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Dark Conspiracy #1
A Gathering Evil
Tycho Caine is a man with a mission. He’s sure of that. But, waking up in a body bag with amnesia, he not sure of much else. Except that someone wants him dead.
The New York Times Bestselling author of I, Jedi and Rogue Squadron, Michael A. Stackpole brings you an exciting adventure novel of a near-future world where technology and occult mysticism merge. Dark forces and hidden masters conspire to control humanity, and Tycho Caine needs to figure out which side he’s on.
The New York Times Bestselling author of I, Jedi and Rogue Squadron, Michael A. Stackpole brings you an exciting adventure novel of a near-future world where technology and occult mysticism merge. Dark forces and hidden masters conspire to control humanity, and Tycho Caine needs to figure out which side he’s on.
328 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1992
22 people are currently reading
185 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 22, 2012
I couldn't get into this story.i didn't care about Tycho Caine or any other character. I didn't get the Marit relationship, I mean really, who gets it on so quickly? The story gets odd about a quarter in and then it really gets weird in the last quarter. Coyote is like the wizard of oz, and at the end, I just scratched my head and closed the book. I'm not a fan and won't be continuing the series. I'd reco Stackpole's X-Wing series instead.
December 24, 2023
A solid action/fantasy book. The beginning and end were both fast-paced and actioned packed. The middle part was pretty slow but somewhat entertaining. If not for the middle lull in the book I would have given it 4 stars.
December 15, 2025
I first came across this novel back when it was originally published. At that time I thought it was pretty darn good. I looked it up recently because I wanted to read it again, and sadly, it did not live up to my memories. Worth checking out if you are a Stockpole fan, of course!
August 31, 2023
To be clear this is NOT a happy go lucky series where the heroes are going to triumph.
July 15, 2022
'A Gathering Evil' is an action/suspense set in a near-future noir world with touches of horror and urban fantasy.
It's evident right from the start that author, Michael Stackpole, has a lot of talent. The protagonist, Tycho Caine, starts the book with his memory wiped, completely paralyzed, about to be carved up by black-market organ harvesters. His last-minute recovery spills into excellently told, high-stakes action.
Unfortunately, I can not recommend this book - nothing else in the book parallels the excitement of the opening scene, and the downsides really drag it down.
First and foremost, Mr. Stackpole seems to be intoxicated with how perfect his protagonist is. He knows everything, outfights everyone, all men either respect or fear him, and women have the hots for him.
I might be even more annoyed by how much Stackpole just throws things at his book without researching or editing. I don't want to be a nit-picker, but it screams lazy and ignorant when there's stuff like;
1. Caine's girlfriend, Marit, sets him up with a Japanese wardrobe store called 'Dansei no Ningen', which she, gigglingly, tells him means 'Virile man'. No, 'dansei no ningen' means 'male person'. This line burns me not only for being wrong, but also because it's a triple play of Stackpole weaknesses; ignorance, flaunting the hero's studliness, and inability to write subtle dialogue.
2. Marit has a hispanic housekeeper who is a bundle of stereotypes; named Juanita, a superstitious Catholic, and only speaks in Freshman level Spanish ("Por favor, senor, por favor!")
3. Caine specifically requests 20-round magazines instead of 30 for AR-15s for no sane reason.
And, good writer or not, some of this book feels Stackpole wrote it on a desperate dead-line. Near the end the main villain transforms into a hideous monster which proves immune to the firearms Tycho and his allies have. How can they possibly win??? Fortunately the villain just kind of falls out of a window and dies... She almost makes it, but when she grabs onto an altar she has it just pulls out of the floor because this (phenomenally wealthy other-worldly) monster has an altar made out of particle board? Seriously, I quote, "formica top and particle board beneath it".
Some of this book just makes zero sense, and it's more than disappointing, it's sanity-taxing. At one point Tycho Caine interrogates a member of a white supremacy gang by threatening to inject him with a syringe full of blood from people from other races. And the people who gave the blood all back up the threat by talking in racial stereotypes. Except the leader of a gang of African Americans, because he faints at the thought of being stuck with a needle...
???
I don't think this is intentionally racist. I mean, is it? I just have absolutely NO IDEA what the objective of this scene was. I'm not even going to make guesses, WHAT was the point of this scene?
Stackpole can write, but this book doesn't seem to know what it wants to be or what to do with itself. Very disappointing.
It's evident right from the start that author, Michael Stackpole, has a lot of talent. The protagonist, Tycho Caine, starts the book with his memory wiped, completely paralyzed, about to be carved up by black-market organ harvesters. His last-minute recovery spills into excellently told, high-stakes action.
Unfortunately, I can not recommend this book - nothing else in the book parallels the excitement of the opening scene, and the downsides really drag it down.
First and foremost, Mr. Stackpole seems to be intoxicated with how perfect his protagonist is. He knows everything, outfights everyone, all men either respect or fear him, and women have the hots for him.
I might be even more annoyed by how much Stackpole just throws things at his book without researching or editing. I don't want to be a nit-picker, but it screams lazy and ignorant when there's stuff like;
1. Caine's girlfriend, Marit, sets him up with a Japanese wardrobe store called 'Dansei no Ningen', which she, gigglingly, tells him means 'Virile man'. No, 'dansei no ningen' means 'male person'. This line burns me not only for being wrong, but also because it's a triple play of Stackpole weaknesses; ignorance, flaunting the hero's studliness, and inability to write subtle dialogue.
2. Marit has a hispanic housekeeper who is a bundle of stereotypes; named Juanita, a superstitious Catholic, and only speaks in Freshman level Spanish ("Por favor, senor, por favor!")
3. Caine specifically requests 20-round magazines instead of 30 for AR-15s for no sane reason.
And, good writer or not, some of this book feels Stackpole wrote it on a desperate dead-line. Near the end the main villain transforms into a hideous monster which proves immune to the firearms Tycho and his allies have. How can they possibly win??? Fortunately the villain just kind of falls out of a window and dies... She almost makes it, but when she grabs onto an altar she has it just pulls out of the floor because this (phenomenally wealthy other-worldly) monster has an altar made out of particle board? Seriously, I quote, "formica top and particle board beneath it".
Some of this book just makes zero sense, and it's more than disappointing, it's sanity-taxing. At one point Tycho Caine interrogates a member of a white supremacy gang by threatening to inject him with a syringe full of blood from people from other races. And the people who gave the blood all back up the threat by talking in racial stereotypes. Except the leader of a gang of African Americans, because he faints at the thought of being stuck with a needle...
???
I don't think this is intentionally racist. I mean, is it? I just have absolutely NO IDEA what the objective of this scene was. I'm not even going to make guesses, WHAT was the point of this scene?
Stackpole can write, but this book doesn't seem to know what it wants to be or what to do with itself. Very disappointing.
May 4, 2012
Человек приходит в сознание в мешке для трупов на борту машины “скорой помощи”. Тело все еще парализовано, он пока не может двигаться и говорить, только лежит и наблюдает за тем, как санитары вывозят свежие трупы за город, чтобы продать на органы злобным сектантам. В последний момент чувства возвращаются, человек устраивает в логове расчленителей кровавую баню, а потом сбегает на волю. Но это только начало его неприятностей. Человек не помнит кто он такой, а также что привело его в Феникс 2012 года.
Феникс 2012 года (книга написана 20 лет назад) – футуристический город посреди аризонской пустыни. Небо над этим городом навсегда закрыто “Застывшей Тенью” из гигантских солнечных батарей. Из-за этого в бедных районах под батареями всегда стоит кромешная ночь, а на улицах правят банды, секты, культисты, маргинальная шушера, а также смелые альтруисты с горячим сердцем, гранитными кулаками и шестью обоймами в кармане. С другой стороны, элитные районы над Тенью – территория могущественных мегакорпов, финансовой элиты, а также оккупантов из других миров, готовящих вторжение в нашу реальность.
Человек из мешка для трупов не помнит своего прошлого, но он знает, что его зовут Тихо Кейн и он – элитный убийца, нанятый главой самого крупного мегакорпа Нерис Лоринг для решения текущих проблем. Теперь человеку осталось выяснить, кому из влиятельных игроков Феникса стоит верить, кто лишил его памяти и кто такой Скрипичник, каждую ночь приходящий к нему во снах.
“Городское фэнтези” образца 1993 года – штука любопытная. Двадцать лет назад этого жанра в его классической форме еще не существовало, поэтому вместо саги про вампиров, фейри и оборотней перед нами винегрет из любимых фантастических мотивов начала 90-х – киберпанка, постапокала и психодела. Тем и интереснее, что в этом винегрете море образов и идей, которые зацветут годами позднее и в других форматах. После смерти собственного ребенка гениальный ученый решает похитить его двойника из параллельной вселенной (“Fringe”). Новый босс Тихо Кейна, спасший его от Reaper’ов, общается с героем через видеопроекцию (“Mass Effect”)
Про компьютерные игры стоит вспомнить отдельно. Многие читатели недовольны тем, что после крутого старта и бодрого развития событий роман Стэкпола теряет во второй своей половине центровку и драйв. Но это не совсем правда. Событий и сюжетных ходов в романе не становится меньше, просто он написан по законам современных игр стандарта GTA. С дотошностью мастера сэндбокса Стэкпол подробно описывает каждый шаг Тихо Кейна. Если герою нужно на новый квест или просто на званый вечер, то нам сначала предстоит съездить с ним в ателье, заказать новый пиджак, обновить броню, починить машину, купить патронов и новые стволы, позвонить потенциальным спутникам, забрать их в условленном месте... Гарри Дрезден от подобного занудства испытал бы редкостный бугурт, но Гарри – вечный дилетант, а Тихо Кейн – киллер экстра-класса.
Феникс 2012 года (книга написана 20 лет назад) – футуристический город посреди аризонской пустыни. Небо над этим городом навсегда закрыто “Застывшей Тенью” из гигантских солнечных батарей. Из-за этого в бедных районах под батареями всегда стоит кромешная ночь, а на улицах правят банды, секты, культисты, маргинальная шушера, а также смелые альтруисты с горячим сердцем, гранитными кулаками и шестью обоймами в кармане. С другой стороны, элитные районы над Тенью – территория могущественных мегакорпов, финансовой элиты, а также оккупантов из других миров, готовящих вторжение в нашу реальность.
Человек из мешка для трупов не помнит своего прошлого, но он знает, что его зовут Тихо Кейн и он – элитный убийца, нанятый главой самого крупного мегакорпа Нерис Лоринг для решения текущих проблем. Теперь человеку осталось выяснить, кому из влиятельных игроков Феникса стоит верить, кто лишил его памяти и кто такой Скрипичник, каждую ночь приходящий к нему во снах.
“Городское фэнтези” образца 1993 года – штука любопытная. Двадцать лет назад этого жанра в его классической форме еще не существовало, поэтому вместо саги про вампиров, фейри и оборотней перед нами винегрет из любимых фантастических мотивов начала 90-х – киберпанка, постапокала и психодела. Тем и интереснее, что в этом винегрете море образов и идей, которые зацветут годами позднее и в других форматах. После смерти собственного ребенка гениальный ученый решает похитить его двойника из параллельной вселенной (“Fringe”). Новый босс Тихо Кейна, спасший его от Reaper’ов, общается с героем через видеопроекцию (“Mass Effect”)
Про компьютерные игры стоит вспомнить отдельно. Многие читатели недовольны тем, что после крутого старта и бодрого развития событий роман Стэкпола теряет во второй своей половине центровку и драйв. Но это не совсем правда. Событий и сюжетных ходов в романе не становится меньше, просто он написан по законам современных игр стандарта GTA. С дотошностью мастера сэндбокса Стэкпол подробно описывает каждый шаг Тихо Кейна. Если герою нужно на новый квест или просто на званый вечер, то нам сначала предстоит съездить с ним в ателье, заказать новый пиджак, обновить броню, починить машину, купить патронов и новые стволы, позвонить потенциальным спутникам, забрать их в условленном месте... Гарри Дрезден от подобного занудства испытал бы редкостный бугурт, но Гарри – вечный дилетант, а Тихо Кейн – киллер экстра-класса.
August 6, 2025
A blast from the past for a long dead RPG. It has some fantastic scenes and ideas couched between some fairly bad writing. So, in short, it's a Stackpole novel from the 80s. When he's on, he's ON. When he's not, it's very meh.
This first novel tie in to the Dark Conspiracy RPG reads very much like someone's high level campaign and pulls a lot of the little details right out of the core rulebook. It's very noticeable if you've read that core rulebook and almost yoinks you out of the story.
The backdrop of Frozen Shade, however, is absolutely amazing and such a wonderful cyberpunk concept. Take Phoenix and just pave over it valley wall to valley wall with solar panels, trapping those without the means in a perpetual night while the hoi polloi enjoy the sun.
Worth a read, for sure.
This first novel tie in to the Dark Conspiracy RPG reads very much like someone's high level campaign and pulls a lot of the little details right out of the core rulebook. It's very noticeable if you've read that core rulebook and almost yoinks you out of the story.
The backdrop of Frozen Shade, however, is absolutely amazing and such a wonderful cyberpunk concept. Take Phoenix and just pave over it valley wall to valley wall with solar panels, trapping those without the means in a perpetual night while the hoi polloi enjoy the sun.
Worth a read, for sure.
June 20, 2016
So a fit of nostalgia made me find this book as I loved the Dark Conspiracy rpg back in the day.
Stackpole was also one of my fav writers for Battletech and Star Wars books and comics.
And, while this is not at all a bad book, I think I would have enjoyed it much more when I was actually playing the rpg and a bit more immersed in the fluff of the world.
It's a good story but doesn't quite capture the feel of the rpg as i remember it. More a me thing than a him thing, I'm sure.
Didn't drop it but also not really interested in picking up the rest of the series. Again, probably a me thing rather than a book thing.
Stackpole was also one of my fav writers for Battletech and Star Wars books and comics.
And, while this is not at all a bad book, I think I would have enjoyed it much more when I was actually playing the rpg and a bit more immersed in the fluff of the world.
It's a good story but doesn't quite capture the feel of the rpg as i remember it. More a me thing than a him thing, I'm sure.
Didn't drop it but also not really interested in picking up the rest of the series. Again, probably a me thing rather than a book thing.
November 11, 2019
Quick thoughts: Enjoyed this just as much the second time through, despite knowing the big reveals. The world building is great, the characters reasonably unique and compelling, and the suspenseful plot unfolds nicely. The introduction of mystical stuff partway through is a common criticism, but I thought it worked fine (and is instrumental in setting up the rest of the trilogy).
4.5 rounded up.
4.5 rounded up.
August 5, 2012
Fun, fast-paced thriller with elements of Jason Bourne and James Bond in a future world touched by the supernatural. In particular, anyone who's lived in Phoenix will enjoy the dystopian future Phoenix where the novel is set.
March 16, 2012
I loved this book until about halfway through. Then the worldbuilding just became bizarre and disruptive. And the plot holes...oh the plot holes!
September 1, 2012
Interesting angle on Phoenix, and of a very unequal world. Very violent in parts.
July 16, 2013
Good yarn, if just a bit dated (technology wise)...
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November 20, 2017A fast-paced novel that is mostly in keeping with the Dark Conspiracy universe.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews