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Average customer rating:

Not as good as the first one.
Second of the Ten (currently) available
Still coherent, and some nice moments
Almost, but not quite
An Excellent Beginning

Darkspell
Katharine Kerr
Manufacturer: Spectra
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The Bristling Wood (Deverry)
Daggerspell
The Dragon Revenant (The Deverry Series)
A Time of Exile
A Time of Omens (Novel of the Westlands)

ASIN: 0553568884
Release Date: 1994-11-10

Book Description

On the long roads of Deverry ride two mercenaries whose fates like hidden deep in that of their own land. But Lord Rhodry, exiled from the dragon court of Aberwyn, has yet to discover his true parentage, and his swordmaster-lover, Jill, has barely glimpsed her awesome powers. Meanwhile, the ancient sorcerer Nevyn, held back by his vows from boldly intervening in their lives, can only watch and wait as Rhodry and Jill move ever closer to danger. For as the two struggle to recover the Great Stone, the mystic jewel that guides the conscience of the kingship of Deverry, malevolent dark masters are weaving terrifying spells against them--and displacing messengers of death.

Katharine Kerr has extensively rewritten Darkspell, incorporating major changes in the text, making this her definitive edition. Here the epic saga that began with the Daggerspell continues--a tale of might and magic, lust and glory, dark danger and poignant desires that echo from Deverry's sapphire waters to its secret mountain caverns. It's a spellbinding story destined to please fantasy lovers everywhere.

Customer Reviews:

Not as good as the first one........2006-12-04

Something I really liked about the first book ("Daggerspell") was how the characters weren't divided into "heroes" and "villains". There were only humans, imperfect, flawed, but trying to do the right thing, some with more success than others.

Thus I was rather disappointed when I bought this book and WHAM, Nevyn was a saint and the enemy was consorting with the Lords of Darkness themselves. Where did that come from?

Second of the Ten (currently) available.......2006-08-01

On the long roads of Deverry ride two mercenaries whose fates lie hidden deep in that of their land. But Lord Rhodry, exiled from the dragon court of Aberwyn, has yet to discover his true parentage, and his swordmaster-lover, Jill, has barely glimpsed her awesome powers. Meanwhile, the ancient sorcerer Nevyn, held back by his vows from boldly intervening in their lives, can only watch and wait as Rhodry and Jill move ever closer to danger. For as the two struggle to recover the Great Stone, the mystic jewel that guides the conscience of the kingship of Deverry, malevolent dark masters are weaving terrifying spells against them--and dispatching messengers of death. Inextricably bound to the fate of the land, Nevyn, Rhodry, and Jill struggle to unite the humans of Deverry with the powerful, mysterious, and once-hostile race of Elves. But theirs is a bold and dangerous venture that soon is undearthed by the sinister sorcerers of Annwn. These malevolent magicians know all too well that the joining of the two races--together with their mystical powers--will ultimately destroy their evil empire. In an uneasy alliance of dark forces, the sorcerers strike out to stop the union. And now, it is up to Nevy, the ancient and cunning wizard, to find a way to save his comrades and the destiny of Deverry...if only he himself can survive the wrath of Annwn's deadly magic.

Katherine Kerr's writing takes a bit of getting used to, but it's worth the effort. She approaches her stories with a Celtic storytelling mindset, which means she conveys events according to their significance to the story, as opposed to chronologically. Consequently, while the stories begin in the "present" (which is an elastic concept, anyway, in a fantasy setting), the events unfold, chapter wise, both in the "present" and in the distant past. This can be frustrating, at first, but Kerr's writing is heavily steeped in Pagan and Western Mystery tradition, and the Celtic setting (and mindset) of her characters means that time, or chronological time, is not essentially relevant. To be honest, I found the first book infuriating, as I spent a lot of time trying to adjust to the writing style. However, I found the story engrossing enough that I persevered, and by the second book was so hooked I've read all ten in her three series.

Kerr's story evolves around the concept of reincarnation, and unfinished business, and "karma", and fate. The same souls recur again and again, just in new bodies, over the course of the centuries over which the story unfolds.

Kerr's world is one of High Fantasy, populated by Elves, Men, and Dwarves, as well as faeries/elementals, which she terms the "Wildfolk". However, hers is a slightly more dark, dangerous and less clear cut world than the works of other High Fantasy authors, not the least due to the fact that someone who was your friend in a former life can re-emerge in the story centuries later as a foe, and vice versa. There is a tremendous amount of magic, but it's the magic of the Western Mystery tradition (quite a bit of Golden Dawn and even Enochiana), and that of R.J. Stewarts Faery tradition. There are dragons, and giant beast men.

