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5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best historical fiction series., November 6, 2011
This review is from: The Third Section (Paperback)
The third section is the third novel in the Danilov Quintet, which spans Russian history from the French invasion of 1812 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. The first book Twelve was ranked sixth place in list of all-time greatest historical fantasy novels by the website Fantasy Book Review. The second book thirteen years later was a good follow up after the first book. The third book take place in 1850s and it is one of the best historical fantasy novels that I have ever read.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The action, suspense, and treachery continues!, October 29, 2011
This review is from: The Third Section (Paperback)
The Third Section, the third book in this series, begins thirty years after the last book. Aleksei Danilov's children, Dmitry and Tamara, take over where their father left off. Dmitry is now a Colonel in the Army and is fighting against the British and French in the Crimean War. Tamara works for the government and reports to the leader of the Third Section in Moscow. Each sibling has secrets from the past they are unaware of; secrets that will come to light with startling revelation. With each book, the author expands on character development, specifically with the voordalak. I appreciate this character expansion, as it provides more of a balance to the story, showing the motives and emotions behind each character. My favorite voordalak is back (although I miss the use of his name- the name itself having such presence and power behind it). He has become one the most cunning adversaries and one of the best villains in modern fiction. The storyline is more complex than the previous two books. It is not strictly straightforward good versus evil. The author does a great job keeping the reader guessing with the twists and turns. As I was reading, I had the constant feeling of anticipation. With each turn of the page, I was wondering when one character would realize what another was up to. Revenge, treachery, murder, action- it's all there. This is a fantastic volume in the series. I have become a huge fan of Jasper Kent's in a very short time. His mix of history and fiction is seamless, and the payoff is huge. I highly recommend this entire series to fans of both history and paranormal fiction. You will not be disappointed.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent (but bloody) return to form, January 10, 2012
"The Third Section" is (surprise! surprise!) the third part of Jasper Kent's projected "Danilov Quintet". In it the author recovers much of the tension and suspense with which he imbued the first volume (" Twelve") but which was so sadly missing from the second (" Thirteen Years Later"). Here, the story that began with Aleksei Danilov is carried forward at the hands of his children, each with their own personal demons to combat in addition to the more monstrous ones that most readers will be eager to encounter once more. Just as with the first volume, Kent unfolds the story at an agonisingly slow pace that nonetheless holds the attention throughout. The book does have a couple of careless slips, plot-wise; these largely seem to arise from a desire to maintain a cinematic flow to the action, which wins out over the need for narrative cohesion (or even sense, in some places). I doubt that many readers will care too much about this, though, especially given the essentially silly conceit upon which the series is built. For all that he has mellowed with age, Dmitri proves himself to be every bit as stupid as we feared he would be from book two, while Tamara demonstrates that only she has inherited her father's strength of character. The volume ends with two substantial story threads set up ready to carry forward into the next volume. With a projected publication date that is not until 2013, fans may have quite a while to wait to find out what happens. I can't help but feel that the next volume will be an even more slow affair, which will serve mainly to set up the story for the grand conclusion which can be more or less guessed at already. In the meantime, there is much to enjoy here, as well as much to turn the stomach, as Kent pulls no punches in the depiction of graphic horror, both fanciful and actual. If you enjoyed either of the earlier volumes, this one is a must.
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