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The Daylight War
The Daylight War
The Daylight War
Audiobook26 hours

The Daylight War

Written by Peter V. Brett

Narrated by Pete Bradbury

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5/5

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About this audiobook

The Daylight War, the eagerly anticipated third volume in Brett's internationally bestselling Demon Cycle, continues the epic tale of humanity's last stand against an army of demons that rise each night to prey on mankind. On the night of the new moon, the demons rise in force, seeking the deaths of two men, both of whom have the potential to become the fabled Deliverer, the man prophesied to reunite the scattered remnants of humanity in a final push to destroy the demon corelings once and for all. Arlen Bales was once an ordinary man, but now he has become something more-the Warded Man, tattooed with eldritch wards so powerful they make him a match for any demon. Arlen denies he is the Deliverer at every turn, but the more he tries to be one with the common folk, the more fervently they believe. Many would follow him, but Arlen's path threatens to lead to a dark place he alone can travel to, and from which there may be no returning. The only one with hope of keeping Arlen in the world of men, or joining him in his descent into the world of demons, is Renna Tanner, a fierce young woman in danger of losing herself to the power of demon magic. Ahmann Jardir has forged the warlike desert tribes of Krasia into a demon-killing army and proclaimed himself Shar'Dama Ka, the Deliverer. He carries ancient weapons-a spear and a crown-that give credence to his claim, and already vast swaths of the green lands bow to his control. But Jardir did not come to power on his own. His rise was engineered by his First Wife, Inevera, a cunning and powerful priestess whose formidable demon bone magic gives her the ability to glimpse the future. Inevera's motives and past are shrouded in mystery, and even Jardir does not entirely trust her. Once Arlen and Jardir were as close as brothers. Now they are the bitterest of rivals. As humanity's enemies rise, the only two men capable of defeating them are divided against each other by the most deadly demons of all - those lurking in the human heart.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateFeb 5, 2013
ISBN9781470335830
The Daylight War
Author

Peter V. Brett

Peter V. Brett is the international bestselling author of THE PAINTED MAN and THE DESERT SPEAR. Raised on a steady diet of fantasy novels, comic books and Dungeons & Dragons, Brett has been writing fantasy stories for as long as he can remember. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature and art history from the University at Buffalo in 1995, and then spent more than a decade in pharmaceutical publishing before returning to his bliss. He lives in New York City.

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Reviews for The Daylight War

Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

28 ratings8 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Im dritten Band dieser Saga lernen wir insbesondere Inevera noch einmal näher kennen, indem wir die dem Leser bereits bekannten Ereignisse (Band 1 und 2), sowie Zusatzinformationen insbesondere zu Ineveras Ausbildung zu dama'ting noch einmal aus deren Perspektive geschildert bekommen. Dies ist sehr interessant und hilft ihren Charakter wesentlich differenzierter darzustellen, geht aber leider zu Lasten der eigentlichen Fortführung der Geschichte. Daher überrascht es auch nicht, dass auch dieser Band nicht der Abschluss der Saga ist. Wer wissen will, wie es mit Arlen, Leesha, Rojer, Jardir, Inevera, Abban und den vielen Nebencharakteren (von denen in diesem Band einige zu Hauptfiguren aufsteigen; dies zu lesen überlasse ich aber euch!) weitergeht, wird sich noch einen Band zulegen müssen. Das Positive hieran: Wir können auf einen weiteren Band warten. Das Negative: Das kann noch seine Zeit dauern.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Having read several reviews of other readers bored with the shift in perspective between characters in this third installment of Peter Brett's fantasy, I expected to be equally annoyed at this device which deepens Inevera's back-story without moving along the plot related to the Demon War until half-way through the novel. But I actually found Inevera's story engaging, and was more distracted by Arlen's relationship with Renna, which I found hard to fathom. Equally baffling is the sudden deterioration in Arlen's language skills, as he "ent no"'s all over the place in his efforts to de-mystify himself to the Hollow folks and Renna, although this switch in dialogue starts as soon as his story is picked up in this book. I just didn't buy it coming from the guy who spent his teen years in the city absorbing every book in the library. Having said all that, I still enjoyed this book, and reconciled myself to Arlen's odd romantic choice in the same way his friends in the book did---right about the time things started heating up with the battles with the Demons. So, while this was my least favorite installment in the series, I find myself hanging in there with Brett's story and (mostly) engaging characters, so I'll come back for more.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Great book, and well worth the wait. I had a blast reading it, and Peter seems to get better every time I turn around. Given that this is the middle book in the series, it does have a few parts that drag on, and I REALLY wanted the showdown that the previous books had promised to last longer, but overall it was awesome. Can't wait for the next!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    By the third volume of a fantasy series, it is usually possible to tell where it's going, what's going to happen, and how it's going to get there. I am thrilled to report that this is not the case with the Demon Cycle.I read the first volume expecting it to be a standalone novel. When I found it was not, I was disappointed--although the concept was strong, the execution felt lacking. Still, when the second volume was published, I duly bought and read it. I was surprised that it spent as much time deepening the story as it did advancing it.With this third volume, the same review applies. Yes, the plot progressed, although not nearly as far as the span of years covered in the first novel. Indeed, those same years were covered for a third time. Some readers might be frustrated with this pace, but it was exactly what the story needed--another viewpoint on what we already knew, revealing that we actually knew quite a bit less than we thought.The climax was perfect, and although I must admit to some frustration that the novel ended where it did, I cannot really complain. The story, for all its faults, is more masterfully told than I could have guessed.It took me a couple of months of shelftime before I got around to reading this book. I won't wait as long for book 4.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    This is the third book in the Demon Cycle by Brett. The fourth book will be titled, The Skull Throne, and is scheduled for a 2014 release. I got a copy of this book to review through NetGalley. Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for the chance to review this book. Like the previous book, this book was incredibly slow moving until the last 100 pages or so. There is a lot that I didn’t really enjoy about this book.The story starts out following Arlen and Renna as they journey back to Cutter’s Hollow. Then it flashes back to Inevera’s past. From then on we bounce between Inevera’s past and present; while occasionally hearing from Arlen or Leesha in the present.The story about Inevera’s past recounts a lot of events we have already been present for, but this time we see them from Inevera’s perspective. These parts are lengthy...but still seem rushed...like Brett is trying to give a quick outline of a whole series full of events from Inevera’s perspective. The book would have been better without this back story...it just bogged things down so much.Much of the book is spent basically getting everyone back to Cutter’s Hollow. We hear from Arlen and Renna as they travel back. We hear from Leesha and Rojur as they travel back from Jardir’s conquered city. Then we spend a ton of time listening as Cutter’s Hollow is expanded and fortified.Additionally we visit Jardir’s new capital and listen as he deals with bickering between his sons and people, and as he tries to make plans to conquer the rest of the Northern lands. Mostly it’s fairly boring and slow moving stuff.Having Arlen and Renna proclaim their love for each other was cute in the first couple chapters. Having them repeat “Love you Arlen”, “love you Renna” continuously is just silly and obnoxious. Seriously it felt like half of these two characters’ dialogue through the entire book was “Love you Arlen” “Love you Renna”. Ugh...it got to be too much.There is also way too much in here about Leesha’s love life and her struggle to find men to have sex with. Also I am not impressed with how our chosen few characters keep gaining more and more unbelievable powers (Arlen, Reena, Rojur). Arlen, Reena, and Rojur are gaining seriously crazy powers at a very rapid rate.Additionally new types of demons pop up randomly with no previous explanation or structure. It’s like “Oh look there is lightening...hey let’s make that a lightning demon”...it’s never even been mentioned before but they must exist!...so whatever.As with the previous book the last part of this book features a huge epic battle with mind demons and mimics. This part is very engaging. There are a couple of surprises right at the end that will really grab and engage the reader.Just be warned this story ends on an absolutely horrible cliffhanger. After spending forever wading through this excruciatingly slow story and finally getting to the good part at the end....then to be left how Brett left his readers....well...it really pissed me off. I hate it when authors depend on cliffhangers to engage their readers. They should really just work on making the story tighter and more engaging. Overall not my favorite installment in this series. I am so sick of unnecessary flashbacks into random characters’ pasts. It just drags out the story forever. The characters that were so heartfelt and complex in earlier installments are turning into superpowered caricatures of themselves. The pace is excruciatingly slow...after nearly 700 pages we aren’t all that much further along in the story than we were in The Desert Spear. Then there is the horrible cliffhanger that the book ends up. Seriously, I am done with this series. Just absolutely done. Check out Brandon Sanderson’s books, Robert Jordan, Brent Weeks, or Michale J. Sullivan for excellent epic fantasy that is entertaining and actually goes somewhere. I would personally skip this series...it started out pretty good...but has just degraded from the first book on.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This book suffers a lot from being the middle book of the series. A whole lot of very little happened. And the interesting parts that were there just weren't enough.

    I enjoyed the backstory of Inevera. It was good to see where the dama'ting come from but there wasn't enough. You got a small glimpse at the woman behind the title but not enough to truly empathise with her.

    And the rest of the characters don't get enough focus to really say much. Arlen seems to have devolved to some philisophical hick. Leesha is one her way to becoming the town bicycle. Rojer is a little better, I liked the parts with him and his new polygamous life (poor man). There's not much Jardir and the Abban sections are more about foreshadowing.

    That's all the point of this book seems to be. Foreshadowing. A little is ok but too much and the book feels like a waste of time. You can't take out all the meat, leave only the broth and call it a meal.

    Oh and that ending was just plain frustrating. You've been warned.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Just a heads up: this review will contain some spoilers for the previous two books in the Demon Cycle series, but I would assume if you haven't read them already you wouldn't have made it this far to the third installment.The nightly battle against the demons of the core continues in The Daylight War. With the appearance of the more intelligent mind demons and their mimics from the last book, humanity now prepares for the new moon when the powerful Princes will return again with their hordes rising in full force. It's been a long time since I read The Desert Spear, but it appears this book picks up right where the last one left off, or at least very close to it.Two separate storylines unfold in the north and in the south. Skin adorned with wards, Arlen Bales AKA the Painted/Warded Man and his fiancee Renna Tanner have become stronger and more adept at killing demons. The two make their way to Deliver's Hollow to aid in the coming fight, training villagers and fortifying the town.At the same time in Everam's Bounty, Ahmann Jardir has proclaimed himself the Deliverer, the hero who will unify the people of the world to defeat and drive back the demons once and for all. His first wife the crafty and cunning high priestess Inevera plots his rise from behind the scenes, consulting her demon bone dice to catch glimpses of the future. Meanwhile, the desert tribes of Krasia continue to invade and conquer the green lands, forcing their way of life upon the locals and drafting fighting men for their army.Once the two men fought side by side as brothers, until Jardir's betrayal and his attempt to kill Arlen. Now they must find a way to settle the score between them, or let the demons of the core consume the world and everything in it.I didn't realize until halfway through this book, when most of the memories began leaking back, that so much of The Daylight War was the retelling of the first third of The Desert Spear, except we are taken through the events from another point of view -- Inevera's. This is "her" book, just like the previous one was Jardir's. We see her rise from humble beginnings as a basket weaver's daughter to become the most powerful priestess in Krasia and the wife of the Shar'Dama Ka.A lot of Jardir's back story is intertwined with Inevera's, so while this made for a nice recap for those of us who have forgotten a lot of the finer details from the previous books, if that section from The Desert Spear is still fresh on your mind the first half of The Daylight War might feel like retreading of old ground.I think Peter V. Brett's focus on the these two characters is part of a plan to give the reader a deeper understanding of the "bad guys" in this series. I'm always appreciative when that happens as not too many authors do this. I'm not sure of its effectiveness in this case, though. Indeed, the Krasians have a convoluted culture with ulterior motives all around, so any and all descriptions are welcome. However, I personally still consider them the villains; despite certain attempts to make them more sympathetic in our eyes, I can't forgive Jardir for his betrayal. Even now I have trouble coming to terms with Jardir having "good intentions" as every character including Arlen in the book says.The fact everyone is a hot-tempered "frenemy" in their culture with nobody seeming to trust or truly respect each other is another reason I feel this way. Very often the Krasian characters, especially the minor ones, come off like caricatures and feeling flat, like they are following a script with all their actions and dialogue being very predictable.Still, even though I was not a fan of the focus on Jardir at all in the second book, I have to say I enjoyed Inevera's version a lot more. While she is not particularly likeable, I do find her character interesting and she seems far more complex than Jardir. The manipulations and rivalry between the priestesses-in-training also makes the dynamics between her and the female tribe members so much more fun to read than the tiresome testosterone-fueled posturing of the male warriors from Jardir's story.Things started picking up for me about two-thirds through the book. Here, there seemed to be an abrupt change in direction in the story, with the focus on personal relationships -- except done in the manner of daytime soap operas, concerning questions regarding things like petty jealousies and who-slept-with-whom. I have to say it was a strange little detour from all the demon fighting, but I am also a little embarrassed to admit that I ate up this part like candy. There is something to be said for throwing in a few scandalous bits to break up the monotony.Then there was the last 25% or so of the novel. Here, the plot really took off, culminating into the climax and the final showdown during the new moon. After this point, the action does not stop. We get not one but two accounts of the events, one in Deliverer's Hollow and the other in Everam's Bounty, since the both Jardir's and Arlen's stories are happening concurrently. After all, so much of The Daylight War dealt with the theme of "counterparts", the duality of friend vs. foe. This concept comes up time and time again; in many ways, it is what ties everything in this book together.So does an amazing conclusion make up for the rest of this book, which I thought hovered from merely mediocre to pretty decent? I suppose it does. For what it's worth, I remember feeling much the same way about The Desert Spear, but I ended up liking The Daylight War more by far. I've discovered that Brett has a knack for writing incredible endings, making you want to pick up the next book right away, especially given what happens here in the final few pages.In retrospect, I should have seen the cliffhanger coming, but it was still a shock when the book ended. So many emotions flooded me in that one moment, the most powerful of which was an indignant rage that things should end this way, but also at the same time, a deep respect for Peter V. Brett that he was able to close off this third installment with a bang. I will absolutely be picking up the next book, and I am looking forward to it.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Good story completely ruin by Porn. This book should have warning labels on it. Also should be listed under porn instead of fantasy/science fiction.