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Darwath #4
Mother of Winter
A RETURN TO THE REALM OF DARWATH...
Five years after the departure of the Dark from Darwath strange occurrences begin to develop in the Vale of Renwath. There are geological upheavals and an increasing amount of 'slunch' – a heavy, inedible, juiceless fungus. Cave bears, woolly mammoths and sabretooths seem to be flocking to the area. Even stranger are the sightings of 'thaght’n' – creatures who possess a kind of magic which even magician Rudy Solis cannot defeat or deceive. Thus as Gil, who crossed the void from present day California, and her lover, the wizard Ingold, return to the Keep from the flooded delta city of Penambra, they realise that something is desperately wrong ...
Something, somewhere, is attempting to terraform the world by the use of magic: to accelerate the rate of chilling until the temperature reaches the point that it – whatever 'it' is – finds comfortable ...
Five years after the departure of the Dark from Darwath strange occurrences begin to develop in the Vale of Renwath. There are geological upheavals and an increasing amount of 'slunch' – a heavy, inedible, juiceless fungus. Cave bears, woolly mammoths and sabretooths seem to be flocking to the area. Even stranger are the sightings of 'thaght’n' – creatures who possess a kind of magic which even magician Rudy Solis cannot defeat or deceive. Thus as Gil, who crossed the void from present day California, and her lover, the wizard Ingold, return to the Keep from the flooded delta city of Penambra, they realise that something is desperately wrong ...
Something, somewhere, is attempting to terraform the world by the use of magic: to accelerate the rate of chilling until the temperature reaches the point that it – whatever 'it' is – finds comfortable ...
352 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 1996
55 people are currently reading
533 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Hambly
216 books1,519 followersaka Barbara Hamilton
Ranging from fantasy to historical fiction, Barbara Hambly has a masterful way of spinning a story. Her twisty plots involve memorable characters, lavish descriptions, scads of novel words, and interesting devices. Her work spans the Star Wars universe, antebellum New Orleans, and various fantasy worlds, sometimes linked with our own.
"I always wanted to be a writer but everyone kept telling me it was impossible to break into the field or make money. I've proven them wrong on both counts."
-Barbara Hambly
Ranging from fantasy to historical fiction, Barbara Hambly has a masterful way of spinning a story. Her twisty plots involve memorable characters, lavish descriptions, scads of novel words, and interesting devices. Her work spans the Star Wars universe, antebellum New Orleans, and various fantasy worlds, sometimes linked with our own.
"I always wanted to be a writer but everyone kept telling me it was impossible to break into the field or make money. I've proven them wrong on both counts."
-Barbara Hambly
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
February 28, 2019
Originally reviewed at Bookwraiths.
My rating is 3.5 stars.
Comfortable. Like the feel of a cozy chair, or a sip of favorite coffee, or watching a movie you’ve seen a dozen times. That is what Darwath stories by Barbara Hambly are to me. Certainly, they are also exciting, suspenseful, and thought-provoking in equal measure, but sitting down with Ingold and Gil, Rudy and Minalde, Tir and the Icefalcon is a comfortable return to a fondly remembered place, surrounded by people I love. So please understand that as you read my review of Mother of Winter, Book 4 of the series.
Five years have passed since the Dark (aided by a certain wizard) crossed the inter-dimensional gulf between worlds, leaving Darwath for a warmer place not about to enter a new ice age. The Dare Keep survivors have moved on as best they could, putting their past lives behind them, and learning to survive in a frigid climate where their lands are being overrun by a strange, never-before-seen plant life. This “slunch” spreading slowly but surely across the land, destroying all foliage it touches including the little remaining farm land, as well as having the added side effect of turning any animal which partake of it into strange, deformed monstrosities straight out of nightmares. No normal or magical method able to stop its relentless destruction.
Faced with the growing specter of starvation, Minalde’s regency for her son Tir faces growing conflict. Both lords and important citizens of the Keep raging against her reliance (and relationships) with Ingold, Rudy, and the other wizards. Wizards who eat rations but are useless against the ice storms outside, the spread of the slunch, or the lack of production by the Keep’s hydroponic tanks. Some even going so far as to blame the the wizards for all their problems. This rising unrest sure to lead to open conflict and the destruction of the small group of survivors in Dare’s Keep unless someone does something.
Like always, Ingold Inglorion, greatest wizard of the West, is the one everyone turns to. His steady presence, immense power, and faithful heart making him as close to a savior as the Keep will ever have — though many might label him a devil instead. But our resident wizard is torn as to what to do. His instincts tell him the origins of the slunch and the only means to combat it are in the southern lands of Alketh, but how can he sneak away from the Keep with an erratic, potentially dangerous Gil, leaving Rudy behind as Minalde’s main magical protection? And even if he does destroy the slunch, would it mean sacrificing the Keep survivors he has fought so long and hard to save?
