The Dark Crusade [Hardcover]

Walter H. Hunt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 28, 2005

The Dark Path introduced a new alien force into the delicate balance of power ... one that was the actual puppetmaster of the human-zor war and now wishes to bring both worlds under its madness inducing shadow while The Dark Ascent brought into focus a secret conspiracy that is disrupting the balance of power on both a military and metaphysical level.
But the same ancient philosophy of the zor race that prophesized "the Dark Wing" has also foreseen a hero that will meet the new menace - a hero now mystically embodied in a rebellious space commodore by the name of Jackie Lappierre.

Now in The Dark Crusade as armadas clash and outposts fall, the overly confident alien menace is forced to confront a zor human alliance that has been warned, their covert and insidious plans of infiltration now exposed ... but all is not as it seems to be. The "vuhl menace" may not be the ultimate enemy, and the all-powerful puppetmasters that have lurked in the shadows have entered the endgame where the mysteries of alien prophecies may have already determined the outcome.

Though victory is hardly ascertained for either side in The Dark Crusade in a page turning and thought provoking climax that will forever alter the fate of sentient life in the galaxy.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Like its predecessors, this latest entry in the Dark Wing series (The Dark Wing, etc.) expands the bounds of military SF to touch on the philosophy and morality of war. Weaving between the sailors and marines of the Solar Empire, the cultists of the Blazing Star movement and the monklike imperial bodyguards of the Guardian Order, Hunt examines the motivations that lead to success and failure in a 25-year campaign against a series of alien foes. Honorable folks like Adm. Barbara MacEwan and glory hounds like Adm. Sir Erich Anderson must both deal with a new psychic weapon in the war against the insectoid vuhl. Hunt continues numerous plot lines from earlier volumes, but he never tangles them. His prose stays transparent, even as it shifts to metaphysical planes where the war against the true enemy is being waged. The work shows a strong affection for the military profession, while still being aware of its tendency to slip from honorable combat to heedless slaughter. In places, new readers may find the complicated mythology a bit hard to follow, but all should look forward to new entries in this thoughtful series.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

In the world of Hunt's well-received saga of alien contact and future interstellar conflict, of which this is the fourth volume, it is now long after the events of The Dark Wing (2001). Admiral Marais is long dead, and at the forefront of the human-zek alliance is Commodore Jackie Lapierre. It is just as well that she is fashioned somewhat in the mold of David Weber's Honor Harrington, because the alien opponent of the alliance is threatening not only military destruction by conquest and sabotage but also the total corruption of both human and zek cultures, which would make the alliance's continuation impossible. Hunt has lost none of his knack for fast action, and his skill in characterization is growing as he highlights the ethical dilemmas that large-scale conflict generates. The saga now seems to be influenced by Weber, Herbert, and even Tolkien, which is to say by three of the most proven crowd--pleasers in speculative fiction of the last half century. Librarians, stock up. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (July 28, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765311178
• ISBN-13: 978-0765311177
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,935,506 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Joint Review of Dark Wing Series; Solid - 3.5, January 24, 2006

By 

R. Albin (Ann Arbor, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dark Crusade (Hardcover)

These 4 books - The Dark Wing, The Dark Path, The Dark Ascent, and The Dark Crusade - exhibit many of the standard space opera devices. There are the winged and in many ways admirable aliens, the remorseless insectoid alien adversaries, the hidden powers attempting to manipulate human fates, and the sprawling and somewhat corrupt space empire. There is also more than a touch of mysticism with events mirroring myths of the winged alien species. Nor can it be said that Hunt has done anything particularly novel with these devices.
Nonetheless, Hunt is a more than competent practictioner and these books are a decent read. Hunt does quite well with reasonably tight plotting and characterization. His integration of the mythic elements is better than average. These books are better, for example, than David Weber's very popular books.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A mystical Science Fiction story. The series goes on and on and on, October 17, 2005

By 

Henry Cate III (CA. United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dark Crusade (Hardcover)

This is the fourth book in what seems to be a never ending series. At first glance it seems to be a science fiction book, and it is mainly a classic space opera, but there are strong elements of fantasy. The three main races in these books have mental powers, and there are many themes of a mystical nature.

The first book in the series, "The Dark Wing," set the stage for this series. Humans were fighting with the zor, an alien bird like race which is heavy into a mystical view of the universe. The second book "The Dark Path" takes place years later when the humans and the zor have learned to get along, but are threaten by a new alien race. Some humans are dragged into the zor's approach to life. Jackie Kearny ends up on a quest for a special zor sword, the gyaryu. In the third book "The Dark Ascent" the new alien race, the vuhl, have attack the humans and zor, and initially have great success. The humans and zor learn some ways to protect themselves.

A large part of "The Dark Crusade" focuses on a small group of humans and zor, the Blazing Stars, who have learned a very effective way to fight with the vuhl. Their ultimate goal is to completely destroy the vuhl. The war changes from the humans and zor protecting themselves. It isn't even about conquest; the Blazing Stars want to exterminate the vuhl.

There are clear hints of another form of life which is trying to manipulate the humans, zor, and even the vuhl. We don't know who they are or what limitations they have. Some how this other group, life forms, or beings are tied to six colors of a rainbow. They do seem to be trying to get the humans and zor to destroy the vuhl. One thing I've wondered is are they playing a complicated chess game with humans, zor and vuhl as pieces; that the colors have picked sides and are trying to defeat the other colors. I wish the author gave us a bit more information about them.

The story is complex and rich in detail. There are many characters and the story bounces from viewpoint to viewpoint. The story moves along very well and never drags. It isn't clear that this series will have a conclusion any time soon. More and more characters, races, and threads get added with each book. The story is well written. If you like space opera and don't mind a story that leaves you hanging, then check out "Dark Crusade."

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Are Book Sagas Worth It?, July 10, 2006

By 

Mac Liam (Tampa Bay) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dark Crusade (Dark Wing) (Mass Market Paperback)

Loved the first book and looked forward to the next one. Got the next one and found out it was turning into a series and groaned "oh no - they never live up to their starting volume!" Got the third and darn it - each book has kept me yearning for the next - not sure where it's going but still keeps up the suspense from the first book and I'm looking forward to finding out where everythings leading :)