When Darkness Falls (The Obsidian Trilogy, Book 3) [Mass Market Paperback]

Mercedes Lackey (Author), James Mallory (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Obsidian Trilogy, Book 3 | Publication Date: May 1, 2007

A great working of Wild Magic and High Magic strikes at the heart of the Demon Queen's plots, but the human city, the Golden City of the Bells, falls farther under her sway with each day that passes.  And without the City's High Magicians, the Wild Magicians, the Elven Army, and all their allies will surely fall before the onslaught of the Demon Queen's malignant warriors.

But all hope is not lost.  The Light's young mages, tempered by war, grow ever more powerful.  High Mage Cilarnen learns an ancient secret that can make him, for a brief, white-hot time, the greatest mage in the world--unless it kills him. 

Jermayan, the first Elf-Mage in centuries, has linked with the dragon Ancaladar and rediscovered the swift-as-thought powers of Elven magic, which can reshape mountains and summon lightning from clear skies. 

Knight-Mage Kellen has molded his troops and the Unicorn Knights into a deadly fighting force.  Soon the Elven King and his Commanders put Kellen's magical gifts to their greatest test, in the final battle between the Elves, the humans, and the Demons. 

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At the start of Lackey and Mallory's highly readable conclusion to their Obsidian fantasy trilogy (after 2004's To Light a Candle), Knight-Mage [Kellen], leader of the alliance of humans and elves, has his work cut out for him when the forces of demon queen Savilla go on the offensive. Fortunately, [Kellen] has a powerful ally in the half-breed healer Vestakia, who because she's half demon can read the mind of her demon father and provide priceless information on their enemies. The deft handling of the romance between [Kellen] and Vestakia helps heighten suspense as the struggle on both the physical and magical planes grows more intense. Short scenes speed the action, which at times can be hard to follow, even for those familiar with the previous two volumes. Nonetheless, high fantasy fans should appreciate the intelligent storytelling with an unmistakable flavor of Andre Norton at her best. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Intelligent storytelling with an unmistakable flavor of Andre Norton at her best."--Publishers Weekly on When Darkness Falls
 
 "Plenty of good-versus-evil action."--VOYA on When Darkness Falls
 
"Panoramic . . . filled with magic, dragons, elves, and other mythical creatures."--Library Journal on To Light a Candle
 
"Captivating."--Publishers Weekly on The Outstretched Shadow
 
"Delightful."--Booklist on The Outstretched Shadow

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 602 pages
• Publisher: Tor Fantasy (May 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765341433
• ISBN-13: 978-0765341433
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #77,766 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > ( L ) > Lackey, Mercedes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Dissapointing, November 26, 2006

By 

E. W Wolfner "Erik" (Delray Beach, FL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: When Darkness Falls (The Obsidian Trilogy, Book 3) (Hardcover)

I really enjoyed reading the first two books. The problem with the third book is that it suddenly resolved everything, without using any of the plot elements that had been hinted at and amplified through the first two books. I felt somehow cheated, as if I had been sold a flashy gemstone that turned out to be nothing but cheap glass. After all the effort to paint the demons as powerful, evil, and intelligent, they show virtually none of those qualities in the third book. The impending "war" turns out to be one battle. There were so many possible directions the book could have taken, instead it just plodded along and suddenly dropped the reader off a cliff into oblivion. It would have been better to make this series four books if that was necessary instead of trying to conclude everthing in the last few pages of the book. The ending of the story really wasn't even believable.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Rather Disappointed, August 17, 2006

By 

E. Brady "Shadowstorm" (Cleveland, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: When Darkness Falls (The Obsidian Trilogy, Book 3) (Hardcover)

First I have to say that I enjoyed the first two books of this series. However, I feel extremely cheated at the end of this book. This book seemed more about war strategy than plot and character development. As a previous reviewer stated there was so much that was left out.
*Kellen's relationship with father
*The whereabouts of Kellen's mother
*Relationship developments with Idalia and Vestakia

Also the final battle...I have to say it...was pathetic. After all that happened the bad guy is just poof defeated, no witty lines, and Vestakia never even meets her father...which I have been waiting to read. I don't know if they just wanted this story over with, but the effort and time was not applied to this ending as have been with others. I am a avid fantasy reader and I can honestly say that this was one of my most disappointing conclusions ever.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A trilogy for a change, July 31, 2006

By 

New Dad Dave (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When Darkness Falls (The Obsidian Trilogy, Book 3) (Hardcover)

While I agree with some of the negative points regarding the simplicity of this concluding book, I must say that it really was a page turner. Once it got going, I really was enjoying the pace and energy and looked forward to enjoying the conclusion.

This is always a good feeling to have when reading, and I think the authors did a fine job creating a world that came alive.

Finally, I do have to say, I am thankful that they actually wrote a trilogy, and if that means a few of the details are sacrificed, to keep it a trilogy - then thanks to them! I've been a little frustrated recently getting to the end of a book (The most recent being the excellent George R.R. Martin books), and finding out that the story won't be complete for 7 books! Another 2 years minimum to find out how that excellent story turns out! Geesh!

Thanks for a good read!