Book Description
After the war comes the darkness
Terisiare lies in ruins. Nations have fallen, goblins raid the land, and an oppressive faith throttles the city-states. Now deep within the walls of the Conclave of Mages, Jodah must decide if unlocking his own immense power is worth taking a step into the dark lands.
The epic of the Ice Age begins.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent book by an excellent author.......2007-08-12
This series is a great read. If you like MTG books in general, this one will not disappoint.
One of the Best Fantasy Novels I Have Ever Read.......2007-05-02
The Gathering Dark does a great job of fleshing out a Dark-ages world, and should be well-liked even by those unfamiliar with the card game. The characters (even minor ones) are engrossing, the villains original and classic at the same time, and the descriptions of spellcasting absolutely enchanting. Since reading the book, I often find myself thinking about all the places I've been, mountains and mangrove swamps, lakes and rivers, and wishing I could do something with those memories. And thats what a fantasy book should do; draw you into itself.
I would consider myself Blue-Green, by the way.
A warning to religious folk: one of the villains is an agent of the Church of Tal, a mideival-christianity-style religion that burns people at the stake, particularly suspected spellcasters. For me, it's a villain I love to hate, but others might disagree. It highlights the difference between religious scholars and true scholars, miracle-workers and mages: one group truly understands their feild, the other just repeats by rote, without understanding or innovating.
Try the book. It feels Right, and thats what matters.
Archmage's begining.......2006-12-10
An amasingly well written story talking abaut a young mage Jodah.It is happening during period of time betwen the Brothers' war and the Ice-age, known to Dominarians as the Dark.The world lies in ruins, depostated by the blast of Sylex (Brother's war).Day are getting darker and colder, magic-hating church of Tal rules the lands of Terisiare,goblins raid around and in the secret wizard scool Conclave of mages the leader mage Ith was kidnaped by his own student Marisil who became the new lord mage. But as a new student Jodah arrives to the Conclave, everything changes.He frees Ith and with his help defeats Marisil, who is trying to open a gate to the machine hell of Phyrexia.Later (in the next two book) he becomes an emortal archmage of great power and fights a war with Lim-Dul the necromancer during the Ice-age.Jodah wons it but his trubles are not over yet as his friend Jaya becomes posesed by the evil soul of Marisil. Archmage saves her banishing Marisil's spirit.Jodah then ,togather with a planeswalker Freyalise cast an enchantment to end the Ice-age.As he did so,he accidently rose Lim-Dul back to life,killing him again soon after. Jodah is not known to die or appear in any other book so who knows.He just might be an emportant character in the next one.
Archmage's begining.......2006-12-10
An amasingly well written story talking abaut a young mage Jodah.It is happening during period of time betwen the Brothers' war and the Ice-age, known to Dominarians as the Dark.The world lies in ruins, depostated by the blast of Sylex (Brother's war).Day are getting darker and colder, magic-hating church of Tal rules the lands of Terisiare,goblins raid around and in the secret wizard scool Conclave of mages the leader mage Ith was kidnaped by his own student Marisil who became the new lord mage. But as a new student Jodah arrives to the Conclave, everything changes.He frees Ith and with his help defeats Marisil, who is trying to open a gate to the machine hell of Phyrexia.Later (in the next two book) he becomes an emortal archmage of great power and fights a war with Lim-Dul the necromancer during the Ice-age.Jodah wons it but his trubles are not over yet as his friend Jaya becomes posesed by the evil soul of Marisil. Archmage saves her banishing Marisil's spirit.Jodah then ,togather with a planeswalker Freyalise cast an enchantment to end the Ice-age.As he did so,he accidently rose Lim-Dul back to life,killing him again soon after. Jodah is not known to die or appear in any other book so who knows.He just might be an emportant character in the next one.
My Second Magic Book.......2006-12-07
After finishing the Brothers War a few months ago, I finally started reading The Gathering Dark. Brothers War I read over the course of a few weeks, but this book I finished in three days. Contrary to others, I actually liked it more. Grubb has done a fantastic job and I'm very much looking forward to reading the next two in the Ice Age series.
Book Description
Christopher Golden's long-awaited return to his critically-acclaimed Shadow Saga features Peter Octavian-once a vampire, now a powerful mage-as the only man powerful enough to stop a supernatural armageddon...
