10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Dark Haven, July 27, 2009
This review is from: Dark Haven (Chronicles of the Necromancer) (Mass Market Paperback)
Unfortunately, this book is a total break from everything and anything that was decent about the first two books in the series.
Ms. Martin seems to have thrown this one together with no planning and very little thought. 300 pages of the 600 are dedicated to describing costumes, festivals and trivial conversations between the characters. 100 pages is sheer repitition. (Not only repetition of things the reader has previously read in the series, but repetetive statements of facts and descriptions from within this single volume itself.) Finally 200 pages are plot.
Once she decides to write about the plot, Ms. Martin does her normal admirable job. However, after 600 pages of reading, EVERY plot thread is left unfinished. She does not even attempt to close up ANY of the subplots before the end of the book. This is simply the first half of book 3 which I imagine will be completed with book 4.
At the end of the 600 pages, I was truly just irritated with Ms. Martin and her transparent tactic to sell me a yet to be written book. If she had simply discarded all the pages of garbage from the novel, she would have had plenty of room to complete the subplots started in this book.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dark Haven, by Gail Z. Martin, March 16, 2009
This review is from: Dark Haven (Chronicles of the Necromancer) (Mass Market Paperback)
Dark Haven is Gail Z. Martin's third book in the Chronicles of the Necromancer series, the first being The Summoner then followed by The Blood King. Dark Haven is a direct continuation of the first two stories and should be read in such order as several events in this book directly correlate to events previously written.
This novel is just like its predecessors, a fast, action and story driven tale made even stronger by in-depth and engaging characters. In this story, the tale starts off approximately three months after the events in The Blood King. King Martris "Tris" Drayke has defeated his brother, Jared the Usurper, and the Blood Mage Arontala, and now is trying to piece the kingdom back together while routing leftover supporters of Jared. Tension is thickening as rumors of a bastard child whose claim on the throne may be legitimate arise from the southern lands, threatening war with the northern kingdoms, which are still suffering from the devastation of Jared's rein and probable starvation as winter hits the land full force.
Tris must coordinate the autumn festival, his wedding with the princess Kiara, and the siege at Lochlanimar against Lord Curane, a Jared supporter rallying the southern lands. At the same time, Jonmarc Vahanian, Tris' friend and self-appointed protector, was given the title of Lord of Dark Haven, a northern stronghold and land holding, after the battle against Jared. He must take charge of the battered keep by restoring it and restoring hope to people of the land. All the while he must make peace with the Blood Council, a cabal of vampires, called Vayash Moru, as the appointed mortal lord of their realm. With a splinter group of vampires who no longer respect the old ways, the old pact between mortals and immortal undead, Jonmarc must prove himself worthy of being their leader.
Martin, again, spins a fabulous tale that is not only interesting and engaging but chock full of scenery and lore. In the previous books we learned about many of the customs throughout the northern lands and some of the rules the world is built on, but in Dark Haven she elaborates more on those rules while introducing us to more cultures. Throughout this book she doesn't bore us with inane details and unnecessary trivia, it all matters and is an enriching experience at the same time. As with The Summoner and The Blood King, I enjoyed returning to the characters and seeing her world come to life.
First, to get past the negative, because it really isn't negative, I will confess one disappointment. The first two books are comprised of one encapsulated story, meaning each book is, in its own right, a logical beginning, middle, and end. With The Summoner and The Blood King, I could read those two and if I so choose never read another word of Martin's work. Those two stories stood by themselves. Dark Haven reads like a continuation of the first two books and does not complete itself. This book reminds me of the middle book of a trilogy where the story just kind of continues as a placeholder for things to come. I'm left feeling like I'm truly missing out on the best part of the whole story. I don't call this cliffhanging; it's more like climbing the mountain and only making it halfway while the rest of the way is set for another time (the next book's release - Dark Lady's Chosen, due in 2010).
That's really my only gripe. I loved the story, I would still gladly pick up this book and read it again - to which I will when the next book is released. I love her writing style; it's very fluid, dynamic, and involving, never lagging or tiring. The world she has created is beautiful and rich in texture, always getting better with each book. The characters are truly three dimensional and enjoyable, my favorite being Jonmarc. But, with all the trials and tribulations the characters are involved in it's easy to get entranced by the events unfolding.
She is definitely making an impact in the fantasy genre as her stories change, evolve, bringing a degree of tension and drama that still maintains the classic fantasy feel. I will certainly be grabbing her books off the shelves as they come out for years to come. Definitely something I'd recommend to fantasy and non-fantasy readers, especially when her next book comes out.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is a super third tale that fans of the Necromancer fantasy saga will enjoy, July 30, 2009
This review is from: Dark Haven (Chronicles of the Necromancer) (Mass Market Paperback)
Three months have past since King Martris "Tris" Drayke defeated his brother, Jared the Usurper, and his ally Blood Mage Arontala (see THE BLOOD KING). Winning a war seems easy to Tris in retrospect. Now he must move on and rule a devastated kingdom. Apprehension remains high as some forces loyal to the Usurper continue to fight with enemy Lord Curane and his troops trapped at Lochlanimar and rumors spread that to the south a child has a legitimate claim to the throne. With all that Tris must find a way to feed and shelter his displaced refugee population especially with winter coming to freeze the lands to the north. Meanwhile Tris also prepares for his wedding ceremony with Princess Kiara.
He appoints his protector best friend Jonmarc Vahanian to take over as Lord of Dark Haven, a key estate to the north. Finally as the lord of their realm Margolan, Jonmarc negotiates with the Blood Council of vampires the Vayash Moru at a time when some of the vampires believe the mortals are unworthy of ruling especially since the Flow of magic The Flow is unbalanced, which means the blood magic of vampires is stronger than the light magic of the SUMMONER.
This is a super third tale that fans of the Necromancer fantasy saga will enjoy. Tris and Jonmarc learn how complex it is to change from rebel to ruler as they struggle to insure the kingdom's subjects don't starve to death or are further victims of war. Although well written, DARK HAVEN is a middle book that sets up the next entry as no major plot line is completed. Still exciting and well written, Gail Z. Martin provides a deep tale that makes the case that John Milton's "Better to rule in Hell than to serve in Heaven" omits how much more difficult to rule is than to serve.
Harriet Klausner
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