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Blackbird #4
Drei Krieger im Zwielicht
Fourth in the "Blackbird" series, this book continues the epic saga of Emperor Xaedrek. At the end the evil serpent has been defeated again, but Emperor Xaedrek is determined to keep the evil spirit alive, in order to harness the power for himself.
- GenresFantasy
Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
About the author
Freda Warrington
52 books330 followersFreda Warrington is an award-winning British author, known for her epic fantasy, vampire and supernatural novels.
“The Blood Wine books are addictive, thrilling reads that are impossible to put down and they definitely deserve more attention” – Worldhopping.net
Her earliest novels, the Blackbird series, were written and published in the 1980s. In the intervening years she has seen numerous novels of epic fantasy, supernatural and contemporary fantasy, vampires, dark romance, horror and alternative history published.
Her novel ELFLAND won the Romantic Times BEST FANTASY NOVEL Award in 2009, while her 1997 Dracula sequel DRACULA THE UNDEAD won the Dracula Society's BEST GOTHIC NOVEL Award.
Four of her novels (Dark Cathedral, Pagan Moon, Dracula the Undead, and The Amber Citadel) have been nominated or shortlisted for the British Fantasy Society's Best Novel award. The American Library Association placed MIDSUMMER NIGHT in its Top Ten for 2010.
Recently Titan Book reissued her popular romantic-gothic Blood Wine vampire series set in the 1920s - A Taste of Blood Wine, A Dance in Blood Velvet and The Dark Blood of Poppies - along with a brand new novel, The Dark Arts of Blood. In 2017, Telos Publishing will publish her first short story collection, NIGHTS OF BLOOD WINE, featuring fifteen lush dark tales - ten set in her Blood Wine world, and five others of gothic weirdness.
In 2003, Simon & Schuster published The Court of the Midnight King, an alternative history/ fantasy retelling of the story of King Richard III. To celebrate all the events surrounding the discovery of Richard III's remains in Leicester, The Court of the Midnight King is now available on Kindle and in paperback format. Most of her backlist titles, including the Blackbird series, Dracula the Undead, Dark Cathedral and Pagan Moon, can already be found on Kindle or will be available in the next few months.
Warrington has also seen numerous short stories published in anthologies and magazines. For further information, visit her website Freda Warrington
Born in Leicester, Warrington grew up in the Charnwood Forest area of Leicestershire. After completing high school, she trained at Loughborough College of Art and Design and worked in medical illustration and graphic design for some years. She eventually moved to full-time writing, and also still enjoys design, photography, art, jewellery-making and other crafts, travelling and conventions.
Series:
* Jewelfire
* Dark Cathedral
* Aetherial Tales
* Blackbird
“The Blood Wine books are addictive, thrilling reads that are impossible to put down and they definitely deserve more attention” – Worldhopping.net
Her earliest novels, the Blackbird series, were written and published in the 1980s. In the intervening years she has seen numerous novels of epic fantasy, supernatural and contemporary fantasy, vampires, dark romance, horror and alternative history published.
Her novel ELFLAND won the Romantic Times BEST FANTASY NOVEL Award in 2009, while her 1997 Dracula sequel DRACULA THE UNDEAD won the Dracula Society's BEST GOTHIC NOVEL Award.
Four of her novels (Dark Cathedral, Pagan Moon, Dracula the Undead, and The Amber Citadel) have been nominated or shortlisted for the British Fantasy Society's Best Novel award. The American Library Association placed MIDSUMMER NIGHT in its Top Ten for 2010.
Recently Titan Book reissued her popular romantic-gothic Blood Wine vampire series set in the 1920s - A Taste of Blood Wine, A Dance in Blood Velvet and The Dark Blood of Poppies - along with a brand new novel, The Dark Arts of Blood. In 2017, Telos Publishing will publish her first short story collection, NIGHTS OF BLOOD WINE, featuring fifteen lush dark tales - ten set in her Blood Wine world, and five others of gothic weirdness.
In 2003, Simon & Schuster published The Court of the Midnight King, an alternative history/ fantasy retelling of the story of King Richard III. To celebrate all the events surrounding the discovery of Richard III's remains in Leicester, The Court of the Midnight King is now available on Kindle and in paperback format. Most of her backlist titles, including the Blackbird series, Dracula the Undead, Dark Cathedral and Pagan Moon, can already be found on Kindle or will be available in the next few months.
Warrington has also seen numerous short stories published in anthologies and magazines. For further information, visit her website Freda Warrington
Born in Leicester, Warrington grew up in the Charnwood Forest area of Leicestershire. After completing high school, she trained at Loughborough College of Art and Design and worked in medical illustration and graphic design for some years. She eventually moved to full-time writing, and also still enjoys design, photography, art, jewellery-making and other crafts, travelling and conventions.
Series:
* Jewelfire
* Dark Cathedral
* Aetherial Tales
* Blackbird
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 25, 2017
What a ride! This has taken my emotions up and down so much it's taken me three days to be able to start writing a review.
A Blackbird in Twilight is the fourth book in Blackbird series, and the concluding part of the story started in A Blackbird in Amber.
Mellorn / Melkavesh has raised an army to repel the Gorethrian army. But her sorcery has been no help to her, and the Gorethrian Emperor Xaedrek is using the power of the last remaining demon to strengthen his soldiers and power his war machines.
But they all fail to see that the biggest threat to Earth is the demon, who has dark plans of their own.
There is some serious character growth in this book! The characters are all imperfect shades of grey.
Mellorn wants to stop the Empire enslaving the whole continent, but she also has her own ego. She sees herself as a saviour, as a leader and an Empress, and she can't see her own faults.
Kharaan thinks of herself as a coward, but over the two books, she has evolved into a strong and resilient woman. She acts as Mellorn's conscience, putting the brakes on the sorceress' ego.
Xaedrek is doing some very bad things and has allowed himself to be controlled by the demon. But his motivation is his love of Gorethria, and he is sensible and logical and capable of caring. We see all sides of him and he comes across as a real person, not a cardboard cutout villainous emperor.
The first Blackbird book I enjoyed, but you could see Freda Warrington's inexperience as a writer, and I found it a little bit naive. Her writing was good from the first book but also improved massively over the series. This fourth book is multilayered and deeply thought out. It's well written and atmospheric and full of difficult decisions for her characters. There are no right answers here, no obvious rights and wrongs
I can never guess where the story is going to go next, what the characters will do, how they will deal with their problems. And yet, when it happens, when things are resolved, it's hard to see how it could have happened any other way.
Don't read Freda Warrington if you don't want a bittersweet ending. I feel heartbroken and yet happy at the same time. And she is so very good at making her villains so human you understand their actions, and even sympathise with them.
This is the most enjoyable fantasy series I've read in a long time, and this book has easily earned its five stars.
A Blackbird in Twilight is the fourth book in Blackbird series, and the concluding part of the story started in A Blackbird in Amber.
Mellorn / Melkavesh has raised an army to repel the Gorethrian army. But her sorcery has been no help to her, and the Gorethrian Emperor Xaedrek is using the power of the last remaining demon to strengthen his soldiers and power his war machines.
But they all fail to see that the biggest threat to Earth is the demon, who has dark plans of their own.
There is some serious character growth in this book! The characters are all imperfect shades of grey.
Mellorn wants to stop the Empire enslaving the whole continent, but she also has her own ego. She sees herself as a saviour, as a leader and an Empress, and she can't see her own faults.
Kharaan thinks of herself as a coward, but over the two books, she has evolved into a strong and resilient woman. She acts as Mellorn's conscience, putting the brakes on the sorceress' ego.
Xaedrek is doing some very bad things and has allowed himself to be controlled by the demon. But his motivation is his love of Gorethria, and he is sensible and logical and capable of caring. We see all sides of him and he comes across as a real person, not a cardboard cutout villainous emperor.
The first Blackbird book I enjoyed, but you could see Freda Warrington's inexperience as a writer, and I found it a little bit naive. Her writing was good from the first book but also improved massively over the series. This fourth book is multilayered and deeply thought out. It's well written and atmospheric and full of difficult decisions for her characters. There are no right answers here, no obvious rights and wrongs
I can never guess where the story is going to go next, what the characters will do, how they will deal with their problems. And yet, when it happens, when things are resolved, it's hard to see how it could have happened any other way.
Don't read Freda Warrington if you don't want a bittersweet ending. I feel heartbroken and yet happy at the same time. And she is so very good at making her villains so human you understand their actions, and even sympathise with them.
This is the most enjoyable fantasy series I've read in a long time, and this book has easily earned its five stars.
December 3, 2021
Been a pleasant enough series, though nothing particularly different about it.
My main level of interest in this was how they were going to resolve the love interest between the Heroine of the story and a guy who is basically Adolf Hitler but worse.
Convinced his nation is the master race and happily tortures and kills people from other races without a thought. But somehow projects in the storyline as not totally evil and possibly redeemable.
I was a little disappointed in the ending, although it was handled not too badly.
My main level of interest in this was how they were going to resolve the love interest between the Heroine of the story and a guy who is basically Adolf Hitler but worse.
Convinced his nation is the master race and happily tortures and kills people from other races without a thought. But somehow projects in the storyline as not totally evil and possibly redeemable.
I was a little disappointed in the ending, although it was handled not too badly.
September 24, 2023
I return to Freda Warrington's Blackbird series after a long time to continue with it.
Again, I am taken in by this very stringent and focused story telling.
I simply loved being back in this world with its different planes and the challenges it faces in order to stay alive.
And, also, I felt again, that the narrator for this story is excellently chosen.
Again, I am taken in by this very stringent and focused story telling.
I simply loved being back in this world with its different planes and the challenges it faces in order to stay alive.
And, also, I felt again, that the narrator for this story is excellently chosen.
Read
August 23, 2008isbn,original
September 17, 2015
Read some years ago. In common with the rest of the series, I liked it at the time but not enough to keep and now cannot recall anything about it hence the middle of the road rating.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews