What do you think?
Rate this book
Darkness #3
Through the Darkness
In Harry Turtledove's third novel in the Darkness series, a young Kaunian girl is forced to remain hidden while her Forthwegian savior braves the rough, Algarvian-controlled streets to earn their keep. The scholars of Kuusamo are no closer to understanding the bloodless magic that may win the war-and time is short. Kuusamo has joined into an unsteady alliance with Lagoas and Unkerlant. No one kingdom trusts another, but they must unite, for it is only together that they can defeat the Algarvian threat.The war is no longer confined to soldiers and sorcerers. Common folk are joining together to fight from underneath their oppressors, whether they be Algarve or Unkerlant. What those farmer soldiers lack in skill, they make up for in dedication. A dedication that will carry them . . . through the darkness.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
704 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2001
22 people are currently reading
569 people want to read
About the author
Harry Turtledove
569 books1,987 followersDr Harry Norman Turtledove is an American novelist, who has produced a sizeable number of works in several genres including alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction.
Harry Turtledove attended UCLA, where he received a Ph.D. in Byzantine history in 1977.
Turtledove has been dubbed "The Master of Alternate History". Within this genre he is known both for creating original scenarios: such as survival of the Byzantine Empire; an alien invasion in the middle of the World War II; and for giving a fresh and original treatment to themes previously dealt with by other authors, such as the victory of the South in the American Civil War; and of Nazi Germany in the Second World War.
His novels have been credited with bringing alternate history into the mainstream. His style of alternate history has a strong military theme.
Harry Turtledove attended UCLA, where he received a Ph.D. in Byzantine history in 1977.
Turtledove has been dubbed "The Master of Alternate History". Within this genre he is known both for creating original scenarios: such as survival of the Byzantine Empire; an alien invasion in the middle of the World War II; and for giving a fresh and original treatment to themes previously dealt with by other authors, such as the victory of the South in the American Civil War; and of Nazi Germany in the Second World War.
His novels have been credited with bringing alternate history into the mainstream. His style of alternate history has a strong military theme.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
Read
August 12, 2008Things are becoming more clear: the characters are more easily recognisable for me. I very much like Pekka, Ealstan and Vanai.
November 14, 2009
"1942", Sulingen aka Stalingrad, Land of the Ice People aka North Africa
Story continues, page turner, characters die, new characters take their place...
Story continues, page turner, characters die, new characters take their place...
May 25, 2022
In this third novel in his fantasy series, author Harry Turtledove continues the story of the second world war where dragons have replaced fighter planes; behemoths have replaced tanks, leviathans replace submarines, beams and sticks have replaced bullets and guns, and magic is everywhere.
At this point in the series, it would be difficult to pick up this novel and understand what’s going on. Sure, it’s easy to catch that the aggressive Algarvians slaughtering Kaunians is synonymous with the German slaughtering of the Jews, but in this novel, it’s not simply a matter of the Algarvians blaming the Kaunians for everything that’s gone wrong for them. Instead, they use the life force of the Kauninans to unleash terrifying magic; one that Unkerlant must match if it is to fend off the invaders. There is also a “Manhattan Project” going on as mages in the nation of Kuusamo try to formulate a magic that will have at least as devastating an effect as the Algarvian magic but do so in a way that doesn’t involve the slaughter of humans.
If you’ve been reading the series all along, you’ll have an investment in the characters, and that’s what keeps the book moving. Since there are somewhere in the area of seventeen different point-of-view characters to follow, it can make following the story as it skips around quite difficult. It’s also the reason Turtledove seems to repeat himself over and over again.
To read my full review, please visit: https://thoughtsfromthemountaintop.co...
At this point in the series, it would be difficult to pick up this novel and understand what’s going on. Sure, it’s easy to catch that the aggressive Algarvians slaughtering Kaunians is synonymous with the German slaughtering of the Jews, but in this novel, it’s not simply a matter of the Algarvians blaming the Kaunians for everything that’s gone wrong for them. Instead, they use the life force of the Kauninans to unleash terrifying magic; one that Unkerlant must match if it is to fend off the invaders. There is also a “Manhattan Project” going on as mages in the nation of Kuusamo try to formulate a magic that will have at least as devastating an effect as the Algarvian magic but do so in a way that doesn’t involve the slaughter of humans.
If you’ve been reading the series all along, you’ll have an investment in the characters, and that’s what keeps the book moving. Since there are somewhere in the area of seventeen different point-of-view characters to follow, it can make following the story as it skips around quite difficult. It’s also the reason Turtledove seems to repeat himself over and over again.
To read my full review, please visit: https://thoughtsfromthemountaintop.co...
February 8, 2025
The third instalment in Turtledove’s Darkness sequence (see here and here) where a version of the European campaigns of the Second World War is carried out in a world where magic is real and used as weapons of war, with unicorns, behemoths, dragons and leviathans taking the places of the mechanical devices of our world, sticks fire beams of sorcerous energy and similarly charged eggs are fired as projectiles or dropped from the sky.
Comparisons are easy to identify. In this book the Kingdom of Algarve’s soldiers’ advance on the city of Sulingen on the Wolter river only to get bogged down in a battle of attrition mirrors the Battle of Stalingrad, various behind the lines activities correspond to those of partisans, the mathematical and practical experiments of the mages of Lagoas and Kuusamo ape the Manhattan project. The Holocaust is not yet quite paralleled, but the Kaunians (hated by Algarvians and other nationalities here - though not by all concerned) are corralled into ghettos (or at least one such) but as yet not extermination camps, though some are being killed en masse to provide sorcerous energy for military advantage.
This has the same weaknesses as previous instalments; characters tend to the two dimensional, there is repetition of information and of characters’ thoughts, the prose is resolutely pedestrian and the misogyny of nearly all the male characters remains stark.
But it’s Turtledove. No point in expecting more.
Comparisons are easy to identify. In this book the Kingdom of Algarve’s soldiers’ advance on the city of Sulingen on the Wolter river only to get bogged down in a battle of attrition mirrors the Battle of Stalingrad, various behind the lines activities correspond to those of partisans, the mathematical and practical experiments of the mages of Lagoas and Kuusamo ape the Manhattan project. The Holocaust is not yet quite paralleled, but the Kaunians (hated by Algarvians and other nationalities here - though not by all concerned) are corralled into ghettos (or at least one such) but as yet not extermination camps, though some are being killed en masse to provide sorcerous energy for military advantage.
This has the same weaknesses as previous instalments; characters tend to the two dimensional, there is repetition of information and of characters’ thoughts, the prose is resolutely pedestrian and the misogyny of nearly all the male characters remains stark.
But it’s Turtledove. No point in expecting more.
October 2, 2017
In the last book, we had our first fatality among named characters, two years or more years into the war. I thought that was a bit odd--not truly complaining, of course, because I like most of the POV characters, but for a series that was trying to show the horrors of war, it seemed like a bit of a pulled punch. We're starting to make up for it now, with two POVs passing, and I can only assume that we will continue to build as we go through the war.
After three books and *cough* hundred pages, I'm finally keeping up with all the characters and their nationalities with relative ease. (Yeah, took me long enough, right?) I am becoming very attached to (most) of them, and I know there will be more deaths to come, I just hope that the casualties are characters I don't care about as much. Fingers crossed?
Every time I get through a book, I wonder how the series can keep going, because surely we're winding down to the end? But we keep going with a full head of steam, and I'm still invested in riding this ley line to the end.
After three books and *cough* hundred pages, I'm finally keeping up with all the characters and their nationalities with relative ease. (Yeah, took me long enough, right?) I am becoming very attached to (most) of them, and I know there will be more deaths to come, I just hope that the casualties are characters I don't care about as much. Fingers crossed?
Every time I get through a book, I wonder how the series can keep going, because surely we're winding down to the end? But we keep going with a full head of steam, and I'm still invested in riding this ley line to the end.
December 29, 2017
Poor Leofsig! Why did he have to die? I hate Sidroc now. Poor Ealstan, Hestan and Conberge as well! Leofsig did not deserve to die. I liked that Ealstan was able to finally legally marry Vanai. I also liked how Conberge got married as well. The war between Algarve and Unkerlant continues with neither side wanting to give up. Garivald is fighting with the irregulars against the Algerians but he wishes he could go back to his home village Zossen. Fernao the Lagoan mage ends up fighting in the land of the Ice People, a place he wishes he could leave. He has been to the land of the Ice People before and hated it then too. He gets injured there, but is then recruited to work with several Kuusaman mages on a top secret project.
August 2, 2018
A fantastic retelling of World War 2 set in a time of magic and fantastic beast. However it’s such a retelling of WW2 that events and people became unbearably predictable that I quit the series about 2.5-3 books in. May revisit at some point, and I know more than a few people I’d heavily recommend this too, but if you aren’t looking for WW2 redux, avoid at all cost.
December 29, 2016
THROUGH THE DARKNESS continues the wonderfully imaginative fantasy mirroring our own World War II. As with the previous books, this one is very enjoyable, full of familiar (depending on your knowledge of WWII) scenes from our own history. While it may seem like a predictable plot, Turtledove is able to maintain enough uniqueness to keep the readers' attention. As the story progressively unfolds here, the characters further develop into more and more knowable (and likeable) figures. And even though you may know the primary direction of the overall story, you'll still be interested in following each of these characters through their unique adventures, and there is no way you'll predict where they'll end up.
In this book, the primary story focuses on the Derlavian War's battle for Stalingrad (Sulingen here) where the Algarvians have gotten bogged down in an over-reaching effort to capture Unkerlandt's Cinnabar deposits. Elsewhere, irregulars continue to battle the occupying Algarvians in any way they can, and the equivalent of the Manhattan Project continues on without a hitch. The dynamics of the war continue to change, and each of the primary characters from the first two books are still the focus here. Somehow, Turtledove is able to keep each of those characters' stories interesting even when they don't seem to be directly involved in the main events of the book.
The only major complaint I have about this story reflects the most common criticism of Turtledove's writing. Redundant and repetitive descriptions of characters/settings and constant reminders of easily-memorable facts is at times extremely annoying. We know that camel meat tastes bad. We know that Algarvians are overly expressive. We know the Gyongyosians don't eat goat. We know that the Zuwayzi(sp?) don't wear clothes. WE KNOW! Also, Turtledoves penchant for starting each character's section in the same way, time after time, is frustrating. If Pekka is surprised by a knock on her door one more time, I think I may rip some of my hair out. I guess Turtledove wants to hammer into his readers' brains certain characteristics of his characters, but overly repetitive actions and very similar scenes occurring over and over can be extremely off-putting. Almost like your intelligence is being questioned. Thus, four stars instead of the five stars this book came close to deserving.
Still highly recommended for those interested in getting involved in an epic fantasy closely mirroring our World War II.
In this book, the primary story focuses on the Derlavian War's battle for Stalingrad (Sulingen here) where the Algarvians have gotten bogged down in an over-reaching effort to capture Unkerlandt's Cinnabar deposits. Elsewhere, irregulars continue to battle the occupying Algarvians in any way they can, and the equivalent of the Manhattan Project continues on without a hitch. The dynamics of the war continue to change, and each of the primary characters from the first two books are still the focus here. Somehow, Turtledove is able to keep each of those characters' stories interesting even when they don't seem to be directly involved in the main events of the book.
The only major complaint I have about this story reflects the most common criticism of Turtledove's writing. Redundant and repetitive descriptions of characters/settings and constant reminders of easily-memorable facts is at times extremely annoying. We know that camel meat tastes bad. We know that Algarvians are overly expressive. We know the Gyongyosians don't eat goat. We know that the Zuwayzi(sp?) don't wear clothes. WE KNOW! Also, Turtledoves penchant for starting each character's section in the same way, time after time, is frustrating. If Pekka is surprised by a knock on her door one more time, I think I may rip some of my hair out. I guess Turtledove wants to hammer into his readers' brains certain characteristics of his characters, but overly repetitive actions and very similar scenes occurring over and over can be extremely off-putting. Almost like your intelligence is being questioned. Thus, four stars instead of the five stars this book came close to deserving.
Still highly recommended for those interested in getting involved in an epic fantasy closely mirroring our World War II.
August 23, 2015
This third installment of the Darkness series is the best so far. Most striking was the fact that it took only 2 sentences to completely suck me back into Derlavai and its different countries, circumstances and the raging war.
The numerous characters keep developing, surprisingly so for some. Some people die (there is a war going on after all) and new characters are introduced to take over the story-line or create their own. It is a dynamic world, without getting overly complicated, and it kept me wondering what would happen next. The similarities to WWII became clearer to me as well, without it actually becoming predictable.
Through the Darkness was definitely worth that fourth star, which I doubted about after Into the Darkness. I thoroughly enjoyed it and cannot wait to start Rulers of the Darkness (if I can find an affordable copy somewhere).
The numerous characters keep developing, surprisingly so for some. Some people die (there is a war going on after all) and new characters are introduced to take over the story-line or create their own. It is a dynamic world, without getting overly complicated, and it kept me wondering what would happen next. The similarities to WWII became clearer to me as well, without it actually becoming predictable.
Through the Darkness was definitely worth that fourth star, which I doubted about after Into the Darkness. I thoroughly enjoyed it and cannot wait to start Rulers of the Darkness (if I can find an affordable copy somewhere).
September 13, 2020
I am weirdly enamoured with this series, ever since I discovered it in a second-hand bookshop years ago, so much so that I think it’s subconsciously inspired a lot of how my headworld works.
While Turtledove, bless him, leaves a heck of a lot to be desired sometimes in terms of lacking visual descriptions (I still can’t quite visualise what a ‘stick’ is meant to actually look like) or repetition—I know the Algarvians are flamboyant(ly racist), I know Krasta fears Lurcanio and pities her drunk king, and I most certainly know that the Unkerlanters dress in nothing but ‘rock-gray’ uniforms—I find myself completely drawn in by the low-fantasy world they live in, and invested in what happens to each of the characters. An alarmingly number of them are fantastically but lowkey racist, which I guess is indicative of the fact the type of world they live in is a world happy to declare war on each other at the drop of a hat.
If there was a version of this book without quite so many typos, with the repetitive descriptions fixed, and with a bit more visual clarity in there, I’d be obsessed.
I love you, Darkness series, weird beast (or behemoth) that you are. 🦏
While Turtledove, bless him, leaves a heck of a lot to be desired sometimes in terms of lacking visual descriptions (I still can’t quite visualise what a ‘stick’ is meant to actually look like) or repetition—I know the Algarvians are flamboyant(ly racist), I know Krasta fears Lurcanio and pities her drunk king, and I most certainly know that the Unkerlanters dress in nothing but ‘rock-gray’ uniforms—I find myself completely drawn in by the low-fantasy world they live in, and invested in what happens to each of the characters. An alarmingly number of them are fantastically but lowkey racist, which I guess is indicative of the fact the type of world they live in is a world happy to declare war on each other at the drop of a hat.
If there was a version of this book without quite so many typos, with the repetitive descriptions fixed, and with a bit more visual clarity in there, I’d be obsessed.
I love you, Darkness series, weird beast (or behemoth) that you are. 🦏
February 9, 2009
Harry Turtledove has become well-known in SF circles as the most prolific and possibly the best proponent of the sub-genre called Alternative History. This particular volume, which retells in large part the persecution of the Jews by the Nazis, but inserts a love story between a mixed couple, a local boy and a girl who is a member of the downtrodden race, nevertheless manages to create an alternate universe that is intriguing and captures our attention. A good portion of the book is devoted to a retelling of the Battle of Stalingrad, complete with an alternate version of the Red October Steel Works and the Dzerzhinsky Tractor Factory. There are alternate universe counterparts to the famous snipers, the Red Army's Vasily Zaitsev and the Germans' Erwin Konig. The book will be worth reading for those who like this type of fiction. It would be better though if the author had not been paid by the word.
February 7, 2015
Thoughts on this book:
The magical equivalent of the Trinity atomic bomb test was pretty impressive. So was the battle of Sulingen, this world's equivalent to Stalingrad.
Also, Turtledove does not hesitate to kill off viewpoint characters. Worse, he then proceeds to introduce the character's killer as the replacement viewpoint character. George R.R. Martin didn't give us a whole chapter from the viewpoint of *spoiler* Joffrey Baratheon or Walder Frey, did he? Turtledove does. Nice.
The magical equivalent of the Trinity atomic bomb test was pretty impressive. So was the battle of Sulingen, this world's equivalent to Stalingrad.
Also, Turtledove does not hesitate to kill off viewpoint characters. Worse, he then proceeds to introduce the character's killer as the replacement viewpoint character. George R.R. Martin didn't give us a whole chapter from the viewpoint of *spoiler* Joffrey Baratheon or Walder Frey, did he? Turtledove does. Nice.
December 4, 2013
This was a great series as Turtledove is a master at keeping the action moving with a large cast of characters taht he uses and kills off as required. I enjoyed the series and war between Algarve and Unkerlant rages on.
May 16, 2007
Why did I keep reading these?
May 12, 2013
Terzo volume della Guerra dei Regni. Da leggere come gli altri
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews