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Twilight Reign #5
The Dusk Watchman
The final reckoning has come. The future of the Land will be decided now, written in the blood of men.
After his pyrrhic victory at Moorview, King Emin learns the truth about the child Ruhen. Powerless to act, he must mourn his friends and watch his enemy promise a new age of peace to the beleaguered peoples of the Land. While the remaining Menin troops seek revenge, daemons freely walk the Land, and Ruhen’s power grows, a glimmer of hope remains.
One final, desperate chance for victory remains and failure has become unimaginable. The fanatical rulers of Vanach hide a secret at the heart of their nation; a weapon so terrible only a dead man could wield it and only a madman would try, but without it Narkang will be obliterated. The past year has taken a grave toll and Ruhen’s millennia-old plans are about to bear terrible fruit. There can be only one outcome if he continues unchecked: total dominion over the Gods themselves.
After his pyrrhic victory at Moorview, King Emin learns the truth about the child Ruhen. Powerless to act, he must mourn his friends and watch his enemy promise a new age of peace to the beleaguered peoples of the Land. While the remaining Menin troops seek revenge, daemons freely walk the Land, and Ruhen’s power grows, a glimmer of hope remains.
One final, desperate chance for victory remains and failure has become unimaginable. The fanatical rulers of Vanach hide a secret at the heart of their nation; a weapon so terrible only a dead man could wield it and only a madman would try, but without it Narkang will be obliterated. The past year has taken a grave toll and Ruhen’s millennia-old plans are about to bear terrible fruit. There can be only one outcome if he continues unchecked: total dominion over the Gods themselves.
615 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2012
14 people are currently reading
839 people want to read
About the author
Tom Lloyd
47 books444 followersTom Lloyd was born in 1979 and showed almost no interest in writing until the age of eighteen. I blame the teachers myself.
Nevertheless he did eventually find himself with a long summer to spare before university, and decided to start a novel when it was suggested he get a job to pass the time. This tells you much of what there is to know about him. The rest can be derived from the fact that he first had the idea of writing a book to annoy a schoolfriend by getting published before him.
No, honestly; he's actually that shallow.
It was swiftly apparent that this was not the quick route to fame and fortune that he’d hoped for. The first sign of this was the realisation that being good at writing was required, but he managed to surprise everyone by not giving up on something he didn’t show immediate promise in.
Studying Politics and International Relations at Southampton University had very little appreciable effect on him, beyond giving him a couple of ideas for future novels, but that was largely due to spending most of those three years in London shacked up with the god-daughter of an Asian dictator. Upon leaving university he decided – along with what seemed like half of all other graduates, some of whom had had the temerity to study English – that doing “book stuff” sounded like a fun alternative to working out what sort of job he wanted to do. There was also the intriguing suggestion of literary talent being passed on by some osmosis-like process. As a result of a little work experience at Simon and Schuster - combined with some shameless flirting with the HR manager - he got a job as an editorial assistant on the Scribner list, which allowed him to mistype letters to a whole host of talented writers.
Certain luminary examples there made it clear that before he became a fantasy editor he was going to have to spend several years iron-cladding his liver. Towards this goal, he decamped to the A M Heath Literary Agency by way of Random House, which was silly because walking down Longacre would have been a lot quicker, to work in foreign rights while also freelancing for writersservices.com and constantly revising what was slowly becoming The Stormcaller.
A three year litany of madcap adventures in the crazy world of agenting ensued, but it would be far too time-consuming to detail any of that so suffice to say that his hangover cleared sufficiently one morning in 2004 for him to realise that he wasn’t quite so bad at writing now. Maybe there was something to this osmosis thing after all - although if that’s true Katie Fforde and Dave Hill might get a surprise at the effect they’d had.
Securing the services of John Richard Parker at MBA Literary Agents proved a surprisingly painless experience – despite being previously rejected by one of John’s colleagues, which just goes to show how persistent one has to be – and soon he was sat in the office of Jo Fletcher at Gollancz trying to persuade her how much of a geek he was. After four years as contracts manager at Blake Friedmann Literary Agency he decided he didn't like other authors that much so he swapped his dark corner of Camden for one at Atlantic Books where it quickly became apparent that he prefers winning arguments to scruples.
Writing part-time, also known as watching loads more TV, he also manages to play a little sport in between trips to the pub and battering his next book - into a semblance of shape.
http://tomlloyd.livejournal.com/ http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?...
Nevertheless he did eventually find himself with a long summer to spare before university, and decided to start a novel when it was suggested he get a job to pass the time. This tells you much of what there is to know about him. The rest can be derived from the fact that he first had the idea of writing a book to annoy a schoolfriend by getting published before him.
No, honestly; he's actually that shallow.
It was swiftly apparent that this was not the quick route to fame and fortune that he’d hoped for. The first sign of this was the realisation that being good at writing was required, but he managed to surprise everyone by not giving up on something he didn’t show immediate promise in.
Studying Politics and International Relations at Southampton University had very little appreciable effect on him, beyond giving him a couple of ideas for future novels, but that was largely due to spending most of those three years in London shacked up with the god-daughter of an Asian dictator. Upon leaving university he decided – along with what seemed like half of all other graduates, some of whom had had the temerity to study English – that doing “book stuff” sounded like a fun alternative to working out what sort of job he wanted to do. There was also the intriguing suggestion of literary talent being passed on by some osmosis-like process. As a result of a little work experience at Simon and Schuster - combined with some shameless flirting with the HR manager - he got a job as an editorial assistant on the Scribner list, which allowed him to mistype letters to a whole host of talented writers.
Certain luminary examples there made it clear that before he became a fantasy editor he was going to have to spend several years iron-cladding his liver. Towards this goal, he decamped to the A M Heath Literary Agency by way of Random House, which was silly because walking down Longacre would have been a lot quicker, to work in foreign rights while also freelancing for writersservices.com and constantly revising what was slowly becoming The Stormcaller.
A three year litany of madcap adventures in the crazy world of agenting ensued, but it would be far too time-consuming to detail any of that so suffice to say that his hangover cleared sufficiently one morning in 2004 for him to realise that he wasn’t quite so bad at writing now. Maybe there was something to this osmosis thing after all - although if that’s true Katie Fforde and Dave Hill might get a surprise at the effect they’d had.
Securing the services of John Richard Parker at MBA Literary Agents proved a surprisingly painless experience – despite being previously rejected by one of John’s colleagues, which just goes to show how persistent one has to be – and soon he was sat in the office of Jo Fletcher at Gollancz trying to persuade her how much of a geek he was. After four years as contracts manager at Blake Friedmann Literary Agency he decided he didn't like other authors that much so he swapped his dark corner of Camden for one at Atlantic Books where it quickly became apparent that he prefers winning arguments to scruples.
Writing part-time, also known as watching loads more TV, he also manages to play a little sport in between trips to the pub and battering his next book - into a semblance of shape.
http://tomlloyd.livejournal.com/ http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
September 25, 2012
Damn good ending to a damn good series. I need to let it sink in a bit.
October 28, 2014
"The Dusk Watchman" is the fifth and final book in Tom Lloyd's "The Twilight Reign" series("The God Tattoo" being excluded), and what an excellent conclusion Mr. Lloyd managed to weave together for the fans of the series. "The Dusk Watchman" is choc full of betrayal, magic, suspense, action, military engagements and all the emotions that come along with the word love.
Love is a strange thing to be included with all the atrocities that take place in this book and the series, for that matter. Yet, in the end, I personally feel that love was the main character Isak's greatest virtue. While there were many in the series he hated there were also a few that he loved, and his love for his friends and the Land brought on the sacrifice that created one of the best endings to a series I have ever read.
"The Dusk Watchman" is also quite unlike it's four predecessors in that it isn't slow to start. It picks up where "The Ragged Man" left off, and then it takes off. The action level is high in the final book of "The Twilight Reign", and it starts early and shows up often, and Tom Lloyd shows a gift for writing scenes that involve blood, gore and a fast pace. "The Dusk Watchman" contains the action that some readers may feel like books one through four lacked.
Now, the betrayals. The betrayals that were not betrayals and all that in between. I do not like to include spoilers and therefore, I will not. Suffice it to say, there are several twists that it pains me to admit I never seen coming my way, and as a reader that's what I love. I'm not an author, but I would say that unpredictability is something all authors should strive for, and Tom Lloyd nails it with "The Dusk Watchman".
While the series has been completed for a little while now, and fantasy readers are flooded with new authors and new books on a regular basis let me encourage you to make time in your reading schedule to read "The Twilight Reign" series. If you started it then let me encourage you to finish the entire series. I assure you "The Dusk Watchman" is a final entry to a series of books that will make it all worthwhile.
Check it out!
Love is a strange thing to be included with all the atrocities that take place in this book and the series, for that matter. Yet, in the end, I personally feel that love was the main character Isak's greatest virtue. While there were many in the series he hated there were also a few that he loved, and his love for his friends and the Land brought on the sacrifice that created one of the best endings to a series I have ever read.
"The Dusk Watchman" is also quite unlike it's four predecessors in that it isn't slow to start. It picks up where "The Ragged Man" left off, and then it takes off. The action level is high in the final book of "The Twilight Reign", and it starts early and shows up often, and Tom Lloyd shows a gift for writing scenes that involve blood, gore and a fast pace. "The Dusk Watchman" contains the action that some readers may feel like books one through four lacked.
Now, the betrayals. The betrayals that were not betrayals and all that in between. I do not like to include spoilers and therefore, I will not. Suffice it to say, there are several twists that it pains me to admit I never seen coming my way, and as a reader that's what I love. I'm not an author, but I would say that unpredictability is something all authors should strive for, and Tom Lloyd nails it with "The Dusk Watchman".
While the series has been completed for a little while now, and fantasy readers are flooded with new authors and new books on a regular basis let me encourage you to make time in your reading schedule to read "The Twilight Reign" series. If you started it then let me encourage you to finish the entire series. I assure you "The Dusk Watchman" is a final entry to a series of books that will make it all worthwhile.
Check it out!
March 26, 2013
This was the final volume of the Twilight Reign fantasy series. I read the first four late last year before my Wheel of Time project so it was a little tough to come back to this series after that much time had passed. Thankfully all the books in this series have a little "What Has Gone Before" section at the front of each book that summarizes the events of the previous book. That was much appreciated.
This book may be the best in the series. The first book was good too and the middle books were weaker in my opinion. A good conclusion to the series overall and it does not end as you might expect.
This series definitely reminded me of Erikson's Malazan series with perhaps a little bit of Abercrombie thrown in. Lots of powerful characters and gods all vying for different things. Gruesome battles and extreme violence. Not quite the "screw you, fantasy sterotypes" that I associate with Abercrombie but much of his grittiness is here. There were some very memorable moments in the series that will stick with me.
I normally don't mention book covers but the covers for this series were outstanding. Todd Lockwood made each cover exactly depict a scene from the book in question. Every detail was perfect.
This book may be the best in the series. The first book was good too and the middle books were weaker in my opinion. A good conclusion to the series overall and it does not end as you might expect.
This series definitely reminded me of Erikson's Malazan series with perhaps a little bit of Abercrombie thrown in. Lots of powerful characters and gods all vying for different things. Gruesome battles and extreme violence. Not quite the "screw you, fantasy sterotypes" that I associate with Abercrombie but much of his grittiness is here. There were some very memorable moments in the series that will stick with me.
I normally don't mention book covers but the covers for this series were outstanding. Todd Lockwood made each cover exactly depict a scene from the book in question. Every detail was perfect.
July 12, 2025
4.75
I love this series soo much...
I love this series soo much...
December 20, 2012
Let me first say i really enjoyed this series despite its flaws. It is inventive fun and always leaves you guessing what will come next. Very little is predictable, and the series as a whole has a very diverse collection of characters. I enjoyed the book.
That said, I think the series might have been overly complicated. The shear different number of characters leaves you dumbfounded. With the exception of a few characters, there is a good likely hood that taking notes to keep who has and is doing what is a very intelligent idea. An estimate of 30 characters might be low, but with each getting its own book time, it can lead to bouncing from thread to thread very haphazardly. The other problem is only a few of these characters are fully flushed out to the point that we know and care or hate them while the others seem to serve as a means to an end to simply add more to an already complicated story. Yet these lesser parts often take up chapter after chapter, diverting our attention away from other story elements.
I also say the series is unpredictable. That is good. I like it that Loyd took chances killing off characters and going places few others might go. But in this last book, he did this by simply deciding not to tell us things. It almost seems like to keep the length up a quest was added, as were other characters for perspective. Then several details and thought processes were left out over the build up to the climax to keep us guessing. It lead to a little jerkiness in the book that i really wanted to enjoy more.
Over all it was a good series that i thought the ending left much to be desired. It could be viewed that the ending to book four might be a better one to the series, but i am glad to have read it because it has broadened the horizons for me as to what the potential of Epic Fantasy could be. It might not have attained it, but even showing that potential is an accomplishment.
That said, I think the series might have been overly complicated. The shear different number of characters leaves you dumbfounded. With the exception of a few characters, there is a good likely hood that taking notes to keep who has and is doing what is a very intelligent idea. An estimate of 30 characters might be low, but with each getting its own book time, it can lead to bouncing from thread to thread very haphazardly. The other problem is only a few of these characters are fully flushed out to the point that we know and care or hate them while the others seem to serve as a means to an end to simply add more to an already complicated story. Yet these lesser parts often take up chapter after chapter, diverting our attention away from other story elements.
I also say the series is unpredictable. That is good. I like it that Loyd took chances killing off characters and going places few others might go. But in this last book, he did this by simply deciding not to tell us things. It almost seems like to keep the length up a quest was added, as were other characters for perspective. Then several details and thought processes were left out over the build up to the climax to keep us guessing. It lead to a little jerkiness in the book that i really wanted to enjoy more.
Over all it was a good series that i thought the ending left much to be desired. It could be viewed that the ending to book four might be a better one to the series, but i am glad to have read it because it has broadened the horizons for me as to what the potential of Epic Fantasy could be. It might not have attained it, but even showing that potential is an accomplishment.
August 18, 2015
I’ve always thought The Twilight Reign series has been one of the most underrated fantasy series around. I’m not sure I’ve talked to anyone else who has read it, let alone enjoyed it (although as far as I’m concerned, they are the same thing).
In the series in general, I massively enjoy the world created by Tom Lloyd, with the innovative take on elves, as well as the concept of white-eyes, and the expansive cast which includes everything from common soldiers to full-on gods. Alongside this, the system of magic is simple and effective. Many magic systems in modern fantasy books become over-ambitious and spiral out of control such that holes can easily be found, but I really enjoy the system created by Lloyd.
As the conclusion to the series, there is a certain amount of hype for it in my mind. When one combines it with what has been a fantastic series, there is certainly a lot for it to live up to. Its predecessor, The Ragged Man, finishes with a near-apocalyptic battle scene to cap off a book which is one of my favourite fantasy books of all time (up alongside A Memory of Light, The Deadhouse Gates, A Storm of Swords and Prince of Thorns), and the way in which Lloyd continues the story, picking the cast back up after arguably one of the bloodiest battle scenes in fantasy literature is nothing short of amazing.
As well as this the conclusion of the book and therefore the series did not disappoint. It seems inevitable that when I read a series of books, I develop a sense of how it will all end, or at least how I would like to see it end. The last chapters of The Dusk Watchman were completely different to anything I expected, but they did not disappoint. This was a fantastic book, and I will continue to recommend the series to anyone I meet.
https://jackbeaman.wordpress.com/2014...
In the series in general, I massively enjoy the world created by Tom Lloyd, with the innovative take on elves, as well as the concept of white-eyes, and the expansive cast which includes everything from common soldiers to full-on gods. Alongside this, the system of magic is simple and effective. Many magic systems in modern fantasy books become over-ambitious and spiral out of control such that holes can easily be found, but I really enjoy the system created by Lloyd.
As the conclusion to the series, there is a certain amount of hype for it in my mind. When one combines it with what has been a fantastic series, there is certainly a lot for it to live up to. Its predecessor, The Ragged Man, finishes with a near-apocalyptic battle scene to cap off a book which is one of my favourite fantasy books of all time (up alongside A Memory of Light, The Deadhouse Gates, A Storm of Swords and Prince of Thorns), and the way in which Lloyd continues the story, picking the cast back up after arguably one of the bloodiest battle scenes in fantasy literature is nothing short of amazing.
