Order of Darkness: Volumes i-iii

Order of Darkness #1-3

by Philippa Gregory

A bind-up of the first three books in bestselling author Philippa Gregory's rich, dramatic, atmospheric Order of Darkness series, launching a fantastic new cover look!

“deftly conceived … richly detailed” THE DAILY TELEGRAPH on Changeling

THE YEAR IS 1460 AND ALL SIGNS POINT TO IT BEING THE END OF THE WORLD.

Accused of heresy and expelled from his monastery, Luca Vero is recruited by a mysterious stranger to record the end of the days. His first mission takes him to a nunnery where the women are showing terrible signs of possession under an imprisoned Lady Abbess – Isolde.

Thrown together by danger, Luca and his true friend Freize, alongside Isolde and her companion Ishraq, embark on a daring journey across Europe, as they uncover the secrets of Order of Darkness, racing to stay ahead of the end of the world.

Dive deep into the world of medieval legends and disentangle reality from fear: read the first three books in the Order of Darkness series from the internationally renowned author of historical fiction Philippa Gregory.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Historical, Paranormal, Medieval

1041 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 15, 2017

About the author

DR PHILIPPA GREGORY studied history at the University of Sussex and was awarded a PhD by the University of Edinburgh where she is a Regent and was made Alumna of the Year in 2009. She holds an honorary degree from Teesside University, and is a fellow of the Universities of Sussex and Cardiff. Philippa is a member of the Society of Authors and in 2016, was presented with the Outstanding Contribution to Historical Fiction Award by the Historical Writers’ Association. In 2018, she was awarded an Honorary Platinum Award by Neilsen for achieving significant lifetime sales across her entire book output. In 2021, she was awarded a CBE for services to literature and to her charity Gardens for the Gambia. and was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

She welcomes visitors to her site www.PhilippaGregory.com.

Philippa's Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/PhilippaGregoryOfficial

Reviews

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've said it before - Philippa Gregory writes better historical fiction when she focuses on an actual historical figure. This was really not her best work.
With regards to Volume I (Changeling), I twigged quite early on what was going on at the nunnery which was a little disappointing because I like to be surprised when I read.
I felt that Volume II (Stormbringers) took a while to get started and didn't really have much plot. I can say the same about Volume III (Fool's Gold) too.

[Cliodhna Taylor]

I will not be rating this as I have not completed the three stories within. I have finished the first and was 3/4 through storm-bringers before calling it quits.

CHARACTERS:

It’s SO DAMN HARD to root for LUCA. A young man who craves knowledge and a new understanding of the world, yet somehow remains ignorant and misogynistic to his so called friends/female companions. I hear you, it’s the 1400’s and he grew up in a monastery, of course he’s sexist. But as someone who along with their thirst for understanding, was accused of heresy just for using his intelligence and common sense, you would think he would have a more forward thinking perspective when it came to how women are perceived, especially when the love interest Isolde, mirrors many aspects of Luca including them both being orphans. Right? WRONG! From what I’ve read which I’d say is enough, Luca makes no attempt to understand, challenge or even acknowledge the unfairness of his companions position in society.

I have nothing to say of ISOLDE, she’s 2D and not very interesting, especially compared to her dear friend ISHRAQ who to be honest carries the whole damn book along with FRIEZE. The books could be about the two of them watching paint dry and it would still have more depth, character and charm than anything I’ve read in this series so far. Harsh I know but when it’s that or a misogynist and a plank of wood with blonde hair it’s not really a hard choice.

PLOT/STORYLINE

I don’t think I would have as much of a problem with the slow pace of the story if it weren’t for characters. Rather than an ongoing, over arching mission, the books feel more episodic in nature, with the five companions travelling Europe and inquiring mysteries and events that could link to the end of days and Christendom. But with a storyline that I feel relies so heavily on character relationships and development it all becomes quite hard to stick through, especially when most of the POV is Lucas. I will say however the world building is nice and I enjoy the atmosphere the book has. If the main protagonists were more endearing, (cough cough, frieze and ishraq, cough) then I think I would of actually really enjoyed the story along with their journey and interactions. Alas we are stuck with Luca and Isolde.

It’s a shame because I really wanted to like these books and read it regardless of the heavily mixed reviews…
PLEASE feel free to correct me if somehow Luca miraculously ends up drinking his respect women juice and Isolde gains a personality. I will continue the books from where I left off and edit my review accordingly.

[Jocelyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

It hurts me to leave a one star rating because I love Philippa Gregory. But Order of Darkness crash and burned with me. I've been actively avoiding picking it up for over a week now. I wont be getting back to it and find relief in that decision (ouch, I know).

