Dark Haven

Three months have past since King Martris "Tris" Drayke defeated his brother, Jared the Usurper, and his ally Blood Mage Arontala (see THE BLOOD KING). Winning a war seems easy to Tris in retrospect. Now he must move on and rule a devastated kingdom. Apprehension remains high as some forces loyal to the Usurper continue to fight with enemy Lord Curane and his troops trapped at Lochlanimar and rumors spread that to the south a child has a legitimate claim to the throne. With all that Tris must find a way to feed and shelter his displaced refugee population especially with winter coming to freeze the lands to the north. Meanwhile Tris also prepares for his wedding ceremony with Princess Kiara. He appoints his protector best friend Jonmarc Vahanian to take over as Lord of Dark Haven, a key estate to the north. Finally as the lord of their realm Margolan, Jonmarc negotiates with the Blood Council of vampires the Vayash Moru at a time when some of the vampires believe the mortals are unworthy of ruling especially since the Flow of magic The Flow is unbalanced, which means the blood magic of vampires is stronger than the light magic of the SUMMONER. This is a super third tale that fans of the Necromancer fantasy saga will enjoy. Tris and Jonmarc learn how complex it is to change from rebel to ruler as they struggle to insure the kingdom's subjects don't starve to death or are further victims of war. Although well written, DARK HAVEN is a middle book that sets up the next entry as no major plot line is completed. Still exciting and well written, Gail Z. Martin provides a deep tale that makes the case that John Milton's "Better to rule in Hell than to serve in Heaven" omits how much more difficult to rule is than to serve. Harriet Klausner

Dark Haven is Gail Z. Martin's third book in the Chronicles of the Necromancer series, the first being The Summoner then followed by The Blood King. Dark Haven is a direct continuation of the first two stories and should be read in such order as several events in this book directly correlate to events previously written. This novel is just like its predecessors, a fast, action and story driven tale made even stronger by in-depth and engaging characters. In this story, the tale starts off approximately three months after the events in The Blood King. King Martris "Tris" Drayke has defeated his brother, Jared the Usurper, and the Blood Mage Arontala, and now is trying to piece the kingdom back together while routing leftover supporters of Jared. Tension is thickening as rumors of a bastard child whose claim on the throne may be legitimate arise from the southern lands, threatening war with the northern kingdoms, which are still suffering from the devastation of Jared's rein and probable starvation as winter hits the land full force. Tris must coordinate the autumn festival, his wedding with the princess Kiara, and the siege at Lochlanimar against Lord Curane, a Jared supporter rallying the southern lands. At the same time, Jonmarc Vahanian, Tris' friend and self-appointed protector, was given the title of Lord of Dark Haven, a northern stronghold and land holding, after the battle against Jared. He must take charge of the battered keep by restoring it and restoring hope to people of the land. All the while he must make peace with the Blood Council, a cabal of vampires, called Vayash Moru, as the appointed mortal lord of their realm. With a splinter group of vampires who no longer respect the old ways, the old pact between mortals and immortal undead, Jonmarc must prove himself worthy of being their leader. Martin, again, spins a fabulous tale that is not only interesting and engaging but chock full of scenery and lore. In the previous books we learned about many of the customs throughout the northern lands and some of the rules the world is built on, but in Dark Haven she elaborates more on those rules while introducing us to more cultures. Throughout this book she doesn't bore us with inane details and unnecessary trivia, it all matters and is an enriching experience at the same time. As with The Summoner and The Blood King, I enjoyed returning to the characters and seeing her world come to life. First, to get past the negative, because it really isn't negative, I will confess one disappointment. The first two books are comprised of one encapsulated story, meaning each book is, in its own right, a logical beginning, middle, and end. With The Summoner and The Blood King, I could read those two and if I so choose never read another word of Martin's work. Those two stories stood by themselves. Dark Haven reads like a continuation of the first two books and does not complete itself. This book reminds me of the middle book of a tr

I love Gail Martin's writing. She just has one problem in that she can't possibly write fast enough! The 3rd volume in this series was quite good. ("almost" spoilers coming here!) We see Tris return to his kingdom of Margolan where Kiara joins him to take her place as queen. Jonmarc settles in as Lord of Dark Haven, where Carina is eventually by his side. But there's a whole lot of crazy going on...battles sparked by those who don't want Kiara to be queen, Jared's illegitimate son has been born and is a threat to Tris' throne, and the Blood Council, which had established a peace treaty with mortals, has been fragmented by a power-hungry vayash moru. This was another great read. And Gail leaves us hanging....again! Fans won't mind, though. If she keeps cranking out plot and action like this, we will wait as long as it takes.

I have really enjoyed this series and can not wait for the next to come out. This is the 3rd to the necromancer chronicles and does not disappoint. Although if you are one to not like cliff hangers, you'll want to wait for the series to be published in its entirety. Martin does not disappoint with this latest installation to the series. It's full of action and uncertainty within each characters lives and leaves you wanting more. If you like fiction, you will like this imaginative tale of Mage's, vampires called vayash moru, healers, warriors, and their trials and tribulations to overcome evil once and for all. Only downside is the waiting for the next book to come out.

Wow! Kudos to Gail Z. Martin for continuing to write such an excellent series! I couldn't put it down. I was a bit frustrated when it ended with all of the characters in different states of peril. I can't wait to see where she takes the fourth book... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH---a whole year of waiting!!!!!