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6th out of 34 books
—
43 voters
The Dark Lord's Handbook
by
Paul Dale (Goodreads Author)
To become a Dark Lord is no easy thing. The simple ambition to hold dominion over the world and bend all to your will sounds straightforward but it's not. There are armies to raise, fortresses to build, heroes to defeat, battles to be fought, hours of endless soliloquy in front of the mirror – it's a never ending job. Not to mention deciding what to wear. (After hours, day...more
Kindle Edition, 308 pages
Published
February 2nd 2012
by Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
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I really enjoyed this book. It was a lot of fun, which is certainly what a description like the above promised that it would be. The extended description reminded me of a line from "The Princess Bride" which is among the annals of legend for late twenty-something geeks everywhere, and thus drew me right in.
It had a lot of wry humor, poking astute fun at our archetypes for epic fantasy. There was more than a dash of social satire. It had much grey in characters pretending to be black and white, a...more
It had a lot of wry humor, poking astute fun at our archetypes for epic fantasy. There was more than a dash of social satire. It had much grey in characters pretending to be black and white, a...more
The Dark Lord's Handbook is a fun and witty romp on the dark side. The "Handbook" is essentially a manual for being bad and being good at it. Those pesky heroes keep killing the bad guys, and Evil thought perhaps this manual would keep them alive and doing his dirty work.
One of the best things about this book, on top of the great sense of humor and excellent lack of taking-itself-seriously (I mean that as a compliment), is its unique concept. It's also a bit of a farce, in that lots of fantasy c...more
One of the best things about this book, on top of the great sense of humor and excellent lack of taking-itself-seriously (I mean that as a compliment), is its unique concept. It's also a bit of a farce, in that lots of fantasy c...more
Relatively inexperienced with fantasy books I was none the less captivated by Mr. Dale's story and writing style. A generic parody of... well, name the heroic fantasy - Lord of the Rings... uh; well, you see the extent of my heroic/epic fantasy experience. The story is set in medieval times and follows the standard formula for the genre (as far as I can determine), so nothing noteworthy to report there except to confirm that the book is solidly written. The characters, the writing style and the...more
Mar 05, 2012
Mallory Anne-Marie Forbes
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Fantasy, Humour, Parody/Fantasy
Shelves:
march-2012-reads
In the never-ending warfare between Good and Evil, there needs always be-a Hero-and a Dark Lord. The problem on Evil’s side is that Dark Lord candidates seem few and far between; and when one is killed by the Hero, then Evil simply must wait until the next one is born, which could be centuries. But Evil had a clever idea: it wrote a Manual, a Handbook for the Dark Lord. Problem is, in addition to a candidate being born in the first place, it really helps if said potential Dark Lord can even read...more
The Dark Lord's Handbook was a highly entertaining read that I had trouble putting down. The story follows the rise of the dark lord from humble beginnings to his growing power while following the handbook written by evil itself. At the same time, the story follows his predestined orphan hero opposition as he grows in power and esteem. Both characters were well developed and were supported by a great set of minor characters. The world where the story took place was well put together and interes...more
A Dark Lord is Rising. He is opposed by a Hero. There are a couple of dragons who spend much of their time in human guise. There are orcs, downtrodden and despised. There are political machinations and skulduggery galore. Pretty standard fantasy stuff eh? Not likely! Paul Dale has produced a fantasy adventure with an inept Dark Lord still learning the business from his mysterious handbook. The Hero is a shouty bumpkin with a serious sword and no common sense. The fantasy hero story is turned on...more
Originally posted on my blog http://ufreview.com/2012/03/10/the-da...
I got this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review so here goes. This book was different but different in a very very very good way. It's absolutely unique amongst fantasy books in that it is both a story and a how to manual. As soon as I read the description of this book I had to read it, it sounded hilarious and it was. The handbook also pokes fun at every evil empire from Sauron in Lord of the Rings to...more
I got this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review so here goes. This book was different but different in a very very very good way. It's absolutely unique amongst fantasy books in that it is both a story and a how to manual. As soon as I read the description of this book I had to read it, it sounded hilarious and it was. The handbook also pokes fun at every evil empire from Sauron in Lord of the Rings to...more
I initially requested to R2R this book because I was intrigued by the book title. And when I read the book description, I know I gotta read this book. And I'm glad Mr. Paul Dale gave me my ARC.
What can I say about this book.. It's a story and a how-to manual (a hilarious one) all rolled into one. I found the friendly competition between Evil and Good very funny. Mr. Dale's approach on the battle between good and evil very fresh and comical.
As for Morden, our young Dark Lord, I have to say I'm i...more
What can I say about this book.. It's a story and a how-to manual (a hilarious one) all rolled into one. I found the friendly competition between Evil and Good very funny. Mr. Dale's approach on the battle between good and evil very fresh and comical.
As for Morden, our young Dark Lord, I have to say I'm i...more
The first thing I said when I saw that The Dark Lord's Handbook had been written was "Damn you for thinking of it first!" It's one of those ideas that every writer will immediately think of how they would do it, but as I read I could see that it had to be Paul Dale. Like a true evil genius, Dale has covered every aspect and contingency that is required to become a true Dark Lord.
Admittedly, the minute I see an Orc instituted into a new story I start mumbling about Tolkien and role players. Howev...more
Admittedly, the minute I see an Orc instituted into a new story I start mumbling about Tolkien and role players. Howev...more
When I lived in London, I used the tube every day and pretty much every day, I would look at the bottle-shaped diagram on the wall of the train and reflect that Morden (which is at one end of the Northern Line) would be a great name for a baddy in a book. Sure enough it is.
This book is great fun. There's a strain of subversive humour going on throughout which I really enjoyed but never at the expense of the characterisation. No typos that I noticed but some laugh out loud funny bits and a deftly...more
This book is great fun. There's a strain of subversive humour going on throughout which I really enjoyed but never at the expense of the characterisation. No typos that I noticed but some laugh out loud funny bits and a deftly...more
What a great story!! Funny, witty .... Morden is the anti-hero you love to hate or hate to love. A totally different take on the usual heroic fantasy about saving the world from the dark. In this story there are "unwitting heroes", political power hungry mongers, and of course a bad guy : the Dark Lord. the story is fast paced, with some well described battles .... there are good chefs, aka Baron Fanfaron-- always ready to feed those who need it most .... the ones on the battlefield .... with pa...more
Really 4.5 stars. Everything about this was fresh and original.
Imagine for a moment you're at the pub with the lads. One of the boys mentions that TNT (or the British equivalent, what have you) is showing the Lord of the Rings trilogy start to finish this weekend. The conversation progresses and leads the group to wonder how two hobbits from the Shire could possibly have overcome the powerful Dark Lord Sauron. Theories abound, namely that he put the bulk of his power over the world into one ring...more
Imagine for a moment you're at the pub with the lads. One of the boys mentions that TNT (or the British equivalent, what have you) is showing the Lord of the Rings trilogy start to finish this weekend. The conversation progresses and leads the group to wonder how two hobbits from the Shire could possibly have overcome the powerful Dark Lord Sauron. Theories abound, namely that he put the bulk of his power over the world into one ring...more
"The Dark Lord's Handbook" tells the origin story of Morden, born of a virgin birth, son of a dragon, and Dark Lord in training. His chief adviser is the titular Dark Lord's Handbook, a book that the orcs have kept in safe keeping after the death of the previous Dark Lord, Zoon the Reviled. The chosen hero is Edwin, a self-important, single-minded, myopic sociopath with a magic sword and a crush on a girl.
The story is largely tongue-in-cheek, poking fun at epic fantasy tropes. It was never laug...more
The story is largely tongue-in-cheek, poking fun at epic fantasy tropes. It was never laug...more
a full review should be due, coming soon :)
according to my kindle, I'm 59% of the book :)
The War between the Evil and Good is as ancient as time and every day a small battle is fought, between groups of people or inside a person’s self, and every once in a while a great Evil prevails casting darkness to the world and threatening humanity, and whenever such darkness appears, you can be sure that groups or individuals will appear and save the world from this peril, or is that the case?
I’ve ready m...more
according to my kindle, I'm 59% of the book :)
The War between the Evil and Good is as ancient as time and every day a small battle is fought, between groups of people or inside a person’s self, and every once in a while a great Evil prevails casting darkness to the world and threatening humanity, and whenever such darkness appears, you can be sure that groups or individuals will appear and save the world from this peril, or is that the case?
I’ve ready m...more
Conceptually it is a superb idea.
I mean it is only natural that Dark Lords, who intend to take over the world with their minions, would need a basic step by step manual to do so.
The author has quite the flair for irony and a witty repertoire. Quite a few times I found myself shaking my hand and grinning.
However I do think it could have so much more.
The story often slips in and out of banal storyline and then whips back into a great comedic dryness. This roller coaster is what made it less than...more
I mean it is only natural that Dark Lords, who intend to take over the world with their minions, would need a basic step by step manual to do so.
The author has quite the flair for irony and a witty repertoire. Quite a few times I found myself shaking my hand and grinning.
However I do think it could have so much more.
The story often slips in and out of banal storyline and then whips back into a great comedic dryness. This roller coaster is what made it less than...more
very well written and a amusingly told story.
If you are a pratchett fan and remember Evil Harry from "The Last Hero" ,then you will have a pretty good idea what's in store.
If you are a pratchett fan and remember Evil Harry from "The Last Hero" ,then you will have a pretty good idea what's in store.
I realy loved this book. It held my attention right from the start, and built on that as it progressed. Witty and cleverly put together... a very good read
Amusing, but not quite laugh out loud funny, though that might just be me. I'm not one to lol much while reading. Would I read another in this series? Sure.
Slyly funny and engrossing.
good read
a star lost for the ending.
It started off with a great story, but ended like a fairy tale. That was the only let down. Otherwise the quotes and the verses from the book are marvelous!
This is a wonderful tongue-in-cheek account of the rise of a new Dark Lord. The only thing that keeps it from five stars is the abrupt ending. I really wish that the author would have taken the time to wrap things up properly.
Duh, benernya cukup seru, tapi kok endingnya gak jelas gitu ya? ^^;;
Parts of this book are very good. I actually found some of the passages laugh out loud funny. However about halfway through the book I felt like it lacked focus. The author was trying to tell too many stories at once. The book could be much tighter.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fantasy Book Club: The Dark Lord's Handbook - giveaway | 38 | 96 | Jun 12, 2012 07:11pm | |
| SciFi and Fantasy...: The Dark Lord's Handbook - giveaway | 12 | 81 | Jun 11, 2012 08:56am | |
| Indie Book Club: The Dark Lord's Handbook - giveaway | 11 | 16 | Jun 11, 2012 08:51am | |
| The Humour Club: The Dark Lord's Handbook - influences in writing | 1 | 10 | Mar 24, 2012 06:36am | |
| Goodreads Authors...: The Dark Lord's Handbook | 15 | 25 | Feb 23, 2012 06:09am | |
| Making Connections: Paul Dale | 1 | 14 | Feb 22, 2012 04:04pm |
Paul Dale lives in Bath, England. When he's not writing, he's cycling, which means he doesn't get much writing done. The Dark Lord's Handbook is his first Indie book.
Now that Bradley Wiggins has won the Tour de France, work continues on the sequel, whose working title is: The Dark Lord's Handbook: Morden's Conquest.
Paul's other interests include film, baking, physics, sport and Buddhism.
Paul has...more
More about Paul Dale...
Now that Bradley Wiggins has won the Tour de France, work continues on the sequel, whose working title is: The Dark Lord's Handbook: Morden's Conquest.
Paul's other interests include film, baking, physics, sport and Buddhism.
Paul has...more
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May 10, 2012 07:23am
May 10, 2012 09:05am