The Dark-Eyes' War: Book Three of Blood of the Southlands [Hardcover]

David B. Coe (Author)

Book Description

Series: Blood of the Southlands | Publication Date: February 16, 2010

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Coe rounds out his ambitious series (following The Sorcerers' Plague and The Horsemen's Gambit) with bloody battle. The war that menaces the plains of the Southland has finally, violently erupted. The Eandi forces, with the aid of a renegade band of cursed Mettai, face off against the regal Fal'Borna and their conjuring skills. Tirnya Onjaef believes the magical plague decimating the southern Qirsi is a sign that her Eandi army is destined to win, but soon Eandi spells begin to backfire as well. The Fal'Borna ride toward the battle with depleted troops and rotten odds, not knowing what they face but determined to make a stand. Coe steers his characters with considerable force, creating some inconsistencies en route to a conclusion that is satisfying if not surprising. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Praise for The Horsemen's Gambit:

“Coe steps up the tension and raises the stakes, leaving readers quivering in anticipation of book three.”  —Publishers Weekly

"Coe manages to take several serious, weighty issues, approach them from distinctly different points of view, and make you sympathetic toward characters who sometimes act selfishly or viciously. He absolutely nails the plot and sequencing. This book is the best yet in the series."  —RT Book Reviews

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; First Edition edition (February 16, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765316404
• ISBN-13: 978-0765316400
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,003,844 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars David Coe amazes me again, March 23, 2010

By 

JT - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dark-Eyes' War: Book Three of Blood of the Southlands (Hardcover)

I discovered David Coe's Winds of the Forelands about a year ago when I read it was a very underrated series. After finishing it, I immediately went onto all of his other works. I can honestly say that he is currently at the top of my list of must read fantasy authors.

This is the concluding book to the Blood of the Southlands trilogy. If you have enjoyed the first 2 books, this is a must-have (if not, it may be a little hard to follow). I have been struggling to find any books to keep me interested lately, and I finished this off in a little over one day. My only complaint is that I now have to wait for his next book.....

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I hope the author plans more books set in this world, May 26, 2010

By 

McW (West Virginia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Dark-Eyes' War: Book Three of Blood of the Southlands (Hardcover)

As I've said in my reviews of the first two books in this trilogy, you should really start with Coe's "Winds of the Forelands" quintet, which is set in a different part of the same world that this book is set in, and which deals with some of the same characters and issues. GREAT exciting books, richly detailed, fleshed-out characters - I just love them. The "Blood of the Southland" books are also highly enjoyable, though they have a somewhat different feel to them because there's less complexity and the action spans a smaller geographic range. But Coe has set these books in a creatively built world with an interesting magic system, and he avoids what I consider to be high fantasy cliches like wise elves and gruff dwarves and so forth by actually writing a story that is NOT a rip-off of Tolkien, like so many other fantasy authors end up doing. Again, as I said in my review of the previous book in this trilogy, I wish some of the plots had been expanded upon, but all in all my spouse and I loved these books and highly recommend them.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Dark-Eyes' War: Book Three of Blood of the Southlands, February 22, 2010

By 

W. L. McCalla Jr. (Indiana) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Dark-Eyes' War: Book Three of Blood of the Southlands (Hardcover)

The Dark-Eyes' War, the third a final book in "Blood of the Southlands" series, by David Coe was an excellent book wrapping up a very excellent series that was a sequel of sorts to his "Winds of the Forelands" series.

Mr Coe's world building, characterizations, and attention to detail in his stories continue in this third book. I have been reading his titles for years now and he is on the top of my list to recommend for people that have not yet read any of his titles.