Gate of Darkness, Circle of Light

Gate of Darkness, Circle of Light #1

by Tanya Huff

"Contemporary urban fantasy at its best" from the author of the Peacekeeper Trilogy (Locus).

First published in 1989 and taking place in downtown Toronto, one of the earliest of the modern urban fantasies, Gate of Darkness, Circle of Light is the story of a fight against encroaching darkness by a developmentally handicapped young woman, a street musician with no idea of his potential, a bag-lady who's tired of picking up the pieces, and an adept of the light. Mixing actual Toronto ghost-stories with traditional Faire, a police procedural, and a cat, Gate of Darkness, Circle of Light opened a gate at street level to the urban fantasy that followed

"In a departure from the 'strict' fantasy of Child of the Grove and The Last Wizard, Huff's real-world fantasy presents an enlightened, compassionate view of the forgotten heroes of urban society. Highly recommended." --Library Journal

"Enjoyable . . . A tale of magic existing in the modern world." --Fantasy Caf�

"A tale with sweep and scope, interesting characters, and some impressively nasty menaces." --Booklist

"Huff's sense of fun as she plays with the traditional elements should please even the most jaded of readers." --Charles de Lint

"Very much in the same tradition as Lackey's SERRAted Edge novels and fans of those should also enjoy this." --Rambles

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Canada, Paranormal, Speculative Fiction

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 7, 1989

About the author

Tanya Sue Huff is a Canadian fantasy author. Her stories have been published since the late 1980s, including five fantasy series and one science fiction series. One of these, her Blood Books series, featuring detective Vicki Nelson, was adapted for television under the title Blood Ties.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of Huff's earliest novels, and a good example of the kind of modern urban fantasy that became so popular a couple or three decades back. Toronto comes under attack by the forces of darkness and has to be defended by an unlikely alliance of mythological and supernatural characters. It doesn't have quite the flare of some of her latter novels, but it's quite entertaining and fun.

[Jamie Collins · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars. This is one of Tanya Huff's very early novels. I'm a fan of her work, and this wasn't a bad book, but it's not my kind of urban fantasy story.

It started out promisingly, with an interesting set of heroes: a mentally disadvantaged young woman, a street musician, a bag lady, and a cat, of course. I was okay with the gorgeous angel analogue who comes to help, and I found the enemy demon analogue to be sufficiently evil and threatening. I was enjoying the story until it exceeded my limit for whimsical fairy tale creatures in an urban setting, and then threw in some Goddess magic on top. It's just not my thing.

The book is worth reading if you like the idea of unicorns and trolls living in downtown Toronto, or if an encounter with Goldilocks's Three Bears sounds fun to you, or if you're just willing to try everything Huff has written - which was why I bought it.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gate of Darkness, Circle of Light is one of Tanya Huff's very early novels. It is a great example of Urban Fantasy when it was a relatively new sub-genre of Fantasy. It is also an example of why Tanya Huff has become such a successful writer in both Fantasy and Science Fiction. This novel, like her Vicki Nelson Series, is set in modern-day, at the time of this writing, Canada. An Adept of Darkness has come into our world with the intention of opening a gate that will allow Darkness to come through completely and destroy humankind. It will be up to a simple but gifted girl, a musician who is possibly a Bard, a bag lady with secrets of her own, and an overworked social worker to call upon Adept of Light to come forth and help defeat the Darkness before it is too late. This book was a fast and fun read in an early form of Urban Fantasy.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hadn't read this old Tanya Huff for such a very long time until I re-read this kindle re-issue. And I could kiss my kindle for making books like this more readily available, this one is a treasure. It is one of the very first urban fantasies and the main character is one of the gentlest, funniest, most compassionate & loving portrayals of intellectual disability I have ever read in fiction. Just a truly beautiful book & if I wasn't currently flattened by flu I would write much much more about it. Maybe later!

[Pixie Unger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll be honest here, I read this book in high school and I don’t especially remember the plot these many decades later. But I remember how much I loved it. It was the first - and still one of the few - fantasy books I ever found set in Canada. I read nearly ever sci fi or fantasy book available in my local public library and this is one of the few I remember so fondly all these years later.

[Andy]

So much fun!

[Debrac2014 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this! A fight between the Dark and the Light!

[Darren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this one due to my library's recommendation service. It's a very good example of early urban fantasy, and like Bull and de Lint (and early Mercedes Lackey), street musicians feature heavily as agents of Light against the Dark. I don't get the fascination with buskers.

The story was pretty good. I doubt I'll ever go back and re-read it.

[Kara Babcock · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tanya Huff is another one of those Canadian authors I’ve shamefully never read until this year, but now I’m making up for that! Gate of Darkness, Circle of Light, which I read in the Of Darkness, Light, and Fire omnibus (yay, Oxford comma!), is Huff’s first published novel and the third one she wrote. In many respects this is evident from the novel’s plot and characterization. Nevertheless, it’s evidence that, even back then, Huff was on the track to being a strong voice in urban fantasy.

