Darkness Descending: A Novel of World War - And Magic

"Darkness Descending" is the second part of Harry Turtledove's reworking of the World War Two story set on a planet where technology is based on magic rather than machines. Dragon riders replace aircraft, Behemoths replace tanks, East and West have been transposed, Eurasia has been moved to the Southern hemisphere so that Scandinavia becomes equatorial, and names and superficial national characteristics have all been changed. But this is real history, not alternative history. Again and again the terrible events of the book are based on real historical incidents. Some of the changes to racial characteristics are impishly amusing, such as the fact that the people who correspond to the Finns live in an equatorial climate and look like Zulus, while the Saraha Desert becomes "the land of the Ice people," the Gyongyosian people who correspond to the Japanese are physically large, and the Kuusamans who correspond to Americans have epicanthic folds. Other changes are rather more biting - the "Kaunians" who correspond to Jews are tall, blue-eyed, and blonde. What Turtledove appears to be trying to do with this series is to study how different people responded to a time of great evil. Some people were sucked into taking part in that evil, some fought against it, others just tried to live through it. The changes to the names and characteristics of the participants seem to be intended to give the reader an opportunity to leave behind some of our emotional baggage about the holocaust so that we can try, not to justify the wrongs which people did in terrible times, but to understand how it could have happened. All but two or three of the characters in the first few books books are fictional - Hitler is King Mezentio of Algarve, Stalin is King Swemmel of Unkerlant, and Marshal Rathar gradually morphs into Zhukov. This actually makes the story more exiting, as the characters are presented well enough that you care about them: we all know how World War II turned out but the readers has no such certainty about the fate of the fictional characters. The six books of the series each corresponds very roughly indeed to about a year's real historical events. The second book, "Darkness Descending", covers events corresponding to those between the opening phases of Operation Barbarossa, Hitler's attack on Russia in 1941, to just before the launch in May 1942 of Operation Blue, Hitler's drive on the Caucasian oilfields. The series is best read in the correct sequence. All the books of this series have the word "Darkness" in the title, but the publishers refer to it as the "Derlavi" series, this being the name given in the books for the great continent which corresponds to Eurasia. The full sequence of books in their correct order is: "Into the Darkness" "Darkness Descending" "Through the Darkness" "Rulers of the Darkness" "Jaws of Darkness" "Out of the Darkness". Bottom line: the mood is as black as the titles indicate, but the series is a very excit

Turtledove shocked me with his first book Into the Darkness. He gave the characters such real virtues, and it made them believable. For example, Garivald was a simple farm worker who was married in a village with his family and they struggled through it because of the rule of King Swemmel and his followers; Count Sabrino a dragonflier who commands a unit of fliers for the kingdom of Algarve; Traku and his work as a tailor; and many other characters. And Harry Turtledove continues his way of writing in his next book, Darkness Descending. The war between Algarve and Unkerlant continues through the fierce winter in Unkerlant. Unkerlant takes advantage of the weather and drives back Algarve who was within a day's way from Cottbus, the capital of Unkerlant. As this happens, Mr. Turtledove writes the events of the many different characters as they go through the same events of the war. He gives such amazing detail, like the time that the Algarve soldiers were retreating, he tell about how the environment looked, what it smelled liked, this and more through the eyes of a soldier. Mr. Turtledove even gives detailed understanding of what the character's feeling. The way he writes makes want to sit down and read his long books. I don't really enjoy reading because some authors don't write in a way that grabs my attention, Harry Turtledove, however, has got my attention. In short, I enjoyed his second book just like I enjoyed the first and I hope to enjoy the third.

Darkness Descending (2000) is the second fantasy novel in the World At War series, following Into the Darkness. In the previous volume, the Algarvians have rounded up the Kaunians in their country and put them in camps. In Kuusamo, Pekka has found a anomaly in magic and takes it to her Masters. In Lagoas, Fernao notices that the foremost Kuusaman theoretical sorcerers are no longer publishing articles and takes this information to his Master. Cornelu has unexpectedly come home to Tirgoviste. In Forthweg, Major Spinello has sent Brivibas to the work gangs and Vanai has given herself to Spinello protect her grandfather. Istvan's unit on Obuda has been transferred back to the mainland to fight in Unkerlant. In this novel, the Algarvians are advancing across the seeming endless plains of Unkerlant and King Swemmel has ordered that all food must be hidden or delivered to his inspectors to keep it from the invaders. Marshall Rathar has come south to learn why the Unkerlantian army is being pushed back so quickly. Gyongyos has once more invaded far western Unkerlant and the Zuwayzin have pushed their border with Unkerlant back to where the Treaty of Bludenz had set it. Fernao has come to Kuusamo to find out about their new research, but is rebuffed. Marquis Skarnu has discovered love with a Valmieran peasant woman while his sister meets her match in Colonel Lurcanio. Trouble is brewing within Ealstan's family. This series is an allegory of the World Wars. However, the various national characteristics have been scrambled to preclude identification by stereotypical characteristics. For example, the Argarvians are red headed, with waxed mustaches. The Yaninans are short and wiry, with olive skins, dark eyes, dark hair, and thick bushy mustaches. The Kuusaman are short, with swarthy skin, dark hair, and brown slanted eyes. The Gyongyosians are tall, with blondish hair and beards. The Obudan Islanders have coppery skin. The Kaunians are blue eyed and blonde headed. The Forthwegians have a mania for mushrooms. The Gyongyosians do not eat goat meat. King Swemmel of Unkerlant has a passion for efficiency. The Forthwegians are stubborn and persistent. The Ice People herd camels and the Kuusaman herd reindeer. The Yaninans have bagpipe bands. Every day dress is also mixed in this story, from the kilts of the Algarvians to the pants of the Kaunians. The major difference from the real worldline is probably the Kuanians, who are the persecuted people of Derlavai. Long ago the Kuanians built an empire that conquered most of the known world, leaving relics such as roads and memorial arches throughout this domain. Then they were defeated and dispersed, with only Valmiera and Jelgava remaining as predominantly Kuanian states. Throughout the known world, however, the Kuanians are known for their scholarship and classical Kuanian is the international language of diplomacy and trade. In effect, the author has combined the Jews and the R

Another Good Book from an alternative World War II History. Great initial Ideal and execution. Mr. Turtledove is a World Wide Treasure.

Screaming "Heil Mezentio" the Algarvian master racestorms into the lands of Unted Tyranny of king Swemmel. Like in 1942the invaders are stopped just short of the capital and aim to strikefor the south (Kaukasus in our world) in order to cut off fuel from the Ru.. err Unkerlanters. Well, no surprises there, right? Algarvians make all the same mistakes that Germans made, and it will cost them dearly in the next book ;-]. Stil, the book is good. Even though I know the global trends, the particulars are always surprising and enticing. The dragons of Luftwaffe clashing with underfed Unkerlanter Air Force, or a Sibian sub commander... but no spoilers for you. Trust me on this one: the book beats the first one. Bottom line: If you have read the first one and did not burn it after reading, get the second one. If you haven't, look at my review for "Into The Darkness" and if you think you want to buy the first book, get "Darkness Descending" while you're at it.