Darkness Descending (World at War, Book 2) (Hardcover)

by Harry Turtledove (Author) "Tealdo slogged west across what seemed an endless sea of grass..." (more)
Key Phrases: powers above only know, powers below eat, theoretical sorcerer, King Swemmel, King Mezentio, Ice People (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
In recent years, Harry Turtledove has specialized in alternate-history novels in which World War II, say, is grimly complicated by the arrival of invading alien reptiloids; the fantasy sequence that started with Into the Darkness and continues with Darkness Descendingis a powerful demonstration that it is human malice, not military technology, that we have to fear. Broadly speaking, the sequence replays World War II with magical fantasy empires in place of the participants we know; there are analogies between the fiercely militarist kingdom of Algarve and the Third Reich, just as the dangerous paranoid who rules the rival empire of Unkerlant has much in common with Joseph Stalin. There is a Manhattan project making military use of the underlying rules of magic, a particularly vicious version of the Holocaust, and a large cast of vividly realized viewpoint characters--Unkerlant's principal general, an Algarvian dragon pilot, various confused civilians--caught in the wheels of history. Turtledove provides some worryingly thoughtful material here about power and its consequences; his bleak use of stock fantasy images in a developed military contex--screaming unicorns caught in firestorms--is coarse-grained but unforgettable. --Roz Kaveney, Amazon.co.uk

From Publishers Weekly
Trust Turtledove to deliver plenty of grungy military action spiked with dollops of sex and a keen and accurate depiction of the realties of warfare. The sequel to his alternate history Into the Darkness is anything but easy going. Based on the horrors of the Eastern Front, where the Soviet Red Army fought to repel the Nazi invasion, the novel suffers from Turtledove's tendency to use names of one ethnic flavor to represent analogous characters of a totally different national group. For example, the Algarvians, the militant aggressors who closely resemble Nazis, bear Italian-sounding names and fight under a red, green and white flag. Given that there are 12 nations involved in this mortal conflict, and a cast of approximately 150 characters, this gets incredibly frustrating, especially since Turtledove abruptly shifts from site to site and employs magic in place of mid-20th-century technology (dragons as fighter aircraft, leviathans as submarines). When the Algarvians round up helpless Kaunians into "victory camps" where they will eventually be slaughtered for the vital energy needed to smite the Soviet-style enemies, the Unkerlanters, these foes retaliate by massacring their own peasantry to draw more energy themselves. This barbaric ante-raising causes the civilized, British-like Lagoans to observe that everyone involved will develop ever-increasing monsterlike strength before this world war comes to an end. Turtledove personalizes the conflict through 15 "viewpoint characters"(so-called in his extensive Dramatis Personae), including the gallant Algarvian dragonflier Colonel Sabrino; the elegant, conniving Kresta; and young lovers Vanai, a hunted Kaunian, and Ealstan, a decent bookkeeper. Everyone is brought to the brink of a Pearl Harbor-like entry by a slow-to-activate world power, leaving all--including Turtledove's readers--to slog through a lot more territory in likely future installments.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (April 8, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312869150
• ISBN-13: 978-0312869151
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,242,243 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 2 in The World at War Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Smaug meets the Luftwaffe, June 27, 2000

By	Jeph Gord (Venice, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Turtledove's usual formula is to write a story set in our world, but with different events. This time, he's reversed the formula: different world, same events. This series (which began with "Into The Darkness") tells the tale of World War II reenacted by a plethora of fantasy kingdoms. Strange as this idea may be, it's working very well. The first volume was good, enjoyable military fiction, and this one is no different.

Events proceed more or less according to historical schedule. Algarve launches a massive blitz against Unkerlant, which, although initially successful, runs into some problems with the local weather. Lagoas attacks the Yaninan colonies in the Land of the Ice People, and Kuusamo joins the Anti-Algarvian alliance. I won't say any more, for fear of giving away the plot. But if you know WWII history, you can probably guess what happens.

My review of "Into The Darkness" included my analysis of the story's politics. I shall now make some modifications.

I formerly stated that Unkerlant represented Russia. I now see that it stands in for China, as well. Gyongyos (Japan) invades Unkerlant, which must symbolise the Sino-Japanese war, since Japan and Russia didn't fight until the last weeks of WWII.

I also stated that Yanina represents either Italy or the Balkans. I now see that it represents both. It's status as a buffer between Algarve and Unkerlant suggests the Balkans, whereas it's colonial presence in the Land of the Ice People (Africa) suggests Italy.

