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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A GREAT start to a longer series..., August 26, 2007
Let's start with the GOOD:
First, the characters are excellent. Mr. David understands choices and consequences are what makes a story happen. If you've liked any of his other books (Star Trek, Knight Life, etc.) for their characters, you will grow to like this one. There's an excellent variety of personalities (as always).
Second, the "Damned World" is very interesting. I felt like I'd read the first 30 pages of this book a hundred times before: various conflicted sci-fi/fantasy races with "dumb" names, the aftermath of a climactic battle and the confused survivors, seemingly pointless political intrigue... etc, etc. I could scarcely believe it was a Peter David book... until the plot really got going. Then the "dumb" names suddenly seemed quite clever, the confused survivors learned some really cool things, and the political intrigue was rooted in characters and situations I cared about. The basic idea behind this book (and series) rivals the coolness of the basic idea behind Bill Willingham's FABLES series, if that tells you anything.
Third, the dialog is sharp and the observations sharper. Very few of the debates between the characters are obviously or pathetically one-sided. While the book's theme comes down decisively on one side of most arguments, the opposite side gets some good shots in. This book excels at calling characters on their BS lines of argument. (Add in a couple of laugh-out-loud hilarious moments, and this novel is just bitingly clever.)
Finally, the last hundred pages are must-read stuff. While I didn't like the first hundred, the tension ramped and ramped until I could not put it down. There are at least two "didn't see them coming" plot twists and a couple of high-concept revelations that make this novel very interesting to this sci-fi and fantasy fan. Mr. David just keeps tightening the screws, and by the end, this book is seriously moving and interesting.
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Now, let's have the BAD: I actively disliked the beginning of this novel. There, I've said it. Mr. David is one of my two favorite authors, so it worried me that I felt the first 100 pages FELT so cliched and clunkily written. It turns out that it's NOT cliched once the book gets going, but the writing in the first hundred pages is weak, especially for such an accomplished author. Luckily, the book gets better, and the last 100 pages is break-neck, can't-put-it-down reading.
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It is worth noting that this is the first book in a longer series. If this were part of a DVD set, this book would maybe be the first disc. I felt about this story the same way I did about FIREFLY (by Joss Whedon) when I first watched it: indifference and a little boredom at first, then passing interest in a couple concepts or characters, then real excitement and concern for the characters and their fates.
If you've ever liked a Peter David series like STAR TREK: NEW FRONTIER, INCREDIBLE HULK, SUPERGIRL (1996), or FALLEN ANGEL, you will enjoy this book. If you haven't liked any of those, give this book (or one of those) a try; you won't be sorry.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Shaky start, gripping finish, huge promise, June 5, 2008
Story: This is the first volume of a new fantasy series, "The Hidden Earth," by Peter David. It's an ambitious job, as he balances a storyline that spans over eons and includes -- even in just the main setting -- a cast of several dozen scattered among multiple races and around the world.
The First Wave of the Banished (from another dimension) showed up during the reign of the dinosaurs -- and engineered those reptiles' demise before turning on each other to similar extinction. The Second Wave occurred in the Bronze Age, and established a rich mythology for humans before they were eventually wiped out. The Third Wave was much, much larger, and the different Banished races -- cyclopean Oculars, vampiric Piri, reptilian Firedraques and Mandraques, subterranean Trulls, aquatic Merks and Markenes, and sundry other species -- were more than numerous and powerful enough to nearly wipe out humanity. Now, some centuries later, the Banished -- lorded over by the Overseer and his Traveller prison guards -- have reached a point of uneasy stability ... which means that plots and counterplots among all the Banished races are about to upset everyone's balance.
David takes a huge risk by spreading the focus to the four corners of the Earth (or the "Damned World," as the Banished call it, for an amusing reason). At times, especially early on, things seem blurry, as we jump from chapter to chapter and from location to location. By the end of the book, things have radically changed, and several of the major protagonists from the first half the novel are done in by the end of the second half. It's at a point where things are just starting to gel and snap into focus ... when the book ends. If the first third of the book feels weak, the last third more than makes up for it.
Which, I suppose, is a great way to encourage folks to pick up the next book.
David does a fine job of interweaving different mythologies, a post-apocalyptic world, a huge cast, and various personal tales into what seems initially diffuse but ultimately cracklingly solid storytelling. There's just enough hint of where things are headed, and what's actually going on (albeit with a bit of perhaps too-explicit exposition late in the game) to keep my interest in Book 2 high.
Characters: As mentioned, there's a ton of characters. The herd is trimmed substantially by the end, as various plots blow up (more or less literally) in people's faces.
The huge cast means that most folks are only lightly sketched out -- on the surface at least. Looking back at it, David manages to make nearly everyone engaging on some level. Even where the roles are shallow, the shallows are at least interesting.
That said, I still really wanted to read more about practically -- well, practically everyone. Which means they are good characters, but not ideally handled.
Re-Readability: I think I could read this one again fairly soon -- the later revelations will provide some level of interest in the foreshadowing. I also suspect that, wherever David is going in Book 2 (etc.), it will make rereading Book 1 both a pleasure and, perhaps, an obligation.
Overall: David is known for a number of things. A lot of imagination. A quick grasp of character. A wry sense of humor. All three of these are on display here, and David is really at the top of his game in each.
That said, I didn't like the book as well as I wanted to. While admiring David's ability to juggle a cast of many, it still suffered (perhaps inevitably, as a setup for where he plans to take us) from too many voices and perspectives. There's 3-4 interesting novels in this one, and cramming them together takes its toll, though David still manages to pull it off, overall.
I'd recommend the book to both Peter David and F/SF fans. 'Nuff said.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
My first and favorite sci-fi/fantasy book, September 6, 2009
This review is from: Darkness of the Light (Hidden Earth Chronicles) (Mass Market Paperback)
As far as I can remember, this is the first sci-fi/fantasy book I've ever read. I've been a long time fan of non-fiction books, but wanted to give fiction a shot. I chose this book because I liked the cover. Prior to this book, I wasn't a fan of sci-fi or fantasy.
I didn't expect many plot twists in a book like this, but I got them. I didn't expect to become attached to or care much for any of the characters, especially since there were so many of them, but I did. And when I realized all the races were living on what we once called earth, I was hooked.
Seeing humans, both the good and bad, through the eyes of other races fascinated me. There were even thought provoking lessons to be learned. The Ocular hated the Piri simply because they knew nothing about them. Due to their own ignorance, they became slaves to their fear. And then of course, we have the Markene addiction to klaa (sounds like America's addition to media). And my favorite, Jepp's adventures. I like her most of all because she's human and representing us among the races of the damned world.
I have become a big fan of fantasy since this book, but have only come across very few books that have entertained me as much as this one. I am currently going through it for the second time.
And now, the bad part, where the hell is book 2 of The Hidden Earth Chronicles?!?!
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