential interesting events on the horizon for our beloved characters. And even when one of the Hendee's books falter as Between did, we still have these endearing characters to hold on to. The series seems to be getting back on track after the disappointing Between The Worlds, let's hope it continues it's forward momentum.
July 9, 2013
The story progresses...kind of! It's been a long climb for a short slide with this series. You find out what Margiere, Leesil, & Chap were up to during the Wynn Spin Off, but the story doesn't really move forward other than that. They travel but don't get anywhere. I found the stylistic choice of constant flashbacks really annoying--there is one point where two people tell a story and you flash between their memories AND the people listening. It's really boring to read a couple of pages where someone basically only says "go on". One character changes their name and then is referred to as "...NewName" for the rest of the book. It is really...distracting. I kind of plowed through these all because I had them. I don't know if they capture my interest enough for me to get the next one in January 2014.
October 13, 2014
I've been enjoying the Noble dead series less and less with each book post the original series of six books that were focused on Magiere, Chap and Leesil, those were great. The second three book series held my interest because of the characters, but the story dragged, and I hoped for more moving forward. Unfortunately, the third series that Dog in the Dark is part of has suffered from an agonizingly slow pace, lack of progression, and a loss of spark between the characters… it's as if the writer is intentionally dragging the story out, and deconstructing the aspects of the characters and their relationships that drew me to care about them in the first place. I have been left feeling as claustrophobic as the characters, and bored. Not sure if I will continue.
March 24, 2014
A real fast following book with plenty of action but also very much felt like a filler novel to the real action. I think Im starting to really prefer Wynn's story as I was getting tired of Chaps constant suspiciousness, Magieres guilt for not controlling/understanding her true nature & Leesil's bad decisions. I feel like all they need is someone from the X-men to teach them how to deal. I just wanna say to Magiere "embrace your monster side & learn about it so you can better understand it & therefore better control it & deal with it." Then of course in the epilogue we're left with a big cliff hanger & now I just want to get back to Wynn's story!!
July 15, 2016
The Dog in the Dark by Bar & J.C. Hendee did not disappoint as it journeyed with Magiere, Leesil, Chap, and now Brot'an with Leanalham on their way to find yet another orb by ship. Flashbacks informs the reader on what happened while Wynn and Chane fought their own battles in Calm Seatt. Of course, the journey was more like a chase by enemies from Brot'an's elfin caste. The fight scenes were amazing. Definitely worth the read on its own or in order as the second book in the third series of the Noble Dead Saga.
April 18, 2015
The story has always relied on flashbacks to give multiple plots and here are some major ones. The title refers to an elven charterer that is a major player in the earlier books where the adventure takes place in The Elven Territories. Brot'an is the super, bad ass assassin and old rebel against crazy Most Aged Father. His name is the translation that titles the book, so obviously, it centers on his role in this epic. He is also one whose motives remain an unknown factor.
October 25, 2015
Disappointing follow-on in a fantasy series I read for the Endeavour Award. I expect more from these authors and this series. This book just fell over from its own weight. It was too complicated just in general but made almost unreadable by much of the action being told as memories of previous actions. And it had crazy name disease. And yet the base world and characters has great potential - telling almost any one of the character's stories from start to finish would have made a decent book.
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