When the Duke of Bari suddenly dies, the neighboring nation of Algarve, long seething over its defeat a generation ago in the Six Years' War, sees its chance to bring Bari into the fold...an action which the other countries surrounding Algarve cannot, by treaty, tolerate. As nation after nation declares war, a chain of treaties are invoked, ultimately bringing almost all the Powers of Derlavai into a war of unprecedented destructiveness.For modern magic is deadlier than in years past. Trained flocks of dragons rain explosive fire down on defenseless cities. Massed infantry race from place to place along a network of ley-lines. Rival powers harness sea leviathans to help sabotage one another's ships. The lights are going out all across Derlavai, and will not come back on in this lifetime.Against this tapestry Harry Turtledove tells the story of an enormous cast of characters: soldiers and generals, washerwomen and scholars, peasants and diplomats. For all the world, highborn and low, is being plunged by world war...into the darkness.
DarknessSeries
This epic series plunges readers into a world teetering on the brink of annihilation, ignited by old grievances and the machinations of powerful nations. Witness the interwoven fates of a vast cast, from common soldiers to highborn diplomats, as modern magic, fearsome dragons, and ancient powers unleash unprecedented destruction. It's a sweeping narrative of global conflict, where alliances shatter and a world descends into darkness, forcing humanity to confront its darkest hour.






Recommended Reading Order
- 1
- 2
Darkness Descending
- 594 pages
- 21 hours of reading
An epic mixture of fantasy and war In this sequel to the bestselling INTO THE DARKNESS, the country of Algarve is successful in its blitzkrieg tactics, but becomes bogged down in the desolate winter of Unkerlant, its main enemy. Algarve's king decides to undertake blood magic, which amounts to genocide, in order to break the deadlock; when it is seen to work, its use elsewhere cannot be long coming. On a small island, a theoretical sorcerer may hold the only answer to this horror... Harry Turtledove has taken events similar to those from Earth's wars and transplanted them to a wonderfully imagined fantasy world. his characters - of all nations and classes - live and breathe.
- 3
Through the Darkness
- 608 pages
- 22 hours of reading
As the war which consumes Dervelai drags on, the reserves of Algarve are ever more stretched. King Mezentio's armies become sucked into the huge landmass of Unkerlant. As more and more of the hated Kaunians are sacrificed for blood magic, conquered races are inducted into the Algarvian army, and their fighting edge becomes blunted. While at home, both men and women come to doubt the war and its purposes. Harry Turtledove's blending of World War Two with fantasy has already gained enormous praise. From the once-proud Kaunians, who are herded into camps to die, to the brave yet doomed soldiers; from the generals who try to carry out their rulers' unreasonable demands, to the resistance movements which form in occupied lands, this series is a tapestry of the finest writing the genre can create.
- 4
Rulers of the Darkness
- 706 pages
- 25 hours of reading
Set in a world where magic exists, this epic tale unfolds through a series of novels that depict a devastating world war reminiscent of the 20th century conflicts. The narrative explores the intertwining of magic and warfare, showcasing the unique challenges and dynamics of a society shaped by both. Bestselling author Harry Turtledove crafts a compelling alternative history, inviting readers to experience the complexities of conflict in a fantastical setting.
- 5
Jaws of Darkness
- 576 pages
- 21 hours of reading
The grand conflict for control of the continent of Derlavai rages on, in a battle with all the drama and terror of the Second World War - but for artillery and bombers, read magical fire and dragons. Yet hope may be dawning at last. The terrible onslaught of the conquering forces of Algarve - who power their battle magics with the life energy of their murdered victims - begins to founder as it runs into a sorcerous ship of ice used by the embattled nations of Lagoas and Kuusamo to ferry their deadly dragons across the seas to war. But though the tide has begun to turn, the conflict is far from over. The widely disdained Kaunians still struggle desperately to escape as the Algarvians kill them by the thousands - for life energy, but also simply for the crime of being Kaunian. And as the death of innocent civilians on both sides continues to feed the flames of war, those who have struggled to survive and preserve their freedom have only their will to see them through...
- 6
The final instalment of Harry Turtledove's masterful series of a magical world at war