This wasnt up to Gregory's standards by a long shot. Maybe because its meant to be "young adult"? Lacking in details and development. Slow story. Lots of words for little movement. I just can't continue.

[Fiona · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not up to Phillippa’s usual standards, dull, predictable and unrealistic. Guess its not aimed at the same audience as the usual relatively intellectual historical fiction.

[LAURIE]

Well, I believe that I just read my first YA book. Definitely not a historical one as P.G. is known for. And according to the excerpt from the back of the book, there is more to come in this series. Wonder if my daughter would like to read it?

[Cliff · Rating 4 out of 5]

First thing I would say is that it appears that this series maybe young adult fiction. It didn't come across to me as that while I was reading it and it was only when I began to explore more after I'd finished it that I realised that such might be the case. I'm not sure, however, how many of today's YAs would read through 850+ pages! The book tells the story of 5 individuals who set out on a trek across medieval Italy with the intent of reaching Hungary. The medieval ambiance isn't as well caught as, for example, it is in some Karen Maitland's that I have recently read. Medieval habits are well caught however - the position of women, the all persuasive influence of the church and despite this the continued reliance of folk tales and beliefs. The ignorance shown makes the reader realise how far knowledge has advanced - not knowing the reason behind the tsunami which features largely in the second book, for example. The lack of understanding of what we now call market forces shown in the third book is something that would not be explained until the late 18th century and the works of Adam Smith. The third book does veer off the usual, but unexplained which feature in the first two, into fantasy. The author doesn't give any of her sources away and I for one would have welcomed some indication as to whether the tsunami described in Stormbringers and the run on English gold in Venice described in Fool's Gold have any basis in historical fact. And that applies also basic premise of the book, the idea that the end of the world was imminent. There is fact - the fear of the apparently unstoppable Ottoman advance which would last until the Great Siege of Malta in the next century.

[Melissa Davis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I must say that I was quite disappointed with this book. The first one in the series, Changeling, told rather than described the scenes and situation, and the characters were not really likable because there wasn’t much to them. I am not sure when that one was written, but thankfully Philippa has grown as an author since then. The second book, Stormbringers, was better, but it was very slow. The characters became more likable and actually began to have personalities. So I had big hopes for the third one, Fools’ Gold. It was definitely better written, but there was still a lack of descriptive scenes and personalities. The main characters have their personalities, but the minor characters didn’t really come to life except perhaps Lady Carintha.

I am a big fan of Philippa Gregory and was hoping to be able to share this book with my kids since it is written for young adults. But the third one, Fools’ Gold, has some content that I don’t feel comfortable sharing with them. I know there is sexual content in her other books, which is fine for adults, but I was hoping it would stay out of these ones. It’s not terribly descriptive, and the first two were clean, but the bit that is in the third one gave me a bad taste. But that is only my opinion, so use your judgement with your own kids.

I also wish there was more revealed at this point in the whole story, but it seems like there will be several more books in the series. There is still a lot of mystery, mostly about Milord and the Order, and I imagine that is supposed to hook people, so it really is the “Order of Darkness” in keeping the reader in the dark about a lot of what is going on.

[Helen Ashforth-Foster · Rating 1 out of 5]

As this is 3 books I will review each one in turn :

-Changeling: this is the weakest if the 3 books and certainly not one of Phillippa Gregory's strongest books. The plot is really transparent as you can guess the ending within the first third of the novel. The introduction to the mysterious order is captured but never really developed on. The most interesting part is how she weaves the modern understanding of mass hysteria into the novel.

-Stormbringers: this is the strongest of the 3 books. The storyline with the children's crusade is well developed and there is genuine tension with the tsunami storyline. It cleverly wraps in the mediveal understanding of the world into the book. The characters have not been developed at all though. They are very sketchily drawn.

-Fools Gold: this book simply put is just really boring. The setting in Venice feels exotic however the storyline is very pedestrian. There is no character development and the storyline follows set action of the other books: they arrive, are welcomed, are semi successful, are arrested, escape and then leave. This makes are a dull and repetitive read.

[Marc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in Italy in the middle of the 15th century after the fall of Christian Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire a young novice is sent out to investigate the possibility of the approach of the end of the world by a mysterious church group called the Order of Darkness. The young man, possibly a changeling, possibly one of the faerie folk, and certainly once a lowly farm labourer, sets out with a trusted friend and a priest to record his findings, his quest sanctioned by the Pope. What follows makes a very good story told with a lightness of touch. As Luca Vero’s, the novice’s name, quest unfolds he encounters a series of fantastic challenges. He meets a beautiful disinherited noblewoman and her Islamic friend and companion, a mysterious young man whose mission is to lead the lost to the promised land, a Turkish bandit prince and alchemists. A lot happens and you get drawn along even if the premise seems a bit far fetched at first you grow to go with it. The characters aren’t excessively developed but are reasonably plausible, and soon we see how their relative relationship develops faced with the very unexpected events they encounter.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This YA historian fantasy novel is set in the year 1460
Luca Vero the hero of the novel is recruited to join the order of darkness. He must inquire about the signs of the end of the days in the kingdom of Christendom. In the first volume, Changeling, he must find out a mysterious madness, possession of the spirit that makes nuns see visions and report to his lord of the order of darkness. To help with this mission, Freize, his friend is sent on this wonderful adventure with Brother Peter, the clerk. It is on this mission that Isolde and her companion Ishraq (half Arab) become known to the readers.
In volume 2, Stormbringers , the five travellers Luca, Freize, Brother Peter, Isolde and Ishraq from Rome to Italy come across a charismatic character Johann who says “the end of days is upon us”, the very thing Luca must inquire. Luca must learn from the sweet tongued Johann and decipher the truth.
In Volume 3, Fool’s Gold the travellers are tasked to inquire about genuine gold coins( English nobles) from fake ones.
The writing is lucid and expressive. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in YA Historical Fantasy Fiction.

[lindsey black · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating world of historical fantasy.
I was really surprised to read other's reviews of disappointment as I absolutely loved this. I have read all of Philippa Gregory's books and enjoy her ability to combine strong character, historical richness and intriguing storyline. I like the concept of having a central 'Inquirer' which allows her to explore the themes of different culture's knowledge (the Arabs having more learning but not being accepted and the prejudice against the Jews!) The mix of characters and their different status and backgrounds gives variety, amusement and intrigue. A lot of what is explored in the book is based on what was happening at the time...the Children's Pilgrimage was a real event as was the search, through various bizarre experiments, to find The Philosopher's Stone. Her description of Venice was so atmospheric that I felt that I was there. I'm 72 so certainly not a 'young adult' but have bought it also for my 20 year old granddaughter. Unlike others I couldn't put it down and can't wait for the next episodes!

[Georgina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very good page turner, but I take issue with the fantastical side. The author is a good historian but I would have wished she kept more closely to historical detail.
The characters were absorbing, if a little too romantic and I admire the complicated plot enormously. Perhaps my greatest quibble is indeed with the supernatural side of the story.
There is one word which I have always disliked when applied to humans and that is “scurry “. Many writers use it but surely there are other verbs which would be much descriptive of a human, such as ran or rushed or dashed?
Phillippa’s command of English is otherwise excellent and the prose flows readily but I do prefer a book to be either completely fantastical or as near as possible to historical facts, although the characters are purely the figment of the writer’s imagination – and very well drawn too.
I did object to paying for three books when in fact they were three parts of what should have been one book because the total number of pages is not very high.

[Yassemin · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I've only tried Phillipa Gregory once, a long time ago and to be honest I didn't really think that historical fiction was for me so I've never read any more books by her despite her being well rated by most people. That stops now! I will definitely be reading more of her work off the back of this book and how much I enjoyed it. Clearly I shouldn't have ruled out historical fiction as not being for me because this book was definitely for me.

I felt the plot was absolutely fascinating (it follows people in the Order of Darkness who go around various places looking for signs of the end of the days and dealing with them as they see fit), the writing addictive (I didn't want to put the book down) and the characters were fantastic.

This book hasn't received very good ratings from what I can see, and I can't understand why. I absolutely loved it and it's the favourite book of the year for me as it currently stands.

[Sylvie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Philippa Gregory's books very much. I would call myself a fan. I love the way she writes and presents England history through the voice of women. I give only 3 stars to this one because it is what I call "light reading" if you want to take a break from history but would not change the author. No wonder she wrote this series so easily and fast. I wouldn't call it a bad book but if this is the first book you read by PG, don't judge her based on this as this is under the standard that she set for herself. I would recommend the Tudor series if you like history or Wideacre trilogy and Meridon, if not. She has a "fluid" style meaning that the books are easy to read and smooth, she is good with putting words together to create an atmosphere and this book is no exception.

[Margaret Grant Author · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must admit to enjoying three quarters of 'Changeling' and although many of the adventures were far fetched I only became really irritated when pure fantasy kicked in towards the end as it lost its links with historical fact and reality.

What I loved about this book was how it challenged historical concepts of prejudice against religion, science and the cause of women. I have always been an enquirer myself and identified with the Moorish companion Ishraq rather than with the wishy washy main character Isolde.

I only bought the first book and it was rather like reading the first few chapters of a story, so I think it would be better value to buy the whole series if you like fantasy.

[Michelle allan · Rating 1 out of 5]

finished book 1 - Very predictable and it could have been so much more then it was. She had the bones for a really good book. I mean mad nuns in medieval England, she could have done so much with it. I have no idea why the bit with the wolves was added. It was nothing to do with the main story and it felt like she was just trying to make the book longer......also the monks were not as involved as they should have been. She could of had them sneaking in doing surveillance on the nuns or trying to make the problems worse or stirring the pot with the villagers.

I have even started on the lack of character development or the medieval life. I am not going to read the rest as this one has really annoyed me.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

A trilogy of three books. Changling, the first of the 3 was excellent. The story was very good. Brilliant start.
The second, Stormbringers, was once again very good and I enjoyed it throughly.
However, I thought that the last book in this trilogy, Fools Gold, was a let down. Compared to the first two, it had very little story to it, and as the ending of the trilogy it left the narrative with many more questions than answers. If there is going to be a fourth book to this series, then it might answer them, but if not. It's left me feeling as though I'm only half way through the tale.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sadly did not finish this book.
The book contains the whole trilogy and I managed to get approx. half way through the second.
The first book in the trilogy, I found, started slowly but I stuck with it and it was ok. Not great by any means but it was mildly interesting. However, I felt nothing for the characters which was a real shame. I think it's mostly this that made me stop reading. On the cover it's states 'unputdownable'. To me it ended up being 'unpick-upable'.

[Craig Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this trilogy. I warmed to the characters, and found myself journeying with them on their Camino.

Philippa Gregory has a good eye for historical detail, and this three-part jaunt has a feel of Umberto Eco’s ‘Baudolino’ or even his ‘The Name of The Rose’.

Although at times predictable, the stories are vivid and mind-catching.

Only towards the end of the third volume - Fool’s Gold - does Gregory attempt to combine her historical medieval journey with a glimpse of magical realism, an unnecessary device in my opinion, as the story and time of her writing is already superstitious, mystical and magical enough.

I liked the books and gave the volume a solid Four Stars for holding my imagination in its fast-paced narrative.

[dena · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn’t even finish this. So disappointing. I LOVE Phillippa Gregory’s works, but this one was so far off from her usual writing. Even though it’s for a young adult audience I still felt it was lacking. It made me question if it was a ghost writer as it was so far off. Another review pointed out maybe Phillippa should stick with historical fiction with specific people, and I’d have to agree with that, as some of her works are my absolute favourites!

[Olivia Solbrig · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great beach/vacation read. Nothing too painfully deep but an engaging selection of characters who come to life on the page. I especially appreciate realistically empowered female characters for the time period, specifically in regards to Ishraq and the comparison between the rights of women in Muslim and Christian cultures.

[Costangeles · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book's beginning was really good, it held me captivated and really interested in it. But as the story developed, it went slower and slower, with less action and unrealistic situations. I loved Ishraq though, she was a really well written character, powerful and fierce. The rest of action was just not like I expected. Not the best book, but not the worst that I've read either.

[Frances Mclean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascination,

This story was so exciting ,the characters were well thought out ,each one complimented the other ,mystery from the outset ,had to read on to find out what was going on,excellence,you could imagine you were in the company of them all ,you could see the outfits they wore ,the feeling of the cold water of the canals ,the fear that they felt .My favourite author.

[Anthea Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this a really different read, and the first three books together - long volume!! Philippa Gregory usually writes well, and this one is no exception. A young man is taken from training for the priesthood by an official of the Inquisition. He is then sent out to discover heresy and report back. Do read this, it's well worth a try.

[Lydia Roman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, I got about 300 pages in and had to stop reading. I was really struggling to enjoy this book. I usually enjoy Philippa Gregory stories - but I didn't get into this one. I kept trying, but I just found it to be boring.

[Kiki · Rating 3 out of 5]

A 2.5 star review rounded up to a more generous 3-stars (because as always, Goodreads won't allow half-stars). Entertaining but not excellent. However, it was exactly the sort of easy unchallenging historical fiction that I fancied being immersed in for a few days.

[Rob Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exellrnt read.

I learn a lot about history from well researched novels such as this, adding flesh to the dry bones of the history lessons of my youth.
This series is a departure from the Cousins Wars series, but is just as well researched and characterised.

[rachel williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great story from my favourite author

I have read all of her books and i am never disappointed with the stories i feel that they are all written well and i just love how the way she writes.

[Beverley J Furniss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three in ine

I read these back to back as they were in one book. I feel that there should be more to come as lots of loose ends were left. I'm looking forward to reading the next of it gets written!

[Mrs S Moore · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did monolithic

I really like Phillipas books but this is one I've Hasbro give I on . The subject matter did not interest me and for The most part I found it rather dry and rambling