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Darwath #1-3
Darwath Trilogy-3 Vol.
On the wizard Ingold's world, the monstrous Dark have been mere legends for thousands of years. But now, they have emerged to ravage the land. Reissue.
Loose Leaf
First published January 1, 1986
280 people are currently reading
456 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Hambly
204 books1,581 followersaka Barbara Hamilton
Ranging from fantasy to historical fiction, Barbara Hambly has a masterful way of spinning a story. Her twisty plots involve memorable characters, lavish descriptions, scads of novel words, and interesting devices. Her work spans the Star Wars universe, antebellum New Orleans, and various fantasy worlds, sometimes linked with our own.
"I always wanted to be a writer but everyone kept telling me it was impossible to break into the field or make money. I've proven them wrong on both counts."
-Barbara Hambly
Ranging from fantasy to historical fiction, Barbara Hambly has a masterful way of spinning a story. Her twisty plots involve memorable characters, lavish descriptions, scads of novel words, and interesting devices. Her work spans the Star Wars universe, antebellum New Orleans, and various fantasy worlds, sometimes linked with our own.
"I always wanted to be a writer but everyone kept telling me it was impossible to break into the field or make money. I've proven them wrong on both counts."
-Barbara Hambly
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
November 19, 2019
I’d forgotten how tight and compact a trilogy this is, especially compared to the flabby, overextended trilogies (or more-igies) of the modern era.
Having read Hambly for my a good two-thirds of my lifetime, I can tell this is an early work, but I’d still put it toe-to-toe with most modern fantasy and I spent a lot of time considering how it could be framed into a movie or limited series after Game of Thrones (theoretically) smoothed the way. Not that I expect any such thing, but it would be glorious.
In the last decade or so, I haven’t made a lot of time for rereading old favorites. I also end up not remembering much of what I’ve read. A lot of books are entertaining without being especially memorable to me (the main reason I have a Goodreads account), but this was like visiting old friends, a shared history I remember very well and yet still love and get emotionally involved in, for all that familiarity.
I’m intensely glad Hambly is still writing, and occasionally writing in these universes, even if I’m sad that her SFF doesn’t seem to have the market of her historical fiction. Then and now, she has such lovely things to say.
Having read Hambly for my a good two-thirds of my lifetime, I can tell this is an early work, but I’d still put it toe-to-toe with most modern fantasy and I spent a lot of time considering how it could be framed into a movie or limited series after Game of Thrones (theoretically) smoothed the way. Not that I expect any such thing, but it would be glorious.
In the last decade or so, I haven’t made a lot of time for rereading old favorites. I also end up not remembering much of what I’ve read. A lot of books are entertaining without being especially memorable to me (the main reason I have a Goodreads account), but this was like visiting old friends, a shared history I remember very well and yet still love and get emotionally involved in, for all that familiarity.
I’m intensely glad Hambly is still writing, and occasionally writing in these universes, even if I’m sad that her SFF doesn’t seem to have the market of her historical fiction. Then and now, she has such lovely things to say.
August 16, 2024
English version below
*************
Ich habe diesen Sammelband mit der Darwath-Trilogie in den den letzten 25 Jahren bestimmt schon 10 Mal gelesen und immer noch ist meine Begeisterung ungebrochen.
Natürlich ist die Spannung für mich mittlerweile nicht mehr so atemberaubend und die unerwarteten Wendungen verblüffen mich nicht mehr. Dafür fühlt sich aber jede erneute Lektüre an wie ein wohliges Nach-Hause-Kommen.
In dieser Portal-Fantasy gelangen die beiden jungen Menschen Gil und Rudy, eine Geschichtsstudentin und ein Automechaniker, aus dem Kalifornien des ausgehenden 20. Jahrhunderts durch das Wirken des Zauberers Ingold Inglorion in die mittelalterlich geprägte Parallelwelt Darwath. Aus verschiedenen Umständen ist eine Rückkehr vorerst nicht möglich und die beiden müssen sich mit den veränderten Gegebenheiten arrangieren.
In Darwath sind die Menschen gerade dabei, gegen ihre Auslöschung durch die schreckenerregenden Dunklen zu kämpfen, Kreaturen, die sie nicht verstehen und denen sie auch kaum etwas entgegenzusetzen haben.
