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Dark Ages
The world of Terragard is a dangerous place. Grint, adopted son of the God of Thieves, has survived by stealing, cheating, and conning his way across the world. When a necromancer hires him to rob the un-robbable city - it's too good an opportunity to pass up. And one he should have.
368 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 4, 2019
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22 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 4, 2022
"Grint wasn't a hero...If he could just get the butterflies out of his gut, tonight would be a marvelous night for larceny."
It's pretty rare that I fall in love with a character from the first paragraph, but that's what happened here with Grint, our morally gray thief and (I'm sure to his disgust) hero. There were so many great things about this book, so let's break it down into some spoiler-free pros and cons.
Pros:
- We love a morally gray character, and Grint was the epitome of the Chaotic Neutral adventurer. Quick witted, savvy, and willing to do whatever the heck has to be done to survive. If ever you were the one joining the assassin's guild in video games, stealing from shopkeeps while their backs were turned just to see if you could get away with it, and yet doing a long-winded quest to save a dog or horse, Grint's your man. You're gonna love this one.
- As a writer myself, it's nearly impossible to make it through an entire book without me knowing what's going to happen in some capacity. Somehow, this book kept me guessing at every turn, and had enough snark in it to call me out when I was sure the a Deus ex Machina was about to drop down from the heavens. Bravo! For that alone, I loved this book.
- Not only did I root for the hero, but I also found myself rooting for the bad-girl-gone-rogue. Our huntress Eleanor and her hounds were not the heroes of this story, but 'til the very last page I found myself hoping that maybe.... maybe...
- You ever watch a show or read a book and the MC hesitates to take out someone who is DEFINITELY going to come back to haunt them later? That's not this book. Where Grint can take someone out, he does. He's the Rick O'Connell throwing Benny over the side of the boat just for existing (1999 Cinematic Masterpiece The Mummy...I hope you got that reference). "You look like trouble...bye."
- Tierney isn't afraid to beat his characters to hell, and then bring them back and beat them up again... Like on repeat. This was a pro and a con for me. On one hand I wanted to say GIVE HIM A BREAK! and on the other, there's a certain amount of realism that comes from just having to plunge onward.
- Lastly on my major pro's list is the world building - It's good. You're gonna love it. In depth, thought out, and it feels long standing just like it should.
Cons:
As much as I loved this book there were some cons, so let's take a look at those.
- First, I really needed the text broken down into more chapters. I would sometimes be reading a chapter and I'd be like "Good god, how long have I been reading this single chapter!?" and I'd have to flip back and see when the last chapter start was. I needed more spots to break.
- There's a part of the heist where Grint goes from Chaotic Neutral to Chaotic Good for just long enough to tilt the entirety of the story, and while we're kind of given an explanation later in the book (like at the very end), what I really needed was to be in his head at the time, because I remember thinking that that wasn't like his character at all, and it knocked me out of the story.
- I don't know if this is a con, per se, but when I pulled my print copy of this out of the mailer and took a look I was like Oh I'll knock this out in 1.5 days easy. Not so! Took me 3 days to work through it because it was super dense without a lot of dialogue. So don't be fooled by page count, there's a lot here!
And that's it, really! Can't wait to catch back up with Grint in All the Gold. If you like authors that keep you on your toes, characters that don't mess around, who you'd be loathe to let into your house during a natural disaster for fear they'd take your wallet and leave you for dead, well, please pick up this book.
It's pretty rare that I fall in love with a character from the first paragraph, but that's what happened here with Grint, our morally gray thief and (I'm sure to his disgust) hero. There were so many great things about this book, so let's break it down into some spoiler-free pros and cons.
Pros:
- We love a morally gray character, and Grint was the epitome of the Chaotic Neutral adventurer. Quick witted, savvy, and willing to do whatever the heck has to be done to survive. If ever you were the one joining the assassin's guild in video games, stealing from shopkeeps while their backs were turned just to see if you could get away with it, and yet doing a long-winded quest to save a dog or horse, Grint's your man. You're gonna love this one.
- As a writer myself, it's nearly impossible to make it through an entire book without me knowing what's going to happen in some capacity. Somehow, this book kept me guessing at every turn, and had enough snark in it to call me out when I was sure the a Deus ex Machina was about to drop down from the heavens. Bravo! For that alone, I loved this book.
- Not only did I root for the hero, but I also found myself rooting for the bad-girl-gone-rogue. Our huntress Eleanor and her hounds were not the heroes of this story, but 'til the very last page I found myself hoping that maybe.... maybe...
- You ever watch a show or read a book and the MC hesitates to take out someone who is DEFINITELY going to come back to haunt them later? That's not this book. Where Grint can take someone out, he does. He's the Rick O'Connell throwing Benny over the side of the boat just for existing (1999 Cinematic Masterpiece The Mummy...I hope you got that reference). "You look like trouble...bye."
- Tierney isn't afraid to beat his characters to hell, and then bring them back and beat them up again... Like on repeat. This was a pro and a con for me. On one hand I wanted to say GIVE HIM A BREAK! and on the other, there's a certain amount of realism that comes from just having to plunge onward.
- Lastly on my major pro's list is the world building - It's good. You're gonna love it. In depth, thought out, and it feels long standing just like it should.
Cons:
As much as I loved this book there were some cons, so let's take a look at those.
- First, I really needed the text broken down into more chapters. I would sometimes be reading a chapter and I'd be like "Good god, how long have I been reading this single chapter!?" and I'd have to flip back and see when the last chapter start was. I needed more spots to break.
- There's a part of the heist where Grint goes from Chaotic Neutral to Chaotic Good for just long enough to tilt the entirety of the story, and while we're kind of given an explanation later in the book (like at the very end), what I really needed was to be in his head at the time, because I remember thinking that that wasn't like his character at all, and it knocked me out of the story.
- I don't know if this is a con, per se, but when I pulled my print copy of this out of the mailer and took a look I was like Oh I'll knock this out in 1.5 days easy. Not so! Took me 3 days to work through it because it was super dense without a lot of dialogue. So don't be fooled by page count, there's a lot here!
And that's it, really! Can't wait to catch back up with Grint in All the Gold. If you like authors that keep you on your toes, characters that don't mess around, who you'd be loathe to let into your house during a natural disaster for fear they'd take your wallet and leave you for dead, well, please pick up this book.
July 18, 2024
I have a lot to say about this book, but I’ll keep it brief. (A spoiler or two ahead!)
I picked this book up after stumbling into the author’s booth at the Boston FanExpo this past June. The posters and artwork associated with the book were on full display and caught my eye. (Giant red dragon on the front cover. I’ll be buying that immediately, thank you.)
After starting the book, I was hooked. This author is a wonderful storyteller. The way that he conveys the story and the inner voices of his characters is so well done.
I especially loved being in the head of our morally gray protagonist, Grint. His arc from selfish thief to self-sacrificing hero had me in tears! And his snarky comments were just so much fun to read.
The world-building was rich as well! Tierney took his time revealing the order of his world and even showed in-world societal structures through things like the characters’ choice swear words. I really enjoyed this aspect of the book.
Oh and I HAVE to rave about the midpoint! When Grint went from stealing things for money, to stealing children because it was the right thing to do, i knew I would adore this book. What an adventure!
I look forward to reading more content from the world of Terragard!
I picked this book up after stumbling into the author’s booth at the Boston FanExpo this past June. The posters and artwork associated with the book were on full display and caught my eye. (Giant red dragon on the front cover. I’ll be buying that immediately, thank you.)
After starting the book, I was hooked. This author is a wonderful storyteller. The way that he conveys the story and the inner voices of his characters is so well done.
I especially loved being in the head of our morally gray protagonist, Grint. His arc from selfish thief to self-sacrificing hero had me in tears! And his snarky comments were just so much fun to read.
The world-building was rich as well! Tierney took his time revealing the order of his world and even showed in-world societal structures through things like the characters’ choice swear words. I really enjoyed this aspect of the book.
Oh and I HAVE to rave about the midpoint! When Grint went from stealing things for money, to stealing children because it was the right thing to do, i knew I would adore this book. What an adventure!
I look forward to reading more content from the world of Terragard!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 1, 2026
This is self published?! Then why is it better than most of the crap fantasy that's published by major companies and is just all the same. While this world is a sort of recognizable high fantasy world where a DND game would not be out of place, the story and characters are well rounded and feel real. The story is very singular and does not try to tell about the wider world or back story. The little bits of exposition about the world building that you get are well integrated and make me interested about the rest of the world.
This is more of a standard thief-gets-in-over-his-head-and-accidentally-saves-the-world kind of story without feeling like something I've read before. The tropes are there just enough that things feel familiar, but not enough to feel boring or over done. The only down side was that I started to get confused a couple times about what was happening as it was very fast paced and a new emergency would take me by surprise. It is very well balanced, and I'm excited to dive into this world and the other stories that are already written about it.
I bought it at the author's booth at a Fan Expo con, and I'll be heading right back to the booth this year to get some more.
This is more of a standard thief-gets-in-over-his-head-and-accidentally-saves-the-world kind of story without feeling like something I've read before. The tropes are there just enough that things feel familiar, but not enough to feel boring or over done. The only down side was that I started to get confused a couple times about what was happening as it was very fast paced and a new emergency would take me by surprise. It is very well balanced, and I'm excited to dive into this world and the other stories that are already written about it.
I bought it at the author's booth at a Fan Expo con, and I'll be heading right back to the booth this year to get some more.
February 1, 2020
As a fan of Fantasy and Adventure this book exceeded every expectation. I loved it and highly recommend it.
March 22, 2024
A few things about this book. One, it's very enjoyable. If you're looking for a comparative, I'd say Cobble and de Castell are pretty close. It's much better than a couple of more established authors I've read recently (Jemisin's 5th season and Sullivan's Age of Myth) so it's a shame (and also very admirable) that Tierney is self-published. The characters are vibrant, the action hits the right frequency and while I think it could use some 'smithing' this is Tierney's first book so it's very likely his writing evolves in books 2 & 3. Which I'll be getting to shortly. Overall, it's a solid start and I look forward to reading much more from this very talented 'new (ish)' author. Thank you sir!
October 21, 2025
Highly recommend any book that D.S. Tierney writes! Start with this book and keep going through the series. You'll be glad you did!
November 20, 2019
From the author and creator of the bi-weekly audio drama Terragard Tales: A Fantasy Story Podcast comes the first novel set in the world of Terragard—Dark Ages. Terragard is a medieval fantasy setting filled with magic, mythic tales, rival houses, wondrous objects, deadly creatures, interceding gods, and more. It’s the perfect playground for a tale about a thief looking to earn a pocket full of coins.
The story begins in a tavern where all good tales begin. Our protagonist, Grint, a red-haired thief and adopted son of Hobbes—the God of Thieves, agrees to a lucrative job to fill his purse with wealth. Grint is a clever and resourceful thief with a knack for anticipating dangerous situations. He’s always managed to get in front of them and comes out on top. He’s loyal to his friends and is superstitious when it comes to the dead. Whether he steals for profit or fun, his mastery of the arts is unmatched thanks to Hobbes’s training and insightful wisdom.
In the story, trouble finds Grint when a necromancer by the name of Eleanor, a servant of Count Danghier, a powerful lord in the land, hires him to steal an urn from the most thief-proof city in all the land. A city where no thief has been successful and lived to enjoy their spoils. Eleanor agrees to pay Grint handsomely but he isn’t dumb. He knows the task at hand is not as easy as presented by Eleanor. The thief will need all the wisdom he has learned from the God of Thieves to pull off the greatest heist Terragard has ever seen. A heist he should have walked away from.
I’ve been a big fan of the podcast since first discovering it. D.S. Tierney’s style of storytelling and voicing have made it a favorite of mine to listen to. When I found out that he had a novel in the works, I made sure I’d be one of the first in line to read it. I had no doubt that the narrative and writing style would be of the same high-quality that I’ve come to love in the podcast, and it is. D.S. Tierney’s storytelling continues on the printed page and even his voice narrates in my mind as I read. The story is filled with excitement and compelling action. D.S. Tierney’s deep descriptive narration immerses the reader into the surroundings and the action of the characters at hand. Various twists and turns in the story keep readers guessing. It’s a great read and I fully encourage others to read it. If you find yourself on the fence, listen to a couple of episodes of the Terragard Tales Podcast to get a feel of D.S. Tierney’s writing style.
The first season of Terragard Tales Podcast is complete and a second one is in the works. There are also plans for a second novel, as teased at the back of Dark Ages, titled All The Gold, which should see the return of Grint. Dark Ages is available for purchase on Amazon in print and on kindle and Terragard Tales: A Fantasy Story Podcast can be found on iTunes and other podcast distribution outlets. Please help and support D.S. Tierney, an up and coming fantasy author, by reading Dark Ages or listening to his story podcast, Terragard Tales.
The story begins in a tavern where all good tales begin. Our protagonist, Grint, a red-haired thief and adopted son of Hobbes—the God of Thieves, agrees to a lucrative job to fill his purse with wealth. Grint is a clever and resourceful thief with a knack for anticipating dangerous situations. He’s always managed to get in front of them and comes out on top. He’s loyal to his friends and is superstitious when it comes to the dead. Whether he steals for profit or fun, his mastery of the arts is unmatched thanks to Hobbes’s training and insightful wisdom.
In the story, trouble finds Grint when a necromancer by the name of Eleanor, a servant of Count Danghier, a powerful lord in the land, hires him to steal an urn from the most thief-proof city in all the land. A city where no thief has been successful and lived to enjoy their spoils. Eleanor agrees to pay Grint handsomely but he isn’t dumb. He knows the task at hand is not as easy as presented by Eleanor. The thief will need all the wisdom he has learned from the God of Thieves to pull off the greatest heist Terragard has ever seen. A heist he should have walked away from.
I’ve been a big fan of the podcast since first discovering it. D.S. Tierney’s style of storytelling and voicing have made it a favorite of mine to listen to. When I found out that he had a novel in the works, I made sure I’d be one of the first in line to read it. I had no doubt that the narrative and writing style would be of the same high-quality that I’ve come to love in the podcast, and it is. D.S. Tierney’s storytelling continues on the printed page and even his voice narrates in my mind as I read. The story is filled with excitement and compelling action. D.S. Tierney’s deep descriptive narration immerses the reader into the surroundings and the action of the characters at hand. Various twists and turns in the story keep readers guessing. It’s a great read and I fully encourage others to read it. If you find yourself on the fence, listen to a couple of episodes of the Terragard Tales Podcast to get a feel of D.S. Tierney’s writing style.
The first season of Terragard Tales Podcast is complete and a second one is in the works. There are also plans for a second novel, as teased at the back of Dark Ages, titled All The Gold, which should see the return of Grint. Dark Ages is available for purchase on Amazon in print and on kindle and Terragard Tales: A Fantasy Story Podcast can be found on iTunes and other podcast distribution outlets. Please help and support D.S. Tierney, an up and coming fantasy author, by reading Dark Ages or listening to his story podcast, Terragard Tales.
November 14, 2019
Dark Ages finds its home in the realm of high fantasy by all standards, but reads so much like an action thriller that it's difficult to remember this book isn't being made into a movie — yet.
If you've ever read any of my fantasy reviews, you might know by now that i place a lot of importance on world building, whether i like/can understand the world the author has chosen to set their story in is very important to my opinion of a book, particularly when it comes to high fantasy. And what Tierney did in creating the world for Dark Ages is something to be admired.
Although the plot and characters are rich enough by themselves, they are accompanied by a deeply set mythology and beliefs that play a large part from the beginning - and that only grows larger as the plot continues.
Something that i think a lot fantasy books struggle with — especially those that are set to be a part of a larger series — is the ending. to wrap the main plot up and give a satisfactory (if not entirely conclusive) ending is a difficult matter, and one that Dark Ages achieves beautifully.
Full even to the end with thrilling action scenes and touching moments, this book's chapters are beautifully crafted and perfectly fitting to the story. If anything, such a well-done ending only made me more eager for the rest of the series!
I was given a copy of Dark Ages to review and i will be forever grateful that this book found its way into my life as i patiently wait for what's next for my new favorite thief and dennel.
If you've ever read any of my fantasy reviews, you might know by now that i place a lot of importance on world building, whether i like/can understand the world the author has chosen to set their story in is very important to my opinion of a book, particularly when it comes to high fantasy. And what Tierney did in creating the world for Dark Ages is something to be admired.
Although the plot and characters are rich enough by themselves, they are accompanied by a deeply set mythology and beliefs that play a large part from the beginning - and that only grows larger as the plot continues.
Something that i think a lot fantasy books struggle with — especially those that are set to be a part of a larger series — is the ending. to wrap the main plot up and give a satisfactory (if not entirely conclusive) ending is a difficult matter, and one that Dark Ages achieves beautifully.
Full even to the end with thrilling action scenes and touching moments, this book's chapters are beautifully crafted and perfectly fitting to the story. If anything, such a well-done ending only made me more eager for the rest of the series!
I was given a copy of Dark Ages to review and i will be forever grateful that this book found its way into my life as i patiently wait for what's next for my new favorite thief and dennel.
May 1, 2023
such a great book! The plot kept me interested from start to finish. I loved the depth and quirks of character development. Loved the way the book ended, and I am headed off now to read the second and third books!
April 18, 2024
PYOR #3
(4.5/5)
Excellent for a self-published fantasy book. Loved the premise, loved the characters (especially the villains), the story paces well and it's obvious that this amazing setting of Terragard has a lot of love poured into it. Tierney is really good at writing exciting action sequences, especially his stealthing around/heisting in opulent manors and the back alleys of cities.
I could talk forever about how great a villain Eleanor is, but Grint is also so sympathetic as a character. He's a total jackass at first and I genuinely loathed him. But he develops so strongly and his attachment to materialistic things is so well-done in a way that I don't think I've seen in a book.
My only complaints:
- We meet a child character halfway through that we're supposed to sympathise with, but I really didn't like her. She felt weird; she doesn't act or talk like an 8 or 9 year old, she talks like a snarky 19 year old. Maybe there are lore reasons for this but it made me a bit less engaged with her.
- The story suddenly gets extremely weird in the final 3rd or so and I honestly lost the plot for a bit. I found it again, but I was unprepared for the direction the final act of the story was gonna take. Less of a criticism and more just a statement of fact though.
Excited to check out #2 and #3.
(4.5/5)
Excellent for a self-published fantasy book. Loved the premise, loved the characters (especially the villains), the story paces well and it's obvious that this amazing setting of Terragard has a lot of love poured into it. Tierney is really good at writing exciting action sequences, especially his stealthing around/heisting in opulent manors and the back alleys of cities.
I could talk forever about how great a villain Eleanor is, but Grint is also so sympathetic as a character. He's a total jackass at first and I genuinely loathed him. But he develops so strongly and his attachment to materialistic things is so well-done in a way that I don't think I've seen in a book.
My only complaints:
- We meet a child character halfway through that we're supposed to sympathise with, but I really didn't like her. She felt weird; she doesn't act or talk like an 8 or 9 year old, she talks like a snarky 19 year old. Maybe there are lore reasons for this but it made me a bit less engaged with her.
- The story suddenly gets extremely weird in the final 3rd or so and I honestly lost the plot for a bit. I found it again, but I was unprepared for the direction the final act of the story was gonna take. Less of a criticism and more just a statement of fact though.
Excited to check out #2 and #3.
September 10, 2025
I tried I genuinely tried. The cute girl at the coffee shop sold me on it. I gave it a shot, just not for me.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews