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Darknesses (Corean Chronicles, Book 2) |
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Author:
L. E. Modesitt
By Tor Fantasy
Average Customer Rating:  
List Price: $7.99
Our Price: $4.43
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Product Description
Darknesses, the sequel to Legacies, is the second volume of L. E Modesitt, Jr. 's new fantasy sequence, the Corean Chronicles.
Corus is a world of humans, but also of strange animals and supernatural creatures. It is a world of magical powers and of a few people who are Talented enough to use them. Alucius, the hero of the story, is one such person. In Legacies we saw how he grew from a Talented child on a lonely Nightsheep ranch in the Iron Valleys to a proficient soldier who used his wits and his Talent to become the first to escape military enslavement in the neighboring country of Madrien. Now captain of the Twenty-first Company, the youngest officer of his rank in the Militia, he must face new challenges, both military and magical.
Corus has been fragmented since the collapse of its ancient magic-powered civilization. A would-be conqueror has somehow revived sorcerous creatures of legend to assist in his crusade to reunite the continent under his rule. The Iron Valleys are forced into an alliance with the Lord-Protector of Lanachrona and the Twenty-first is dispatched to stand against the invaders. Neither the officers above him nor the men under him know it, but Alucius's Talent is their only hope for victory, or even survival.
In Darknesses, Alucius learns more about his magical Talent, meets many more supernatural creatures, and discovers the sinister forces vying for power behind the scenes across Corus. This volume resolves many questions raised in the first book, but it is not the end of Corean Chronicles.
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 a solid offering that feels strangely like Recluse, 2006-09-13
L. E. Modesitt, Jr has created a world, or at least a continent, called Corus which bears striking similarities to that of his most famous series The Saga of Recluse. The first two books in The Corean Chronicles features a storyline which should be familiar to those who have read several Recluse novels in that a young man who is highly competent but does not know as much as he should is put into situations where he must succeed and excel or he will likely die. The young man becomes more than he thought he was while claiming he is nothing but a simple herder. The magic system here is not explained well, but it has to do with feel, intuition, seeing lines of power, shades of color and darkness being the color of decent humanity. A reader could make a case that this series picks up thousands of years after The Death of Chaos even though I suspect that Modesitt would not claim any connection between Recluse and Corus. Darknesses is the second volume of The Corean Chronicles and Alucius is now a Captain in the Iron Valley Militia. He is serving out his time so he can go home to his wife and family and live a quiet life as a herder, but he knows there is some evil out there because he has already confronted so much and is already legendary among those who have heard his exploits. Alucius himself remains humble and quiet, though he is death to any who stand in his way. Alucius, like many of Modesitt's heroes, will do whatever is necessary so that he and his men stay alive. It is called brutal efficiency and his skill at "Talent", the magic system of Corus is what makes him doubly so successful.
Darknesses moves Alucius up the ranks while others plot against him because of a level of Talent skill which he possesses but does not know about. Alucius has no ambition other than staying alive and returning home, but others view him as a threat. After the first fifty to perhaps a hundred pages Darknesses picks up as the reader becomes immersed in this world and story. Modesitt gives a wealth of detail about the mundane life, but it is all about building a sense of place and character that we know as much as Alucius does (though many thoughts and revelations are left unexplained, like saying "aha!" without explaining why) and that we can understand the character of Alucius. There is a very limited narrator in that much of the novel follows Alucius and we get many of his thoughts, but we also are put into the heads of various other important characters for very short chapters so that we have a hint of the other plots that are ongoing against Alucius.
Darknesses reads much like a Recluse novel, just without the Order versus Chaos magic dynamic, and this is a compliment. It is perhaps a backhanded compliment because there is not a very large distinction between Corus and Recluse and it feels like this story could just have easily have been told in Recluse as it was in Corus. There is a smooth and easy flow to Modesitt's writing and Darknesses was an enjoyable read.
-Joe Sherry
"Darknessess"...a great follow up to book 1, "Legacies", 2005-09-30
An enjoyable book.
As with the first book in the Corean Chronicles, this novel is about our reluctant, humble hero, Alucius: a good guy, whose easy to like, making the book pleasant to read. There is, however, enough action to keep the story interesting and moving along.(with the exception of one, somewhat repetitious part, about 4/5 the way through).
If you liked the first book, "Legacies", then you will like this one as well. It's not deep, but it is entertaining and will keep you coming back to it until it's finished.
Solidly satisfying fare, 2004-12-30
After losing some of my faith in Modesitt following the Spellsong cycle and some of the later books in the Recluse series, it was a relief to begin reading the Corean Chronicles. Darknesses continues the solid work begun in Legacies. The character of Alucius deepens his understanding of his Talent and capabilities. The reader gains more knowledge of Corus and the different powers within Corus.
The interesting thing about Modesitt is that he always seems to like the ideas that he is working out more than he likes the reader. His books are not really that different from one another; they always seem like parts of the same larger project. When he gets it wrong (Spellsong cycle), then the novels become repetitive and tedious. When he gets it right, then there is a real reassuring quality that makes his work a pleasure to read.
In the world of Modesitt, hard work and solid values are always rewarded. As a reader, it is often nice to have a little literary corner where this is true.
a good second book in this trilogy, 2004-06-18
Darkness is a good tribute to the world Modesitt has developed. A military tale, Modesitt delves into the everyday boredom and gut clenching combat of a company of mounted militia who are pawns in the game of nations.He also develops the powers Captain Alucius has and introduces the alien danger threatening the Corean world. Modesitt heroes are ordinary people with extraordinary powers achieving amazing tasks. Luck, tenacity and skill allows Alucius to not only preserve his life but the life of his men. But in combat, it is not enough and his men and friends die. This world is an interesting blend of mechanical technology with magical powers. Gritty realism where the characters bleed and hurt. A very fast and enjoyable read and it leaves enough questions to eagerly await the third book.
Darknesses is a hit!, 2004-05-18
Darknesses, the second Corean Chronicles takes up a year later in th military career of our hero. It is jam packed with action, sometimes almost too much with not enough pause between action scenes. Again our hero has to combat evil while trying to keep himself and his troopers alive, not to mention his secret talent. We learn more about the Soarers and the early history of Corus. Our hero's talent and his wife's talent grow in this novel. I had to keep reading to find out what happens to our hero next. I feel some of the battle scenes and wars end a little too quick. The fighting and battles are almost over before you can really get into them. I feel the author could have drawn things out a little more. I look forward to more books in this series as I really enjoyed reading this.
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Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780765346339
ISBN: 0765346338
Label: Tor Fantasy
Manufacturer: Tor Fantasy
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 544
Publication Date: 2004-05-16
Publisher: Tor Fantasy
Studio: Tor Fantasy |
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