Gil und Rudy bleibt also nichts anderes übrig, als sich so gut wie möglich an diesem Kampf zu beteiligen. Wie nicht anders zu erwarten hat die Menschheit aber immer noch die Kraft, sich neben dem nackten Überleben um allerlei Intrigen und politische Ränkespiele zwischen verschiedenen Parteien zu kümmern. Insbesondere die Kirche kommt in Hamblys Darstellung (erstaunlich realistisch) gar nicht gut weg.
Ich habe mir oft vorgestellt (und gewünscht), dass dieser Stoff verfilmt wird, aber wer weiß ob der Film mit meinem Kopfkino mithalten könnte.
Man mag Hambly vielleicht vorwerfen, dass sie sich mit Ingold gar zu sehr an Tolkiens Gandalf angelehnt hat. Falls sie das tatsächlich getan hat, kann ich es ihr jedoch nicht übelnehmen, denn Ingold füllt seine Rolle in dieser Geschichte einfach perfekt aus.
In Deutschland ist weder dieses Werk noch die Autorin zu einer weitergehenden Bekanntheit gelangt. Das finde ich wirklich schade, denn sie hat Fantasyliebhabern einiges zu bieten.
-----------------
I must have read this anthology with the Darwath trilogy at least 10 times in the last 25 years and my enthusiasm is still unbroken.
Of course, the suspense is no longer as breathtaking for me and the unexpected twists no longer amaze me. But on the other hand, every re-read feels like a cosy homecoming.
In this portal fantasy, the two young people Gil and Rudy, a history student and a car mechanic, travel from California at the end of the 20th century to the medieval parallel world of Darwath through the work of the wizard Ingold Inglorion. For various reasons, it is not possible for them to return for the time being and they have to come to terms with the changed circumstances.
In Darwath, the humans are in the process of fighting their extinction at the hands of the terrifying Dark Ones, creatures they do not understand and have little to oppose.
So Gil and Rudy have no choice but to take part in this battle as best they can. As might be expected, however, humanity still has the strength to deal with all kinds of plotting and political intrigues between different parties in addition to mere survival. The Church in particular does not look good at all in Hambly's (astonishingly realistic) portrayal.
I have often imagined (and wished) that this material would be made into a film, but who knows if the film could keep up with my mental cinema.
You might accuse Hambly of leaning too much on Tolkien's Gandalf with Ingold. But if she has indeed done so, I can't blame her, because Ingold fulfils his role in this story perfectly.
Neither this work nor the author has become widely known in Germany. I think that's a real shame, because she has a lot to offer for fantasy lovers.
*************
Ich habe diesen Sammelband mit der Darwath-Trilogie in den den letzten 25 Jahren bestimmt schon 10 Mal gelesen und immer noch ist meine Begeisterung ungebrochen.
Natürlich ist die Spannung für mich mittlerweile nicht mehr so atemberaubend und die unerwarteten Wendungen verblüffen mich nicht mehr. Dafür fühlt sich aber jede erneute Lektüre an wie ein wohliges Nach-Hause-Kommen.
In dieser Portal-Fantasy gelangen die beiden jungen Menschen Gil und Rudy, eine Geschichtsstudentin und ein Automechaniker, aus dem Kalifornien des ausgehenden 20. Jahrhunderts durch das Wirken des Zauberers Ingold Inglorion in die mittelalterlich geprägte Parallelwelt Darwath. Aus verschiedenen Umständen ist eine Rückkehr vorerst nicht möglich und die beiden müssen sich mit den veränderten Gegebenheiten arrangieren.
In Darwath sind die Menschen gerade dabei, gegen ihre Auslöschung durch die schreckenerregenden Dunklen zu kämpfen, Kreaturen, die sie nicht verstehen und denen sie auch kaum etwas entgegenzusetzen haben.
Gil und Rudy bleibt also nichts anderes übrig, als sich so gut wie möglich an diesem Kampf zu beteiligen. Wie nicht anders zu erwarten hat die Menschheit aber immer noch die Kraft, sich neben dem nackten Überleben um allerlei Intrigen und politische Ränkespiele zwischen verschiedenen Parteien zu kümmern. Insbesondere die Kirche kommt in Hamblys Darstellung (erstaunlich realistisch) gar nicht gut weg.
Ich habe mir oft vorgestellt (und gewünscht), dass dieser Stoff verfilmt wird, aber wer weiß ob der Film mit meinem Kopfkino mithalten könnte.
Man mag Hambly vielleicht vorwerfen, dass sie sich mit Ingold gar zu sehr an Tolkiens Gandalf angelehnt hat. Falls sie das tatsächlich getan hat, kann ich es ihr jedoch nicht übelnehmen, denn Ingold füllt seine Rolle in dieser Geschichte einfach perfekt aus.
In Deutschland ist weder dieses Werk noch die Autorin zu einer weitergehenden Bekanntheit gelangt. Das finde ich wirklich schade, denn sie hat Fantasyliebhabern einiges zu bieten.
-----------------
I must have read this anthology with the Darwath trilogy at least 10 times in the last 25 years and my enthusiasm is still unbroken.
Of course, the suspense is no longer as breathtaking for me and the unexpected twists no longer amaze me. But on the other hand, every re-read feels like a cosy homecoming.
In this portal fantasy, the two young people Gil and Rudy, a history student and a car mechanic, travel from California at the end of the 20th century to the medieval parallel world of Darwath through the work of the wizard Ingold Inglorion. For various reasons, it is not possible for them to return for the time being and they have to come to terms with the changed circumstances.
In Darwath, the humans are in the process of fighting their extinction at the hands of the terrifying Dark Ones, creatures they do not understand and have little to oppose.
So Gil and Rudy have no choice but to take part in this battle as best they can. As might be expected, however, humanity still has the strength to deal with all kinds of plotting and political intrigues between different parties in addition to mere survival. The Church in particular does not look good at all in Hambly's (astonishingly realistic) portrayal.
I have often imagined (and wished) that this material would be made into a film, but who knows if the film could keep up with my mental cinema.
You might accuse Hambly of leaning too much on Tolkien's Gandalf with Ingold. But if she has indeed done so, I can't blame her, because Ingold fulfils his role in this story perfectly.
Neither this work nor the author has become widely known in Germany. I think that's a real shame, because she has a lot to offer for fantasy lovers.
Read
January 24, 20181/24/18 Three book set, the trilogy, on sale for $2.99 for Kindle.
April 17, 2015
Barbara Hambly is a name I saw a fair amount of when I was haunting SF&F bookshelves as stores as a teenager, but I never got around to trying any of her books. I later found that I indeed had been missing out, and have been slowly going back and reading her books. In this case, I got a Kindle edition of her first work, The Darwath Trilogy, on sale; in all, the book was well put together, and I did not notice any glitches, though the few maps seem to be a bit extra small, and not well cleaned up from a scan.
The Time of the Dark starts as something of a standard Visitation Fantasy. Gil Patterson is a post-graduate student at UCLA, who keeps having disturbing dreams of a world under siege by creatures just known as The Dark. These become more than dreams when a wizard from that world, Ingold Inglorion, crosses over to visit her, hoping to find a temporary refuge, or short cut, for an escape plan. Things go wrong, Gil and Rudy Solis (who happened by) end up trapped in the fantasy world, as going home could lead to the Dark invading Earth.
Past the beginning of the first book, Gil and Rudy share viewpoint status for the rest of the series, which is a bit awkward at first, as the viewpoint shifts between the two inside the same chapter, which gets a little confusing. Past the first book, any viewpoint changes happen at chapter breaks, which works much better.
Rudy, a mechanic and artist in a biker crowd, discovers magic, and Gil... moves from scholar to swordswoman. This actually works well, and puts the two on different paths as the narrative grows in the second book. The two make their way through vastly changed circumstances, and stay central to, but not the mainsprings of, the plot.
That, of course, is the coming of the nightmare creatures of the Dark, and the destruction of the kingdom of Renwrath, with the ensuing fight for survival of the remnants of the human population. Things get creepy, things get scary, things get political, and things get tragic, and it all keeps up over the rest of the trilogy.
The series does get a good and satisfactory ending (though there are further books in the world written years later), and while all the central mysteries are brought to light, there is a small number of dropped threads. There are a very few places where I could see something the characters couldn’t (most notably in the final climax, alas), but they were fairly beat up and tired by that point, and most of the time, the action stayed ahead of me. Well recommended; partly traditional epic fantasy trilogy, partly bucks the trends.
The Time of the Dark starts as something of a standard Visitation Fantasy. Gil Patterson is a post-graduate student at UCLA, who keeps having disturbing dreams of a world under siege by creatures just known as The Dark. These become more than dreams when a wizard from that world, Ingold Inglorion, crosses over to visit her, hoping to find a temporary refuge, or short cut, for an escape plan. Things go wrong, Gil and Rudy Solis (who happened by) end up trapped in the fantasy world, as going home could lead to the Dark invading Earth.
Past the beginning of the first book, Gil and Rudy share viewpoint status for the rest of the series, which is a bit awkward at first, as the viewpoint shifts between the two inside the same chapter, which gets a little confusing. Past the first book, any viewpoint changes happen at chapter breaks, which works much better.
Rudy, a mechanic and artist in a biker crowd, discovers magic, and Gil... moves from scholar to swordswoman. This actually works well, and puts the two on different paths as the narrative grows in the second book. The two make their way through vastly changed circumstances, and stay central to, but not the mainsprings of, the plot.
That, of course, is the coming of the nightmare creatures of the Dark, and the destruction of the kingdom of Renwrath, with the ensuing fight for survival of the remnants of the human population. Things get creepy, things get scary, things get political, and things get tragic, and it all keeps up over the rest of the trilogy.
The series does get a good and satisfactory ending (though there are further books in the world written years later), and while all the central mysteries are brought to light, there is a small number of dropped threads. There are a very few places where I could see something the characters couldn’t (most notably in the final climax, alas), but they were fairly beat up and tired by that point, and most of the time, the action stayed ahead of me. Well recommended; partly traditional epic fantasy trilogy, partly bucks the trends.
December 18, 2010
The Darwath Trilogy has been in my top five book series for as long as I can remember. I have read them so many times I could probably say the books from memory. The writing and the story are amazing. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves fantasy.
December 29, 2019
Engaging
A great read that kept me interested from the chapter. Many plot twists and turns. But the end of the book I found myself really caring about the characters.
A great read that kept me interested from the chapter. Many plot twists and turns. But the end of the book I found myself really caring about the characters.
November 8, 2019
This excellent trilogy has aged well. It includes the following novels:
The Time of the Dark. Back in the early 1980s, I walked into a bookstore and fell in love with a cover. It showed a wizard, seated at what looked like a kitchen table, with a staff in one hand and a beer can in another with a bag of potato chips at his feet. I immediately bought the novel, this very book. I read it and loved it as it featured a strong, capable female character. Gil Patterson was a scholar who was drawn into another world and made a place for herself.
Of course, the story is far more than that. The Dark is feeding on the other world's people and must be kept from entering our mundane world. And there is Rudy, also from the mundane world who gets taken into Darwith. There is darkness and horror -- this nearly qualifies as dark fantasy. There are politics and religion. The characters grow and change.
I was worried that my decades-old memories wouldn't live up to today's reading. I am so glad that I still love this book. On to the next one!
+++
The Walls of Air. Many middle books of trilogies feel a bit weaker. We've met most of the main characters, and the author doesn't really resolve the storyline. Still somehow, there needs to be enough story to keep our interest. This book does that. This fantasy follows the pattern of Tolkien's The Two Towers and splits up the characters. Rudy and Ingold head off to the wizards' city while Gil and Minalde stay behind in the Keep.
Through Rudy's eyes, we learn more about the nature and perils of magic. Gil is a historian and intent on finding out more about the physical infrastructure of the Keep while trying to dodge most of the political and social infighting. I found both alternating stories interesting in their own way. Unifying them both is the threat of the Dark and how people deal with adversity and tragedy.
I enjoyed the story and, while I noticed it was the middle book, I also thought it had enough going on that it wasn't significantly weaker than the first book.
+++
The Armies of Daylight. The Darwath series was originally a trilogy and this novel is the conclusion to that trilogy. I liked the main characters, even with their warts and flaws, so this was a very satisfying book that kept me going to the very end. There were surprises (nope, not going into any spoilers) that made sense with hindsight.
The earlier two books are essential to read prior to this one, but the entire trilogy is a great read for fans of fantasy.
This trilogy is highly recommended for fans of fantasy.
The Time of the Dark. Back in the early 1980s, I walked into a bookstore and fell in love with a cover. It showed a wizard, seated at what looked like a kitchen table, with a staff in one hand and a beer can in another with a bag of potato chips at his feet. I immediately bought the novel, this very book. I read it and loved it as it featured a strong, capable female character. Gil Patterson was a scholar who was drawn into another world and made a place for herself.
Of course, the story is far more than that. The Dark is feeding on the other world's people and must be kept from entering our mundane world. And there is Rudy, also from the mundane world who gets taken into Darwith. There is darkness and horror -- this nearly qualifies as dark fantasy. There are politics and religion. The characters grow and change.
I was worried that my decades-old memories wouldn't live up to today's reading. I am so glad that I still love this book. On to the next one!
+++
The Walls of Air. Many middle books of trilogies feel a bit weaker. We've met most of the main characters, and the author doesn't really resolve the storyline. Still somehow, there needs to be enough story to keep our interest. This book does that. This fantasy follows the pattern of Tolkien's The Two Towers and splits up the characters. Rudy and Ingold head off to the wizards' city while Gil and Minalde stay behind in the Keep.
Through Rudy's eyes, we learn more about the nature and perils of magic. Gil is a historian and intent on finding out more about the physical infrastructure of the Keep while trying to dodge most of the political and social infighting. I found both alternating stories interesting in their own way. Unifying them both is the threat of the Dark and how people deal with adversity and tragedy.
I enjoyed the story and, while I noticed it was the middle book, I also thought it had enough going on that it wasn't significantly weaker than the first book.
+++
The Armies of Daylight. The Darwath series was originally a trilogy and this novel is the conclusion to that trilogy. I liked the main characters, even with their warts and flaws, so this was a very satisfying book that kept me going to the very end. There were surprises (nope, not going into any spoilers) that made sense with hindsight.
The earlier two books are essential to read prior to this one, but the entire trilogy is a great read for fans of fantasy.
This trilogy is highly recommended for fans of fantasy.
June 14, 2017
Great other world dystopian adventure
I was only familiar with Hambly's wonderful Free Man of Color series set in 1830's New Orleans which I had really enjoyed and recommend. I bought this trilogy as a bargain recommendation on one of my many daily email sites--and what a treat!! I've lived in another world for three days reading virtually round the clock. It has everything without being for!holistic. Marvelous characters you genuinely care about, two young California young people -- a painter of band and motorcycles who discovers a and developed his mage talents and a UCLA doctoral student who disappointed her rich parents by not wanting to marry a doctor who becomes -- no, that would be a spoiler. Just let me say there is excitement,quests, female heroes as well as male. A wizard who could challenge Gandalph for scene stealing, villains that super scary, wonderful romance at the highest level ...... And on and on. Everything you could ask for in fantasy Sic fi!! My highest recommendation
I was only familiar with Hambly's wonderful Free Man of Color series set in 1830's New Orleans which I had really enjoyed and recommend. I bought this trilogy as a bargain recommendation on one of my many daily email sites--and what a treat!! I've lived in another world for three days reading virtually round the clock. It has everything without being for!holistic. Marvelous characters you genuinely care about, two young California young people -- a painter of band and motorcycles who discovers a and developed his mage talents and a UCLA doctoral student who disappointed her rich parents by not wanting to marry a doctor who becomes -- no, that would be a spoiler. Just let me say there is excitement,quests, female heroes as well as male. A wizard who could challenge Gandalph for scene stealing, villains that super scary, wonderful romance at the highest level ...... And on and on. Everything you could ask for in fantasy Sic fi!! My highest recommendation
November 6, 2021
I am still living in the story!
This series is right up at the top. It grabbed me from the first page and by the last page I didn't want to be released! I could thoroughly relate to each character, even the smaller ones. Even though there were intertwining plots, they were easily followed.( And today there is the embedded dictionary if forget a minor character)!
I want to read the Windrose series but in no way can I afford it, dammit! Maybe Amazon (hint hint) can temporarily lower the price as they did on the Darwath series.
Ms Hambly, thank you for giving me respite from mourning for my husband of 33 years.Bless you.
This series is right up at the top. It grabbed me from the first page and by the last page I didn't want to be released! I could thoroughly relate to each character, even the smaller ones. Even though there were intertwining plots, they were easily followed.( And today there is the embedded dictionary if forget a minor character)!
I want to read the Windrose series but in no way can I afford it, dammit! Maybe Amazon (hint hint) can temporarily lower the price as they did on the Darwath series.
Ms Hambly, thank you for giving me respite from mourning for my husband of 33 years.Bless you.
January 9, 2023
This is one of those series where you can go back and re-read and find things you missed, but at its heart, what's not to love? A woman with historian/librarian skills playing detective in a world on the edge of destruction and if they go so could our world? Unleashing the warrior's heart?
The characters come to life, and you can feel the world around you when you read the story.
It's a smooth, quick story that draws you in, and when it ends you want more (and I still need to catch up on the stories that followed.
The characters come to life, and you can feel the world around you when you read the story.
It's a smooth, quick story that draws you in, and when it ends you want more (and I still need to catch up on the stories that followed.
January 30, 2023
Slow satisfaction at last
I started to read this trilogy many years ago, but something stopped me. Perhaps that was a good thing, because I don't think I would have appreciated it as much back then. I was too overwhelmed by the fear of too many things.
This story involves a lot of overwhelming fear of impossible enemies. The triumph, slowly won, is all the greater for being slowly won. The twists and turns of the plot are well set-up without being obvious. In short this is a very satisfying story.
I started to read this trilogy many years ago, but something stopped me. Perhaps that was a good thing, because I don't think I would have appreciated it as much back then. I was too overwhelmed by the fear of too many things.
This story involves a lot of overwhelming fear of impossible enemies. The triumph, slowly won, is all the greater for being slowly won. The twists and turns of the plot are well set-up without being obvious. In short this is a very satisfying story.
July 9, 2017
A well-written fantasy series. The settings were skillfully realized, better than some of the characters. I found the author's related novel (Icefalcon's Quest) almost as enjoyable to read as the trilogy.
November 24, 2018
A fun sword-and-sorcery romp
Treating with big issues, most particularly fear of the other, this trilogy follows a pair of 20th-century adults to a medieval world where they,of course, play a big role in saving the day.
Treating with big issues, most particularly fear of the other, this trilogy follows a pair of 20th-century adults to a medieval world where they,of course, play a big role in saving the day.
September 17, 2019
Oh god. No. No. No. This author would spent at least 20 words describing a door. It’s a darn door. Then words words words about her dreams. I didn’t even make it to 1 chapter. I tried to skip read through the parts but couldn’t because of all the descriptions.
February 11, 2020
Una trilogía bastante interesante, comenzada con 'El regreso de los Seres Oscuros', continuada con 'La fortaleza' y terminada con 'Los ejércitos de la luz'. Aunque esta calificada como Alta fantasía, hay una componente de intrigas que lo acercan bastante al grimdark. Creo que no defrauda
April 22, 2023
An Epic old school fantasy! A favorite read of my younger days that I revisit every decade or so like an almost forgotten friend. Action, Wizardry, Romance and an epic fight for the survival of the human race against an implacable unbeatable enemy. This Trilogy has it all.
March 16, 2018
An old friend revisited
Great adventures relived again after many, many years. I forgot how easily it is to be lost in the worlds that she created.
Great adventures relived again after many, many years. I forgot how easily it is to be lost in the worlds that she created.
November 21, 2018
10 of 5 points. A masterpiece.
dnf
July 21, 2019I've read 1 of the three books:
1 - The Time of the Dark - June 29-30 - 3.3
2 - ...
3 - ...
1 - The Time of the Dark - June 29-30 - 3.3
2 - ...
3 - ...
November 29, 2021
I love these books. The characters are unforgettable, and the story is wonderful.
December 1, 2016
There was enough imagination in this trilogy to keep me going to the end but sadly there are also glaring flaws which hamper the overall experience. Some mild spoilers below.
The premise is a good one: A couple of modern day Californian's are magically transported to a parallel realm where swords and sorcery are the norm. Human civilisation in this fantasy realm is under grave threat from "The Dark" a menacing race of horrific creatures who rise up from the depths at night to devour humanity and all its creations.
Perhaps the most interesting feature of this trilogy is the political interplay between secular authority (the King and later a regent), religious authority (wielded by a female bishop) and the wizards. Wizards are powerful due to their magic but the church has declared them evil incarnate and would condemn every mage to death if it got the chance. The always delicate balance of power between these groups is thrown into disarray when the capital city is destroyed and the King lost to the Dark. The pitiful survivors must flee to an ancient fortress in order to survive but they bring their politics with them.
A far less enjoyable feature of the trilogy is the apparent lack of thought put into the military aspects of the story. Some suspension of disbelief is always required for fantasy but the combination of a lack of basic research in to arms and armour and a complete lack of thought about what would make sense just wore me down. To give a few examples:
1. Why does no one use a spear? Spears have always been a more common weapon than swords and a damn sight easier for untrained troops to use in fending off a horrible acid excreting foe.
2. The entire fate of the human survivors depends on a single door to their fortress which "Keep Law" has decreed can never be opened at night while the dark roams. Common sense would demand a legion of guards keeping vigil on that door every night but in these novels there never seems to be more than one easily distracted guard and the security of the door is continually under threat from within and without.
3. On discovering that the nests of the dark are highly flammable the humans hatch a plan to invade and burn them. Given that the nests are a warren of twisting tunnels and caverns it would seem sensible to start at the edge and slowly but thoroughly burn your way in scorching all before you. The human plan however is to first find their way to the centre of the nest, start a conflagration there and then hope they can get out before the fire spreads to the exit tunnels behind them.
My other major issue with the book is that I found one of the main protagonists continually annoying. They start out inept, ineffective and unsympathetic and they finish inept, ineffective and unsympathetic. This annoying character gets more page time than anyone else in the books but doesn't seem to develop or learn anything through the course of the story even though they become a wizard (who seems incapable of using magic to good effect) and have a love affair with a Queen (surprising given that she is a much stronger character than he is). Perhaps the reader is supposed to empathise with this hapless character but I continually wanted to shake him and get him to wake up and think about what he was doing for once.
The premise is a good one: A couple of modern day Californian's are magically transported to a parallel realm where swords and sorcery are the norm. Human civilisation in this fantasy realm is under grave threat from "The Dark" a menacing race of horrific creatures who rise up from the depths at night to devour humanity and all its creations.
Perhaps the most interesting feature of this trilogy is the political interplay between secular authority (the King and later a regent), religious authority (wielded by a female bishop) and the wizards. Wizards are powerful due to their magic but the church has declared them evil incarnate and would condemn every mage to death if it got the chance. The always delicate balance of power between these groups is thrown into disarray when the capital city is destroyed and the King lost to the Dark. The pitiful survivors must flee to an ancient fortress in order to survive but they bring their politics with them.
A far less enjoyable feature of the trilogy is the apparent lack of thought put into the military aspects of the story. Some suspension of disbelief is always required for fantasy but the combination of a lack of basic research in to arms and armour and a complete lack of thought about what would make sense just wore me down. To give a few examples:
1. Why does no one use a spear? Spears have always been a more common weapon than swords and a damn sight easier for untrained troops to use in fending off a horrible acid excreting foe.
2. The entire fate of the human survivors depends on a single door to their fortress which "Keep Law" has decreed can never be opened at night while the dark roams. Common sense would demand a legion of guards keeping vigil on that door every night but in these novels there never seems to be more than one easily distracted guard and the security of the door is continually under threat from within and without.
3. On discovering that the nests of the dark are highly flammable the humans hatch a plan to invade and burn them. Given that the nests are a warren of twisting tunnels and caverns it would seem sensible to start at the edge and slowly but thoroughly burn your way in scorching all before you. The human plan however is to first find their way to the centre of the nest, start a conflagration there and then hope they can get out before the fire spreads to the exit tunnels behind them.
My other major issue with the book is that I found one of the main protagonists continually annoying. They start out inept, ineffective and unsympathetic and they finish inept, ineffective and unsympathetic. This annoying character gets more page time than anyone else in the books but doesn't seem to develop or learn anything through the course of the story even though they become a wizard (who seems incapable of using magic to good effect) and have a love affair with a Queen (surprising given that she is a much stronger character than he is). Perhaps the reader is supposed to empathise with this hapless character but I continually wanted to shake him and get him to wake up and think about what he was doing for once.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 28, 2021
Barbara Hambly's "The Darwath Trilogy: The Time of the Dark, The Walls of Air, and the Armies of Daylight" is a very good piece of classic Fantasy. Normally, in compilations like this, I write up the individual books and average out the ratings for the compilation. In this case, I'm rating the trilogy as a whole (a Very Good 4 stars out of 5) since the individual books really don't stand on their own (the whole thing takes place over about 6 months of story time and those books flow one into the other without pause). Anyway, for the positives, the writing is technically very good (and my Kindle version had only a few scanning errors) and the world, story, and four main characters are very interesting. For the negatives, there's a lot of "slogging through the woods," the secondary characters (the Arch Bishop, the Chancellor, and the Advisor) are very standard in their purposes/behaviors, and in the last 5 percent of the book, even the main characters suddenly develop cases of brain failure (i.e., they jump to very obviously wrong conclusions). Because of that, I came very close to dropping the book another star (to 3 stars). But, since the whole thing provided me with a good, long, read, I decided to stick with the 4 star rating.
July 8, 2013
It's strange how thoroughly I enjoyed these books, given how much I came to loathe Rudy Solis. For the life of me I can't see what the point of his existence was, except for one single thing: He probably kept Alde from withering. That guy just never got smart. The rest of the cast, though -- brilliant! This includes Politics, which does deserve to be its own character. I kept holding my breath through the continuous powderkeg confrontations between church, state and wizardry. Very satisfied with the final outcome, and well done for letting things fester until that late in the story!
Pity about the ice age, but at least they can follow the mammoth south?
Pity about the ice age, but at least they can follow the mammoth south?
February 24, 2009
The Darwatch Trilogy (Time of the Dark, etc.) is one of the best fantasy/horror mixtures I have come across. The basic premise of the story is a brilliant, tough young woman is drawn into an alternate fantasy dimension from our world by a Gandalf-like wizard named Ingold. There she discovers a talent as a warrior and she, the wizard and some other companions must battle horrifying shadow-spider creatures which are destroying the fantasy realm.
Sounds a bit silly, but it is a fun, well written adventure with some very horrifying monsters.
Sounds a bit silly, but it is a fun, well written adventure with some very horrifying monsters.
April 20, 2015
Classic, vintage sword and sorcery (1982). It doesn't get any better. We have two Southern California residents taken across "the void" to an alternate. very medieval world and then trapped there because "the dark is rising." Ooooooh. Of course, they must battle the dark, as well as the bad guys, and meet lots of interesting new friends (bit of romance too). Will they ever get home? Do they even want to go home? Read and learn.
And Barbara Hambly gets extra points for finding so many different words to describe the creepy, slimy, horrible "dark."
And Barbara Hambly gets extra points for finding so many different words to describe the creepy, slimy, horrible "dark."
January 21, 2016
Not bad. It did seem to get mired down in over describing the bleakness of everything at times. While I love descriptive writing, it just seemed like it went too far. I noticed a few editing issues, but not a ton.
I wanted an escapist novel and this worked pretty well. The characters weren't 100% believable. I had a little trouble believing the relationship between the queen and the motorcycle gang guy. I would've actually liked to have gotten to know Gil a bit better.
All in all, a decent read.
I wanted an escapist novel and this worked pretty well. The characters weren't 100% believable. I had a little trouble believing the relationship between the queen and the motorcycle gang guy. I would've actually liked to have gotten to know Gil a bit better.
All in all, a decent read.
September 7, 2008
Without a doubt, this is my favourite fantasy trilogy. The books are not overly long, yet they are very original and gripping. Once you become part of the author's fantasy world, you honestly can not put the first book down. Upon completion of each of the first two books, you will want to start the next book immediately. The conclusion of the third book is riveting and quite satisfying.
May 24, 2014
The sign of an awesome book is that they stick with you. These books were written years ago, and they are a bit dated (heroine is a college medievalist, which was new at the time and commonplace now), but the world building in this blew me away. And the monsters. Hambly creates great monsters. If you want a fun read with no hidden agenda, give these books a try.
April 17, 2015
Fantasy with a purpose
Liked it all except for the cold weather. Great use of the language, characters that are real and gritty. A story that has so many twists it is knotted. But the forces of good do prevail as always. This lady can write.
Liked it all except for the cold weather. Great use of the language, characters that are real and gritty. A story that has so many twists it is knotted. But the forces of good do prevail as always. This lady can write.
January 19, 2016
A wonderful sci-fi/fantasy trilogy. A biker and a grad student of medieval history happen through a time portal and discover they are in a position to save the civilization they find on the other side.
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