I also assumed that Siaulia was Australia. This now seems unlikely. It is mentioned that the Derlavian powers are fighting a naval war there, which would suggest the East Indies.

Now, for some more analysis. (I hope you guys at Amazon don't mind these long reviews).

Interestingly, it is mentioned that Unkerlanter behemoths are larger than Algarvian ones. This probably recalls the Russian T-34, which was perhaps the best tank of its era.

It is also interesting to note Kuusamo's (i.e., the U.S.'s) reason for joining the war. In real life, the U.S. only joined the war after its territory had been directly attacked. In this story, however, it joins in response to the cruel Algarvian institution of the victory camp (i.e., Dachau, Treblinka, et al). In short, the U.S. is given a more altruistic motive than it actually had (this is not a criticism of the USA- I think Pearl Harbor was reason enough!). This may well be an example of Turtledove's politics shining through.

There you have it! I could say a lot more, but it probably wouldn't interest you much! But be assured, when the next book in the series comes around, I'll be there to review it!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars WWII in a parallel magical Universe, September 30, 2000

By	Paul (New Orleans) - See all my reviews

Harry Turtledove's sequel to "Into the Darkness" is an interesting and enjoyable book about an alternate universe where magic rules. In this universe, there are nations who serve as proxies for the nations which fought WWII, e.g. Algarve is Germany, Unkerlant is the Soviet Union, Zuwayza is Finland, Forthweg is Poland, Valmiera is France, etc. We see dragons instead of aircraft, behemoths instead of tanks, leviathans instead of submarines.

The period of time paralleling WWII in this book is roughly Summer 1941, to Spring 1942. As a result we get to see the equivalants of Operation Barbarossa, and the beginning of an alternate Holocaust.

Turtledove has not created a mirror of our own universe and thrown magic, dragons, mages, and behemoths into the equation. This is a seperate universe, which results in differences which can be significant. For example, the equivalant of the Jewish people, the Kaunians, are rounded up for execution not merely because of their race, (which is, of course, why they are chosen), but because their blood sacrifice results in powerful military magic.

However, the people of this world are well aware that a person's lifeforce can be sacrificed for magic. This results in strained credulity because the Kaunians' reaction parallels that of the Jews in our own world, which is unbelievable, given that the Kaunians have a greater knowledge than the unfortunate victims of the Holocaust in our world.

Turtledove does a masterful job of creating characters. The sheer number of characters is almost overwhelming, but less so than the first book of this series. To his credit, Turtledove always makes me think when I read his books. This book benefits from not being an absolute duplicate of our world, and is a worthwhile read.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Darkness Descending, March 26, 2000

By	"hydra13" (United States) - See all my reviews

In Darkness Descending, Harry Turtledove continues his series of World War II fought with dragons and magic. Algarve has invaded Unkerlant and is gobbling up territory at a fast rate. Then winter kicks in and slows down Algarve's advance. Sound familiar? Furious at the slow down, King Mezentio of Algarve commands the slaughter of Kaunians so their life energies can be harnessed for magic. Thousands of Kaunians are murdered in victory camps. King Swemmel, a chilling depiction of Stalin, vows to use the same methods to drive the Algarves from Unkerlant. This world, so steeped in magic and feudalism, has now entered a grim modern era of mass slaughter and despair.

I picked up this book because of the cover and despite myself I enjoyed the book. Let's face it, Harry Turtledove's strengths are not style or characterizations or subtle themes. His style is flat as are his characters. With the exception of the Zuwayzan foreign minister Hajjaj, all the characters are corrupt, weak, or just flat out frightening in their callousness (ie King Swemmel of Unkerlant and King Mezentio of Algarve.

His strength is in his knowledge of history and wars. This knowledge is put to good use in his detailed description of battles, diplomatic intrigues, and social nuances. I had fun matching up events and character to real historic events and characters.

His other strength is in the scope of his works. He goes for the epic and that's really the only reason to read this work. Dozens of characters with ridiculous names parade through this work caught up and ground up by massive social forces they cannot control.

One of the main things I like about this novel is his use of dragons, behomoths, and leviathans. He strips them of their magic and wonder and reduces them to nothing more than beasts. They are stupid, easily manipulated, and are often a nuisance. This adds to the grim tone of the novel. Squalid beasts in a squalid world.

Looking forward to the next book.