Rated 2.5 stars because the more I think about the ending, the angrier I become. Chadbourn spends 320 in this book alone building up to the fact that all 5 Brothers and Sisters of Dragons must be together in order for them to stand a chance at defeating the Void. So they trapise through the Otherworld looking for help, seek out the three survivors of the previous 5 who fought in the Fall, and hack away at immense odds, only so that in the last 3 pages the Shadow Mage can save the day.But does he really?As the end approached, I kept thinking back to the first trilogy where Jack Churchill meets up with the government guys who try to convince him that the return of the Celtic gods is a hallucination. By the end of that trilogy, we learn that those government guys, standing for money and power, do exist and tried to sway the world, and failed. I kept thinking that somehow they would come back into play, perhaps having gotten the necessary toe hold and that is what the Void represented. But I was wrong.As Hal kept looking at the image from the Wish Stone, I repeatedly thought that Jack Churchill--the King representation--would be brought back and complete the 5 Brothers and Sisters of Dragons. Hal even got to realizing it and I was desperately hoping to see Jack return, him and Ruth be reunited, and the Void properly defeated. Chadbourn had other ideas.Chadbourn decided to play the biggest god from the machine possible, and it left me disappointed. (view spoiler)[Hal meets up with Dian Chet, the Caretaker, and the Fabulous Beast/Jenny hybrid, receives the Wayfinder, and lets his essence get spread through all time and Existence to place the clues that he will eventually find that will, what?, lead him right back to this point where he's standing at the stone in the lab getting ready to spread his essence through all of time and Existence to place the clues that he will eventually find that will... Well, you get the idea. (hide spoiler)]
I really like the Dark Age series altogether. However, I was disappointed to find out that Chadbourn had forestalled the ultimate confrontation between Existence and The Void for the next series. There is no single protagonist in this book. Chadbourn performs a balancing act while depicting the stories of five Brothers and Sisters of Dragons, and many sub-characters. As a result, the depth of each character suffers a bit. Still, Chadbourn makes the story move along enough to keep the reader interested. That's more than I can say for a lot of authors. I didn't have to force myself to read any of the Dark Age Novels.The Dark Age contains deep philosophical and spiritual implications as wekk. Chadbourn attempts to reconcile all religions, as well as science, by depicting a pervasive power, which serves as the base of Existence--like Lao Tzu's Tao or The Force from Star Wars. Through his character Hal's struggle to discover a secret hidden in books, art and Arthurian legend, which could save Existence, Chadbourn alludes to the power and magic of stories to bind an otherwise incomprehensible multi-verse together. Thankfully, Chadbourn communicates all of this by way of a fast-paced Sci Fi/Fantasy/Adventure/Suspense story that brings ancient gods back to life. Throughout these tales, Chadbourn subtly celebrates "The Fall" of the mundane world of modern mediocrity and the rise of the dangerous but vivacious, magical, mystical, and more satisfying realm embodied in The Land of Eternal Summer.
Do You like book The Hounds Of Avalon (2006)?
well, this was really, really good.Better than the second book, most deffinetly. Better than the first? I don't know, I was just glad to see Mallorey back in action, and Hunter was pretty neat too. I can't say too much about it, it was simply really enjoyable.and the ending, or actually the chapter before the ending was really fun. Mark you had me almost tearing my hair and screaming my lungs out. I thought it was simply cruel. and I was this close to throwing the book away and giving it one star but than... It turned out a bit of a cruel joke... and an effective one at that. very, very mean Mr. Chadbourn!the ending itsself was satisfactory. Pretty much how I liked it to end. not bad, but not good either. it was, as far as fantasy goes, believable. (view spoiler)[It all went to hell, but not without a little light at the end of the tunnel. (hide spoiler)]
—Tristan
I had thought that The Dark Age was just set in the same world as the Age of Misrule. It's not. It's part of a complex and epic story that combines elements of Faerie, King Arthur and Stonehenge and continues where Always Forever left off. There are themes of spirituality, religion and technology that somehow make sense, rather than being pitted against each other. Stereotypes make their appearence, but there's always a twist or turn to keep you thinking. My biggest complaint is that now I have to find the Kingdom of the Serpent trilogy (apparently out of print) to get the end of the story.
—Elvet