My initial response to this book was a very favorable one. It started out strong, reintroducing the world of Darwath and spent the right amount of time with old familiar characters as well as new ones. The growth of each of these old favorites, the evolution of life at Dare’s Keep, and the struggles the group as a whole now deal with well structured and internally consistent. The “world destroying” problem of the slunch, which quickly faced the Keep, presented in a very realistic way. The effect of all this that the story organically grew from where the author left things decades ago at the close of The Armies of Daylight; Barbara Hambly not making the mistake of trying to retell the same old story but actually letting her longtime readers know what happened to Darwath since they were last there.
Around the two-third mark though, minor issues began cropping up which almost derailed this book for me. New characters were never fleshed out. Intriguing side plots were introduced then abandoned for no reason. The pacing became very rushed. The ending a surprise but not very satisfy. All of these things leaving me with a feeling that the author needed another book or two to truly tell the story she set out to write. So while I still enjoyed Mother of Winter, these problems definitely harmed my overall enjoyment with it.
Anytime I have an opportunity to return to Darwath I never pass it up. These characters, this world and its struggles to dear for me not to jump at the chance to enjoy any tale Barbara Hambly chronicles. I have to admit though that Mother of Winter was missing some secret ingredient to transform it from a solid, enjoyable adventure tale into one for the ages, and so while I’m glad I read it, I did subtract half a star from my rating, lowering it to only 3.5 stars.
My rating is 3.5 stars.
Comfortable. Like the feel of a cozy chair, or a sip of favorite coffee, or watching a movie you’ve seen a dozen times. That is what Darwath stories by Barbara Hambly are to me. Certainly, they are also exciting, suspenseful, and thought-provoking in equal measure, but sitting down with Ingold and Gil, Rudy and Minalde, Tir and the Icefalcon is a comfortable return to a fondly remembered place, surrounded by people I love. So please understand that as you read my review of Mother of Winter, Book 4 of the series.
Five years have passed since the Dark (aided by a certain wizard) crossed the inter-dimensional gulf between worlds, leaving Darwath for a warmer place not about to enter a new ice age. The Dare Keep survivors have moved on as best they could, putting their past lives behind them, and learning to survive in a frigid climate where their lands are being overrun by a strange, never-before-seen plant life. This “slunch” spreading slowly but surely across the land, destroying all foliage it touches including the little remaining farm land, as well as having the added side effect of turning any animal which partake of it into strange, deformed monstrosities straight out of nightmares. No normal or magical method able to stop its relentless destruction.
Faced with the growing specter of starvation, Minalde’s regency for her son Tir faces growing conflict. Both lords and important citizens of the Keep raging against her reliance (and relationships) with Ingold, Rudy, and the other wizards. Wizards who eat rations but are useless against the ice storms outside, the spread of the slunch, or the lack of production by the Keep’s hydroponic tanks. Some even going so far as to blame the the wizards for all their problems. This rising unrest sure to lead to open conflict and the destruction of the small group of survivors in Dare’s Keep unless someone does something.
Like always, Ingold Inglorion, greatest wizard of the West, is the one everyone turns to. His steady presence, immense power, and faithful heart making him as close to a savior as the Keep will ever have — though many might label him a devil instead. But our resident wizard is torn as to what to do. His instincts tell him the origins of the slunch and the only means to combat it are in the southern lands of Alketh, but how can he sneak away from the Keep with an erratic, potentially dangerous Gil, leaving Rudy behind as Minalde’s main magical protection? And even if he does destroy the slunch, would it mean sacrificing the Keep survivors he has fought so long and hard to save?
My initial response to this book was a very favorable one. It started out strong, reintroducing the world of Darwath and spent the right amount of time with old familiar characters as well as new ones. The growth of each of these old favorites, the evolution of life at Dare’s Keep, and the struggles the group as a whole now deal with well structured and internally consistent. The “world destroying” problem of the slunch, which quickly faced the Keep, presented in a very realistic way. The effect of all this that the story organically grew from where the author left things decades ago at the close of The Armies of Daylight; Barbara Hambly not making the mistake of trying to retell the same old story but actually letting her longtime readers know what happened to Darwath since they were last there.
Around the two-third mark though, minor issues began cropping up which almost derailed this book for me. New characters were never fleshed out. Intriguing side plots were introduced then abandoned for no reason. The pacing became very rushed. The ending a surprise but not very satisfy. All of these things leaving me with a feeling that the author needed another book or two to truly tell the story she set out to write. So while I still enjoyed Mother of Winter, these problems definitely harmed my overall enjoyment with it.
Anytime I have an opportunity to return to Darwath I never pass it up. These characters, this world and its struggles to dear for me not to jump at the chance to enjoy any tale Barbara Hambly chronicles. I have to admit though that Mother of Winter was missing some secret ingredient to transform it from a solid, enjoyable adventure tale into one for the ages, and so while I’m glad I read it, I did subtract half a star from my rating, lowering it to only 3.5 stars.
September 30, 2012
This is a much-removed 4th installment of the world of Darwath, followed soon after by its 5th brother, Icefalcon's Quest. At this time in my life, I wasn't able to browse in bookstores anymore. When I saw these sitting on a shelf, I gasped and exclaimed in joy audibly, which was pretty embarrassing. The world and people Barbara Hambly created in her original Darwath trilogy were so realistic and lovely, that there were no words to express my delight to see a bonus set of two more novels.
This book was great. It had a great main storyline, great 'villains-who-aren't-really-villains', and the characters of the original trilogy were perfectly true to form in exact calibration.
I did feel however, that some characterization was missing. Original side characters such as Minalde, Tir, and even Maia of Penumbra were short-shrifted in this novel. I think that there could have been more expansion on those older friends, and perhaps on some newer ones that hadn't been touched too seriously on, perhaps a friend for Rudy in the keep besides Ingold and Gil? Perhaps a friend for Gil? It would have been nice for instance to get close to one of the lady guards to expand our Darwath family. In addition, we met new people that simply weren't explored too much beyond what was barely necessary in order to establish their motives. This is truly the only book I've ever read by Barbara Hambly where I felt her character cast was not getting the full attention I know she can give it.
Regardless of that impression, the book is not boring. And it does not in any way lose the typical Barbara Hambly sharpness of thought and philosophy. We are asked a second time around are the villains really evil creatures, or something to be pitied and empathized with? We are asked even more.... how do we know we are human and sane? And again, how can religion be a good thing when it hurts people so much?
There's a lot of deeper aspects of Gil's transformation in this book which I feel weren't gone into for fear it would make the final plot twist too transparent. However, I have to stand and applaud what an amazing plot twist it is. It's one of those doozies that makes you read the book a second and third time just to re-read the nuances of Gil's changes with the knowledge of why they happen.
The Mother of Winter is very much up to standards of all the other Darwath novels for storytelling and technique. It has the same sword-edge balance between action and calm exposition, the same depth of thought and introspection. Even better, she ramps up her imagination neurons with this one even more than her descriptions of the dark. The variety and sharp depictions of the invading otherworldly creatures in this book are a delight. As is the concept of using a silly child's term for a horrifying monstrosity.
This book was great. It had a great main storyline, great 'villains-who-aren't-really-villains', and the characters of the original trilogy were perfectly true to form in exact calibration.
I did feel however, that some characterization was missing. Original side characters such as Minalde, Tir, and even Maia of Penumbra were short-shrifted in this novel. I think that there could have been more expansion on those older friends, and perhaps on some newer ones that hadn't been touched too seriously on, perhaps a friend for Rudy in the keep besides Ingold and Gil? Perhaps a friend for Gil? It would have been nice for instance to get close to one of the lady guards to expand our Darwath family. In addition, we met new people that simply weren't explored too much beyond what was barely necessary in order to establish their motives. This is truly the only book I've ever read by Barbara Hambly where I felt her character cast was not getting the full attention I know she can give it.
Regardless of that impression, the book is not boring. And it does not in any way lose the typical Barbara Hambly sharpness of thought and philosophy. We are asked a second time around are the villains really evil creatures, or something to be pitied and empathized with? We are asked even more.... how do we know we are human and sane? And again, how can religion be a good thing when it hurts people so much?
There's a lot of deeper aspects of Gil's transformation in this book which I feel weren't gone into for fear it would make the final plot twist too transparent. However, I have to stand and applaud what an amazing plot twist it is. It's one of those doozies that makes you read the book a second and third time just to re-read the nuances of Gil's changes with the knowledge of why they happen.
The Mother of Winter is very much up to standards of all the other Darwath novels for storytelling and technique. It has the same sword-edge balance between action and calm exposition, the same depth of thought and introspection. Even better, she ramps up her imagination neurons with this one even more than her descriptions of the dark. The variety and sharp depictions of the invading otherworldly creatures in this book are a delight. As is the concept of using a silly child's term for a horrifying monstrosity.
March 31, 2011
#4 Darwath Wow!
