The Dark Wing [Mass Market Paperback]

Walter H. Hunt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 18, 2002

The zor is just one of the alien races that humanity encounters when it travels to the stars, and from the very first meeting it has been all-out war. For many years the conflicts have been sporadic, usually ending with an Earth concession and a treaty. But the zor does not respect mankind and has no any intention of honoring the agreements. When the zor decide to mount a surprise attack against human colonies, the normally self-absorbed government of Earth realizes that something must be done before it is too late.

A controversial scholar by the name of Marais is brought in. A nonmilitary man, he has spent his entire life studying the zor and claims to have a plan to deal with them once and for all. With so few options remaining, Marais is put in charge of the battlefleet.

Earth just wants the threat neutralized and would be happy with a stalemate, but Marais has other ideas. He believes himself to be the mythic Dark Wing, destined to exterminate the zor. . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This entertaining first novel plays some welcome variations on formulaic military SF. Tired of a decades-long war with the zor, a race of birdlike aliens, the Solar Empire puts a new admiral, a former scholar who claims to understand the zor point of view, in charge of the space fleet. Admiral Marais believes that the aliens can't imagine coexisting with humans, and declares that the only way to overcome them is to shatter their worldview while pressing them to the brink of extinction. But the Solar Empire doesn't anticipate Marais's personal stake in the war: he believes himself to be a threatening, implacable power called the Dark Wing, part of the pantheon of zor religion. The zor, convinced of Marais's alleged secret identity, see him as their likely destroyer. Up to this point, the novel seems to prepare for a standard, detailed presentation of space battle tactics, but instead the story veers off into a discussion of the morality of exterminating another race, however hostile. As the story progresses, Hunt adds depth to the characters, who start behaving oddly. Although they're comfortably flat, as in most military SF, some of them obviously harbor hidden schemes. By the end, one war is over, but larger and much stranger conflicts are just coming into focus. Hunt delivers a bravura performance, especially for a new writer. It's unclear whether he can keep up this level of razzle-dazzle whether he's juggling chainsaws or just Nerf balls but he's a showman to watch.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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

From Library Journal

To bring an end to the continual state of war between humanity and the alien, birdlike zor, the Solar Empire places its military command in the hands of Lord Marais, a scholar versed in the culture of the zor. Marais's knowledge, together with his belief that he is the legendary "Dark Wing" of zor mythology, puts him and the human race in the difficult position of having to choose whether or not to annihilate the enemy in order to achieve victory. Hunt's first novel, set in the far future, deals with the problematic issues of xenophobia and genocide while presenting a fast-paced story that should appeal to fans of space opera and military sf. Reminiscent of Orson Scott Card's military classic Ender's Game, this work belongs in most sf collections.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Tor Science Fiction; 1st edition (November 18, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765340690
• ISBN-13: 978-0765340696
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,163,128 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 More than just another space war book, March 11, 2002

By 

blm (Andover, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dark Wing (Hardcover)

I am not a fan of military SF, but I enjoyed "The Dark Wing." The space battles have a good balance between "bullet by bullet" action and glossing over the details in a paragraph.

The characters are well imagined; the humans are, for the most part, honorable and duty-bound, but there are shades of color in their personalities, and many of the on-ship details and persional add depth to the characterization.

The zor are believable and intriguing; I especially liked what was revealed of their religion and mysticism. Their psychology is human enough that the reader can understand it, but does have an alien touch that makes their mindset inhuman.

The plot flows along smoothly, despite neccessary shifts of location, and the plot and subplots reveal themselves nicely.

I am looking forward to further volumes of the series.

3 of 3 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 Wing (Mass Market Paperback)

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:

5.0 out of 5 stars I want more!, December 17, 2001

By 

Mark Holden (Tewksbury, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dark Wing (Hardcover)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story is well written, with well-developed characters. The plot woven with so many threads of personal and political agendas, I couldn't put it down. The Zor are painted as such a unique and completely different race, I am very fascinated by them, and want to know more. After reading this book I find myself thinking about the characters (especially Stone) and wondering when the next book will be forthcoming. Walter H. Hunt needs to look no further for a day job. This -- his first book -- shows he is an excellent author and storyteller, and should continue to write. I will definitely be watching for the release of the next, in what I hope will be many volumes. Long live the Solar Empire!