Customer Reviews:
Gather this one up - now!.......2005-02-03
This latest installment is the very best of the four. Well, the 1st novel is mind blowing, but I think this one really took this series to new heights.
Bloody awesome in so many ways.
Out Of The Shadows, Into The Sunlight.......2004-03-04
The Gathering Dark
Chris Golden came into his own writing Buffy the Vampire Slayer novels, but his body of work is considerably larger than that. From teen thrillers like Body of Evidence to horror fiction as serious as the Shadow Saga, the trilogy on which The Gathering Dark is based. While not entirely consistent, he often manages to combine good writing with some ingenious twists on the typical horror story.
In the alternate universe of The Gathering Dark, the world is recovering from a spiritual revolution that pitted the vampires against the increasing corruption of the Catholic Church. Given the powers to prevent the encroachment of evil, the church had abused those abilities to their own advantage. When vampires discovered that they had been brainwashed into believing that they would wilt in the sunshine and could not tolerate the holy they rose in opposition to the church and brought down the whole house of cards.
Unfortunately, The Gospel of Shadow, the grimoire that contained the secrets of preventing demonic incursions, was lost during the struggle. Now the weakened church struggled to undo the damage, vampires are hunted by the United Nations and the world trembles on the edge of a long descent into darkness. Now Peter Octavian, no longer a vampire but a powerful mage is all that that is left that can prevent an evil power from drawing the earth into its realm.
Octavian is aided by an unlikely crew. Nikki, a rock singer, Keomany, confectionary and earth witch, and Jack Devlin, a priest who cannot stand what his church has become are the humans. Kurumaku, an ancient samurai, and Allison, who hunts her own kind, are the vampires. This rag tag crew must come face to face with a creature that Octavian has named the Tatterdemalion. An evil from another dimension entirely that is sucking whole cities into a deadly world of its own contriving.
Like The Shadow Saga before it, The Gathering Dark is Chris Golden at his best - writing a complex tale that is part horror story and part a journey of discovery for its characters. Golden, by completely changing the vampire model creates a framework that is interesting on its own, with the kind of implications that invite even more volumes in the series. The Gathering Dark stands well on its own, but just enough loose ends remain to continue the weave. With the reader to reap the benefits.
The Shadow Saga enters a new dimension.......2004-01-18
Bram Stoker Award winner Christopher Golden brought a new twist to the vampire legend in his series of books dubbed The Shadow Saga. In The Gathering Dark, set ten years after the events of the third Shadows Saga novel, a much-changed Peter Octavian finds himself reluctantly facing the biggest challenge of his life. By this time, the whole world knows that vampires, or Shadows, exist and that Peter was once their leader. He taught them the truth of their existence, exposing all of the lies that the Catholic Church had long ago instilled in their minds. A great war was fought between the Shadows and a secret society inside the Church, leaving many vampires dead and the Church itself all but destroyed. In the process, the Gospel of Shadows was destroyed, robbing mankind of its only means for keeping previously unimaginable monsters and demons at bay. As this novel begins, the world of man comes under attack, with city after city ostensibly sucked into a layer of hell itself. The reconstituted church in America is working feverishly to regain the knowledge contained in the lost Gospel of Shadows, but earth's best and only hope in this new unimaginable war is Peter Octavian.
Having forsaken his vampire existence, Octavian is now a normal human being. His desire for a human life, though, has left him wanting something, and he has retreated into a solitary existence. He is far from defenseless, though, as his history plus a tough thousand-year sojourn in Hell have made him the world's most powerful mage. As dire events begin to unfold, Peter joins with a remarkable set of individuals to save the world from total destruction at the hands of powerful demons assaulting the earth in ever-growing numbers. His two greatest allies come to be Kuromaku, a vampire brother, and Keomany, an earthwitch whose powerful bond with the natural magic of earth itself proves invaluable. Father Jack Devlin, a priest who goes against the wishes of his bishop to aid Octavian in his quest to rid the world of demonic infection, is a singular character of great importance, while two very special human females give the Shadows reason to fight for a world which still sees vampires as an abomination. The presentation and evolution of the characters is well done, filling these pages with a sense of humanity without which such a battle as that described herein is meaningless.
I have to admit that it took a while for The Gathering Dark to light a fire in my imagination. The early parts of the novel are sometimes slow of pace and shift back and forth between characters in a sometimes disconcerting manner. The form of the demonic manifestations is also fairly extreme and hard to accept. Then you have Peter and his allies finding nebulous ways to enter the hidden realms and return with their lives intact. The magic that Octavian often calls into being is wholly unbelievable but certainly mage-worthy, while the remarkable abilities that Golden gives to his vampires pushes the envelope much farther than I would prefer to see it go. Add to this an earthwitch who can use Mother Nature herself as a force of protection as well as a potent weapon, and you have an extreme fantasy hard to embrace.
The second half of the novel recharges the batteries of Golden's fiction quite nicely, though. It no longer matters how unbelievable the situations are at this point, as you become ever more drawn into worry and care for these characters risking their lives and souls for a fight they may well not be able to win. The last hundred pages represent an extended climax of events, with Golden turning the crank of the suspense meter slowly but steadily. Emotional conflict blends with painful endurance and unparalleled bravery to capture your heart and mind, and each page gets easier to turn as you yearn for the ultimate resolution to this unholy drama.
Looking back on the book as a whole, I do not consider The Gathering Dark a great read, as it exhibits a number of weaknesses that made it difficult for me to fully commit myself to it. Golden does imbue his vampires with a complexity you won't find in many a vampire novel, but this can be a double-edged sword. As much as I like vampires of a most exotic and unusual breed, some of the abilities of Golden's Shadows just exceed my mind's willingness to blindly accept what I am reading, and this diminishes my enjoyment of the novel. Still, there is certainly originality and literary talent contained within each of Golden's pages, and any fan of vampire fiction will doubtless appreciate the chance to explorer the decidedly dark world of this author's creation.
A very adequate continuation........2003-11-05
As a very big fan of Christopher Golden's Shadow Saga, I was extremely excited about a fourth book coming out in the series. Now, having reviewed both books one and three of the original trilogy on Amazon previously, I will not mention any of the details of the story lines contained within, but I will make a note about the reading time. Let me first state that I will be the first to admit that I am not the fastest reader, so to say that I finished book three in less than a week is, for me, a phenomenal pace. After reading book three, I immediately began book four "The Gathering Dark." Although a very good book, it took me almost three weeks to get through this one, with the first two weeks on about the first third of the story. The beginning of the story was a bit disappointingly slow, but that should be expected since the fourth book in the series had to take a different path than books one through three, with the main character no longer being a vampire/shadow, but instead, being the world's most powerful mage. So why do I still give this book four out of five stars? Mainly because after the initial slow character development and plot outlining, the book drastically improved. I finished the last two thirds of the book in just over a week because I did not want to put it down. The storyline was strong enough that I will be (and I believe many readers will be) disappointed if there is not a book five. The story was left with a definitive, yet open ending that could easily translate into another volume of the series. Golden's Peter Octavian character was once again redefined through strong character development, and character of Allison Vigeant was beautifully explored. The other surviving characters from Golden's previous "Of Masques And Martyrs" also were used effectively and developed at the same time making them much more than just coat-tails from the previous story. And of course the descriptions of the very formidable enemy was just enough to be disturbing, yet not so much that the mystery was given away. Although not as good as book one or three of the series (Although that would have been VERY hard to match), "The Gathering Dark" is an extremely good follow-up novel that deserves a read.
Golden is Golden.......2003-09-25
This is the long-awaited fourth installment in Golden's heretofore magnificent series, and as I was not expecting this book to exist, was pleasantly surprised to find it on the shelf of my local bookstore (sorry, Amazon!).
The book gripped me in its spell from the first segment, and held me rapt throughout it's entirety. The early chapters set the tone well, reacquainting us with some previously important characters, and introducing us to some new ones whose roles will grow and help move the story along. The writing is excellent, and the plot superb, and the book is well worth the few hours of missed sleep it caused by not letting my eyelids close.
Customer Reviews:
An impressive addition to the MTG series.......2007-05-16
This is another stand-alone, enjoyable fantasy novel loosely based on the MTG trading card game. Not the best I've read, but still quite enjoyable.
In 'Dark Legacy', you follow two separate plot lines until they inevitably come together. Yunnie, a human outcast with powerful secrets in his past, tries and fails to bring peace between minotaurs and elves. After discovering a dark plot by an evil sorceress he finds himself physically unable to blow her cover, leading to an extremely frustrated protagonist that must act on his own to do what he knows is right. Maeveen, a hired guard captain for an illustrious explorer and scholar, finds herself enmeshed in political turmoil and sent on a wild goose chase after a 'powerful' artifact. These two plot lines come together with dramatic effects on an entire region.
The story contains a lot of enjoyable and believable interactions between many well fleshed-out characters. Plenty of intense fighting and magic make for an exciting read with a few of the familiar MTG icons (Carnivorous Plants) thrown in to justify the label on the cover. Overall, this is a nice easy and fun read that should please most fantasy readers.
Solid and serious fantasy novel - 3.5 stars out of 5.......2003-02-28
This book was much more complex than I expected from a Magic:The Gathering tie-in. I bought it because of the author, and I was not disappointed. It has many good elements, although one or two of them did not sit as well with me as the others. The book has a very strong start, intriguingly presenting numerous characters in diverse settings, then slowly tying them all together. Most of these characters I found fascinating. A bit of the middle of the book got a little slow on one of the plot threads, but the ending was pretty strong. Well worth checking out. I greatly enjoyed a scientist/scholar character - unusual for a fantasy novel! The quest for a lost city scenario was really cool!
Not Exactly the greatest book ever written..........1999-04-07
... though i HAVE read worse. The author makes the same mistake many post-rerelease Star Wars authors do; he goes out of his way to put the source material into the book. Many of the references to M:TG cards are nothing more then that, references to cards. They don't integrate into the story too well. This really hurt the books impact on me, because every once in awhile there'd be some stupid pointless reference that had no reason to be there except to be a reference. I myself LOVE the game, but this book just doesn't cut it for me. The first "trilogy" (Whispering Woods, Shattered Chains and Final Sacrifice) was much better.
Dark and compelling are what best describes this book!.......1998-05-05
Even though the characters are a little flat, their unique personality more than makes up for it. Yunnie is more of a mystery than anyone else since he claims that he is minotaur (even though he is human) and that his past is shrouded in mystery. Well written and imaginative.
Customer Reviews:
good start to the series.......2005-01-08
the book starts off great though depressing. it is about a guy trying to find out who he is and along the way who is trying to kill him. good read.
Excellent.......1999-07-15
Suspenseful, creative, and fast-paced, this book is wonderful. The chartacters are inventively developed and the story is engaging to the very last word.
Wow.......1998-09-04
One of Stackpole's best. Tight, gripping and full of the little details that let you fall into the story.
cover blurb says it all.......1998-08-21
This book has got to have the best cover blurb of all time (get a copy and see!)
This is one of Mr Stackpole's better books. One of the few I've read more than once. Depressing, realistic, detailed and exciting. It's also based on a game which really exists, called Dark Conspiracy.
Dark, depressing, you'll have a great time.......1998-08-09
Waking up in a body bag with amnesia, that can't be a good sign, but this is the first sign Tycho Caine recieves to an impending adventure. Tycho finds himself in Phoenix, Arizona, a dark and despressing city surrounded by a cape by the name of Frozen Shade. He qucikly finds himself to be a major pawn in a game for the calling of the Dark Ones into our world. He joins a band of agents of a person referred to by the name Coyote, Not only does Tycho have to stop whatever is trying to enter our dimension he also discovers he's the primary target for a traitor in the ranks of Coyote's group. The book is a little hard to get into, but once you're there you'll have a heck of a time. Stackpole builds a dark, depressing world and a plot that is kind of a hybrid of Blade Runner and Call of Cthulhu. This is truly a gripping book, if you like dark cyberpunk thrillers this is a good one to pick up.
Customer Reviews:
"All-Time Best!".......2004-04-16
'A Gathering of Heroes', MAY be the best sword and fantasy novel of all time. A terrific story that you wish could go on and on..., and one that you wish you could be part of. Read the companion novel 'Ingulf the Mad' too, and find out more about this perflexing character.
The Gathering Of Heroes.......2003-11-12
After stumbling upon "The Lost Prince" and "King Chondos Ride" in a local library I was determined to locate this book. At the time I believed the trilogy unfinished, and desparately desired the outcome for Istvan and Jodos.
Some ten years later, I stumble upon it in a tiny book shop in the middle of nowhere. In those ten years I had managed to purchase only one of the two original novels!
Regardless that I lacked the opening novel, I re-read the KCR, and read for the first time The Gathering of Heroes. The first thing that grabbed my attention was (of course) the extensive list of the main characters at the start of the novel. Paul Edwin Zimmer had already proven that he does not rely on perhaps two or three main characters but a score, and this novel seemed epic even compared to prior efforts.
The next thing I noticed was that while this was a sequel, it was not the direct continuance of the story. It was not long before that fact was long overlooked!
Gripping is hardly the word to describe Paul Edwin Zimmer's work, as the word seems to lack the substance that Paul deserves. Indeed, Paul gives substance in his novel. Every character has a background, and while you do not know the entire background of these some twenty heroes (and at least three or four main enemies!) you certainly get the feeling of a well fleshed character in Paul's mind. The interaction between characters perfectly implies the status it deserves - so many heroes meeting the heroes they aspire to, or other heroes whom "nobody has heard of" regardless of their great deeds and weapons blessed by the Hasturs.
Once these heroes arrive at Rath Tintallain, it is incredibly hard to put this book down. The combat just grows upon itself with the next fight being bigger than the last. And just when you can't believe how enormous that last combat was, another awaits to completely blow your mind away. And then the dyole is summoned. And then the dragons come.
On top of all the combat exhausting the men, they are also forced to endure the songs of the elves, and the box that is kept secret from all but a few in the hidden city of Rath Tintallain. Come learn why it is so secret, and why the Sarlow want it.
Echoes of the Great Song.......2001-07-10
As many other's, I was also shattered to hear of Mr. Zimmer's untimely death. I remember the Goosebumps that would continually envelope me when reading his books. That to me, was the mark of a great novel...a rare occurrence to this jaded reader of thousands of Fantasy/Sci-Fi books over the last 25 years. A Gathering of Heroes was among his best work, right up there with the wonderfully fabulous Dark Prince & King Chondos' Ride. Only David Gemmell has since written books that can equal Mr. Zimmer's in grandeur. That rare intuitive grasp of human nature & complexities was his forte, & he wielded it with uncanny precision & care. You were thrust into his visions & imagination within the first few pages...& you felt lost & alone when the last page was read & the journey done. I HIGHLY recommend his books to anyone who wants 'Mature', 'Realistic', 'Dark' Fantasy. Except for David Gemmell, there is NO substitute.
A Masterpiece.......1998-12-27
I was devastated to read of this author's death. This book ranks second only to "Ender's Game" in my library of favorites. Though hard to find, it is worth the effort.
David Gemmell,P.C.Hodgell Fans read about true heroism........1998-08-21
From the first page you are thrust into the action. Istvan after a season of campigning for the Airian Empire is weary and is looking forward to period of relaxation. Away from the savage Norians and the armies of Sarlow but it is not to be. Answering urgent summons from the Mystic Hasturs, the mysterious guardians of the world. Istavan finds himself on a wild Elven ride in the company of the greatest heroes of the Island continent of Y'gora. Riding to the aid of a hidden city, which contains a secret that must be protected at all costs. Ranged against them are the dreaded armies of Sarlow augmented by evil sorcerors, dark demons of great power, werewolves and ancient Dragon and his brood. And if that were not enough the heroes must face the trio of warriors that lead this fearsom crew; Svaran the Black, wearer of an armour that is proof against all mystic swords ;Grom Beardless skilled deadly swordsman a match for Istvan himself and Vor halftroll a giant warrior possessing great speed and strength. For you readers who love their heroic fantasy to be dark, uncomprising, intelligently written and leaves you with a sense a wonder at it's epic scope. Then buy this book. Sadly Paul only wrote 5 of these Dark Border books and a few short stories relating to them. Quality not quantity what was mattered unlike a large number of his more verbose contemporaries. His last book is called 'The king who was of old". As I understand it, the executors of his estate are still attempting to find a publisher. Well I for one wish them luck and god speed
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The Amazing Spider-Man #379 : Featuring Venom in "The Gathering Storm" (Maximum Carnage - Marvel Comics)
David Michelinie
Manufacturer: Marvel Comics
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Blade of the Immortal #57 (The Gathering, 15 of 15)
Hiroaki Samura
Manufacturer: Dark Horse Comics
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Binding: Comic
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Samura, Hiroaki
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Product Description
Black & white manga comic book published by Dark Horse Comics. The adventures of the immortal Ronin Manji, who must slay 1,000 evil men before he can be granted the release of death. Story and art by Hiroaki Samura.
Books:
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- Tricky Mindtrap Puzzles: Challenge the Way You Think & See
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