August 1, 2017
Mother of Winter picks up 5 years after the original Darwath trilogy. The survivors of the Dark Ones have established a new kingdom, centered around the ancient Keep of Dare. They still struggle with the changing climate, but eke by. However, recently, crops fail, and a strange white fungus appears all over the land.
The wizard Ingold travels south to investigate lost lore, along with his lover Gil, who has grown into a formidable guard and warrior, far from the shy research assistant back on Earth. There they run afoul of mutated creatures, and witness firsthand how wide and deep reaching the changes overcoming the land are.
Back at the Keep, his apprentice, Rudy awaits his first child with the queen, despite the people's unease with a wizard having a family. He continues to research the ancient and lost magics that built the keep, knowing that if they can restore more of them, it would help with their food shortages. Even with the threat of the Dark Ones gone, politics continues to plague him and distract from his work.
As the creeping intensifying cold encroached further into their lands, both groups encounter an alien power which drives the changes with a sinister intelligence, and odd creatures appear to threaten all they hold dear. With an enemy far more powerful from them, and no ancient knowledge of how to fight them to fall back on, this threat is even worse than the Dark, and their entire world is on the brink of a deeper ice age than is natural.
While it was great to return to Darwath, in some ways the book was too slow moving. There was a lot of time spend on the characters mental states, dealing with mental control, as well as the politicing taking a long time to develop. It might be realistic with a weak monarchy, but sometimes I felt that when characters took actions which were clearly detrimental to the kingdom, it was beyond reason that the Queen and her loyalists didn't impose more of a martial law.
The wizard Ingold travels south to investigate lost lore, along with his lover Gil, who has grown into a formidable guard and warrior, far from the shy research assistant back on Earth. There they run afoul of mutated creatures, and witness firsthand how wide and deep reaching the changes overcoming the land are.
Back at the Keep, his apprentice, Rudy awaits his first child with the queen, despite the people's unease with a wizard having a family. He continues to research the ancient and lost magics that built the keep, knowing that if they can restore more of them, it would help with their food shortages. Even with the threat of the Dark Ones gone, politics continues to plague him and distract from his work.
As the creeping intensifying cold encroached further into their lands, both groups encounter an alien power which drives the changes with a sinister intelligence, and odd creatures appear to threaten all they hold dear. With an enemy far more powerful from them, and no ancient knowledge of how to fight them to fall back on, this threat is even worse than the Dark, and their entire world is on the brink of a deeper ice age than is natural.
While it was great to return to Darwath, in some ways the book was too slow moving. There was a lot of time spend on the characters mental states, dealing with mental control, as well as the politicing taking a long time to develop. It might be realistic with a weak monarchy, but sometimes I felt that when characters took actions which were clearly detrimental to the kingdom, it was beyond reason that the Queen and her loyalists didn't impose more of a martial law.
August 23, 2024
A fourth book for a trilogy, added 13 years later - I wasn't expecting much, but boy was I wrong.
Set five years after the original story, this story starts off well - showing where the characters are, telling us about what happened previously along with what happened while the reader was away. Regardless, I wouldn't suggest diving into this book without reading the first three. Gil is still a strong character, and her relationship with Ingold adds depth without taking anything away. Rudy has come a long ways as a wizard, and ends up with an apprentice later on.
The enemy of the first three was the Dark, so having cold be the enemy here just makes sense. The despair generated by the death of crops and starvation feels like background, until it becomes a major part of the story. I love the puzzle solving process of how to deal with the Slunch and mutants, adding to how to tease out the magic and the past from the previous books. Absolutely loves Rudy's solution towards the end of the book.
Read the first of the series with a book club, and the next two to hear the whole story. Many times books added on to a trilogy are not great, so I was reluctant. Let this review be a warning that this is not like the others - read on, dear reader! A review of the fifth book will not be long in coming. The four subsequent novellas are also on my list, though finding them (Smashwords?) may be more challenging...
Set five years after the original story, this story starts off well - showing where the characters are, telling us about what happened previously along with what happened while the reader was away. Regardless, I wouldn't suggest diving into this book without reading the first three. Gil is still a strong character, and her relationship with Ingold adds depth without taking anything away. Rudy has come a long ways as a wizard, and ends up with an apprentice later on.
The enemy of the first three was the Dark, so having cold be the enemy here just makes sense. The despair generated by the death of crops and starvation feels like background, until it becomes a major part of the story. I love the puzzle solving process of how to deal with the Slunch and mutants, adding to how to tease out the magic and the past from the previous books. Absolutely loves Rudy's solution towards the end of the book.
Read the first of the series with a book club, and the next two to hear the whole story. Many times books added on to a trilogy are not great, so I was reluctant. Let this review be a warning that this is not like the others - read on, dear reader! A review of the fifth book will not be long in coming. The four subsequent novellas are also on my list, though finding them (Smashwords?) may be more challenging...
