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Dark-Hunter #7.1

The Dark-Hunter Companion

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Consider this handbook your education. Hunter 101. And don't go thinking you got off easy just because there's not a pop quiz at the end. This is the good stuff. The real deal. In here you'll find out all there is to know about being a Dark-Hunter.Now for the This book is mutable. It goes with the wind. It changes more often than the mind of a sixteen-year-old Gemini with a closet full of clothes and a date in an hour. Don't be surprised if you open it up for the thirty-five thousandth time and find something old, something new, something borrowed or. . .well you get the point.Curl up in a comfy chair with some millennium-old scotch and feast upon the informative banquet I have prepared for your enjoyment.Welcome to your new life.---From the Dark-Hunter Companion

448 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 13, 2007

125 people are currently reading
4066 people want to read

About the author

Sherrilyn Kenyon

243 books30.2k followers
Official Author site
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New York Times and international bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon is a regular at the #1 spot. With legions of fans known as Paladins (thousands of whom proudly sport tattoos from her series and who travel from all over the world to attend her appearances), her books are always snatched up as soon as they appear on store shelves. Since 2004, she had placed more than 80 novels on the New York Times list in all formats including manga and graphic novels. Her current series are: Dark-Hunters, Chronicles of Nick and The League, and her books are available in over 100 countries where eager fans impatiently wait for the next release. Her Chronicles of Nick and Dark-Hunter series are soon to be major motion pictures while Dark-Hunter is also being developed as a television series. Join her and her Paladins online at MySherrilyn.com and www.facebook.com/mysherrilyn

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5 stars
3,468 (51%)
4 stars
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3 stars
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 153 reviews
Profile Image for Exina.
1,276 reviews417 followers
August 19, 2019
"Welcome to your new life. Go kick some ass."

The Dark-Hunter Companion is so much fun! It is filled with tons of useful and well-structured information, written in a really engaging style.
"This book won't get too deep into the nitty-gritty. The real down and dirty stuff you'll have to ask the tight-lipped Goth Royal Tallness himself."

Well, maybe really not that dirty, but it is detailed enough.

As it is a handbook for brand-new Dark-Hunters, the first part of it is a guide that tells you
- how you got here, i.e. you sold your soul for vengeance.
- the basics about your newly-created immortal body and senses: you better cancel your invitations for beach parties.
- rules of your new life, to-dos, not-to-dos, and how-to-dos

This part also gives you tips and practical advice, a glossary of DH slang, and a list of definitions of extra powers you may have. Or not. I already have one, by the way...


The Dark-Hunter Directory not only lists your fellow Dark-Hunters, but also serves a memorial to those who have passed away in the line of duty. The Directory gives their background story, time and place of birth, powers, current location, even their appearance.

The following chapters are about:
- the myth and origins of Were-Hunters, their magic and ability to time travel;
- Dream-Hunters, their origins, hierarchy, and roles;
the significance and branches of Squires;
- Apollites and Daimons;
- Gods and Goddesses;
- and lists all of them, even important Civilians of the Dark-Hunter Universe.
Besides, there are chapters about Atlantis, Greek traditions, superstitions, sayings, and meals (with recipes), New Orleans and Cajun Culture.

All these things mentioned above are very informative, and useful, if you quickly need to look up something. But my absolute favorite parts are the interviews with Sherrilyn Kenyon, Acheron, and Simi.

The book also contains a Dark-Hunter parody, a Styxx-short, Second Chances, deleted scenes of Night Embrace, Seize the Night, and the reading order of the series.

Great book, I’m happy to own it!

For DH fans, it is a must read!

My favorite quotes.
Profile Image for UniquelyMoi ~ BlithelyBookish.
1,097 reviews1,760 followers
October 13, 2012

If you're into the Dark Hunter series like I am, this companion book is for you. It really helped me understand the different pantheons, the different Hunters, and all their powers and abilities. I wish I had this before I had started reading Dark Hunter books.

Profile Image for Sara Elizabeth.
Author 4 books3 followers
August 1, 2012
This was a really fun read and truly a perfect companion to the Dark-Hunter series. It was written in the style of a guide for Dark-Hunters which made it all the more interesting. It wasn't like reading a boring summarization of the books, but rather leading you into the life of a Dark-Hunter and what to expect. There were detailed biographies of Dark-Hunters, Were-Hunters, Dream-Hunters, gods, and Daimons. Although, if you're not into bios, don't worry, you can skip them. It might be a good idea anyway, if like me, you haven't finished the series!
One of the greatest parts of this book are the recipes at the end. I so want to try Greek coffee! I just have to get my hands on some (or Turkish). Also there are deleted scenes from the Dark-Hunter books --- not many, but enough to make it fun.
I really enjoyed this book and I have nothing at all bad to say, except for maybe the picture of Ash was kind of....not how I pictured him? Other than that, it was great. If you're a fan of the Dark-Hunter series this is a must read!
Profile Image for Julianna.
Author 5 books1,343 followers
February 25, 2013
Reviewed for THC Reviews
I've been saying for a while now that I need a Dark-Hunter encyclopedia to keep track of all the characters and mythology of the series, and here it is. The Dark-Hunter Companion is written in an entertaining way with the narrator assuming that the reader has just been turned into a Dark-Hunter, and this is the handbook to their job. Each section begins with a full-page black and white illustration done in the manga style. I'm not sure which characters some of them represented, but they were still very nice additions to the book. I've always thought this series was a little too complex, and the sheer number of characters who are listed in the directory portions and the fact that I don't even remember some of them only solidified my opinion. In some ways, the mythology is a little clearer for having read this book. However, the "rules" that are laid out for each species make the world seem a bit more static than it actually is. In the novels, it seems like “rules” are meant to be broken, so the mythology is an ever-changing, constantly evolving thing that often frustrates me. In that respect, this book did little to help me make sense of it all, but overall I did enjoy it.

The first section of the book, 'So You're a Dark-Hunter...', is a primer of sorts on the Dark-Hunters: how they are made, what is expected of them in their job, what they can and cannot do, etc. There are also two glossaries of terms, one for powers and one for weapons, but much like with the laundry lists of characters, I honestly can't remember even half of these things being mentioned in the books. The second section, 'Dark-Hunter Directory,' is exactly what it sounds like, a directory of all the Dark-Hunters, both primary and secondary characters, who have ever been in any books up to the point that this one was written. Me barely remembering some of the lesser characters, if at all, in my opinion, just goes to show what a broad brush Sherrilyn Kenyon uses to paint these stories. For those characters who do turn up again from time to time, I think it will help me to recall them better.

The next six sections cover all the other “species” or sub-groups within the Dark-Hunter world, including Were-Hunters, Dream-Hunters, Squires, Daimons and Appolites, Gods, Goddesses and Demons, and last, but certainly not least, Humans. Each section begins with a detailed discussion of the mythology surrounding each group, followed by a directory of characters and terms specific to each group. I particularly enjoyed the menus for each of the Were-Hunter safe houses: Peletier House, Dante's Inferno, and The Seregenti Club. I'm not sure I'd ever read the entire Squire's Oath, so that was a nice addition too. Admittedly though, the directories could be slightly dry when reading them straight through word for word like I was doing, as it really is much like reading an encyclopedia. These sections are probably better suited for reference when you want to know more about a particular character or some unfamiliar word.

Next up is a short history of Atlantis and the legends surrounding it, as well as a brief dictionary of Atlantean words and phrases that are commonly used in the series. Then there is a section on Greek culture. The sub-sections on Greek superstitions and sayings were particularly interesting. It also contains a dictionary of the Greek alphabet, numbers, and common words, and then wraps up with some tasty-sounding Greek recipes. Sandwiched in between these two sections is the 'Hidden Chapter.' You won't find it in the table of contents, and it's all about Acheron. Since Ash is my very favorite Dark-Hunter character, this section gave me a little sigh of satisfaction and left me even more eager to get to his book. Only one more left to go.:-) I just hope it lives up to the hype for me.

There is also a section on New Orleans which details several points of interest and fun facts about the city. This would definitely come in handy if I ever get a chance to visit. Much like the Greek section, this one wraps up with a Cajun dictionary and a few Cajun recipes. Next is an interview with Sherrilyn Kenyon which I found to be insightful, followed by two fun interviews with Acheron and Simi. After that is a short Dark-Hunter parody called 'Widget Bone's Diary' which was pretty funny. It is followed by the Dark-Hunter short story, Second Chances which I had already previously read and have reviewed separately below. The final section contains a synopsis for Saving Grace, which was later retitled Fantasy Lover, and four deleted scenes from Night Embrace and Seize the Night. Reading the synopsis, it was interesting to see how the book changed from the original concept to publication. The excerpts were all quite good. In some ways, I wish they had been left in their respective books, because they provided more information about, and development of, certain characters. The book wraps up with a handy reading order for the series and a list of all the official series websites, although it looks like most of them simply redirect to various sections of Sherrilyn Kenyon's official website.

The Dark-Hunter Companion is a pretty comprehensive guide to the series, at least up to the point it was written. The only things I thought might have been nice to include would have been family trees for some of the extensive families who have several members, and perhaps a time-line of births, deaths and important events in the Dark-Hunter world. Readers should be warned that if they haven't read all the novels and short stories that were published prior to this book, there are many spoilers contained within its pages. So, unfortunately, it will be of little help to anyone who is just starting the series, unless they don't mind having major plot points revealed. Overall, The Dark-Hunter Companion is a nice reference that will probably come in quite handy in the future if I'm having trouble remembering who a particular character is or what a certain word means.

Second Chances - Second Chances is a very brief little story about Dark-Hunter leader, Acheron, and his "brother," Styxx, which gave even more fascinating insights into this intriguing and complex character. Once again, Ash shows his deep capacity for caring about others even when they've wronged him. All throughout my reading of this novella, I couldn't help wanting to know more about Ash's past and all that has happened in the long centuries of his life. He is certainly a character who draws me in every time I read about him, a feat very few have accomplished, which leaves me absolutely dying to get to his book, but alas, I still have a long way to go (at the time I originally wrote this ;-)) in the Dark-Hunter series to get there. Second Chances was originally published as an exclusive collector's booklet that was given away with Unleash the Night. It can also be found in it's entirety within the pages of The Dark-Hunter Companion and Acheron, as well as be read for free on Sherrilyn Kenyon's website. Star Rating: 4.5
Profile Image for Alex is The Romance Fox.
1,461 reviews1,242 followers
December 29, 2011
If you are a fan of the Dark Hunter Series , you have to get this book. It's an awesome addition to my growing SK library!!!!!

You get all the information of all the characters….their history, background, places and more…who is who….everything about the Dark Hunters, Were-Hunters, Dream Hunters, Gods and Goddesses…it’s the ultimate Dark Hunter encyclopedia…

Love the part with the interview with Sherrilyn Kenyon and the Dark Hunter Directory….fabulous!!! Also some interesting illustrations are included in this fun and witty book that you will page through over and over again.

I grab it from my bookshelf every once in a while to check out some info on the books I am reading.

Get your own DARK HUNTER handbook....I highly recommend you add it to your bookshelf
Profile Image for Connie.
723 reviews18 followers
August 29, 2008
I am putting this on my read shelf a little early, since I have read half of it and know how I want my review to go.
This book is just like it says, a companion, to all the dark hunter books in the series. I really enjoyed parts of it, even though it reads something like an encyclopedia for all the characters.
I am so hoping that some of the characters in here, not previously in other books, are going to show up in her new books soon. I would love to be able to have Sherrilyn Kenyon write a book a day for a couple of months, but I know she is not a goddess. She will always be a demi goddess in my mind just for writing this series!
Thank you so much!
Profile Image for Megan Rose.
415 reviews7 followers
June 30, 2020
Wish I had this before I read the series. Definitely helpful throughout all the other books.
Profile Image for Corazon.
46 reviews4 followers
July 5, 2009
Ich bin ja kein großer Fan von Taschenbücher, deshalb habe ich gezögert, als ich las, dass dieses Exemplar ein TB ist. Ich habe mich dennoch für einen Kauf entschieden, und diesen aus vielerlei Gründen nicht bereut.

Das TB entpuppt sich als gebunden im Softcover. Dass allein ist der Preis schon wert.

Der Inhalt hat mich von der ersten Seite an überzeugt.
Wie von einem guten "Lexikon" zu erwarten ist, beginnt es mit einer detaillierten Übersicht der einzelnen Themen.
Im Anschluss erfährt man alles was es über die DH zu wissen gibt. Von den Anfängen bis zur heutigen Zeit, es wird alles wissenwerte erwähnt. Alle DH's, von denen man bis jetzt gehört, bzw. gelesen, hat, sind darin in aller Ausführlichkeit beschrieben.
Ebenso was die Dream Hunter, die Were Hunter, die Squires, usw. betrifft.
Es wird auch auf die Daimons, die Appolites und die Götter und deren Welt im Allgemeinen und im Besonderen eingegangen.

Es wird auf "Greek", New Orleans, usw. in einem separaten Teil eingegangen, sowie all die kleinen Dinge rundherum, die die Bücher beinhalten. Die Bars in NO, man lernt sie endlich näher kennen, und man wünscht sich, dass man zumindest einmal dort gewesen wäre. Die Gerichte, die unsere Helden zu essen pflegen, deren Rezepte sind u.a. auch aufgelistet. Wer Lust hat die NO-Küche kennnenzulernen, viel Spaß beim Nachkochen.

Des Weiteren sind tolle Interviews beigefügt:
- mit Sherrilyn Kenyon
- mit Acheron und natürlich
- mit Simi!

Das Buch enthält alles, was man schon immer über die Dark Hunter und deren Welt wissen wollte.

Das Einzige was mich gestört hat, sind die Zeichnungen, die vor jedem Kapitel eingefügt sind. Ich bin keine Freundin der Manga. Ich finde, wenn man die Titelbilder der einzelnen Bücher genommen und diese als schöne Bleitstiftzeichnungen gemalt und beigefügt hätte, hätte das dem Buch einen höheren künstlerischen Wert verliehen. Die vorhandenen Bilder entsprechen so gar nicht den Vorstellungen, die sich die Leser von den einzelnen Figuren machen. Trotz dieses Manko, gebe ich die volle Punktzahl als Bewertung, da der Inhalt wirklich überzeugt.

Fazit:
Wer ein Dark Hunter Fan ist und auch über die kleinsten Dinge in dieser mysteriösen Welt Bescheid wissen möchte, der sollte sich auf jeden Fall dieses Buch kaufen. Es ist eine Bereicherung für jede Dark Hunter - Sammlung.
Profile Image for Mojca.
2,132 reviews168 followers
August 9, 2008
This is a must have for all Dark-, Were- and/or Dream-Hunters fans out there.

A mixture of manual, fictitious material, historical tidbits, and yummy recipes, it's a fun, light read to escape the often gloomy, dark world of the Hunters.

This is a go-to book to refresh your memory on the Hunters (present and past), learn a little more about them, their squires, and even their leader.

It also explains the origin of the Apollites and Daimons, sheds some light onto the powers-that-be (gods, demigods, deities, and other immortals), offers short Greek, Atlantean, and Cajun dictionaries, along with a brief tour of New Orleans and its hot spots, and Cajun culture.

The authors haven't been stingy with the yummy extras, either. AG, Ash, and Simi all agreed on short interviews, there is a hilarious parody about an DH in making, a short story Second Chances which appeared in the official booklet (that's impossible to get nowadays), along with the original synopsis for Saving Grace , Fantasy Lover's original, and a few deleted scenes from previous books.


Though The Dark-Hunter Companion reads like a manual, you should take it for what it is. A light, entertaining read that serves both the purpose of broadening your Hunter horizon as cracking you up.

Also, love the manga-style chapter intros.
497 reviews18 followers
August 7, 2016
This is a humorously written, informative reference guide to the novels written in the Dark-Hunter fictional world through the 13th novel including Dream-Hunter and Were-Hunter novels, novellas and short stories. The problem is that these are only half of what has since been written. And some of the more recent novels, especially the most recent Styxx, turn what came before on its ear. Still it is worth the read, and helps keep some of the players straight as the overall story grows in depth, breadth and length. For anyone who is just working their way through the series, be aware that some of the facts change. For example, in the novels about Acheron and Styxx their father is King Xerxes of Didymous rather than Icarion, and Acheron's biological god daddy is now in question. As for one of my chief questions, it never gets mentioned in this volume or any novel: Why does Acheron turn blue and black in his god form and have horns when his mother doesn't nor any other god we know about? (Charonte demons however . . . Yet Apollymi insists Acheron's father is born of the light.) Tis a mystery.
Profile Image for pianogal.
3,243 reviews52 followers
December 7, 2008
Whew! Finally made it through this one. The back half is pretty good, but I definately did not need a complete character index. That was amazingly difficult to trudge through. So beware - if you don't really need to know EVERYTHING about EVERYONE ever involved in the Dark-Hunter world - now and in the foreseeable future, I'd pass on this one.
Profile Image for Kirsten.
697 reviews28 followers
March 6, 2013
I was looking for specific info on specific characters that wasn't in the book. :( Still love Sherrilyn, but the book needs to be updated. I know, lots of work. Lots of good information on other characters though. :)
Profile Image for OpenBookSociety.com .
4,106 reviews135 followers
June 7, 2020
https://openbooksociety.com/article/t...

The Dark-Hunter Companion
Dark-Hunter Series
By Sherrilyn Kenyon & Alethea Kontis
ISBN# 9780312363437
Sherrily Kenyon’s website: https://www.sherrilynkenyon.com/
Alethea Kontis’s website: http://aletheakontis.com/
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi


This book is a reference guide telling you all you need to know about the Dark-hunters, Were-hunters, Dream-hunters, squires, civilians and gods of the Dark-Hunter universe.

There were things I liked about this book and things I didn’t.

This book is written in a way that implied you were just turned into a Dark-Hunter and this is the handbook given to you. Now, you must read it and soak up all the knowledge of your new life so you can apply all you’ve learned in your new everyday life. I really liked that about this book and I thought it was a smart way to write this kind of guide.

I read this book cover-to-cover, which wasn’t the easiest reading to do, if I’m being honest. This book was mostly directories of different characters and a dictionary of commonly used words. It made for some very dry reading. Although I can imagine, it would come in handy if you kept it as a reference guide and referred to it when you come across a character you didn’t know or had forgotten about.

I read this book primarily for the novella I thought it contained (thanks for nothing Goodreads who claimed this was Dark-Hunter #7.5). There was a very very short story about Acheron going to get Styxx out of the Underworld. Calling this a short story is a bit of a stretch as it’s more of a scene than anything else.

The bonus material was the only thing worth reading straight through. However, with that being said, I was a bit disappointed with it because I’ve already read all the deleted scenes previously (were they even deleted?) and Widget Bones’s Diary was supposed to be from a male point-of-view, but seemed pretty feminine to me, not to mention the picture of the girl next to it.

I did, however, like the fact that Ash’s chapter was a hidden chapter that wasn’t even listed on the contents since he keeps erasing it.

Overall, this was an okay book for reference purposes. It’s just hard to sit through and read and actually stay interested with it.
Profile Image for Jacque.
998 reviews22 followers
October 13, 2020
I tend to listen to my Kindle books using the text to speech function while I drive. So, once I finished so after finished the last book in the series (suppose I should mention, I am reading the big 21 boxset that I got for a great price a few years back) I just let it continue on to the next book. Which just happened to be this companion book.

Oops! This isn't that kind of book to just play on. It's is more of a encyclopedia to use for referencing. Really wish I knew about it BEFORE I started the series because there is a lot of info here that would have helped when I felt lost, confused, and 'who is this guy again?' overwhelmed. It was really nice of the authors to put this together for us readers. Definitely comes in handy especially with such a long series. Not sure if I would have bought it separately, but, as it came with the boxset, I'm more than happy to have it.
Profile Image for Dasha.
1,570 reviews21 followers
September 10, 2022
2.5 estrellas.
El diseño de esta edición y su estilo, no me vuelven loca. Creo que ha envejecido un poco mal. Pero es mi opinión. Muy personal.

Si se tiene alguna duda sobre el universo de los Cazadores oscuros, esta guía es una buena opción, es básicamente, una relación de términos y normas de toda la saga. También contiene recetas griegas y cajún, poquitas pero ahí están. Escenas eliminadas de algunos libros, algún relato extra y entrevistas a algún que otro personaje y a Kenyon.
Alguna de las ilustraciones me ha parecido que podría haber tenido más calidad y, además, mi copia tenía dos desperfectos, precisamente, en dos de las páginas que están ilustradas.
Profile Image for GLORY1818.
674 reviews3 followers
April 29, 2021
Aún no empiezo a leer esta serie pero con este manual, no creo tener perdedero, porque te detalla muy bien los terminos y quienes son los buenos y los malos por decirlo así y saber cuales son las reglas que los rigen.
La escritora no quería que sus lectores se confunieran eso es muy bueno para los que vamos iniciando la serie ya que aún no estamos familiarizados con los terminos y a que grupos pertenecen los personajes.
Profile Image for ME E.
584 reviews57 followers
December 31, 2017
This was a fun book to read and a great way to catch up on any characters that need to be recapped. Since this book is labeled as number 13.5 I highly recommend reading the first 13 books before reading this guide. Because there are spoilers for certain characters. But I am huge fan of sherrilyn Kenyon and the dark Hunter world she created.
Profile Image for Veronica Rivera.
513 reviews12 followers
May 13, 2019
If you are a available fan you will love this very comprehensive study on Sherrilyn Kenyon's world of dark hunters, dream hunters, and were hunters.
This book does a great job of explaining each and then giving the reader a review of each member so far that you have been introduced to, and some that you are still waiting to meet.
Profile Image for Regina.
2,150 reviews37 followers
February 27, 2023
This truly is a reference book. It's sporadic in information. Some entries I found unnecessary, while others I felt not enough was given, especially for various characters. (ie.I don't care about a bouncer that made a brief appearance.) Definitely one of those I would rather own a copy of while reading the whole series instead of having to check out several times from my library.
Author 6 books20 followers
July 27, 2018
A wonderful and comprehensive guide to the Dark Hunter series, this was fascinating to read. The series stands on its own. This companion "fills in" places one doesn't realize wanted filling. Excellent.
Profile Image for Sillylittlefishey.
930 reviews29 followers
December 12, 2019
This reads like a dictionary or phone book... great to keep as a reference, not so great to read straight through.
Profile Image for Jennifer Prescott.
507 reviews22 followers
June 26, 2020
Re-read from time of publication.
SO much fun to see inside the awesome series! Love that the author created something so unique and fun for fans of the series!
Profile Image for Bobbie.
327 reviews5 followers
January 10, 2021
It was much longer than expected and really felt overdone. Some of the pieces were informative and/or entertaining, but I really felt like it was at least 200 pages too long.
Profile Image for Teresa.
26 reviews
August 7, 2021
Totally hilarious book. Best companion book I've ever read 😅
Displaying 1 - 30 of 153 reviews

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