Gate of Darkness, Circle of Light is set in a hot summer in Toronto, presumably sometime in the late 1980s. It’s exactly what the title advertises: the forces of Darkness, personified in the form of an Adept of the Dark, have broken through the barrier that keeps heaven and hell out of the Earthly dimension. By upsetting the balance in this manner, the Adept of the Dark allows our protagonists to summon a counterpart, an Adept of the Light. Together, they form a group—a “circle”, if you will—to take on the Adept of the Dark and stop him from opening a gate (“of darkness”, if you will) that would, you know, be apocalyptic and all that.

You don’t really get much more basic with a fantasy plot than that. Most fantasy, stripped down to its bare parts, is just the struggle of Good versus Evil, Light versus Darkness. Huff makes this struggle explicit, with the Adept of the Dark tempting the various protagonists by trying to offer them deals (or threatening them) until they either give in or refuse and stay with the Light. There isn’t much in the way of moral ambiguity here. So you need to have a particular kind of tolerance for this type of fantasy to enjoy what’s happening.

Let’s assume you do. I did. I discovered that I really liked Rebecca. From the beginning, Huff uses her omniscient third-person perspective to portray the patronizing way people often treat those labelled as mentally-disabled by failing to recognize how they are more capable than they appear. It makes me think about the way I interact with mentally-disabled people—and I like it when a book makes me think.

The other characters, unfortunately, are less interesting. Roland is a typical twenty-something who isn’t interested in “getting a real job” but would rather busk with his guitar. (I’m not being critical of that attitude, just tongue-in-cheek of the way Huff so slavishly portrays the trope here.) He turns out to be the necessary Bard, and I admit that he goes on a pretty cool sidequest that allows him to develop more maturity and self-respect. However, he just never feels as genuinely interesting as Rebecca.

Then there’s Daru, whom I wish we learned more about. She appears after about the first third, and she plays an important role in the climax. Along the way we learn that she has remained strong-willed and determined despite the tendency of the social care system in which she works to beat down both those who run it and those who use it. But halfway through the book, it seems like Huff isn’t sure what to do with her until the climax, so she just sort of gets sidelined until she’s needed.

The climax literally involves a deus ex machina, which is not entirely inappropriate given the plot. However, I think the best adjectives I could choose for Gate of Darkness, Circle of Light would be “straightforward” and “uncomplicated”. This is not a novel that will tie your brain in knots. It doesn’t ask complicated questions or pose vast moral dilemmas. It’s straight up, winner-take-all Light versus Darkness, with the corresponding Adepts of the respective forces irritatingly nice and sickeningly charismatic.

I don’t mind that type of fantasy, though it isn’t my favourite aspect of the genre—it’s a little boring. But I suspect that many writers of fantasy go through a phase like this early on, influenced as most of us are by Christian mythology and juggernauts like Tolkien and Lewis. Huff is clearly still finding her legs here, but Gate of Darkness, Circle of Light makes her potential obvious.

[Nicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Gate of Darkness, Circle of Light. It's the first book by Tanya Huff I've ever read, so I didn't really know what to expect. The plot itself is simple and an old one -- the Dark fights the Light. A good one, of course, but not terribly original. The main attraction of this one is the characters: the mentally disadvantaged female lead, Rebecca; the Bard questioning his sexuality, Roland; the Hindu(?) social worker, Daru; the pretty boy Adept of the Light, Evan. In standard fantasy, at least, these are pretty new characters, and they're well-written and fun. I enjoyed Roland's subplot of coming to terms with his feelings about Evan a lot, although I wish there'd been more between them because it'd have been a lovely relationship to read about.

Fairly predictable and not terribly original in plot, but a fun enough read which doesn't require much thinking.

[Casey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like Tanya Huff because she's not afraid to have gay characters front and center in her stories. This book was no exception.

I did find I liked it less than her Blood Series though. I liked the female characters and thought they were done really well. Evan was a bit too perfect for my tastes though.

Although it was a good story I never really got the emotional kick I was hoping for.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this back in high school, actually, but remember it quite clearly. I liked most of the characters, although I found it a bit icky that the main girl was chosen to be guardian of the Light because her period started at a key moment. Really? Ew. But otherwise a solidly entertaining urban fantasy about a group of misfits fighting evil in their own unique ways.

[susannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this book as a kid and loved it. Stands up well to adult reading. Lovingly set in Toronto, queer, feminist, adult sexuality without being explicit, great characters, and one of my favourite representations of the three-faced gooddess in fantasy. Plus, badass disabled woman and social worker!

[Diana Rising · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent urban fantasy story. There are several heroes and heroines and they work together to save the world from darkness.

[Laurin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tanya Huff is one of those writers who is especially adept at putting you right into the middle of a story and hooking you within the first few pages. Through rich and relatable character development, Huff has sucked me in time and time again into worlds I would have never willingly gone. I consider myself an avid fantasy and speculative fiction fan, but *never* liked urban fantasy. Somehow, Gate of Darkness, Circle of Light (as well as Huff's Summoner series) has managed to make a believer out of me. She deftly weaves together elements of fantasy, folklore, and bits of horror into a "contemporary" setting with relatable characters and despicable villains.

This may not encourage me to delve into her military fantasy series (yet), but I absolutely adore Tanya Huff and this is a very digestible and short book that will keep you up at night wanting to know what happens next, and leave you satisfied at the end when you finally finish it.

Read this if you... enjoy urban fantasy, like folklore and appreciate fairy tale references, liked Tanya Huff's Summoner series, appreciate a story that you can dive right into

I gave it four stars because for me:
1 star = I couldn't even finish it it was so awful
2 stars = I finished it but only because I was curious about how it ended
3 stars = I enjoyed the story but don't intend to ever read it again
*4 stars = I really liked the story, may read again, and definitely recommend
5 stars = I love it and own it and will read it again

[Rebecca Lowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Middle school appropriate. Parts of the story have not aged well and would not be considered politically correct today. Rebecca, the main character, has a developmental disability that is not fully explained until the end. As the book was published in 1989, terminology and other views related to Rebecca’s situation have changed. Otherwise, the story is a rather typical urban fantasy with a nameless evil-for-the-sake-of-evil villain. Animal lovers might want to avoid this one due to a plot point that may be upsetting. There were some cool moments such as when evil tempts each of the heroes or when Rebecca gets trapped. I also liked what the author was trying to do with Rebecca as a main hero with a developmental disability.

[Dawn Siemer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cat is never just a cat

This is an urban fantasy set in Toronto, with Celtic mythological creatures. There is a battle between Darkness and Light, and it depends on a young lady if dubious IQ. She pulls in a young street musician and her social worker. If the cat helps, it was a decision he made on his own.

While Rebecca has sex with the Adept of Light, there is no real romance in this book. There is a lot of magic and a weird mix of fairy tales. The happy ending is the musician learning he is capable, I guess.

This story is a little weird, because the POV is omniscient. There isn't really a main character. While the ending makes sense, it isn't exactly "happily ever after" or setting up a sequel.

[Shadow Wolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhere between 3 and 3.5
Some jankiness and lurching in the plot progression but fun enough. Acknowledges that people of all lifestyles, sexualities, traditions and mental capabilities can serve both the light and the Light but without being preachy about it. Some moments/mental monologues are a bit cringe but they are character POV segments, not the author's and some topics are just sensitive/can be awkward even when they are not discussed with other people. A splash of horror, a bit of bardic magic and reasonably likeable characters even if there is very little time for character/relationship development. Good for an early effort and I intend to read more of Huff's books.

[Johanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, it uses the R word repeatedly (written in 1989 but STILL) and the ending is weird. On the other hand it's a reasonably sensitive portrayal of someone with a learning disability, well ahead of its time. It's also very funny (on meeting an angel, one character's initial response is, "Yes, hello, I'm from social services"). But it does feel like an early novel: there's too many ideas and too little follow-through so the novel is a bit all over the place.

[Ida Jagaric · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really solid good book! Not amazing but it was fun and enjoyable to read and great story. And great characters, especially female ones. And it's such a reminder of the 80's (when it was written) coz of a lack of cell phones, and there's new wave music, and Dominion supermarket, and Simpsons store etc! Coz another really fun thing is it's set in Toronto and you gotta love being able to picture every landmark and street!!! :))))

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read almost all of this on the train to Toronto in a few hours. I find urban fantasy to be sort of hit and miss, but this was a definite hit! The changing POVs were done well for the most part and I liked the way simple (as in basic) humanity was at the forefront of the fight. There were some touches of clear "this writer is an ex-Christian turned pagan" when it came to the non-human characters but they didn't come off too tropey.

[Kimberly Karalius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the wild plotline and off the wall twists, I did enjoy this book! The only thing that truly disappointed me is that Evan and Roland never kiss 😞 There was such a build up between them, but since this is a stand-alone, Evan telling Roland that there will be a “next time” is probably only ever going to happen in fanfiction 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Chris Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I kinda like urban fantasy, but it seems to be too simple. Things always seem to align just right. There are trials and travails alright, but somehow you know it is all going to come out in the end.

The book is well written and engaging, but I feel I can only take so much of this kind of story. Will not be opposed to revisiting the genre in the future, but not anytime soon.

[Verkiezen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tanya Huff is one of the few adult fantasy authors who I genuinely love their works. This story had good bones and it was a good quick read. It felt early for her works. I think so many of her other books are more fleshed out and complete.

[Abigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

sweet

[Victoria S Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this earlier work.

[Brian Gaston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first book that I read from Huff and I was hooked on her writing style and plotting.

[Toofan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Fun and easy to read fantasy with a simple plot and interesting characters.

[Angela]

26 April 2020: $1.99 on Kindle

[Lijadora del Prado · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light reading from the department of guilty pleasures. Excellent if you want to lose yourself for a few afternoons.