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Darkest Hour (Gollancz S.F.)
 
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Darkest Hour (Gollancz S.F.) (Paperback)

by Mark Chadbourn (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 480 pages
  • Publisher: Gollancz; New edition edition (13 Sep 2001)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1857987667
  • ISBN-13: 978-1857987669
  • Product Dimensions: 17.4 x 11 x 3.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 275,993 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Product Description
The Eternal Conflict between the Light and the Dark once again blackens the skies and blights the land. On one side: the Tuatha De Danaan, golden-skinned and beautiful, filled with the might of the angels. On the other: the Fomorii, monstrous devils hellbent on destroying all human existence. In the middle: five Brothers and Sisters of Dragons, determined to use the strange power that binds them to the land in a last, desperate attempt to save the human race.

About the Author
SALES POINTS Award-winning author with a strong fan following Brilliant storytelling in a contemporary setting 'Things get fun - and surreal . . . appealingly different' Locus Chadbourn runs his own web magazine and makes full use of all his contacts with plenty of self-publicity.

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Customer Reviews

6 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The continuation of an epic, 9 Jun 2005
By M. Davidson (Coventry, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
The Brothers and Sisters of Dragons have succeeded in their task. The Tuatha De Danann, the Gods of ancient times, have returned to this world to fight the Fomorii, agents of darkness. But, as always with these higher beings, all is not as it seems. The Brothers and Sisters of Dragons have been manipulated from the beginning into doing the work of the Tuatha De Danann, and now they find themselves turned away whilst the Gods make plans to retake our world. With technology failing and Church devastated that the taint of the Fomorii led to the Gods' rejection of the Brothers and Sisters of Dragons, they decide that their only option is to take the battle to the Fomorii themselves - but even a victory may not be as well-won as they hoped, for the return of an old friend in a new guise and a devastating revelation for Ruth may mean the end for humanity's last hope . . .

With trilogies, it often happens that the middle book becomes something of a 'filler' - something to tie up loose ends from the first book, and prepare the twists and turns of the third. Not so with Mark Chadbourn.

Although, obviously, there are matters to be resolved and cliffhangers to be created, Darkest Hour is in no way a 'filler' book - it is a perfectly-constructed novel of its own. Moving on from the general feel of despair left at the end of the first novel, this book continues to build up the characterisation of characters which was so apparent in the first book, World's End, but to a greater degree, giving room not only for velopment but also evolution of characters as they find themselves changed by the events unfolding around them.

Chadbourn's portrayal of a world driven mad by the loss of modernity is also chillingly realistic, with villages trying to survive on their own and whole communities driven to fear and paranoia by the loss of all they knew. He also manages to inject lighter touches - the travelling bands who aren't affected by loss of electricity, or the many moments of humour, dark or otherwise, that are scattered through the book.

This is one of Chadbourn's greatest strengths, the ability to take us from emotion to emotion in a split second without taking away from the power of what he is writing. While reading a passage from the book you feel as though you are being led down a river, with a world of opportunity that lets you experience everything before gently nudging you to the next thing.

You keep writing, Mr Chadbourn, and we'll keep reading.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A strong follow-up to World's End. Chadbourn's Good., 9 Dec 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Darkest Hour (Age of Misrule) (Paperback)
Picking up where 'World's End' left off this book follows the further exploits of the first book's heroes. With a summary of the story so far at the beginning, 'The Darkest Hour' is readable even if you've not read 'World's End'. As before, Church, Laura, Ruth & Shavi are battling to stop the world being overrun by creatures from Celtic legend. This time, though, the old Gods of the Celts have also arrived, having been brought back by the heroes in the previous book. The problem is that the Gods are not always nice either!

This is not the type of books classics are made of, but it stands head and shoulders above most of the urban fantasy books on the market at the moment. Fans of Charles de Lint will probably enjoy Mark Chadbourn, but be warned, this is much harsher than anything I've read of de Lint's. The characters are more flawed, more real and less arty than de Lint's. And I'm a de Lint fan. This trilogy is more like classic fantasy, but transferred to the here-now, not some ethereal distant world.

As in 'World's End', 'The Darkest Hour' ends on a cliffhanger. It's not brilliant as a book, but I've got to know what eventually happens, so I will be getting the last book when it's published. Therefore, Chadbourn's doing his job as a writer: keeping the reader entertained and wanting to stick with the story.

Try it. If you like le Guin, de Lint, Leiber or even just mythology and legend, you'll probably like this.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Mindblowing fantasy!, 25 Aug 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Darkest Hour (Age of Misrule) (Paperback)
Reading Chadbourn's work must be what it was like for the hippies reading Tolkien in the sixties - absolutely mindblowing! He peels back the patina of our contemporary world to show the magic lurking just beneath. It's a breathtaking vision. This book is the perfect follow-up to the first in the trilogy - more mysteries, romance, action, chills...and the last page leaves you begging for the final volume. I can't wait!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent-a must-read for any fantasy lover.
Excellent-a must-read for any fantasy lover. Really original and full of intriguing ideas. Many questions raised for answering in the final part of the trilogy, Always Forever,... Read more
Published on 9 Oct 2001

4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting tale of legends come alive.
I love these books. How many people in britain actually know of our own mythology? They teach you the classics in school but never touch our own rich legends. Read more
Published on 3 Aug 2001

3.0 out of 5 stars Rather an overlong trek over the British countryside!
This second book in the series seems less tightly written than World's end, almost rambling in places, which undermines its impact. Read more
Published on 31 Jul 2001

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