The Dark-Eyes' War

Blood of the Southlands #3

by David B. Coe

A bitter old woman’s curse has set in motion events that have felled innocent lives across an already war-weary land. She has paid the ultimate price, and an end to the curse is at hand, but her evil has created chaos and destruction.

Qirsi all across the Southlands are dying from a plague that turns their own magic against them, allowing an Eandi army from Stelpana to boldly march into their territory. But magic has many faces, and the Qirsi aren’t the only ones cursed; even as Stelpana’s force wins battles, an insidious magic has corrupted the spells of their sorcerers, and what began as a military triumph is suddenly jeopardized. The future of the Southlands hangs in the balance, as the deeds of previous generations wreak terrible consequences on both sides in this misbegotten war.

Genres: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Fiction

368 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

David B. Coe is an author of fantasy novels and short stories. He lives with his wife, Nancy Berner, and their two daughters on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee.
He has begun writing a new historical fantasy series under the pen name D.B. Jackson. The first one is titled Thieftaker, published in 2012.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concluding book in the "Blood of the Southlands" series. Coe is an accomplished fantasy writer. He creates unusual secondary worlds which have unique characteristics. In this case three ethnic groups, two of which are capable of different types of magic, have been warring against each other for generations. The protagonist is caught in the middle.

I can't put my finger on why I can't give this book 4 or 5 stars. While I'm a big fan of fantasy series like this one and liked Coe's earlier series The LonTobyn Chronicle, this story just didn't excite me. Other than the main character and a few others I didn't empathize with any of the three competing populations. This was especially the case with side story involving the heirs to two ruling families who were rivals as well as one-time lovers. I didn't care if either character lived or died. In fact, I hoped both died. The female caused the deaths of thousands yet found true love in the end. Bleah!

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

The ending seemed anticlimactic.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always enjoy David B. Coe's books. That's why I read so many of them. And look for him when I want a good story well written. The characters are solid and real. They act the way they should and don't all of a sudden become redeemed souls. Unless they started out that way. I especially liked the ending of this trilogy. But I won't say why because I don't want to spoil it for anyone else.

[Dani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just realized I read this entire series without bothering to write a single review on it. And as I’m sitting here staring at the glow of the computer monitor I realize that I have nothing that springs to mind about this entire series. I don’t even know if I liked it all that much, or if I didn’t like it. I read it surprisingly fast but I’ve always been absorbed by Coe’s writing style. Unlike other books I’ve been trying to read (re: Inkheart Series) I didn’t struggle with finishing it.

And … nope I still have nothing…

I had to go back to the other two books and scan a couple of reviews to even remember what happened in them. So the first was basically the spreading of the plague and that was pretty much the entire first book and I don’t have much to say about that. Maybe it would’ve been a good standalone story if Lici had more power and there was a bigger struggle to stop her or she didn’t go mad and I dunno…. That was a run on sentence… much like the first book… har har… moving on…

The second book introduced the Eandi warriors. And I don’t remember much else. Stuff happened with the merchants and what not….

The third book really stood out to me, because I just finished it, and also because I really didn’t know whose side to be on. The Fal’Borrna pissed me off with their stubborn ways and arrogance. I liked Grinsa in the original series but in this one he was kind of… meh. Shoulder shrug.

The blood wars starting again? Sweet story bro.

The baskets causing the plaque? Interesting idea.

This entire series? Good try Coe, needs more dragons.

I dunno! I was so bored with it and I’m already forgetting everything that happened in it. WHY!? WHY!? I loved winds of the forelands but this? UGH this! No! It wasn’t boring. It wasn’t exciting. It wasn’t anything. It was just some words. That’s it.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have waited a year for this book! And it met my expectations and so much more. The upcoming battle that was so much anticipated was amazing and I have stayed up way past my bed time reading this book because I couldn't put it down.

Coe does a wonderful job of tying up every single thread that was started in The Blood of the Southlands Trilogy. I have to say I was impressed. There wasn't one part that left me wonder well what happened here... or what happened there. It was always artfully mastered how all the threads came together in the epic battle.

There was something about the characters in this book that made me feel so close and connected to them. I don't remember feeling that in the other books.

Coe does cut down on the amount of backtracking in this book but give enough information to keep those that have trouble remembering what happened up to date :)

I'd love to see more books in this but if not I'd be happy with the way things left off.

If you are looking for epic fantasy like it should be written give Coe a try.

[Sidney Kochman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was prepared to give this book a much worse review.

David B. Coe's world building is, as always, excellent and comprehensive. The plot of the series is interesting and compelling.
That said, the ubiquity of racism in these books is frustrating.

I understand that the tensions between the Eandi, the Qirsi, and the Mattai are important for driving the plot, but there were too few characters who were willing to accept that sweeping generalizations based on someone's race aren't always accurate.

Unlike the previous series, Blood of the Southlands does not show any progress in race relations in this world.

The only reason that I have rate the book so high is the ending. Or rather, the epilogue. Although I was frustrated throughout the book, I couldn't help but be touched by the epilogue. In some ways, it made up for the all the frustration of the 1100 pages leading up to it.

[The Tick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall this was still an enjoyable read, but I really wanted more from the ending. It seemed a little too abrupt, and while *technically* I guess all the threads of the plot were resolved, it just didn't feel like enough. Tirnya, Enly, and Jynna's endings could all have been expanded a bit--I know that Tirnya and Enly wind up together, but I wanted to know more about the end to their non-romantic thread, and how (if) they're going to recover from totally screwing up the invasion. You don't even see Jynna at the end again, which was mostly okay with me because I didn't like her much, but I would have liked to check in with her one last time to get a better sense of whether she's going to end up as Lici Jr. in thirty years.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this would have been a better read for me if I was able to read it not too long after reading the 2nd book in this series. It took me a few moments to get really caught up in the story line again.

Dark-Eyes War was the final book in this series. I do love how Coe is able to build worlds, make them real and have everthing fall into place. His characters always are well written, have depth and the relationships well worked out. I do wish this particular trilogy were a bit more complex like his other series. For me, his writing is even better the more complicated it gets!! That would have been a 4-5 star for me.

Highly recommend this author and series for those who enjoy fantasy that's original. Also recommend to read his Winds of the Forelands series first though.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not going to go into plot on this one. There are plenty of those above but I do want to take a moment to let everyone know what I think of David B. Coe's writing. Recently I just finished the Southlands trilogy after reading The Winds of the Forelands series a while back and it was wonderful. David wrapped things up nicely and the Dark Eyes Wars was one of his best. Every time I read on of his books I'm amazed and reminded over and over why he is now one of my all time favorite fantasy authors. The man knows how to write. Do yourself a favor and pick up his books, you won't be disappointed.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good read.

While I'm glad he didn't drag it out, I'm also slightly disappointed... he left a lot of ends untied, and left several opportunities unexplored.

I will continue to read and follow David B. Coe's series... he's just not my favorite at this point. Maybe the Tobyn series?

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Glad I made myself read this one, it's enjoyable, but not my favorite from Coe.