As well as this the conclusion of the book and therefore the series did not disappoint. It seems inevitable that when I read a series of books, I develop a sense of how it will all end, or at least how I would like to see it end. The last chapters of The Dusk Watchman were completely different to anything I expected, but they did not disappoint. This was a fantastic book, and I will continue to recommend the series to anyone I meet.
https://jackbeaman.wordpress.com/2014...
September 18, 2012
This has been one of my favorite series since I started reading fantasy novels, highly recommended for lots of reasons. We have gods, mortal aspects of the gods, vampires, mages, skilled & brutal warriors, dragons, daemons, traitors galore, religious sects and larger than life humans with extreme capabilities called white eyes. That's probably just the half of it as well, coupled with exceptional characters and storey lines this series covers the lot.
As a series finale this stands above most and the final battle as the shadow ascends to godhood is wonderful reading.
This is an easy read and many thanks for the recap at the start, continuing on this is a dark, grim novel, all of our heroes bare deep scars both mentally and physically from the journey so far . Filled with twists, turns, unlikely traitors and violence at every turn - If you've not read this series then now is the perfect time and you definitely wont be disappointed.
If you're a fan of the Game of thrones series, but wished for something a little more grittier and violent this is for you. I look forward to what Tom Lloyds imagination can produce next.
As a series finale this stands above most and the final battle as the shadow ascends to godhood is wonderful reading.
This is an easy read and many thanks for the recap at the start, continuing on this is a dark, grim novel, all of our heroes bare deep scars both mentally and physically from the journey so far . Filled with twists, turns, unlikely traitors and violence at every turn - If you've not read this series then now is the perfect time and you definitely wont be disappointed.
If you're a fan of the Game of thrones series, but wished for something a little more grittier and violent this is for you. I look forward to what Tom Lloyds imagination can produce next.
March 12, 2017
**spoilers ahead**
A really good end to the series.
The things I liked:
The final battle is superb, I cannot rate it highly enough.
Tiniq - all the clues were there, but the betrayal still came as a shock, which I really enjoyed.
The things I have issues with:
I have one major issue with this book, the appearance of the magic weapon, the only weapon that can destroy the shadow is never mentioned in any of the preceding books yet every character knows it's name and what it is. This really, really bugged my happiness, so much so that I almost stopped reading.
Zhia - I don't understand, did she betray Isak et al or was she acting on Isak's orders? The latter makes more sense when you read the epilogue but it's never explained properly.
Lesarl - He's so important in the earlier books but he doesn't even make an appearance in this one.
Overall, it wasn't as good as the Ragged Man, but it was better than the first three so really it's 3.5 stars.
A really good end to the series.
The things I liked:
The final battle is superb, I cannot rate it highly enough.
Tiniq - all the clues were there, but the betrayal still came as a shock, which I really enjoyed.
The things I have issues with:
I have one major issue with this book, the appearance of the magic weapon, the only weapon that can destroy the shadow is never mentioned in any of the preceding books yet every character knows it's name and what it is. This really, really bugged my happiness, so much so that I almost stopped reading.
Zhia - I don't understand, did she betray Isak et al or was she acting on Isak's orders? The latter makes more sense when you read the epilogue but it's never explained properly.
Lesarl - He's so important in the earlier books but he doesn't even make an appearance in this one.
Overall, it wasn't as good as the Ragged Man, but it was better than the first three so really it's 3.5 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 19, 2012
In this latest book in the series you get characters that carry on growing and filling the void left after previous books in the series, its the continual growth that keeps you gripped and keeps you reading.
Whilst I have been following this series since book one a few years ago, I normally like to have a reread prior to starting a new title, just to refresh the old grey matter, but i have to say i couldn't do it with this series, great as it is, its starting to become too long now for a full refresh , I suffer the same thing with Game of thrones these days.
Within this 5th book you get all your normal dosage of made Tom Lloyd a big name in fantasy, it's well written, the characters gripping from the first page to the last but most of all its the plot twists and world building that make this book and this series a winner.
If you have not read any of these then go and buy all 5 books and be prepared for an immerse full on thrill ride.
(Parm)
Whilst I have been following this series since book one a few years ago, I normally like to have a reread prior to starting a new title, just to refresh the old grey matter, but i have to say i couldn't do it with this series, great as it is, its starting to become too long now for a full refresh , I suffer the same thing with Game of thrones these days.
Within this 5th book you get all your normal dosage of made Tom Lloyd a big name in fantasy, it's well written, the characters gripping from the first page to the last but most of all its the plot twists and world building that make this book and this series a winner.
If you have not read any of these then go and buy all 5 books and be prepared for an immerse full on thrill ride.
(Parm)
December 17, 2012
A fantastic ending to an incredibly epic series. With battle scenes leaping off the pages, discussions of religion and the role people have in their relationship to deity, and the interconnections of the characters being yet again brought into heart-aching detail, this is most assuredly beyond a mere fantasy novel or series but a story that gets the reader thinking long after the last page is flipped. Well worth reading again and I intend to.
February 12, 2013
very good writing. the scale of the battles were epic with a lot of subterfuge and betrayals. however i was sad by the way the writer ended the book, every character wounded, scarred, or dead. neither side heroes and villains are happy about the outcome of the final battle. the solution to end the wars was a compromise that left both sides with ashes in their hands,without a clear victor. this is the last book in the series.
October 21, 2012
Excellent last book in the series. Maybe best so far this year.
January 27, 2013
A great series , complex and stunning
February 7, 2014
A solid end to the main story, but let down slightly by some of the more interesting & charismatic characters no longer being around.
April 17, 2015
I can't decide if I hate or love this ending. Both won? Don't know if that's fair or not. And what the hell happened to Ilumene? Did the bastard die?
July 28, 2018
And just like that one of the greatest fantasies since Tolkien brought us the one ring draws too a close. Bravo.... encore
July 1, 2019
Ugh! A series that I literally felt went on and on and finally ends - with more interminable fight scenes described to the nth degree.
January 23, 2020
Last 2 books are a really disappointing end to a series that was promising. This was rushed and unsatisfying. Shame, I really liked the premise and the world initially.
March 29, 2022
Excellent finish to an excellent series. Series review here -https://booknest.eu/reviews/al/2390-t...
September 6, 2014
Amazing book from start to finish.. one of the best i've read this year
April 9, 2018
For a debut author, this was a strong effort, and I did enjoy some aspects of the books, particularly many of the battle details and the violence. I think that aspect got better with each book. I feel there could have been fewer characters, and I found that even with the appendix at the back, I became lost at times, and didn't even feel like bothering to look back there. I'd start a new chapter a few days after putting the book down and have no clue who these people are or what they were doing. I'm not exactly an Einstein, but I usually don't have that many issues keeping track of a fantasy story. In this world, magic seemed to be overpowered and overused, if that makes any sense. I kept thinking how much it would suck being a soldier with no mage abilities in this world.
I have lingering questions about then ending here (SPOILERS). How the hell did Issac get up considering his restraints and physical condition and stumble over to Ruhen and finish him off? Was it hearing Carel's shout that gave him this superhuman Rocky Balboa like strength (yes, I know it's fantasy/fiction but you still have to live by your own internal rules no?) And how exactly did he defeat Ruhen with the swords? And how the hell did Mihn's ghost/soul jump up from hell or wherever and suck in Ruhen's soul? Was that planned? I wasn't a fan of the seemingly jovial relationship between Mihn and Ruhen and the others at the very end. I mean, this guy was the anti-Christ of the world and now he's being treated as this little Jar-Jar. Also, was Zhia cured in the end????
If anyone can reply to this review with any answers, it would be sooo appreciated, thanks.
I have lingering questions about then ending here (SPOILERS). How the hell did Issac get up considering his restraints and physical condition and stumble over to Ruhen and finish him off? Was it hearing Carel's shout that gave him this superhuman Rocky Balboa like strength (yes, I know it's fantasy/fiction but you still have to live by your own internal rules no?) And how exactly did he defeat Ruhen with the swords? And how the hell did Mihn's ghost/soul jump up from hell or wherever and suck in Ruhen's soul? Was that planned? I wasn't a fan of the seemingly jovial relationship between Mihn and Ruhen and the others at the very end. I mean, this guy was the anti-Christ of the world and now he's being treated as this little Jar-Jar. Also, was Zhia cured in the end????
If anyone can reply to this review with any answers, it would be sooo appreciated, thanks.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 27, 2017
A pretty good ending to the Twilight reign saga, even if it was slightly ruined by what I think of as the curse of the epilogue. Sometimes I wonder if I should skip epilogues altogether, as they can often cause a bit of a let down and just tie the story up in a way that for me personally is not in keeping with the rest of the book.
The book itself, I felt was too angsty in places. I think the emotions the author was using was meant to be confusion and grief amongst others, but for me they just seemed filled with angst/forced at times. Despite these little issues, I think this is still a hugely enjoyable book, and a fitting finale to the series. I was fond of several characters and found the concept of Ruhan/Azaer fascinating. I think Ruhan may have been my favourite character in the book. Rather sad I’ve finished this series!
The book itself, I felt was too angsty in places. I think the emotions the author was using was meant to be confusion and grief amongst others, but for me they just seemed filled with angst/forced at times. Despite these little issues, I think this is still a hugely enjoyable book, and a fitting finale to the series. I was fond of several characters and found the concept of Ruhan/Azaer fascinating. I think Ruhan may have been my favourite character in the book. Rather sad I’ve finished this series!
June 4, 2021
"The final reckoning has come. The future of the Land will be decided now, written in the blood of men." After a long journey through the Twilight Reign series, I have at last finished this last book. It picks up straight where The Ragged Man ended, starting with the terrible aftermath of the most epic battle so far.
The fight is not quite over yet, however, as Ruhen's power still grows and his millennia-old plans are about to reach their climax. It is the perfect conclusion to the series, full of amazing twists that I did not see coming, and respect Tom Lloyd all the more for it. The ending definitely made me smile, making this definitely a series I will recommend for fantasy lovers!
The fight is not quite over yet, however, as Ruhen's power still grows and his millennia-old plans are about to reach their climax. It is the perfect conclusion to the series, full of amazing twists that I did not see coming, and respect Tom Lloyd all the more for it. The ending definitely made me smile, making this definitely a series I will recommend for fantasy lovers!
September 16, 2020
Great read. The only downer was the ending was rushed and felt a bit like the author needed to just end it. But other wise the whole series is a great read that draws you in and wanting more.
January 27, 2021
A different and interesting ending, but one that fitted very well with the story.
February 14, 2021
Great series
Very fast paced. Great story with a lot of amazing characters. Could not out the book down. I loved it
Very fast paced. Great story with a lot of amazing characters. Could not out the book down. I loved it
July 20, 2013
Ok, where to start?
The book is amazing. That's the short version. The ending blew me away, and I often complain that sff authors very rarely pull off good endings. This ending was perfect. Really. Some things about it were highly predictable SPOILER
Isak does die. Again. As if you didn't already know that. But there were other things that were not predictable in any way. Lloyd threw a bunch of very nice twists in along the way. And, honestly, if I was to describe this series in one sentence, I would have to say "Twilight Reign is the best example of subverting the Chosen One's tropes (while also playing some of them so straight, it may be painful) that doesn't make me want to stop reading forever and/or isn't Chronicles of Thomas Covenant (sorry to any Donaldson fans. I loved the gap Cycle, though. But I barely pushed through the First Chronicles, and I don't want to go back). If I could elaborate on this, I'd add that Tom Lloyd does great world-building. And his books have great action scenes and massive, epic convergences (he tends to overdo it a bit in the early books, but he gets a lot better at it by the end).
but yes, to curtail this digression: if you can stomach bad characterization when authors give you an interesting world, give this a try. It won't necessarily get good till Book 3 (this was my own experience), and you may drop the series after 1 or 2 books (as I know others have done, and I did for a pretty long time). But to any of those who do get as far as book 5, you need to know: you're in for a treat. This one delivers. And that ending.... you'll find yourself re-reading it several times, just to understand, that yes, that DID just happen.
The book is amazing. That's the short version. The ending blew me away, and I often complain that sff authors very rarely pull off good endings. This ending was perfect. Really. Some things about it were highly predictable SPOILER
Isak does die. Again. As if you didn't already know that. But there were other things that were not predictable in any way. Lloyd threw a bunch of very nice twists in along the way. And, honestly, if I was to describe this series in one sentence, I would have to say "Twilight Reign is the best example of subverting the Chosen One's tropes (while also playing some of them so straight, it may be painful) that doesn't make me want to stop reading forever and/or isn't Chronicles of Thomas Covenant (sorry to any Donaldson fans. I loved the gap Cycle, though. But I barely pushed through the First Chronicles, and I don't want to go back). If I could elaborate on this, I'd add that Tom Lloyd does great world-building. And his books have great action scenes and massive, epic convergences (he tends to overdo it a bit in the early books, but he gets a lot better at it by the end).
but yes, to curtail this digression: if you can stomach bad characterization when authors give you an interesting world, give this a try. It won't necessarily get good till Book 3 (this was my own experience), and you may drop the series after 1 or 2 books (as I know others have done, and I did for a pretty long time). But to any of those who do get as far as book 5, you need to know: you're in for a treat. This one delivers. And that ending.... you'll find yourself re-reading it several times, just to understand, that yes, that DID just happen.
April 28, 2013
The last one in "The Twilight Reign" series with a really good, though slightly unexpected conclusion. Unfortunately, the author seemed quite obsessed with torture his heroes suffered and suffered and suffered and the prize at the end, even when it was peace, just didn't seem adequate to what they had been through, especially in Isak's case.
I admit I cried a lot while translating the book. Isak's story was simply heartbreaking, the sacrifices he made too great to even comprehend. He never asked for any of this and being the Lord of Farlan and Nartis' Chosen never brought him anything good. All the characters suffered greatly, not one of them escaped unscarred - Legana, Mihn, Emin... - yet Isak's story was the most difficult to follow, to be honest.
One thing bothered me though - the villains: Kastan Styrax was awesome, unbeatable but not unfailing. But Ruhen? Ilumene? Venn? The traitor amidst Isak's people? They just went on and on and on, and nothing Isak or Emin did changed that, not till the very end. It was quite frustrating. And the ending just didn't seem enough after everything they had done.
All in all, a good series but with many opportunities missed and interesting characters killed off for no apparent reason. I think that's what I will remember most about the books, the squandered potential.
I admit I cried a lot while translating the book. Isak's story was simply heartbreaking, the sacrifices he made too great to even comprehend. He never asked for any of this and being the Lord of Farlan and Nartis' Chosen never brought him anything good. All the characters suffered greatly, not one of them escaped unscarred - Legana, Mihn, Emin... - yet Isak's story was the most difficult to follow, to be honest.
One thing bothered me though - the villains: Kastan Styrax was awesome, unbeatable but not unfailing. But Ruhen? Ilumene? Venn? The traitor amidst Isak's people? They just went on and on and on, and nothing Isak or Emin did changed that, not till the very end. It was quite frustrating. And the ending just didn't seem enough after everything they had done.
All in all, a good series but with many opportunities missed and interesting characters killed off for no apparent reason. I think that's what I will remember most about the books, the squandered potential.
May 6, 2024
It was a good ending to an epic story, but I found it a bit lacking in closing all the loose ends and what happened to the other side characters..?
May 1, 2015
Although the whole series is an exciting experience, this on is even more so, describing all the characters I wanted to read about and their actions, culminating it all in an epic final of awesomeness.
This last book of the series had many surprises for me in store and I was not sure how the story would end until the very end of it.
The author managed to explain how things work in the universe of this book, except many at the very end of the book. I wish there was a more detailed explanation how the events in the end happened, what the mechanics of the magic done are and so on. I'd also like to know more about how much the world changed after the closing events of the story. Partly, I guess, this is left open intentionally though.
I'm glad that many of my favorite characters survived the whole thing.
This last book of the series had many surprises for me in store and I was not sure how the story would end until the very end of it.
The author managed to explain how things work in the universe of this book, except many at the very end of the book. I wish there was a more detailed explanation how the events in the end happened, what the mechanics of the magic done are and so on. I'd also like to know more about how much the world changed after the closing events of the story. Partly, I guess, this is left open intentionally though.
I'm glad that many of my favorite characters survived the whole thing.
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