Lotus666
06-08-09, 09:18 PM
Originally posted by Lord Destroyer, who favours David Gemmell books...
British fantasy writer David Gemmell provides another tale of swords and sorcery, heroism and cowardice, and does so in such a way that it grabs your imagination with an iron grip.
Dark Moon is about a group of 4 duchies that are constantly warring with each other - Romark, Corduin, The Marches, and Corsair. Alliances form and crumble just as quickly in a matter of months. The thing they are warring over is an artifact called the Eldarin Pearl.
It turns out that long ago, there was one race - the Oltor. They were a non-violent type who helped others with their healing and their music, which tied into their healing. Malice, hate, and war were things that did not exist within them - they were in harmony with the world and all others that lived. One day, their music opened a gateway to two other worlds, and out came two other races - the Eldarin, which were similar to the Oltor in some respects, and the Daroth, which lived on malice, war, and conquering others.
The Daroth and Eldarin were given land to raise crops, herd cattle, and all in all, just do what they had to do to survive. However, the Daroth soon warred with the Oltor and ultimately wiped them out. The Eldarin learned some of the things the Oltor knew and used some magic to seal the Daroth away in another world. Then, the Eldarin brought forth humans, which displayed characteristics of the Daroth and the Oltor. Humans eventually turned against the Eldarin, and just to save themselves, the Eldarin sealed themselves away in a gigantic pearl which could only be opened with a particular ritual.
Anyway, Duke Sirano of Romark was in possession of the Eldarin Pearl, and had learned enough sorcery to begin experimentation on it. Through a major blunder somehow, the Daroth were brought back - and their appetite for war, death, and destruction had not waned one bit. They are immortal (or so they claim) - when they are slain, their spirits are eventually reincarnated. Their bodies are built in such a way that a fatal blow is dicey at best, but they cannot withstand fire. They are telepaths as well, so discussing strategies on how to defeat them is all but impossible.
During this time, three people with capabilities above that of others were doing what they deemed necessary to survive. They are:
Tarantio - a deadly swordsman of his day, and one to not cross at all. It seems like he has dual personalities. One of them is the part of him that enjoys life and does not lust for war or hurting others. The other, called Dace, seems to be a bloodthirsty maniac who takes control when someone is threatening him. Then, there is...
Karis - a woman whose skill with a bow and horses knew no equal. Her ability to form strategies falls upon legendary, and she is fiercely independent. Many lovers she had, but no husband - a love 'em and leave 'em type, it seems. And finally...
Duvodas - a healer well versed in the ways of the Eldarin. His pacifist ways and skill with a harp earned him some recognition in some areas, particularly the Wise Owl tavern. Its owner, Ceofrin, and his crippled daughter, Shira, have taken a shine to him (particuarly Shira). He eventually marries her and she becomes pregnant.
But, when the Daroth are brought back through Sirano's magic, they seem to be the only hope for humankind's survival. Sirano, though badly wounded in an attack by the Daroth, was taken into a monastery and nursed back to health as best as possible. Through some healing magic, Tarantio's companion, named Brune, is somehow fused with the being of the last Oltor to ever live - the Oltor Prime. The Oltor Prime manages to heal Shira's crippled leg through some intricate healing. Later on, after working with Duvodas, Brune is brought back to normal and the Oltor Prime passes on. Before passing, the Oltor Prime tells Duvodas the location of the Eldarin Pearl and what will be necessary to bring the Eldarin back.
They succeed and get a couple of enchanted swords out of it as well - Sirano enchanted Tarantio's swords before sending them on their way. Shortly thereafter, Sirano is slain by a Daroth raiding party. Karis is making plans to hold the Daroth back - it involves specially built catapaults, ballistae, armor, battle-axes, and crossbows.
Duvodas plans to go south with Shira, who is several months pregnant by the time. They leave Corduin with a bunch of refugees - however, the Daroth happen upon them and Shira is slain. Duvodas loses control of his anger and casts a spell that makes a forest sprout right there, skewering around 200 Daroth. With the Eldarin Pearl in his possession, he sets out for the cities of the Daroth with one thing in mind - revenge.
Meanwhile, back in Corduin, the Daroth strike. They are repelled with the new weapons, which leads them to start tunnelling underneath and come up in the middle of the city. Somewhere along the way, Tarantio gets tired of war and death, and it seems like Dace has left him. Karis comes up with a plan to intercept the Daroth underground and bring them into a deadly ambush. It works considerably, but Tarantio is badly wounded in the attack. Karis uses herself as bait in hopes the Daroth will listen to reason. They refuse her pleas for peace, but before they attack...something goes wrong with them.
It turns out Duvodas reached the city of the Daroth and used some magic to destroy their seed pods. When the pods die, the Daroth who are linked to certain pods die as well - and this time, forever. It turns out the reason why the Daroth warred with others was because they feared co-existing with others. If others found out how they were able to reincarnate, they would seek to destroy the Daroth at their source.
However, as the Daroth were dying in the hundreds because of what Duvodas did, there were some Daroth that were smack in the middle of the ambush Karis set up. Karis took a crossbow bolt in her back and she died. Tarantio was in a coma for several days and missed Karis's funeral. Duvodas managed to place the Eldarin Pearl where it was supposed to, but he was unable to play the music that was necessary to bring back the Eldarin because of all the hate within him. The music was borne of love, and it was all but driven from Duvodas when Shira was killed. It turns out the child he and Shira were going to have survived somehow and was brought to him. What happened next...I have no clue. I'm guessing the love had taken root again and eventually, Duvodas was able to bring forth the Eldarin again.
Though Dark Moon is nothing like the Lord of the Rings, it's still a gripping story and the pace is set considerably well. Those with a vivid imagination would enjoy it, methinks.
Overall...9 out of 10.
British fantasy writer David Gemmell provides another tale of swords and sorcery, heroism and cowardice, and does so in such a way that it grabs your imagination with an iron grip.
Dark Moon is about a group of 4 duchies that are constantly warring with each other - Romark, Corduin, The Marches, and Corsair. Alliances form and crumble just as quickly in a matter of months. The thing they are warring over is an artifact called the Eldarin Pearl.
It turns out that long ago, there was one race - the Oltor. They were a non-violent type who helped others with their healing and their music, which tied into their healing. Malice, hate, and war were things that did not exist within them - they were in harmony with the world and all others that lived. One day, their music opened a gateway to two other worlds, and out came two other races - the Eldarin, which were similar to the Oltor in some respects, and the Daroth, which lived on malice, war, and conquering others.
The Daroth and Eldarin were given land to raise crops, herd cattle, and all in all, just do what they had to do to survive. However, the Daroth soon warred with the Oltor and ultimately wiped them out. The Eldarin learned some of the things the Oltor knew and used some magic to seal the Daroth away in another world. Then, the Eldarin brought forth humans, which displayed characteristics of the Daroth and the Oltor. Humans eventually turned against the Eldarin, and just to save themselves, the Eldarin sealed themselves away in a gigantic pearl which could only be opened with a particular ritual.
Anyway, Duke Sirano of Romark was in possession of the Eldarin Pearl, and had learned enough sorcery to begin experimentation on it. Through a major blunder somehow, the Daroth were brought back - and their appetite for war, death, and destruction had not waned one bit. They are immortal (or so they claim) - when they are slain, their spirits are eventually reincarnated. Their bodies are built in such a way that a fatal blow is dicey at best, but they cannot withstand fire. They are telepaths as well, so discussing strategies on how to defeat them is all but impossible.
During this time, three people with capabilities above that of others were doing what they deemed necessary to survive. They are:
Tarantio - a deadly swordsman of his day, and one to not cross at all. It seems like he has dual personalities. One of them is the part of him that enjoys life and does not lust for war or hurting others. The other, called Dace, seems to be a bloodthirsty maniac who takes control when someone is threatening him. Then, there is...
Karis - a woman whose skill with a bow and horses knew no equal. Her ability to form strategies falls upon legendary, and she is fiercely independent. Many lovers she had, but no husband - a love 'em and leave 'em type, it seems. And finally...
Duvodas - a healer well versed in the ways of the Eldarin. His pacifist ways and skill with a harp earned him some recognition in some areas, particularly the Wise Owl tavern. Its owner, Ceofrin, and his crippled daughter, Shira, have taken a shine to him (particuarly Shira). He eventually marries her and she becomes pregnant.
But, when the Daroth are brought back through Sirano's magic, they seem to be the only hope for humankind's survival. Sirano, though badly wounded in an attack by the Daroth, was taken into a monastery and nursed back to health as best as possible. Through some healing magic, Tarantio's companion, named Brune, is somehow fused with the being of the last Oltor to ever live - the Oltor Prime. The Oltor Prime manages to heal Shira's crippled leg through some intricate healing. Later on, after working with Duvodas, Brune is brought back to normal and the Oltor Prime passes on. Before passing, the Oltor Prime tells Duvodas the location of the Eldarin Pearl and what will be necessary to bring the Eldarin back.
They succeed and get a couple of enchanted swords out of it as well - Sirano enchanted Tarantio's swords before sending them on their way. Shortly thereafter, Sirano is slain by a Daroth raiding party. Karis is making plans to hold the Daroth back - it involves specially built catapaults, ballistae, armor, battle-axes, and crossbows.
Duvodas plans to go south with Shira, who is several months pregnant by the time. They leave Corduin with a bunch of refugees - however, the Daroth happen upon them and Shira is slain. Duvodas loses control of his anger and casts a spell that makes a forest sprout right there, skewering around 200 Daroth. With the Eldarin Pearl in his possession, he sets out for the cities of the Daroth with one thing in mind - revenge.
Meanwhile, back in Corduin, the Daroth strike. They are repelled with the new weapons, which leads them to start tunnelling underneath and come up in the middle of the city. Somewhere along the way, Tarantio gets tired of war and death, and it seems like Dace has left him. Karis comes up with a plan to intercept the Daroth underground and bring them into a deadly ambush. It works considerably, but Tarantio is badly wounded in the attack. Karis uses herself as bait in hopes the Daroth will listen to reason. They refuse her pleas for peace, but before they attack...something goes wrong with them.
It turns out Duvodas reached the city of the Daroth and used some magic to destroy their seed pods. When the pods die, the Daroth who are linked to certain pods die as well - and this time, forever. It turns out the reason why the Daroth warred with others was because they feared co-existing with others. If others found out how they were able to reincarnate, they would seek to destroy the Daroth at their source.
However, as the Daroth were dying in the hundreds because of what Duvodas did, there were some Daroth that were smack in the middle of the ambush Karis set up. Karis took a crossbow bolt in her back and she died. Tarantio was in a coma for several days and missed Karis's funeral. Duvodas managed to place the Eldarin Pearl where it was supposed to, but he was unable to play the music that was necessary to bring back the Eldarin because of all the hate within him. The music was borne of love, and it was all but driven from Duvodas when Shira was killed. It turns out the child he and Shira were going to have survived somehow and was brought to him. What happened next...I have no clue. I'm guessing the love had taken root again and eventually, Duvodas was able to bring forth the Eldarin again.
Though Dark Moon is nothing like the Lord of the Rings, it's still a gripping story and the pace is set considerably well. Those with a vivid imagination would enjoy it, methinks.
Overall...9 out of 10.