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The Darkness Kept
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When three Cablon Corporation executives, collectively known as “The Wizards of Finance”, are kidnapped and murdered, all Hell breaks loose. For the ‘Wizards’ are not just the recipients of a clever nickname. They are Mages from a long tradition of Dark Magic, masquerading as wealthy businessmen in a world where money and science have usurped faith and sorcery. They have many enemies, but none foolish enough to challenge their seat of power. Until now.
Kendrick Dampier is the one Mage in the world brave enough to stand against Cablon, but his past is darker than even he knows, and he has enemies of his own. Two scarred avengers intend to see him face justice for atrocities committed long ago and a European gang that has lost millions to his crusade want compensation in blood. But, they have to get in line. The surviving heads of Cablon now have Kendrick on their radar and they won’t let anyone rob them of their chance at vengeance. They all track Kendrick to Portside, a city as peaceful as any place blind to the truth. Beneath the daily bustle and the nightly debauchery there are forces at work beyond comprehension. When they collide it may not result in the death of just one man, it could mean the destruction of an entire city.
About the
L. R. Giles is a three-time contributor to the Dark Dreams anthology series edited by author Brandon Massey for Kensington Publishing (Dark Dreams, 2004; Voices from the Other Side, 2006; Whispers in the Night, 2007), a recipient of the 2006-2007 Virginia Commission for the Arts Fiction Fellowship, and a Top 10 finalist in the 2009 Tor UK and SciFiNow War of the Words competition. He resides in Chesapeake, VA with his wife.
When three Cablon Corporation executives, collectively known as “The Wizards of Finance”, are kidnapped and murdered, all Hell breaks loose. For the ‘Wizards’ are not just the recipients of a clever nickname. They are Mages from a long tradition of Dark Magic, masquerading as wealthy businessmen in a world where money and science have usurped faith and sorcery. They have many enemies, but none foolish enough to challenge their seat of power. Until now.
Kendrick Dampier is the one Mage in the world brave enough to stand against Cablon, but his past is darker than even he knows, and he has enemies of his own. Two scarred avengers intend to see him face justice for atrocities committed long ago and a European gang that has lost millions to his crusade want compensation in blood. But, they have to get in line. The surviving heads of Cablon now have Kendrick on their radar and they won’t let anyone rob them of their chance at vengeance. They all track Kendrick to Portside, a city as peaceful as any place blind to the truth. Beneath the daily bustle and the nightly debauchery there are forces at work beyond comprehension. When they collide it may not result in the death of just one man, it could mean the destruction of an entire city.
About the
L. R. Giles is a three-time contributor to the Dark Dreams anthology series edited by author Brandon Massey for Kensington Publishing (Dark Dreams, 2004; Voices from the Other Side, 2006; Whispers in the Night, 2007), a recipient of the 2006-2007 Virginia Commission for the Arts Fiction Fellowship, and a Top 10 finalist in the 2009 Tor UK and SciFiNow War of the Words competition. He resides in Chesapeake, VA with his wife.
248 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 12, 2010
About the author
L.R. Giles
12 books45 followersLamar "L. R." Giles writes books for teens and adults. FAKE ID, his debut Young Adult Thriller, will be published by HarperCollins in 2014. He is represented by Jamie Weiss Chilton of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency and resides in Chesapeake, VA with his wife.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 28, 2012
First things first, I am not into fantasy. The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, you can keep all that shit. That’s not a slight to the very talented authors who write these stories. I mean, they must be doing something right – these tales endure for years and their characters connect with readers in a way that’s nothing short of amazing.
I, however, have never warmed to the genre, unless it was mixed with something else I did like. (Star Wars, for example, has fantastic elements but I would first and foremost consider it sci-fi.) This is despite the fact that some of my favorite movies as a kid were Krull, Legend, and The Dark Crystal.
Anyway, long story short (too late) I never dug fantasy. Even still, when author L.R. Giles promoted his urban contemporary fantasy novel The Darkness Kept, I decided to give it a read. Gotta support my fellow writers, no?
The story revolves around Kendrick Dampier, a mage who finds himself pursued by the evil Cablon Corporation after the murder of three high ranking executives. You see, Cablon is no ordinary company – they are ruled by dark magicians who, as the book’s description states, masquerade as wealthy businessmen in a world where money and science have usurped faith and sorcery. Also on Dampier’s trail is a brother and sister bounty hunter team with their own agenda of vengeance.
Right off the bat I knew this novel was going to be different. Its contemporary setting definitely helped make the tale more palatable to my tastes, and I was very enthralled by the fact the main characters were Black. Even more impressive was how Giles revealed this without being too overt in the descriptions.
Further, the story had quite a few twists I did not see coming. Seemingly random elements introduced early in the story paid off in believable ways and always at the right moment.
The world Giles created was completely fleshed out, with warring factions, evil corporations, and even angelic cinephiles figuring into the mix. Characters are real people, er, being, with their own nuances and quirks. Battle scenes were well-written; thankfully, Giles didn’t succumb to the incoherence most authors suffer from when trying to write fight scenes.
In fact, if there is one thing that I found just a wee bit off-putting, it was the level of violence in The Darkness Kept. True to its title, the novel is quite dark (this ain’t your typical grade school fantasy) and at times the brutality is hard to stomach. It’s a testament to Giles’ talent that the gore and violence didn’t feel gratuitous.
The Darkness Kept is obviously the first in a series of stories about the conflict in which Dampier has found himself. Without giving away the end, I can say that Giles has set up a wonderful concept, similar to what the makers of the Star Trek reboot have done. The possibilities for future adventures of Kendrick Dampier, and his allies and enemies, are endless.
Which also means I may be inclined to continue reading them as soon as they’re released. Who knows? Maybe I’ll become a fan of fantasy yet.
The Darkness Kept is available for Kindle at Amazon.
I, however, have never warmed to the genre, unless it was mixed with something else I did like. (Star Wars, for example, has fantastic elements but I would first and foremost consider it sci-fi.) This is despite the fact that some of my favorite movies as a kid were Krull, Legend, and The Dark Crystal.
Anyway, long story short (too late) I never dug fantasy. Even still, when author L.R. Giles promoted his urban contemporary fantasy novel The Darkness Kept, I decided to give it a read. Gotta support my fellow writers, no?
The story revolves around Kendrick Dampier, a mage who finds himself pursued by the evil Cablon Corporation after the murder of three high ranking executives. You see, Cablon is no ordinary company – they are ruled by dark magicians who, as the book’s description states, masquerade as wealthy businessmen in a world where money and science have usurped faith and sorcery. Also on Dampier’s trail is a brother and sister bounty hunter team with their own agenda of vengeance.
Right off the bat I knew this novel was going to be different. Its contemporary setting definitely helped make the tale more palatable to my tastes, and I was very enthralled by the fact the main characters were Black. Even more impressive was how Giles revealed this without being too overt in the descriptions.
Further, the story had quite a few twists I did not see coming. Seemingly random elements introduced early in the story paid off in believable ways and always at the right moment.
The world Giles created was completely fleshed out, with warring factions, evil corporations, and even angelic cinephiles figuring into the mix. Characters are real people, er, being, with their own nuances and quirks. Battle scenes were well-written; thankfully, Giles didn’t succumb to the incoherence most authors suffer from when trying to write fight scenes.
In fact, if there is one thing that I found just a wee bit off-putting, it was the level of violence in The Darkness Kept. True to its title, the novel is quite dark (this ain’t your typical grade school fantasy) and at times the brutality is hard to stomach. It’s a testament to Giles’ talent that the gore and violence didn’t feel gratuitous.
The Darkness Kept is obviously the first in a series of stories about the conflict in which Dampier has found himself. Without giving away the end, I can say that Giles has set up a wonderful concept, similar to what the makers of the Star Trek reboot have done. The possibilities for future adventures of Kendrick Dampier, and his allies and enemies, are endless.
Which also means I may be inclined to continue reading them as soon as they’re released. Who knows? Maybe I’ll become a fan of fantasy yet.
The Darkness Kept is available for Kindle at Amazon.
August 4, 2013
At first the book started off slow, but then I could not put it down. Weird, scary and futuristic. I liked it a lot.
February 29, 2012
Malevolent supernatural forces are running a worldwide corporation, some think they are immortal. But someone has just simultaneously killed three of them in a brash daytime murder. That person is now being hunted by the corporation heads, an Irish Terrorist group, and a brother and sister vigilante team. How are they all connected? You have to read it to see.
Great book, lots of action, loved the different POVs used in the book, and awesome story!
Great book, lots of action, loved the different POVs used in the book, and awesome story!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews