Status
Available
Genres
Collection
Publication
Spectra (1994), Edition: Revised, 432 pages
Description
Fantasy. Fiction. Mythology. HTML:On the long roads of Deverry ride two mercenaries whose fates like hidden deep in that of their own land. But Lord Rhodry, exiled from the dragon court of Aberwyn, has yet to discover his true parentage, and his swordmaster-lover, Jill, has barely glimpsed her awesome powers. Meanwhile, the ancient sorcerer Nevyn, held back by his vows from boldly intervening in their lives, can only watch and wait as Rhodry and Jill move ever closer to danger. For as the two struggle to recover the Great Stone, the mystic jewel that guides the conscience of the kingship of Deverry, malevolent dark masters are weaving terrifying spells against them�??and displacing messengers of death. Katharine Kerr has extensively rewritten Darkspell, incorporating major changes in the text, making this her definitive edition. Here the epic saga that began with the Daggerspell continues�??a tale of might and magic, lust and glory, dark danger… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Queensowntalia
Please see Daggerspell for my assessment of the series :)
A must-read series!!
A must-read series!!
LibraryThing member magemanda
This is the second Deverry book and proves to be just as gripping as the first. Here we are dealing with a present time storyline of Jill and Rhodry's life on the road as silver daggers, and the danger they face from masters of dark dweomer. Jill discovers from Nevyn more about dweomer as he tries
We also go back in time to a previous incarnation of Jill and Rhodry and Cullyn (Jill's father). The three souls (and others) have been twisted together because of vengeance, a miscarriage of destiny and incestuous love. Here Jill is Gweniver - a lady who pledges herself to the Moon Goddess, and therefore will be unable to take to a life of dweomer. Nevyn resigns himself to watching her die in the service of the Goddess and going back to waiting for her soul to be reborn. There is also a quick backstory to the start of the Maelwaedd clan (Rhodry's people).
I adored the whole story of Jill and Rhodry, and everything that happens in modern times. I found the masters of dark dweomer genuinely creepy, especially hearing what takes place during their rituals. It is lovely to see more of dweomer at work, including an entertaining piece of jewelry. I particularly like the way that Kerr ensures that there is always a downside to working dweomer.
One of my favourite characters right now is highly peripheral - Jill's grey gnome (one of the Wildfolk) is extremely cute and Kerr does well to lend him so much character since he is unable to speak properly. I also like Ebany a great deal, and suspect we shall see much more of him.
However, the success of these books depends greatly on how enjoyable the tale set in the past is, since it encompasses a large part of the novel. And I didn't get on with Gweniver - I found her naive and arrogant in turn. Very different from other past incarnations such as Brangwen (the first incarnation) and Lyssa (a gentle bard's wife). This is why I drop it half a star from the first book in the series.
The strong Celtic feel again embued the book with a sense of almost historical fiction - the language and the lifestyle is a fantastic part of each novel. Once again, I would recommend highly.
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to gently encourage her to fulfil her Wyrd (destiny). We also go back in time to a previous incarnation of Jill and Rhodry and Cullyn (Jill's father). The three souls (and others) have been twisted together because of vengeance, a miscarriage of destiny and incestuous love. Here Jill is Gweniver - a lady who pledges herself to the Moon Goddess, and therefore will be unable to take to a life of dweomer. Nevyn resigns himself to watching her die in the service of the Goddess and going back to waiting for her soul to be reborn. There is also a quick backstory to the start of the Maelwaedd clan (Rhodry's people).
I adored the whole story of Jill and Rhodry, and everything that happens in modern times. I found the masters of dark dweomer genuinely creepy, especially hearing what takes place during their rituals. It is lovely to see more of dweomer at work, including an entertaining piece of jewelry. I particularly like the way that Kerr ensures that there is always a downside to working dweomer.
One of my favourite characters right now is highly peripheral - Jill's grey gnome (one of the Wildfolk) is extremely cute and Kerr does well to lend him so much character since he is unable to speak properly. I also like Ebany a great deal, and suspect we shall see much more of him.
However, the success of these books depends greatly on how enjoyable the tale set in the past is, since it encompasses a large part of the novel. And I didn't get on with Gweniver - I found her naive and arrogant in turn. Very different from other past incarnations such as Brangwen (the first incarnation) and Lyssa (a gentle bard's wife). This is why I drop it half a star from the first book in the series.
The strong Celtic feel again embued the book with a sense of almost historical fiction - the language and the lifestyle is a fantastic part of each novel. Once again, I would recommend highly.
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LibraryThing member Spurts
This did not read like a sequel to Daggerspell. I kept putting off reviewing because not really sure what to say about it plus was kicking myself for diving immediately into it after the first book.
Okay, a few paragraphs hinted at continuation of the storyline/characters from first book -- what I
I kept waiting for stuff to happen, for the series to be continued. Got just a bare glimmer in with a bunch of uninteresting, seemingly incomplete meanderings. Of course, I could be wrong and one or more bits that bored me are going to prove vitally important to rest of series.
Okay, a few paragraphs hinted at continuation of the storyline/characters from first book -- what I
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was wanting to read. But mostly it read like a rather murky anthology of flash fictions extremely loosely related (even though sometimes wound up being various reincarnations of or a drifting into story bit by familiar characters).I kept waiting for stuff to happen, for the series to be continued. Got just a bare glimmer in with a bunch of uninteresting, seemingly incomplete meanderings. Of course, I could be wrong and one or more bits that bored me are going to prove vitally important to rest of series.
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LibraryThing member kinwolf
The story is interesting, the world is too. Even if it's very low fantasy and I am more of a high fantasy type, I liked it. But the thing that weakens the books alot is the throwback to past lives with all those names to remember, and when you come back to "present" you pretty much forgot again
Gritty world, that's for sure.(but based on our own past, which is what makes it even grittier)
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what was going on and who did what.Gritty world, that's for sure.(but based on our own past, which is what makes it even grittier)
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LibraryThing member jazzbird61
I am really enjoying this series again. Very happy that I didn't finish it the first time around (I started in 2008 when Kindle was just getting off the ground and ebooks were scarce) so I have no idea how it is going to end.
This is true epic fantasy, of a kind that we don't seem much of these
This is true epic fantasy, of a kind that we don't seem much of these
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days. And the ones we see seem to be taking 10 years to finish and or get the next books out. Show Less
Language
Original publication date
1989
Physical description
6.88 inches
ISBN
0553568884 / 9780553568882