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Darkness Trilogy #1
Darkness Concealed
50 years ago, the dawn did not come. Again. Everyone in Telthan knew it would happen. Monsters roamed the land, killing virtually everyone in their path, laying waste to anything in their way. Only a precious few survived to rebuild the wreckage of civilization, just like last time. No one questions the Darkening. Not even the children.
That is, until four strangers set off in search of answers, braving a forbidden city, a forgotten library, and foreboding mountains for the truth that has to exist. But the past does not give up its secrets easily, and the truth is far darker than the blackest night.
That is, until four strangers set off in search of answers, braving a forbidden city, a forgotten library, and foreboding mountains for the truth that has to exist. But the past does not give up its secrets easily, and the truth is far darker than the blackest night.
- GenresFantasy
367 pages, ebook
First published September 23, 2014
1 person is currently reading
13 people want to read
About the author
D. Emery Bunn
2 books16 followersI am an author, editor, and engineer, though my pile of interests keep on getting larger. I got my start on writing thanks to National Novel Writing Month, and I'm an avid supporter of free culture, the power of writing, and the creative arts. Darkness Concealed is my first novel, but I will be working on the sequel and a cyberpunk short story collection. I live in Clovis, New Mexico.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 18, 2014
Darkness Concealead: A review. 3 of 5 stars
[b]The Good:[/b]
D. Emery Bunn has evidently spent a lot of time devising a unique setting, and his depth of worldbuilding is readily evident. Every 149 years, darkness consumes the land of Telthan, during which monsters rampage throughout destroying civilization and forcing the survivors to start over.
He establishes characters with interesting (though sometimes annoying) quirks, and each one has a well-developed personality. There is ample character development among the four, and they are more than the sum of their quirks.
Bunn describes this book as dark fantasy, and he does an excellent job of introducing those horror elements, especially early in the book. His monsters are unique and diverse, and the fact that the protagonists rarely clearly see them only adds to the feeling of something horrible lurking just out of sight.
[b]The Bad:[/b]
The pacing in the story is a bit off. I found the beginning, where the characters all meet worked well, and enough of a spotlight was shone on each of them, along with their motivations. I found the middle section slow-going, and feel that in many ways it could have moved faster.
My other major complaint is that in some ways it mirrors someone’s notes from a role-playing campaign. You have four adventurers questing through the world, picking up plot coupons, all with an eye toward making the world a better place.
[b]The Ugly:[/b]
Yes, this is the first book of a planned trilogy, so it is expected that there would be unanswered questions. However, Bunn introduces elements to his story that go unexplained to a great, ranging from the exact nature of the world he has created to elements of the characters. This left me with a lack of fulfillment when I reached the end. Yes, the characters accomplished some of their goals, but there were too many questions left unanswered. There were also some elements of the story that I found defied logical explanation. Yes, this is a fantasy series, but even so, little was done to explain to the reader why certain things happened the way they did. Part of this has to do with the unexplained mysteries mentioned, and the author has said that more will be revealed in the forthcoming sequel (aptly titled Darkness Revealed).
I also found the persistent internal dialogues of the characters distracting and, at times, unnecessary.
[b]Final Verdict:[/b]
I would recommend the novel to readers who like their fantasy a bit darker than usual. It is a good first novel that probably could have used a bit more polish.
[b]The Good:[/b]
D. Emery Bunn has evidently spent a lot of time devising a unique setting, and his depth of worldbuilding is readily evident. Every 149 years, darkness consumes the land of Telthan, during which monsters rampage throughout destroying civilization and forcing the survivors to start over.
He establishes characters with interesting (though sometimes annoying) quirks, and each one has a well-developed personality. There is ample character development among the four, and they are more than the sum of their quirks.
Bunn describes this book as dark fantasy, and he does an excellent job of introducing those horror elements, especially early in the book. His monsters are unique and diverse, and the fact that the protagonists rarely clearly see them only adds to the feeling of something horrible lurking just out of sight.
[b]The Bad:[/b]
The pacing in the story is a bit off. I found the beginning, where the characters all meet worked well, and enough of a spotlight was shone on each of them, along with their motivations. I found the middle section slow-going, and feel that in many ways it could have moved faster.
My other major complaint is that in some ways it mirrors someone’s notes from a role-playing campaign. You have four adventurers questing through the world, picking up plot coupons, all with an eye toward making the world a better place.
[b]The Ugly:[/b]
Yes, this is the first book of a planned trilogy, so it is expected that there would be unanswered questions. However, Bunn introduces elements to his story that go unexplained to a great, ranging from the exact nature of the world he has created to elements of the characters. This left me with a lack of fulfillment when I reached the end. Yes, the characters accomplished some of their goals, but there were too many questions left unanswered. There were also some elements of the story that I found defied logical explanation. Yes, this is a fantasy series, but even so, little was done to explain to the reader why certain things happened the way they did. Part of this has to do with the unexplained mysteries mentioned, and the author has said that more will be revealed in the forthcoming sequel (aptly titled Darkness Revealed).
I also found the persistent internal dialogues of the characters distracting and, at times, unnecessary.
[b]Final Verdict:[/b]
I would recommend the novel to readers who like their fantasy a bit darker than usual. It is a good first novel that probably could have used a bit more polish.
September 25, 2014
Darkness Concealed is a dark fantasy. It's a story set in a world where terrible things happen in a cyclic pattern. It's also the story of four reluctant heroes who set off to try and beat incredible odds.
I particularly loved the characters. I loved Caleb in particular because he came from a small town, he was different and such a sensitive person. I loved his gift or curse and the changes it brought in his personality as a result.
I loved Alexandra, the fighter and warrior. I loved that she was a woman and yet the defines of the group. She made so much sense to me and had so little patience for beating around the bush that I liked her instantly.
Liz was hilarious. Her inner battles were a hoot and she made me laugh. I loved her realistic nature and how clearly she thought.
Ivan, who loved books so much, was one of my favourites. A thinker, analytical and reasonable, I could so relate to everything he said. I felt better knowing he was part of the group and was hoping he'd be along for the ride from the very beginning.
Darkness Concealed doesn't reveal its secrets at once. I loved that there were pieces and bits of the puzzle that come along the way. There are no useless facts. Things come together and become meaningful as we go along and discover more of the truth behind what's happening. As a reader, I had to learn to be patient and wait for that insight. And not everything is revealed in this book. This is a trilogy after all.
I particularly loved the places where the four heroes go. I won't go into details and reveal too much, but I loved those locations. They're fantastic, amazing places and I was thrilled to be able to go along for the ride with the four main characters.
There are terrible things described in Darkness Concealed but there's also humour and magic and hope. If you're a fantasy reader or someone who'd like to try this genre, this one is for you.
I particularly loved the characters. I loved Caleb in particular because he came from a small town, he was different and such a sensitive person. I loved his gift or curse and the changes it brought in his personality as a result.
I loved Alexandra, the fighter and warrior. I loved that she was a woman and yet the defines of the group. She made so much sense to me and had so little patience for beating around the bush that I liked her instantly.
Liz was hilarious. Her inner battles were a hoot and she made me laugh. I loved her realistic nature and how clearly she thought.
Ivan, who loved books so much, was one of my favourites. A thinker, analytical and reasonable, I could so relate to everything he said. I felt better knowing he was part of the group and was hoping he'd be along for the ride from the very beginning.
Darkness Concealed doesn't reveal its secrets at once. I loved that there were pieces and bits of the puzzle that come along the way. There are no useless facts. Things come together and become meaningful as we go along and discover more of the truth behind what's happening. As a reader, I had to learn to be patient and wait for that insight. And not everything is revealed in this book. This is a trilogy after all.
I particularly loved the places where the four heroes go. I won't go into details and reveal too much, but I loved those locations. They're fantastic, amazing places and I was thrilled to be able to go along for the ride with the four main characters.
There are terrible things described in Darkness Concealed but there's also humour and magic and hope. If you're a fantasy reader or someone who'd like to try this genre, this one is for you.
July 5, 2017
It was a great read. I wasn't able to read it fast-pace due to some works I had to do but I couldn't let go of the book towards the end. I guess I wasn't that much hooked in the beginning but it slowly gained momentum and finally caught me towards the end.
Now I cannot wait for what happens next. After having read everything, I immediately wrote a few questions that I wanted to be answered. Will definitely wait until the next book.
Now I cannot wait for what happens next. After having read everything, I immediately wrote a few questions that I wanted to be answered. Will definitely wait until the next book.
January 25, 2015
A great debut fantasy novel that has a fantastic concept. The character driven story has some particularly likeable characters, all of whom have their own faults and flaws and develop over the course of the novel. For the first in a trilogy it has a complete story and yet the promise of more to come for the second book in the series. The pace isn't as fast as I expected, but as I don't tend to read in this genre I quite like the focus on internal conflict rather than gruesome battle scenes often found in other books of this kind.
Would I recommend it? Whole-heartedly yes. If you like character-driven stories and intrigue this is a book for you.
Would I recommend it? Whole-heartedly yes. If you like character-driven stories and intrigue this is a book for you.
April 7, 2015
Loved this book. Now the long wait begins for the sequel.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews