Dark of the Gods [Hardcover]

P. C. Hodgell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2000

Whether you are meeting the Kencyr Jame for the first time or reawakening an old friendship, Dark of the Gods is the place to start. Dark of the Gods is an omnibus collection of P. C. Hodgell's first two books God Stalk and Dark of the Moon, along with her short story "Bones", which takes place between the two novels. Jame is a Kencyrath, the chosen people of the Three-Faced God, who fights the demonic entity called Perimal Darkling. At the same time she fights an internal battle for her honor, because three thousand years ago the leader of the Kencyrath betrayed his people to the Darkness for his own immortality. She also must find her ten year older twin brother Tori and return to him the sword and ring of their father. If that is not enough, she has to kill a god, resurrect a god, stand before the rathorns, wear the cloak of living snakes, and visit a council room ablaze with stained glass.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

God Stalk and Dark of the Moon are the first two books in P.C. Hodgell's acclaimed series about the noblewoman/thief Jame the Talisman. These classic novels of high fantasy have been out of print and hard to find since they appeared in the early 1980s. Now, Meisha Merlin has reprinted them in the omnibus volume Dark of the Gods, which also includes the short story "Bones."

Jame is one of the Kencyrath, a race of magically gifted mortals bound to the Three-Faced God in the millennia-old struggle with the evil and immensely powerful being known as Perimal Darkling. God Stalk tells how the child Jame wakes to find herself a young woman wandering in the Haunted Lands, badly wounded and pursued by the undead, and how she becomes involved with thieves, rulers, inn-keepers, and divine powers in the gods-haunted city of Tai-tastigon.

The second novel, Dark of the Moon, finds Jame leaving Tai-tastigon in the company of her blind, mind-linked cub, Jorin, and the giant Kencyr warrior Marcarn. They seek Jame's twin brother Torisen, who instead of being a 10-year-old boy, is older than Jame, and the Highlord of the Kencyrath. Torisen is far away in the Riverland, where he is unpopular with his nobles, and embroiled in deadly serious intrigues that will soon reach out to enmesh his unsuspecting and politically naive sister.

Jame's adventure continues in the sequel to Dark of the Gods, Seeker's Mask. --Cynthia Ward --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"[Hodgell] brings a welcome freshness and flair to a field where creativity often seems more the exception than the rule." -- Locus, September, 1985

Hodgell has crafted an excellent and intricate fantasy, with humor and tragedy, and a capable and charming female hero." -- Library Journal, September 15, 1985 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 667 pages
• Publisher: Meisha Merlin Pub (P); 1ST edition (August 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1892065258
• ISBN-13: 978-0739417454
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,297,230 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Pat Hodgell can't remember a time when she wasn't passionately interested in science fiction and fantasy. She's sold stories to such anthologies as Berkley Showcase, Elsewhere III, and Imaginary Lands and has also published four novels. God Stalk and Dark of the Moon, the novels included in The God Stalker Chronicles, begin her critically praised fantasy saga which is concerned not! only with high adventure, but also with questions of personal identity, religion, politics, honor, and arboreal drift. She earned her doctorate at the University of Minnesota with a dissertation on Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe, and is a graduate of both Clarion and the Milford Writers Workshop. Recently retired, she was a lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in modern literature and composition, and teaches an audio-cassette-based course on science fiction and fantasy for the University of Minnesota. Par lives in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in a nineteenth-century wood-framed house, which has been in her family for generations. In addition to writing and teaching, she attends science fiction conventions, collects yarn, knits, embroiders, raises cats, and makes her own Christmas cards.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Devastated, Disappointed, and feeling Deceived!, August 29, 2000

By 

Sherry C. Simpson (Dover, Arkansas USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dark of the Gods (Hardcover)

For those of you already familiar with P.C. Hodgell's books God Stalk, Dark of the Moon, Blood & Ivory, and Seeker's Mask--and who are thus chomping at the bit for the sequel--please be warned: Dark of the Gods is not a continuation of the Jame saga! It is a compilation of the first two books, along with an excerpt ("Bones") from the third. Imagine the devastation and disappointment when (having just re-read the series for the fourth time in the past decade in anticipation of a new book) I discovered that I still don't know what happens to Jame after Seeker's Mask! AAAARRRRRGGGHHH!

On a more positive note, for those of you unfamiliar with Ms. Hodgell's works, this is an excellent opportunity. God Stalk introduces you to Jame as she emerges from darkness to search for her twin; however, this is NOT just another quest story. Instead, the quest steps back to hover in the background while this richly developed character learns a thing or two about politics and thieving (and no, I'm not necessarily being redundant in this case), and faces challenges to her concepts of honor and monotheism. Hodgell's portrayal of Tai-tastigon--the wonderfully intriguing setting, with its wealth of scoundrels, gods, and heroes--makes the city seem almost a character in itself.

"Bones" (a brief tale written, perhaps, as a crust of bread thrown to the hungry dogs howling for a sequel to God Stalk?) provides a glimpse into another of Jame's Tai-tastigon adventures which enhances her reputation as Penari's Talisman. Although I originally read "Bones" out of order (it was written between God Stalk and Dark of the Moon), it seems to have found its proper place sandwiched between its two larger contemporaries. Originally published as a short story and obviously meant to stand alone, it merely serves as an aside--entertaining, without being crucial to the story line.

Dark of the Moon, however, finally introduces the reader to Jame's elusive, and equally complicated, brother Tori--and it is as much Tori's story as Jame's. And while this shared billing perhaps accounts for my personal preference for the first book (being a big fan of strong, honorable female leads), the second book is equally intriguing. Decidedly more complex due to its shifting viewpoints and introduction of an almost entirely new supporting cast, this one should be read slowly and carefully, particularly during its development of Kencyrath history and culture, as well as where the stories begin to overlap and converge. And without giving anything away, one angle that I found most interesting was Hodgell's commentary on the importance--and the dilemma--of responsibility; I am reminded of Stanley Milgram's "The Perils of Obedience" (a must read for anyone, anywhere).

By now (assuming that you are still reading this rather long-winded review) I hope you have reconciled the seemingly conflicting title of my review and the five-star rating. The book is wonderful--how could it not be, given its nature? But my initial disappointment in a lack of new material automatically led me to write this review to warn others like me who are eagerly awaiting the next step of the journey. My initial response was, I confess, one that could have come straight from the mouth of Selina Rosen's Drewcila Qwah (those of you who have read Queen of Denial know what I'm talking about--but my mother is still blessedly in the dark). However, I have decided to just get over it and, instead, to keep Dark of the Gods as a loaner copy. I guess it's only fair since I've been talking about the series for over a decade, but haven't been willing to loan out my copies.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Subtle and Different, November 10, 2002

By 

Kevin L. Nenstiel "omnivore" (Kearney, Nebraska) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dark Of The Gods (Paperback)

I once had the pleasure of meeting the author of the two novels collected here at a writing workshop held at my college. She is a handsome woman, full of verve, and blessed with a keen eye born of life experience that allows her to be not only a wonderful writer, but a wonderful friend to writers. She also has a Ph.D. in English, so you know her writing is nothing to sneeze at.

This volume compiles her first two fantasy novels, "God Stalk" and "Dark of the Moon," along with a short story, "Bones," that adds to the events of the first novel. In a genre dominated by authors who try to replicate one another's successes, and by readers who shy away from challenge or from anything new, it's no wonder these books are little known. However, true lovers of fantastic fiction will be well rewarded by letting their gazes wander in this direction at least once.

The first book covers a year and a half in the life of the protagonist, Jame, and the second covers a matter of some short months. (The third, "Seeker's Mask," covers a little over a week. Plainly some crisis point is approaching for the character.) Her personal history is murky to us, and evidently only little better to her. She has spent a great deal of time in a place where time evidently doesn't apply, as she is seeking out her long-lost twin brother, who is now ten years her senior. She herself is an enthusiastic youth, and the story arc of the books is a maturation process for her.

In the first book, she finds herself at loose ends in a city where gods appear and disappear quite suddenly, where her own lost God gives her a task that violates everything she holds dear, and where her only options for survival include learning to steal and using her religious devotionals, which involve a hypnotic martial dance, as cheap entertainment. First published nearly twenty years ago, when the author was only somewhat older than the character, it reflects the turmoil all youth go through as they try to define their identities without their parents, while remaining inextricably part of the world around them. It also reflects the author's religious uncertainty, which comes out if you ever talk to her about issues spiritual.

The second book takes the character in a new direction. She leaves behind the trappings of the life in the city, bringing only the newfound self-discipline with her. She thinks she's going to cross the mountains into the land where her brother and her race live, but instead finds herself in a series of distortions, as time, space, and place are warped in an attempt to ensnare her for nefarious ends. The quest for her brother, and with him some form of family link and some form of group identity, takes on the proportions of a heroic quest, and receives only momentary resolution, deeply unsatisfying to the character, at the end.

These novels are more complex than nearly any other written in the fantasy genre. This, combined with the fact that P.C. Hodgell isn't a very prolific writer, has denied this story the popularity it deserves. However, for true lovers of the genre, and for lovers of good popular literature, this omnibus volume is one of great significance and quality. This is a book you'll lovingly reread and assign a treasured place in your collection. More than fantasy, this is a potential novel for the ages-and how few others can make that claim.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I actually screamed..., March 6, 2001

By 

LilacF (Atlanta, GA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dark Of The Gods (Paperback)

...when I was browsing the aisles of my favorite local specialty bookshop and turning my head, saw 'Dark of the Gods'. For one heartstopping moment I thought it might be the next book after 'Seeker's Mask'. But this is nearly as good: someone is reprinting Ms. Hodgell's works! Finally when I rave about her books I'll be able to tell people where to find them. Why do I rave? Great storytelling, first. Second, the magical way in which Hodgell puts her original spin on common fantasy elements. Third: her heroine. Jame is an impressive mixture of the powerful, the impulsive, the kindly, and the destructive. Like a good actor cast as the lead in a movie, she can carry the plot and yet be vulnerable. In the story, Jame must constantly walk a fine line between destroying others with her talents, or being herself destroyed by use of them. She is entropy personified yet Jame also has many endearing traits. I've been reading this story since I found 'Godstalk' in the early 80's. I bought 'Seeker's Mask' for $70 (didn't regret a dime). I bought the soft cover of 'Dark of the Gods' even though I own two copies of 'Godstalk' and one of 'Dark of the Moon' because I want to support this fine author. The long wait between books has done nothing to chill my ardor--for one thing they're extremely re-readable. Go on: buy; read; become addicted!