Mark Chadbourn

Here's a novel that tells you right off the bat that it's the first in a series. That's not always a good thing, but in this case, it turns out to be just what the (script) doctor ordered. In spite of its 'first in a series' designation, 'World's End' does not induce cross-room volume hurling at its conclusion. It ends up being a great setup for an interesting and entertaining take on the fantasy quest. It reads like lightning, the characters are interesting and have the ring of truth about them. And the world it creates is really quite fascinating, much more interesting than the world it ends.

That would be our world, the one that ends. Chadbourn's novel posits that as the (fake) millennium rolled over, and the world's IT staff breathed a sigh of relief that their Y2K patches had been correctly installed, reality itself began to change. The age of Science and reason came to an end -- slowly, in increments -- and the Age of magic and supersition, the age of misrule, began. For all the fantasy elements in this novel, it reads much more like a Stephen King style horror thriller. It begins as Jack Churchill (Church) and Ruth Gallagher both witness a crime committed by something that should not exist. From then on out it's a chase, as they race to find out what is happening to the world and slowly find out that they are the only ones who can do something about it.

Alas, what they cannot do is reverse the process. What they can do is to prevent the triumph of a supernatural evil, the likes of which has only been roughly imagined in ages past. What's nice here is that while the evil is implacably evil, on the opposing side, the Tuatha De Dannan, are rather ambiguous in their opposition. They consider humans beneath their notice, in much the way we generally regard bacteria as beneath ours. However, when disease strikes the world, we pay attention, and eventually, so do the Tuatha De Dannan, who correspond roughly to "elves".

But they are not elves, and though Church, Ruth, and others are brought together to go on a quest, it's certainly not your normal quest. While it does occasionally read like one long chase scene, it's an interesting chase scene, and to this American reader, the characters ring pretty true and show some interesting depths. It's certainly not your usual knights in shining armor scenario. Chadbourn has done a wealth of research -- he offers a bibliography at the end of the novel -- and it shows. His monsters and demons and gods and goddesses are not just James Bond villains in frocks. They're alien and complex creations from Celtic myths and literature. Moreover, Chadbourn has a fabulous visual imagination, and the scenes of wonder and terror he creates fly right off the page and into your own private wide screen theater. The conclusion is only a breather. Two more volumes will follow. But from your vantage point in the year 2002, those two volumes have come to pass. I'd suggest getting all three while you're at it. Prepare for a marathon.

Center books in trilogies have the hardest job of any single part. Neither the beginning or the end, they have to build on what preceded them and set up for what follows. You've probably just finished 'World's End' if you're reading this review. If not, you should. This is not a work of series fiction where one novel can be read independently of the others. It's one long fantasy quest, set in a rapidly changing present day reality, where science has stopped working and magic and superstition have become the dominant paradigm. That said, 'Darkest Hour' does everything it is supposed to do and more. It promises that the quest will end in the next novel, for one thing. For another it just rocks.

'Darkest Hour' begins as the Brothers and Sisters of Dragons begin the fight against the Fomorii in earnest. The Fomorii are trying to bring back something Very Very Bad and Very Very Big. It will mean the end of everything. With one quest completed, another begins. What Chadbourn does increasingly well in this novel is both examine the characters and examine the world he has created. He takes the opportunity to show the surreal side of his fantasy world, where TV dinners collide with ancient myths and beings. It's a very interesting take on all of the fantasy worlds that you've read about or simply grokked when you saw the glossy paperbacks with the dragons and swordsmen in the bookstore. Yes these books have covers that are very similar -- but note that behind the dragon is a modern suburb.

Ley lines, Edinburgh Castle, Rosslyn Chapel -- a whole host of current fortean sites are brought up to supernatural speed in 'Darkest Hour'. The characters take some unpleasant turns, and the Tuatha De Dannan find themselves threatened by the bacteria they once deigned not to care about. As the title might indicate, it's a bleak and rather depressing novel. Thankfully, we already know that it's not the end. And, even better, we know that the end is in sight. If you've made it through the first two parts of this trilogy, you'll want to be on hand for the conclusion.

 'Always Forever' concludes the trilogy that started with 'World's End' and was continued with 'Darkest Hour'. If you haven't read the first two books in the trilogy, stop here, go back to the review of 'World's End' and see if it sounds like your cuppa. If the idea of a breakneck hybrid of Stephen King and J. R. R. Tolkien sounds good to you, then you're well advised to start. 'Always Forever' actually does conclude the trilogy and effectively wraps up the threads unraveled in the first two novels. If you've read the first two, you'll definitely want to read the third, and you won't be disappointed. Chadbourn brings his trilogy to a conclusion that will satisfy the reader and leave you wanting more time to experience the world he has created.

Chadbourn's world is certainly worth visiting, and the conversion of our world to the world of 'Always Forever' is a fascinating evolution. It's a great idea, and the author has quite a good time in converting 20th century civilization to a fantasy world where humanity must coexist with gods, goddesses, and lots of beasts with human cunning and supernatural powers. His extensive research into Celtic mythology gives his monsters a more "characterful" edge than most fantasy antagonists. His skill at bringing these creatures into the remains of our world, and forcing them to react to humanity as we know it brings yet another level of entertaining complexity to the tale.

Yes, he does tend to drive his characters out of the frying pan and into the fire. It's probably not a coincidence that I first remember reading this phrase in Lord of the Rings. But the characters themselves are broken, fragile and a bit whiny. Sometimes the whininess gets a little much, but it brings a much needed bit of familiarity to Church, Ruth, Laura, Shavi and Veitch. The usual fantasy heroes are not nearly so shaded to gray and complex as these are.

Once gain, writing reviews from the future on the publication of the novel allows me to bring things a bit more into perspective. My only kvetch with this novel might have been that Chadbourn had gone to a great deal of trouble to finish his trilogy -- and he has -- only to leave a very interesting world behind. But his next book, 'Devil in Green' is already listed and promises to take the reader back to the Age of Misrule. I'm hoping to see even more of that world, and confident that I'll still find it an entertaining place to visit.