April 4, 2021
Mother of Winter is a worthy addition to the Darwath adventure.
December 9, 2018
[3.5 stars, probably]
In many ways, this is a typical Hambly novel: everybody is cold all the time, wizards are always beset by hostile religious forces, there are impressive and disgusting enemies — the Dark is replaced by the vaguely fungal slunch, the gaboogoos it grows, and the terrible mutants that those who eat it turn into — and the world is only saved, improbably, at the very last minute. All the same main characters from the first Darwath trilogy are back, with similar dynamics, plus the usual intra-Keep politicking. However, there’s enough new stuff to keep you interested: we learn quite a bit about the origins of the Keep, and get to spend some time in Alketch, which is nice as it gives the place a bit more character than it had in previous books, in which it was simply the home of menacingly fanatical dusky hordes. The idea of the bad guys terraforming the world of Darwath in their image is also quite interesting. Mainly, though, the book shows the improvement that Hambly has made as a writer since the original trilogy, especially in the character of Tir, the 6-year-old with the memories of generations of kings. Unfortunately, though Rudy, Gil and Ingold are old friends, they are definitely characters from early works, and the limited amount of freedom Hambly has to change them prevents this book from being quite as good as Hambly’s best.
In many ways, this is a typical Hambly novel: everybody is cold all the time, wizards are always beset by hostile religious forces, there are impressive and disgusting enemies — the Dark is replaced by the vaguely fungal slunch, the gaboogoos it grows, and the terrible mutants that those who eat it turn into — and the world is only saved, improbably, at the very last minute. All the same main characters from the first Darwath trilogy are back, with similar dynamics, plus the usual intra-Keep politicking. However, there’s enough new stuff to keep you interested: we learn quite a bit about the origins of the Keep, and get to spend some time in Alketch, which is nice as it gives the place a bit more character than it had in previous books, in which it was simply the home of menacingly fanatical dusky hordes. The idea of the bad guys terraforming the world of Darwath in their image is also quite interesting. Mainly, though, the book shows the improvement that Hambly has made as a writer since the original trilogy, especially in the character of Tir, the 6-year-old with the memories of generations of kings. Unfortunately, though Rudy, Gil and Ingold are old friends, they are definitely characters from early works, and the limited amount of freedom Hambly has to change them prevents this book from being quite as good as Hambly’s best.
June 28, 2013
One of the Darwath series. Well-crafted fantasy series.
First paragraphs
PROLOGUE
In the moonstone dawn, the lone rider dismounted at the top of the steps, passed through the black square open eye where the doors would one day be, and halted on the edge of shadowed abyss. The woman who lay on the obsidian plinth in the chasm’s midst knew by the shape of his shoulders and back, by the way he carried his head, who he was; there was in any case only one person he could be. The wind that brought the smell of the glaciers down to her funneled past him through the passageway and carried on it the stench of blood. When he stepped clear of the gate’s collected gloom, she saw he was covered with it, as if he had lain down in a butcher’s shambles. Some of it she knew was his, all mixed with the nigrous grease of torch smoke;
Hambly, Barbara (2011-07-20). Mother of Winter (Darwath) (Kindle Locations 40-47). Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
First paragraphs
PROLOGUE
In the moonstone dawn, the lone rider dismounted at the top of the steps, passed through the black square open eye where the doors would one day be, and halted on the edge of shadowed abyss. The woman who lay on the obsidian plinth in the chasm’s midst knew by the shape of his shoulders and back, by the way he carried his head, who he was; there was in any case only one person he could be. The wind that brought the smell of the glaciers down to her funneled past him through the passageway and carried on it the stench of blood. When he stepped clear of the gate’s collected gloom, she saw he was covered with it, as if he had lain down in a butcher’s shambles. Some of it she knew was his, all mixed with the nigrous grease of torch smoke;
Hambly, Barbara (2011-07-20). Mother of Winter (Darwath) (Kindle Locations 40-47). Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
July 17, 2018
The fourth book in the Darwath series, Mother of Winter was a fantastic read. This story compiled more lore about the keep itself and the wizards of the days past. I enjoyed reading about the transformation that every person underwent and grew from, especially Rudy, in the days leading up to the end of the story.
Honestly, the end came as a surprise to me. I never thought the battle would be as it was, but to save this review from spoilers, I will say, it showed that perseverance definitely won out on that one.
They writing is always fluid with Barbara Hambly. She is is a marvelous writer and story teller. She has written scores of fantasy and science fiction books and stories over the decades and has proven herself a formidable force.