The Elves are a fallen race, driven out of their magnificent and palatial cities centuries before by invaders, and who now roam the plains as primitives. They possess the potential to be superlative magicians, but the knowledge was lost in the fall of their civilization. Humans, though warlike and shorter lived, have preserved this knowledge, but guard it jealously. The Wildfolk, basically magic incarnate, are unhinged from the effects of "karma", but lack permanence of personality, and cannot grow or develop, cursed to stagnation. The Dwarves are a secretive mystery, entrenched within the earth. Each has something to offer the other, and the story that unfolds is the story of this "technology" exchange, of sorts, between them.

Fans of Marion Zimmer Bradley, who clearly influenced Kerr, will be enraptured by this series, as will fans of Kate Eliott, who Kerr, herself, clearly influenced. It's phenomenal! Devotees of the New Age, Esoteric or Occult will find themselves nodding and smiling as they read, and sincerely hoping Kerr's writing will do for the Western Mystery and Faery traditions what Bradley's has done for Wicca.

Still coherent, and some nice moments.......2005-04-15

Still some nice things running in this series. Kerr's reincarnation structure gives her the freedom to run off into `new' self-contained stories within the one larger story: they still relate to (particularly with the continuity of Nevyn) and shape `current' events, but give the satisfaction of some internal resolution. Half this volume is devoted to a virtual novella set three-hundred years prior, and Kerr has the fun of yet again playing out her basic characters with a few intriguing alternatives - very much the parallel universe feel. I found the Gweniver-Dannyn-Ricyn incarnation more potent than the attached `main' storyline, which was OK, sort of a drug-dealer whodunit, but not as enjoyable. Besides, I always hate it when charismatic heroes go broody, and hopefully Rhodry will be able to make his peace with his lowered status and make better company in the next book.

I didn't enjoy it as much as Daggerspell, but she's hardly dropped the ball here, and the form she's running with is still coherent and satisfying. Some things are potentially worrying - getting the balance right so Nevyn doesn't find everything too easy (cf. Belgareth), but can still bring justice and some impressive majesty (cf. Gandalf): it is nice that she doesn't have him being too coy about his powers if need be. I think she overuses the flashes of `dweomer-cold' that so many characters inexplicably have: sure you can have magic, but it's not as satisfying if it can just be inserted randomly - it should cost something and work within its own suspension of disbelief parameters/logic - in other ways it does in this series.

Almost, but not quite.......2003-07-28

This is the first Katherine Kerr novel I've read and I generally enjoyed it. She is a solid storyteller with no real weaknesses apparent in this book. She has a knack for creating memorable characters with credible motivations. The world she has invented is very well imagined and thoroughly integrated. The way in which magic functions in this world is very interesting. I also liked the ideas behind the Deverry religion. Kerr has obviously spent some time researching Welsh culture and history, and it has served her well here. The idea of a race or society from our world being transported part-and-parcel to another is a popular one in fantasy fiction, but it does provide for a believable background to the story. On the whole, I found the book to be quite engaging.

The only thing preventing me from giving this book four (or more) stars is a strange underlying current of homophobia. The only gay characters are a pair of evil sorcerers who use rape to generate power and their sniveling victim. On at least two occasions, one of the main characters even reacts to the very idea of homosexuality with horror and disgust, leaving the reader to wonder where the author stands on the issue. I'm not saying that a book can't have a gay villain, of course, but with these characters, Kerr almost seems to make their sexuality part and parcel of their evil. As it is, however, it's as if someone had written a cop drama in which the only black or Hispanic character in the whole story was the violent murderer.

If you can get past this small detail, or if such things don't bother you as much as they do me, you should enjoy this novel.

An Excellent Beginning.......2002-01-31

This book is just the beginning. It is one of the best books I have read as far as style and content go. But it seems that the people who are not satisfied only look at this book. In my opinion the first three books, Daggerspell, Darkspell, and The Bristling Wood, are just setting the stage for what is to come. She did an excellent job of keeping the plot moving while keeping you interested. Also the way the characters souls are all intertwined and locked with each other puts an interesting spin to things. It is almost like watching a child growing and never knowing what to expect next. Overall I feel that the world she has created starting with Daggerspell will be a part of me forever.

Average customer rating:

Darkspell
Katharine KERR
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OP8AM6

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Darkspell

Manufacturer: Turtleback Books Distributed by Demco Media
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0606275568

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DARKSPELL PB DEVERRY 02
Katharine Kerr
Manufacturer: Voyager
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O8W13C

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