Customer Reviews

Rulers of the Darkness (The World at War, Book 4)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Comprehensively defeated at Sulingen (Stalingrad), the Algarvian (German) invaders and their fairweather allies rally by springtime, but the summer offensive they are planning is blatantly obvious and culminates in 45 blistering pages of ferocious fighting as the Battle of Durrwangen (Kursk) explodes. As the Unkerlanters (Soviets) advance into Grelz (Ukraine) there is bitter vengeance for all collaborators... Falling back too are Plegmund's Brigade, a sort of Kaminski Brigade of bloodthirsty volunteers from Forthweg, whom I can easily predict razing Eoforwic (Warsaw) to the ground in the next book.
Further east (or west) in Algarvian-occupied Forthweg (Poland), bookkeeper Ealstan and his sorcerously disguised Kaunian (Jewish) wife Vanai try to keep a low profile as Vanai's people are in turn persecuted and massacred, but the deception is proving ever harder to maintain. Amid all this, corrupt Algarvian occupation cop Bembo can't seem to stifle the odd flickerings of a conscience every now and then.
As the tide of war turns against Algarve, collaborators in Valmiera (France) start to wonder whether they've backed the wrong horse (or behemoth, if you like). I see a shaven head and a tarring and feathering for Krasta in Book 7!
Transferred away from the forest front in remote western Unkrlant, a platoon of Gyongyosian infantry have a terrible secret to conceal that could exile them from their own people forever. Funny, I didn't like curried goat either.
In a magical world where trains are leyline-powered caravans, fighter-bombers are dragons and cinnabar is the oil that powers them, and where behemoths substitute for tanks and leviathans for U-boats, World War II progresses in the fourth of seven volumes, covering the equivalent of roughly February to November 1943.
I'm completely hooked and can't wait for the next one. Thankfully, Harry Turtledove is astonishingly prolific, keeping on the go not only this epic saga but the second of the American Empire trilogy at the moment (and those follow three Great War books and their prequel, and three more still to come!).
All proof that Potter's not the only wizard Harry in town.

Even though less happened with the war in the series than I might have expected, I still considered it a worthwhile read. The stories of each of the characters were interesting and easy to follow. I know that some reviewers here complain about how nothing much happened with the war and how it is dragging on, but I think that is exactly the feeling that Turtledove wished to convey because that's exactly how the series' characters are feeling about the raging conflict about them, as though it is never going to end.

It was also interesting to see certain point of view characters interact as they meet for the first time. But I did feel that one of the characters: Cornlu, the leviathan rider, behaved a bit out of character in the end. I am also curious as to how the blossoming romance between the two mages, Pekka and Ferno, will develop.

I eagerly await the next installment of this fascinating series.

The Darkness series is one of those things that shouldn't work but does so anyways. The setting- a fantasy world war II sounds interesting, but it is little more then a backdrop. Harry Turtledove's works are usually based around their plots (as in the Great War series) being interesting Alternate History. Harry has managed to put his viewpoint characters in a world large enough that they can all be interesting, and just a little famaliar enough to us that we can nod knowingly and learn a little about real history. In this installement the war grinds on as Algarve begins to lose in Unkerlant, and Kuusamo and Legaos prepare their magic to invade Eastern Derlevai. The plot is little more then the backdrop for the personal tales of the characters, all of whom are well sketched out this far into the series, and therefore we feel empathy for them. It's much better done the say, The Center Cannot Hold, if less compelling, and provides a good setup for the decisive volume Jaws of Darkness, coming this April.

Harry Turtledove's fantasy adaptation of World War II reaches a pinnacle with Rulers of the Darkness. As two massive forces collide, fallout from the chaos affects everyone involved.

Algarve (Germany) fails at its third attempt against Unkerlant (Russia), and stubbornly refuses to give up what it gained. But its influence is slowly slipping, as they are pushed from the Duchy of Grelz, an allegorical Ukraine. And with the aid of a new secret weapon, the Lagoan/ Kuusamon (British/ American) alliance throws Algarve from the island nation of Sibiu (Denmark.) Meanwhile in Forthweg (Poland), more trouble is brewing for Algarve.

Ealstan discovers a secret about his new boss, Istvan is struggling to keep his own. Sidroc discovers he likes soldering, as long as he's winning and there's plenty to rape and pillage. Talsu is released from prison to play a dangerous cloak and dagger game.

The characters make the story more interesting than the action. I feel strongly for Vanai and Ealstan, I respect Hajjaj, great pity for Cornelu, and watch with interest in what Pekka and Fearno are up to. I want to watch Krasta to see what stupid thing she'll do next. I am a little bored with Garivald and Skranu though.

Was it my imagination, or is Turtledove letting up on his reduntant character descriptions? If so, that's good!

The story is still going strong. Looking forward to reading Jaws of Darkness.

Rulers of the Darkness is the book for you if you like fantasy and/or action books. The setting takes place in Derlavi and its bordering islands. This book contains many character's points of view so it is your opinion whether certain people are evil or certain people are good. There are way too many characters in this book, so I can't really tell you them all. Instead, I will tell you two of my four favorites. Pekka is a Kuusamin mage helping on a project to make a very powerful magic to turn the tides of the war. Fernau is working with Pekka and he likes her a lot but Pekka is married.

I think this is an awesome book. Harry Turtledove is my favorite writer and I have only read one of his books! I recommend this book to good readers and people who like fantasy and/or action books.

This is the fourth volume of Turtledove's Darkness series. This series is a fantastical look at the Second World War, with dragons taking the place of aircraft, leviathans the place of submarines, and so on. I liked this book, it provides a good continuation to the series; Turtledove proves once again that you can't count on him to keep all his characters alive, and action is well-balanced, with a wide variety of viewpoints. The only problems that I saw were basically structural; we already know how the series will end, but undoubtably with a few curveballs thrown in too, and there were a few errors with characters being called by the wrong name, things like that. If you're just beginning this series, I recommend you start with the first book, otherwise you may totally be lost in terms of story. Good book if you have read the previous volumes, the series is getting a little long, though.

The war on Derlavai continues on into it's fourth year, and the momentum is shifting away from Algarve. Turtledove continues to follow the history of our own world's WWII in this interesting and enthralling series. After their defeat at Sullingen(Stalingrad) in the last book, Algarve(Germany) re-groups, and looks to finish off Unkerlant(Russia) for good. But the Unkerlanters don't look to lie down so easily. Meanwhile, the sorcerous version of the "Manhattan Project" continues to progress in Kuusamo(America), but not without it's own setbacks. At the same time, there are several conquered nations, where the people are trying to survive, and fight back, under the rule of the Algarvians. This does not prove to be an easy task.
Again, we follow the action through many different viewpoint-characters from all of the involved nations. Most of them are well developed enough so that you come to expect many of their action and reactions.
Turtledove portrays the war in a way that makes it difficult to "root" for any particular side. The portrayal of King Swemmel(Stalin) makes it very easy to want to see Unkerlant destroyed. But at the same time, the atrocities being commited by the Algarvians make them a less than suitable champion.
I enjoyed this book, and anxiously await the next installment in the series.

This is book four of Harry Turtledove's series of having World War Two fought in a fantasy setting. Guns, bombs, planes and tanks are replaced by sticks, eggs, dragons and beheamoths, while events roughly parallel those in our own world. This book begins with the "German" defeat at "Stalingrad" and continues through the events of 1942 into 1943.

Usually by the fourth book in a series, especially one as long and complex as this one, the author begins to loose some of his momentum that made the first few books so good (i.e. - Robert Jordan), however, Turtledove does a very good job of keeping his narrative thread and throwing in enough twists to keep things exciting. While readers with any knowledge of World War Two will certainly know the outcome of some battles long before Turtledove writes them (and maybe become bored in the process)it is intesting to see who survives and who doesn't. This book also sees the introduction of iceberg aircraft carriers and finally some results with the "Manhattan Project."

The same problems remain from the first few books. Some characters lack depth and always seem to be doing the same thing every time we read about them (i.e. - Krasta going shopping). The author's sex scenes are overwhelmed with dirty cliches and should have been skipped. The author also does not explain certain things that would have been an integral part of the war - yes, there are guns, but what about machine guns? or what about the strategic bombing campaigns launched by the "allies", are they using different types of dragons for that? In my mind, these kinds of inconsistances would have only served to make the book better. The devil is in the details, as they say.

Since this is the fourth book in the series, do not read this one before you read the first three - you will be lost. But if you read the first three and enjoyed them, you will not be disappointed by this book.

This is the fourth book in Harry Turtledove's _Darkness_ series, a fantasy retelling of WWII where there is no technology but plenty of magic. Instead of airplanes, pilots ride dragons, they drop magic exploding eggs instead of bombs, and people ride ley-line caravans rather than trains (ley-lines are magical meridians that trained magicians can tap for many purposes, and the confluence of two lines creates power points). Even the level of magic differs depending on which country Turtledove is writing about, corresponding with our world's distribution of engineering and manufacturing. And then he describes, in passing, each country's dietary, musical, and physical traits, while showing that people are people the world over.

The same characters viewpoint characters from books 1-3 are back (except for those who managed to die), each being pulled in yet more directions as the Derlavaian War affects just about everyone. While the first book was pretty much all soldiering, all the time, this one has pulled back from a lot (not all) of the fighting to show how civilians are affected too. And some of the civilians have become fighters as well, just as the real WWII turned so many lives in new directions.

If you have not read Books 1-3 in the series, I'd suggest you do so before tackling this one. Not only would the plot development make more sense, but so would each character's history. It's very difficult to have an emotional stake in each character's adventures without their backstories, and each of them has a lot going on. Sidroc, a soldier in King Plegmund's Brigade, joined the army to fight on behalf of occupying Algarve, and he did so to escape being charged with murder of his cousin Leifsig. This book continues with both Sidroc and his cousin Ealstan's stories (yes, Ealstan was Leifsig's brother), but if you aren't aware of their relationship and how it soured over years, their slightly intertwined stories won't have the same effect.

One interesting plot development in this book is how Turtledove continues the fanstasy worldview that killing people releases magical energy, and how he retells WWII while using each country's history in our world with this additional fillip. In this installment, Gyongyos (Japan) makes plans to use life energy, but not as Algarve does (murdering Kaunians, as the Germans killed Jews in death camps) or Algarve's enemy Unkerlant (killing their own peasants to fight back, as Stalin's Russia killed so many countrymen).

The war grinds on, and there are many signs in this book of things falling apart. Bembo, an Algarvian constable, wins a rare vacation from his duties in occupied Forthweg (Poland) and finds home isn't the same as when he left. The resistance movement in Valmiera (France) continues with a lot of hit or miss, with some of its supporters changing sides when convenient. And the tide turns in the Big War, as Unkerlant now has Algarve on the run after the latter loses yet another big battle in the southwest (think northeast, the entire planet is flipped upside down with Derlevai in the southern hemisphere with Unkerlant in the west.

Meanwhile, the equivalent of the Manhattan Project continues, but the Kuusamans (USA) still haven't officially entered the war, and their relationship with the Lagoans (British) isn't one of 100% trust yet.

What I love about Turtledove's books is how he can spin out a story with so many characters, get me to care about what happens, and get me thinking about how the real history went down while I read this world's version. I wanted to know more about European history and politics in 1942 so I could more appreciate this book.

The fourth volume of Turtledove's six-part parallel history of the second world war in a world where technology uses magic instead of engineering.

Most of the books of the series covers about a year of the war's history: in terms of equivalent time this one is the shortest, corresponding roughly to late Spring, Summer and Autumn 1943. It starts immediately after the Algarvian surrender at Sulingen (e.g. the German sixth army's surrender at Stalingrad) and the main thrust of the book describes the attack on the Durrwangen (Kursk) salient.

This series of novels all have "Darkness" in the title but they are sometimes referred to as the "Derlavi" series, that being the name given in the stories to the huge continent which is historically equivalent to Eurasia. I have also seen it described as the "World at War" series.

The full series is:

Into the Darkness
Darkness Descending
Through the Darkness
Rulers of the Darkness
Jaws of Darkness
Out of the Darkness

Most alternative history books are "what if" stories which begin with a situation exactly as in our real history, change one detail, and depict how things might have gone on from there. Turtledove's "Darkness" series, and a similar series he wrote about the American Civil war, beginning with "Sentry Peak" are quite different.

These novels describe how real events in our own world might have seemed to the people taking part in them. However, by mixing up details like North and South, skin colour, hair colour, etc, the author makes it easier for the reader to put aside the strong opinions which everyone holds about events like World War II. This helps you to identify with all the characters sufficiently, not to approve of what they did, but enough to begin to understand why they might have acted that way. As one person says in the following book, nobody is a villain in his own story.

Sometimes the parallels between the fantasy world of these book are impishly amusing, for instance that the role taken in our world by Finland is played by an hot equatorial country whose inhabitants are more like Zulus than Finns. The North African desert becomes the "Land of the Ice People". Sometimes the irony is a lot more biting - for instance the "Kaunians" corresponding to the Jews are tall, fair skinned, and blonde.

Both the strategic outline of the war and many local details of the books have been inspired by actual events. There are no major surprises in the main historical sequence of the story, although in a few places it has been simplified, and one or two of the countries and events in the story do not have a single precise analogue.

"Sibiu", for instance, is an island nation in roughly the equivalent geographic location to Britain. However, in terms of the events of the war the country in these stories whose history corresponds most closely to Britain is not Sibiu but "Lagoas". For the first three books, the history of Sibiu, which was conquered by the Algarvians early in the war, matched most closely what happened in the real world to Holland and Norway. Comments in this book about wars between Lagoas and Sibiu two or three hundred years earlier match the Anglo Dutch wars of the 17th and 18th centuries so precisely as to suggest that Sibiu is Holland.

However, from this book onward Sibiu has no precise real world analogue, though the events which happen to characters from Sibiu bear some similarity to real events in many parts of occupied europe as the Nazis were driven back.

The main exitement in the books come from the uncertainty about what will happen to the large cast of "viewpoint characters," the vast majority of whom are fictional, but who seem real enough to make you care about what happens to them and thereby make the books compulsive reading.

Turtledove is firm enough to allow the occasional sympathetic character to get killed so that the reader cannot take anything for granted. For example, one of the principal heroes of the series up to now who had survived great dangers is killed in tragically ironic circumstances in this book.

These novels may also inspire the reader to pick up a work of real history and find out which of these stories are based on fact. If you read Anthony Beevor's "Stalingrad" and "Berlin" or Simon Jenkins' "Armageddon" after reading the "Darkness" series you will find that many of them are, to such an extent that Turtledove is really writing a novelised parallel history rather than out-and-out fiction.

Highly Recommended.