Honestly, the end came as a surprise to me. I never thought the battle would be as it was, but to save this review from spoilers, I will say, it showed that perseverance definitely won out on that one.
They writing is always fluid with Barbara Hambly. She is is a marvelous writer and story teller. She has written scores of fantasy and science fiction books and stories over the decades and has proven herself a formidable force.
August 1, 2016
The fouth book in the Time of the Dark series, this one deals with a completely different problem, and as such, could be considered a stand alone novel, with the caveat that there is no explanation for those who haven't read the previous three. Admittedly, I spent a good bit of time railing at the lack of presence, yet again, of our "strong female lead", which was mostly defrayed at the climax. Even so, I still feel that Hambly wrote Gil with far less passion than Rudy, who stands out to me as a more formed character, full of changes as the series has moved on. Much of Gil's chaptes have struck me as two dimensional. That being said, this was well written and page-turning.
September 12, 2017
I was worried that this would just be a way to cash in on the success of the original trilogy but I need not have been.
This tale deepens even further the characters and relationships of Ingold, Gil and Rudy, pitting them against a new foe that I personally found to be the stuff of nightmare. (Suddenly nowhere is safe.) Add to that the slowly revealed secrets of the creation of the ancient Keep of Dare and you have a book that I found difficult to put down.
This tale deepens even further the characters and relationships of Ingold, Gil and Rudy, pitting them against a new foe that I personally found to be the stuff of nightmare. (Suddenly nowhere is safe.) Add to that the slowly revealed secrets of the creation of the ancient Keep of Dare and you have a book that I found difficult to put down.
May 26, 2017
I've been a fan of Barbara Hambly since the beginning. I have recently going back to my favourites to re-read. This is one I had not read before. Unfortunately, this one didn't connect with me. I don't know if it was just because it's been 30 years and my reading material has changed but it didn't have the same feel to me as the original stories
January 9, 2015
I actually liked this book more than the original trilogy because it's so much more compact. More action and eldritch horror, less journeys, just like I prefer. The new threat is in some ways similar to the Dark but felt more original.
September 22, 2013
An incredible follow-up to the Darweth Trilogy that explores both the past of the future of this world.
September 24, 2015
Not as good as the original series, which I loved and is still a page turner on the third or fourth reading, but still an enjoyable book.
October 4, 2007
Pretty good as science fiction, but easily one of the creepiest books I have ever read.
July 4, 2017
Things I liked:
* Rudy is left on his own for awhile (while Gil and Ingold are off on a mission) and has to learn how to cope with heavy responsibility for the first time in his life. He also has to learn some new magic on his own and spends a lot of time probing the deeper magic mysteries of the Keep. It's an interesting period of discovery for Rudy's character.
* New types of magic.
* Tir and the burden of his memories. A small child coping with the memories of his ancestors. It was well done.
Things I didn't like:
* I felt it could use a little more editing. Sometimes I'd read a few sentences, and then the paragraph seemed to suddenly change topics and I was just confused.
* One of the major battles happened "off screen".
* There was one antagonist character that Rudy had to deal with, but I thought the resolution of that relationship was weak.
* Lazy resolution to some problems.
* Rudy is left on his own for awhile (while Gil and Ingold are off on a mission) and has to learn how to cope with heavy responsibility for the first time in his life. He also has to learn some new magic on his own and spends a lot of time probing the deeper magic mysteries of the Keep. It's an interesting period of discovery for Rudy's character.
* New types of magic.
* Tir and the burden of his memories. A small child coping with the memories of his ancestors. It was well done.
Things I didn't like:
* I felt it could use a little more editing. Sometimes I'd read a few sentences, and then the paragraph seemed to suddenly change topics and I was just confused.
* One of the major battles happened "off screen".
* There was one antagonist character that Rudy had to deal with, but I thought the resolution of that relationship was weak.
* Lazy resolution to some problems.
January 21, 2025
I remember the original Darwath books fondly from years ago - they may have been among the first I read in which characters from the modern world travel into a fantasy one. It’s such a common trope now, and maybe it already was even then, but those books nevertheless stand out for me as a masterful introduction to the genre.
This book necessarily lacks the creativity of that premise, since now Gil and Rudy are just another couple of characters in this world, and their origins elsewhere, while not forgotten, are no longer relevant to the plot. It was fun to catch up with them and with Ingold, but the story itself wasn’t consistently enjoyable for me. The mystery of the Mother of Winter and the influence of the “ice mages” was interesting enough, and Rudy’s gradually growing interactions with the Keep’s historical mages was the most innovative part of the tale.
But too much of the book is taken up by the desperate plight of the people, their squalid conditions, and their petty behavior. And the encounters with the mutant antagonistic creatures that threaten the Keep and its residents the make this more of a horror story than a fantasy, even a dark fantasy.
Of course Hambly remains a solidly competent writer, but for the reasons above, this won’t be a favorite of mine, and while I could imagine reading further stories in this world, I’m not feeling strongly enough about it to seek them out.
This book necessarily lacks the creativity of that premise, since now Gil and Rudy are just another couple of characters in this world, and their origins elsewhere, while not forgotten, are no longer relevant to the plot. It was fun to catch up with them and with Ingold, but the story itself wasn’t consistently enjoyable for me. The mystery of the Mother of Winter and the influence of the “ice mages” was interesting enough, and Rudy’s gradually growing interactions with the Keep’s historical mages was the most innovative part of the tale.
But too much of the book is taken up by the desperate plight of the people, their squalid conditions, and their petty behavior. And the encounters with the mutant antagonistic creatures that threaten the Keep and its residents the make this more of a horror story than a fantasy, even a dark fantasy.
Of course Hambly remains a solidly competent writer, but for the reasons above, this won’t be a favorite of mine, and while I could imagine reading further stories in this world, I’m not feeling strongly enough about it to seek them out.
February 21, 2025
I recently finished the original Darwath trilogy, and I thought that it was an entertaining fantasy with many original touches. This book was published 14 years after the trilogy, but the story picks up about 5 years after the trilogy. The Dark has been defeated, but something is causing a shift in the climate. An odd fungus like growth is blighting the regions, and the Keep has been hit with a devastating ice
storm. Gil is haunted by dreams of an ice cave with three alien wizards, and voices are urging her to kill her lover, Ingold. Hambly has clearly matured as a writer, and this is the best book in the series so far.
storm. Gil is haunted by dreams of an ice cave with three alien wizards, and voices are urging her to kill her lover, Ingold. Hambly has clearly matured as a writer, and this is the best book in the series so far.
October 22, 2020
Hambly is great at taking a story and moving it in an unexpected direction. Just because the Dark is gone, doesn't mean Our Heroes can rest on their laurels - their world is not only in economic, political, and ecological upheaval, but now they face strange and dangerous changes in the world itself.
This book is the bastard child of a drunken fantasy/sci fi twist, and moves the characters of the former books forward in comfortable, domestic ways. As always with Hambly's books, it's just NICE to see these people again.
This book is the bastard child of a drunken fantasy/sci fi twist, and moves the characters of the former books forward in comfortable, domestic ways. As always with Hambly's books, it's just NICE to see these people again.
February 19, 2022
I really love the original trilogy, and I enjoyed this and would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to spend more time with these characters. However, I feel like the pacing was a bit uneven, and the plot wasn’t developed as well as it could have been.
Not a bad book, not wonderful. I still love Rudy and Gil, and they’re the best part of this.
Not a bad book, not wonderful. I still love Rudy and Gil, and they’re the best part of this.
February 7, 2023
Awesome sequel
This was a fascinating sequel to the original series, with a less overt and more organic threat to the people of Ingold's world. Women play an even more significant role in this volume.
I know the characters are fictional, but I can't help feeling invested in their survival.
This was a fascinating sequel to the original series, with a less overt and more organic threat to the people of Ingold's world. Women play an even more significant role in this volume.
I know the characters are fictional, but I can't help feeling invested in their survival.
June 11, 2023
I’d forgotten how dark and depressing this novel was. I do care very much for Gil, Rudy, and Ingold. Having creatures creep into your mind and mess with memories and emotions disturbs me.
Ingold and Gil are leaving the Keep to try to eliminate the possible cause of the invasion of the planet. Rudy is busy trying to defend the Keep with a group of uncooperative population that resent him.
Ingold and Gil are leaving the Keep to try to eliminate the possible cause of the invasion of the planet. Rudy is busy trying to defend the Keep with a group of uncooperative population that resent him.
July 10, 2023
Hambly has written about what a huge influence Lovecraft was on her work and it's strongest in the Darwarth books. Here, the protagonists of the original trilogy (Gil, Ingold, Rudy) are up against a monstrous fungus reminiscent of the plants in Color Out of Space, a terrifying mutated life form that transmutes and corrupts anyone foolish enough to eat it. The results are nail-biting.
January 14, 2019
I liked books 1-3 more then this title.
January 14, 2020
Very good story. Although her chemistry is a bit confused. So don’t take the book as a science lesson.
November 6, 2024
I was so pleased when I found out that Hambly had written two more books in the Darwath series. As I had just been re-reading the first three after a break of many years, the discovery was like the cherry on top of the cake! Hambly has clearly developed as a writer over the intervening twenty years or so from the first book in the series to this one.
It was so nice to get re-acquainted with my favourite characters in a setting five years on from the original trilogy. They are facing new enemies and obstacles in this book. The plot is exciting and gripping, although I continue to wonder how Ingold Inglorion manages to survive, given the detailed descriptions of his numerous injuries at several points in the tale!
All in all, this was a really enjoyable read.
It was so nice to get re-acquainted with my favourite characters in a setting five years on from the original trilogy. They are facing new enemies and obstacles in this book. The plot is exciting and gripping, although I continue to wonder how Ingold Inglorion manages to survive, given the detailed descriptions of his numerous injuries at several points in the tale!
All in all, this was a really enjoyable read.
March 24, 2025
Even with the Dark gone the world is not ready to recover as a new menace arrives.
January 20, 2023
This fourth installment of Hambly's Darwath series takes place five years after the defeat of the Dark Lord. The inhabitants of Darwath have rallied around the ancient Keep of Dare, battling increasing cold and longer winters in their attempt to survive. Now, a fungus-like growth, named slunch, is spreading across the increasingly frozen land, destroying food crops and everything else in its path. Anything that tries to eat the slunch, animal or human, is transformed into a destructive monster. The archmage Ingold Inglorion is sure the answer lies to the south, and is determined to travel there with his protector/lover, Gil Patterson. But Gil has been cursed and now she may well be the one to kill Ingold. And the politics at the Keep are not in the best shape. Queen Meraulde, beloved of Ingold's assistant Rudy and pregnant with Rudy's child, faces growing unrest as none of the mages are able to find the solution to the encroaching slunch. Ingold must find the powers centered under the Mother of Winter mountain and defeat them before Gil's curse is fulfilled, and Rudy must learn the lost secrets of the Keep in order for them all to survive.
I am a fan of pretty much everything Hambly has written, and the Darwath series is a particular favorite. Somehow, in my reading of the rest of the series, I missed this one, and it was a pleasure to find it. It is a good addition the series, and reintroduces us to all the favorite characters from the earlier trilogy: Ingold and Gil, Rudy and Meraude, prince regent Tir, and, of course, the Ice Falcon. The story moves along well, despite some introspective interludes from most of the main characters (Ice Falcon, as always, is more prone to fighting than worrying about his own state of mind). A few new characters are introduced, although they are not as fully developed as might be. There is plenty of action, a fair amount of political intrigue and maneuvering, and a few twists that make it more than a stock fantasy quest tale.
Fans of epic fantasy should enjoy this, although if you are new to Darwath, you should start at the first trilogy in order to meet the characters and fill in the backstory here.
I am a fan of pretty much everything Hambly has written, and the Darwath series is a particular favorite. Somehow, in my reading of the rest of the series, I missed this one, and it was a pleasure to find it. It is a good addition the series, and reintroduces us to all the favorite characters from the earlier trilogy: Ingold and Gil, Rudy and Meraude, prince regent Tir, and, of course, the Ice Falcon. The story moves along well, despite some introspective interludes from most of the main characters (Ice Falcon, as always, is more prone to fighting than worrying about his own state of mind). A few new characters are introduced, although they are not as fully developed as might be. There is plenty of action, a fair amount of political intrigue and maneuvering, and a few twists that make it more than a stock fantasy quest tale.
Fans of epic fantasy should enjoy this, although if you are new to Darwath, you should start at the first trilogy in order to meet the characters and fill in the backstory here.
July 24, 2016
Well, Steve Martin might have sung "Oh, murder and death and grief and sorrow," but Barbara Hambly has sure taken it to heart in "Mother of Winter." In book time, it's only been a couple of years since the characters prevented the end of the world in the previous book. But, now, here it is all over again with Barbara Hambly's standard set of antagonists who are not exactly pleasant or helpful. But, hey, that all gets better as the book progresses. Anyway, Hambly published this book in 1996 (13 years after she published the last book in the "Darwath Trilogy"), and the intervening years have definitely improved her already good writing. This is very close to being the best of her works that I've read. With a little bit less doom, gloom, freezing, and starving at the start, I'd have probably said it IS the best. If you've read the "Darwath Trilogy," then you definitely want to read this. I rate it at a Very Good 4 stars out of 5.
The novels in the Darwath series are:
1, 2, and 3. The Darwath Series: The Time of the Dark, The Walls of Air, and The Armies of Daylight
4. Mother of Winter (Darwath)
5. Icefalcon's Quest
The novels in the Darwath series are:
1, 2, and 3. The Darwath Series: The Time of the Dark, The Walls of Air, and The Armies of Daylight
4. Mother of Winter (Darwath)
5. Icefalcon's Quest
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