Triumph of the Darksword

The Darksword #3

by Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman

Joram and his wife, Gwendolyn, return from beyond the Border to reclaim their rightful place in Merilon. Rejoined by Saryon, Mosiah and Simkin, Joram must confront the evil sorcerer, Menju, and his army of Technologists in a final apocalyptic battle to fulfill the ancient prophecy of the Darksword—to either save the world...or destroy it.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, High Fantasy, Science Fiction, Magic, Epic Fantasy

350 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 1988

About the author

Margaret Edith Weis is an American fantasy and science fiction author of dozens of novels and short stories. At TSR, Inc., she teamed with Tracy Hickman to create the Dragonlance role-playing game (RPG) world. She is founding CEO and owner of Sovereign Press, Inc and Margaret Weis Productions, licensing several popular television and movie franchises to make RPG series in addition to their own.
In 1999, Pyramid magazine named Weis one of The Millennium's Most Influential Persons, saying she and Hickman are "basically responsible for the entire gaming fiction genre". In 2002, she was inducted into the Origins Hall of Fame in part for Dragonlance.

Reviews

[hotsake (André Troesch) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a difficult book to rate because the first half felt like a cross between a long montage and cliff notes. The second half was much more entertaining and the pacing kept ramping up until the slightly unexpected ending.

[Silvia Fdez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me ha encantado el libro y la saga en general. Saryon y Simkin son mis personajes favoritos. Ambos muy bien construidos y con un desarrollo importante en la historia. 5/5 estrellas merecidas 💫

[Cronicadelibros · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tercer y último volumen de la Espada de Joram. Aunque mejor que el segundo, la historia no acaba de remontar el vuelo.

Esta tercera parte aúna fantasía épica y ciencia ficción, pero la historia combina partes más rápidas y dinámicas con otras de lentas y en algún caso farragosas, incluso en el desenlace final que hacen que la lectura vaya a trompicones y no tenga la fluidez esperada en la conclusión de la saga.
Igualmente no me acaba de convencer que uno de los personajes que es clave para el desenlace de toda una saga, aparezca ya transcurrida una parte de la historia de este libro, como si fuera una seta, dando cierta impresión que les faltaba algo para cerrar bien la historia y nos sacamos de la manga un personaje que desconocíamos ni se había insinuado anteriormente. Así mismo se encuentra a faltar que alguno de los personajes ya conocidos tuvieran más peso en el final de la historia y no quedaran colgados en el desenlace de la misma.

No se puede negar que el desenlace es audaz e imaginativo, pero sigo encontrando a faltar que se hubiera desarrollado más el mundo que se nos presenta, que daba muchas posibilidades y nos quedamos básicamente con los esbozos que se muestran en el primer libro y poca cosa más.

[☆Ruth☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This excellent trilogy held my interest from beginning to end. I would recommend reading the books in sequence as it is an ongoing epic, but Margaret Weis is a skilful enough writer to allow the reader to enjoy each of the books separately.
There is also an additional book 'Legacy of the Darksword' which deals with the aftermath of the main story, and which I intend to read next.
I have no hesitation in recommending this series to lovers of swords & sorcery fantasy.

[Sara Forsberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the final book! The sudden but hinted-at crossover between fantasy and science fiction was intriguing, and the characters came together in a way that I wasn't at all expecting, which is always nice in fantasy, which can sometimes suffer from being a bit too predictable. I thought the ending was a bit rushed, I wouldn't have minded another book between the start of the conflict and the end scene, but as I knew there was a sequel coming, it didn't bother me as much as it may have had. Great trilogy!

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I generally find myself disappointed with the way Weis and Hickman wrap up their series (aside from Chronicles and Legends). "The Seventh Gate" was downright nonsensical, and "The Prophet of Akhran" became a Dadaist exercise. The less said about "Dragons of a Vanished Moon," the better. But I'm happy to say that "Triumph of the Darksword" delivers the type of ending that makes me happy to recommend this trilogy. Although the series takes a lot of twists and turns that never really go anywhere and isn't exactly a character-driver exercise, it also incorporates ideas and plots that we don't typically see in epic-fantasy novels.

Spoilers!

A key thread through all three books is that Thimhallan has a rot at its core. Although Weis and Hickman don't fully explore that idea (more on that later), it seems clear that the Thimhallans' monopoly on magic is corrupting the land and people. Signs of this rot include the Technologists' resurgence in the Outlands, the increasing number of Dead children born to the Royal Houses, and, in this book, the suffocating mice in the Samuels' attic. As such, Joram's decision to free the magic by unplugging the Well saves Thimhallan from a darker fate, as we learn the full prophecy foretold.

Although Joram more or less gets a happy ending given Gwen's recovery, the Thimhallans don't, which makes this series' defeated and depressing conclusion so rare in epic fantasy. Although Joram is happy to remain with Gwen on Thimhallan and send their children Beyond one day, the Thimhallans aren't left with that option. "Triumph of the Darksword" ends with the Earthers loading them onto ships as Thimhallan has become uninhabitable. Although Weis and Hickman imply Garald’s alliance and friendship with (the terribly named) Major Boris means the Thimhallans won’t suffer the typical fate of a conquered people, the Thimhallans have still lost their home, their planet of wonders. They'll allegedly regain their magic one day, but it's hard to see Lady Rosamund thriving on her weekly Costco run in the meantime.

Also in the plus column, this book is more focused than its predecessors. "Forging the Darksword" spent most of its time dwelling on shadowy conspiracies that turned out being not all that interesting. Blachloch is little more than a boogeyman throughout "Forging the Darksword," so the revelation that he’s Vanya’s Duuk tsarith spy isn’t as interesting as, say, the revelation that Mosiah or Saryon was. "Doom of the Darksword" shifts Joram's goal of using the Darksword's magic-nullifying powers to conquer Thimhallan to...deciding to become a noble? Although "Doom of the Darksword" got more interesting once Joram and company arrived in Merilon, I still felt like I was reading an early draft of the novel, when the series' focus was different.

Conversely, "Triumph of the Darksword" makes it clear that nothing else is going to matter beyond the fight with the Earthers. Although it's also weird that we suddenly jettison where we seemed to head (as "Doom of the Darksword" did), it at least results in characters with clear goals and motives.

Overall, my only real criticism of this trilogy is, as I've mentioned, that Weis and Hickman wasted a lot of time on conspiracies and plots that didn't merit the attention. I would've loved to see them collapse the first two books in order to expand this one. For example, they could've shown us the battle of Merilon, highlighting one of the cooler aspects of this book - the conflict between magic and technology. Mosiah's perspective on the Earthers' technology during the battle on the Field of Glory was awesome, and I would've loved seeing the battle through Garald's and his eyes.

That said, I’m exited to read the stand-alone sequel. Weis and Hickman have established a pretty fascinating fictional universe with magic now freely mixing with technology. I'm intrigued to see how the Thimhallans adjust to no longer enjoying their monopoly on magic as non-Thimhallans presumably gain the talent. After all, who are Thimhallans if they don't control magic?

Additional thoughts:

- I have a nagging feeling that Weis and Hickman left some Vanya-driven plots on the table. He had so many irons in the fire when it came out of the Prophecy and the coming war between Merilon and Sharakan that it’s disappointing that he’s left as little more than a foil to Menju here. Although Weis and Hickman could've explained that the Earthers' arrival spoiled all his plans, they don't. They just leave them seemingly unaddressed.

- I expected Weis and Hickman to spend a little more time on how Thimhallan's history - particularly Merlin’s decision to leave Earth and the Necromancers' disappearance - set the stage for the trilogy's outcome. That responsibility falls to the companion book, "Darksword Adventures," which goes into more detail about how the church suppressed the Necromancers due to the catalysts' jealousy over their connection to the dead and the Almin. Gwen seems to fall into the category of a born-Necromancer whose powers faded, avoiding the fate of the Church disappearing her. "Triumph of the Darksword" hints at it, but we never learn why Merlin decided to sequester magic in a way that eventually left Thimhallan dyin.

- The whole sub-plot with the dead Empress is weird in retrospect. Although I get why the Emperor and Vanya didn't want Xavier to inherit the throne, I feel like it would've been all the more exciting if the Empress died as Joram arrived in Merilon. Instead, the whispered rumors about her health throughout "Doom of the Darksword" feel like time that Weis and Hickman could've spent elsewhere.

[Marc · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would actually give this series more like a 4 rating and I have not read the 4th book but I really loved the twist of last act of this book. I had a feeling that was the direction the authors had in mind and I really liked it. It was unique and I was wanting more. Although I had to get past some of the writing style and simplicity of the story to really enjoy the plot. As a whole it is silly, but that’s ok, I liked the heavy fantasy and with the twist towards the end I want to read the next one.

[LeAlan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had not been able to find this book anywhere and happened upon it in a used paperback book store. I loved the first two books and was really looking forward to the conclusion of this trilogy. I donno what the authors were thinking but this went from a great fantasy series to a what the heck is going on? Imagine your reading a classic tale about King Arthur and he is at the point where he forms the Knights of the Round table and all of a sudden laser beams from spaceships start raining down on camelot and merlin has to defend against laser beams with magic. That is how this book made me feel. I still liked it and it was still good but it really threw me for a loop and pissed me off at the same time.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought this was a great ending to this trilogy! It went from two books of fantasy to a book that was sci fi/fantasy. I was thrilled by the ending. I hear 10 years later a book 4 was written though. Not sure if I want to check it out or just be happy with the original ending. I hate when authors do that!


http://angelasanxiouslife.blogspot.co...

[Callandor]

Not too bad, ends the series, but leaves a lot of questions hanging..

which is resolved by the standalone book which I am currently reading.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite trilogy when I was in High School. I've been meaning to re-read it and see if it was as awesome as I remember.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spoilers

Whilst they don't necessarily write the greatest books, Weis & Hickman often write unusual and surprising ones; all the more unsual since the Dragonlance Chronicles are probably considered the most conventional of hack Tolkien knock-offs and yet again here, they prove masters of subtly twisting the formula in a way that could be wondrous for younger-adult and adult readers, long before YA fiction was a thing.

This series has an abundance of faults. it wouldn't be a W&H series if it didn't frustrate as much as beguile me, and the conclusion is no less vexing, presenting a wonky narrative with plenty of holes that skips time for no reason and chucks in new elements just when you're getting a grip on the old ones. Somehow three volumes never seemed enough here and the biz volume 3 zinger that there's a world of technology out to get the magic users would have made a wonderful showdown if it had time, but ultimately it felt too short here and necessitated wrapping up other plotlines and making them feel insignificant.

This is a much smoother ride than book 2 though, and I came away feeling glad that I'd persevered. maybe it's because Gwendolyn just got written out as mad and Simkin, never explained, never really comes back either. We're left with a triptych of Jorom, Prince Garald and Saryon, the better characters in the trilogy, and they're getting down to business defeating the bad guys. And yes, the ending is quite gripping and aside from some tedious debate int eh mid-point it's an all action first half leading into an even better finale. No, we're not talking exhilarating scenes and emotional drama of the weight and elegance of Sapkowski, but there's a pretty cool fight with some excitement and death I'll take it.

I couldn't honestly recommend this series to non-devotees. one needs a little patience to appreciate this beyond its faults - sure, I guess that people overlook the massive nonsensical portions of Harry Potter all of the time and still get enjoyment from it, but Darksword strives for a little more weight and ends up struggling with it. I hate to say it and I hate to embrace cliche, but this series needed a good quest in the mid-section to help us anticipate the final showdown. As it was, it just sortof happened after I'd stopped caring. Elsewhere, I don't think the world of Thimhallen is as vividly drawn as it needs to be and in ways that W&H go on to do in better detail in the Death Gate Cycle (too many well-drawn worlds there!). Something held me bake from really caring about the fate of the inhabitants whether they were fighting one another or external enemies and I think, again, it's because the authors spend too much time trying to be funny with Simkin when they could be creating scenes of life and society.

Nevertheless this is a worthy fantasy series, a good read and a good entry into the 80s cycle which people forget was far more David Eddings than Joe Abercrombie. Whilst this doesn't feel entirely unique, I love that W&h wanted to extend themselves outside of Krynn and this, their first attempt, is notable.

[evan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Again, this book is a generous 2 stars. The plot does not work for me. The characters don't feel like they are making reasonable choices. The ending is barely explained.

Simkin continues to railroad the characters and make no sense. No one questions that he has unlimited magical energy and never asks for it from a catalyst. Every character is rendered into an idiot by not minding the "fool". Sure, we get the passing explanation that Joram thinks he is "the embodiment of magic" but... that is a pretty week explanation that is never dealt with and still just feels like the hands of the author not making the characters make choices for themselves (like they were more able to do in the first book). In previous books he was strongly nudging things, and in this book he is completely manipulating characters into where the authors want them to be. And it all makes no sense. If Simkin told Joram, go to this mountain and destroy this stone with the darksword, he could have done that in book 1. Maybe not, maybe you needed to have the first book end that way, but then it takes, what a chapter or 2 of book 2 and the series basically ends the same way. You don't need Joram to leave for him to make that choice. He would have been happy to make that choice without leave for Beyond. You don't need his love/wife to become a necromancer to talk to the dead for that choice, if this is what Simkin was pushing for all along. None of this really adds up and feels wasteful in hindsight especially as no character agency really makes sense.

The war between city states was basically meaningless. The way they do wars was not interesting and made a mockery of human conflict. I guess it continued to point out the real divide between the rich and poor, that was kind of interesting/heavy handed in book one, but not really.

The evil magician from outside was too evil plot device that wants to kill everyone. Vanya, who had somewhat made sense before makes no sense in this book (and a whole new level of fat shaming via decadence).

Necromancers are hinted at as meaningful, but not really. That could have been a more interesting ending of the book.

The ending is barely explained. For a world that kills people for having physical sex and using a wheel, they adapt way too well to the concept of boarding starships and loosing their magic. Garald's final moments are silly that he'd be such a bad leader and pouting to being convinced so easily.

...anyway. Maybe I shouldn't read this fourth book that I've never read before. Maybe I'll start it and be willing to give it up or skim super quickly.

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

A series about a sword and its wielder destined by prophecy to end the world that never really places the story squarely on the shoulder of the so-called protagonist, the Darksword series fulfills its stated goal in the most unfulfilling manner possible. Somehow we never really give the so named sword more than a few seconds of use and most of that is done just off scene in a retelling of what occurred. The hero of our tale, returns from death and spends most of the tale reverting back from the growth he saw in the second book, back to being more like he began.

The story jumps from a high fantasy secret heir to the throne political drama with magic at the central point to a science fiction fantasy medley invasion story set within or just without our own world that leaves every bit of pleasantry and whimsy completely bereft of the world laid out with 100s of pages of exposition in the two previous books. There is so much casual death and murder. Gore. That this book feels entirely set apart from those two previous books.

There are so many strange anachronisms and real world insertions and/or phrases that will pull a reader out of the story that it feels like going down a coarse gravel road at times. We are never told the story is set within our real world. We are never given a time period. We are expressly shown that this is set well within any possible future that humanity might find. And yet we have references to Shakespeare, A Christmas Carol, cinemas, and so much more.

The whole thing climaxes around the most underwhelming final conflict that has ever been put to page. All of the mysteries built up, all of the questions asked, all of the meat surrounding the bones of this story.... they all go unrevealed, unanswered, and untasted. And yet somehow this 3rd book in the series was the most entertaining and interesting entry.
The Triumph of the Darksword is not very triumphant.

[J · Rating 1 out of 5]

No. Just no. New characters inserted without prelude or subtlety, including an evil wizard. I mean, seriously? And the scifi/magic blend, which tries to address larger themes of colonialism, actually ends up reinforcing them. Many things happen - so many that it's hard to keep track of which ones are significant. The prose never slows down to ponder over events or give us a greater flavour of this created world, which is a shame, because it's incredibly imaginative. Various characters who need explanation are not given one.

Lastly, someone, for the love of the Almin, shoot the catalyst. Please. He's a (flutter of orange silk) suffering insufferable.

That said, I have high hopes for a re-read of the duo's Death Gate Cycle. A re-read of "Fire Sea" a while back was quite enjoyable, and I remember being considerably more engaged with the series. I hope the authors never read this review, because I do kind of love the way their brains work. I just didn't like these books.

[Ikayuro · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I'll still give this book three stars because it is an enjoyable read, I will say that I do not enjoy the direction it took the story or how the series ended. This book is noticeably shorter than the first two in the trilogy, and the ending seems rushed; the vivid paintings of landscapes and characters that the first two books showcased are notably missing from this volume, giving the reader a feeling of a hurried finale for the sake of finishing. All in all, I would still recommend this trilogy, and I plan on reading the fourth book that was printed later to see if it offers a more satisfactory way of tying things off.

[Remo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tercera parte de la trilogía. Recuerdo que me recomendaron esta trilogía como "de lo mejor que se puede leer en fantasía". Hace tiempo de eso, claro. Por un lado, me leí los tres tomos uno detrás de otro. Por otro, al acabarla me quedé sin ganas de más. No he leído fantasía desde entonces, creo, salvo alguna excepción que ahora no me venga a la memoria.
Los personajes están construidos para que te gusten, sin demasiadas contradicciones interiores, y sí recuerdo cómo había muchos hilos que convergían, de manera bastante hábil. Sin ser algo que marcara mi vida, sí me gustó mucho.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a somewhat satisfying conclusion to the Darksword Trilogy. It certainly took an unexpected turn about halfway through that seemly came out of nowhere though. I believe that there were a couple of obscure references in the first part of the book that were intended as foreshadowing, but honestly these seemed out of place and just plain lazy writing/editing at the time I read them though (I recall thinking that specifically at the time). That is rather vague, but any further detail would be a massive spoiler for the series.

Perhaps in the 1980s, when this series was written, the unexpected turn that Triumph of the Darksword takes would have been considered pretty groundbreaking. Today that would not be so much the case. Presumably Weis and Hickman had this planned from the beginning, but it really does have the feel of having been a last minute decision to make the series more "edgy" and stand out, after two books that were very traditional/formulaic fantasy. It works to a degree, but still feels somewhat tacked on.

Overall, The Darksword Trilogy was a pretty entertaining read, but can probably be skipped by all but the most avid fans of Weis and Hickman's collaborations. With so many fantastic fantasy series available today, this trilogy would be buried by a great deal of others that are higher on my list.

[Ana Elena Romero · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ya siento escribir esta reseña de una saga de esta autora, pero lamentablemente esta historia no me ha convencido en absoluto.
Los personajes son inconsistentes y muy vagos, con ciertos parecidos con otros de la memorable saga Dragonlance.
Nada comparable con aquella. Parece ser que queda una cuarta entrega de esta, pero no me siento ni siquiera intrigada por ver cómo se cierra la saga.... Quizá en otro momento.

[Raymond Paquette · Rating 5 out of 5]

The angry young man from the first book has grown up and become a more responsible leader. He made the hard choice to save as many people as possible. In doing so he has become the most feared and hated man in the world. It was never about a prophecy but a warning. We have a choice in what we do. Make the wrong choices we fail. Make the right choices and we succeed. However what constitutes a wrong choice? A good choice? Did Joram make the wrong choice? The 4th book will tell.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmm, I'm not sure how I feel about going two books thinking you know who the villain is, just for a brand new uber-villain to be introduced in the final series. It feels like messy planning to me. I'm pleasantly surprised with the ending. Especially after Saryon is brought back from the "dead" I didn't think the authors could do anything actually tough to the characters. So for the unexpected ending alone, I'm going with 4 stars.

[Warren Dunn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very disappointing: I don't know why our characters were in the book at all, since they didn't get to do anything. However, there were enough good moments, and although it ends rather depressingly, there is at least some hope for the future of the world.
Full spoiler review:
http://ossuslibrary.tripod.com/Bk_Fan...

[Niko'sBookReviews · Rating 1 out of 5]

Book 1 had an interesting premise, book 2 dropped it for tropes and an annoying teenage romance, book 3 skips forward 10 years to avoid having to actually develop the characters and just changes to a completely different plot including a thinly veiled attempt to sell you a role playing tabletop game. Very surprised to have such poor quality from Weis and Hickman.

[Shelton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two and a half stars.

The series takes a sudden turn into science fiction that sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t, and it rushes into an ending that feels like it wants to be more thematically relevant than it is. The series as a whole is worth reading, but back in the day, even eleven-year-old me was let down by this one. Years later, I feel the same.

[Almustafa Couch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A stunning conclusion to the Darksword Trilogy.
In which our (the readers) protagonist and his wife who is mad by this point find a place to live. The Darksword Trilogy ends well.
I would encourage everyone to read it has romance to adventure and lots of mysticism mixed in for good measure. The conclusion even has a guide to the history of cards and the tarot.

[James]

/Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman Joram and his wife, Gwendolyn, return from beyond the Border to reclaim their rightful place in Merilon. Rejoined by Saryon, Mosiah and Simkin, Joram must confront the evil sorcerer, Menju, and his army of Technologists in a final apocalyptic battle to fulfill the ancient prophecy of the Darksword--to either save the world.

[Kara Clouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't see that coming... Still, a chore to get through this one, with all the war scheming. It was more interesting plot-wise, less entertaining reading-wise. The excerpt at the end for the next book was actually a more intriguing read, but the library doesn't have it, oh well.

[Mark Hartman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good ending to the trilogy with a sci-fi fantasy book. There was a forth book written many years after this trilogy. I liked the mixture of science and magic. This is the only fantasy sci fi books I know that also had a book written to role play in the fantasy world.

[Kenn Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this series when I was a kid. Now as an adults, I very much enjoyed reading it again.

This is one of my favorites from Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. I found out recently there was a forth book so I started the series over and was pleased that I still enjoyed the books so much.

[Victor Aguirre · Rating 3 out of 5]

One more time, the story felt diluted or simply stretch to fill another book, there are son unexplained gaps and jumps in events that are not truly explained, one more time villains and antagonists with so much potential in previous books are just ignored or fade in the background.