Reread in 2014.Book 2 of one of my favorite trilogies of all time.

I first read this series in (cough) 1986 at the age of 14 or so and it gripped me and scared me witless in equal measures. Rereading it as an adult, it doesn't scare me quite as much, but it's still a wonderful series with well drawn characters including one of the best gandalf-type wizards in contemporary fantasy, all the better because he is NOT infallible.I think one of the best dynamics in this particular world is the uneasy relationship between the church and the wizard community and the wa...

You can't stop at just one. One of the trilogy, that is. Having picked up The Time of the Dark after many years' absence, I plunged right into this book. Once again I am really enjoying the excellent storytelling and the details that I'd forgotten. Most of all, however, I love being immersed in this world and adventure.

While we are no closer to finding out who or what the enemies are, the worldbuilding is much more fleshed out. Tragedy rises as well. It seems rather hopeless, but everyone is fighting, and despite it all they're still optimistic of their own fate. Let's see what happens next.

I loved this trilogy.

Couldn't put this series down.First sentencesPROLOGUE GIL PATTERSON THOUGHT HER vision of the strange city was all a dream—until the wizard Ingold Inglorion appeared one night in her kitchen, seeking a place to bring the infant Prince of Dare from the ancient horror that was attacking the city of Gae. Rudy Solis didn’t believe in wizards and magic—even when he saw Ingold emerge, with an infant in his arms, beside the place where Rudy had stopped to fix his car. But when one of the monstrous, evi...

This is the second book in a series with all that usually entails -- its primary use is a bridge, I suspect. There is a great deal of traveling from one location to another, lots of studying and exploring and question-answering, with occasional instances of action. So in that respect, it is fairly standard.But it's written by Barbara Hambly, and she continues to provide writing that is exceptional in its readability hand-in-hand with characters (and a world) that are complex and easy to love. A

Smart, fun fantasy.

Great continuation of the Darwath Saga. Barbara Hambly doing an amazing job using the standard 1980s fantasy tropes in creative, unexpected ways, as well as crafting deceptively well-rounded and realistic characters in Gil, Rudy, Ingold, and Minalde. And the easter eggs! Man are there easter eggs everywhere in this one, but you never are quite sure how to take them until Hambly brings it all together in the final book. Can't wait to dive into book three!

Frankly, I was on the lower-end of lukewarm about the predecessor to The Walls of Air— The Time of the Dark —for several reasons:The Dark are too one-dimensionally evil/powerful. There’s little intrigue to be had in watching humanity hopeless run for their lives.Rudy’s sudden need to love and calling to magic felt hollow.Gil’s stolid selflessness and willingness to sign away free-will to join the guard felt unrealistic and disingenuous to her character.Still, I kept reading, mostly because I k...

The wizards Ingold and Rudy travel to Quo (the wizards' home base) while Gil and Queen Minalde investigate historical records in the Keep.I gave this book a four, rather than the five I gave "The Time of the Dark", because the quest to the wizard city slowed things down a tad. I was much more interested in what Gil and Minalde were digging up by rummaging around dark and creepy corners of the Keep. And add in the fact that the Dark show they can hollow out a person and insert themselves, and you...

See short summary for book 1 - the only thing I would modify this with, on August 2020 re-read, is that this does suffer slightly from the middle book of a trilogy syndrome, because the characters are split up and I did remember the big shock-horror revelation early on in my re-read. But staying true to my original perception, I am leaving this at 5 stars.

"The Walls of Air" is perhaps a slight letdown from "The Time of the Dark", mostly because it's a transitional book: we're given hints -- in particular about the origins of the Keep and the magical engineering that keeps it going, the possible relation between the Dark and wizardry, and the nature of the Dark -- but we're clearly being set up to be given the big revelations in the 3rd book, when presumably the Dark will be defeated and all will be well. Mostly "The Walls of Air" allows us to see...

Barbara Hambly continues to enthrall me with the lives in Darwath. I couldn't put it down as I was captivated by the idea of what was to come next. Anxiously moving on to the next book.

I'm loving this old fantasy series I stumbled upon. In this second book Ingold and Rudy set off to the city of Quo to get help against the Dark ones. For a couple of wizards, they sure have to put up with a lot of shit on the way. I like that they're not able to solve every problem with magic, but you'd think they'd device some spells to ward off hungry neanderthals and dragons. Meanwhile Gil, now part of the royal guard, stays on at the Keep and buddies it up with Queen Alde. Gil still identifi...

Many middle books of trilogies feel a bit weaker. We've met most of the main characters, and the author doesn't really resolve the storyline. Still somehow, there needs to be enough story to keep our interest. This book does that. This fantasy follows the pattern of Tolkien's The Two Towers and splits up the characters. Rudy and Ingold head off to the wizards' city while Gil and Minalde stay behind in the Keep. Through Rudy's eyes, we learn more about the nature and perils of magic. Gil is a his...

I read this series from start to finish without putting it down. That really says it all in terms of the pacing and suspense elements. As a thriller, this is a 5 star book.The weakness to me lies in the character development, specifically in the romances. They are not really central to the series, but apparentlyare required elements, so they are there. To me, they don't really work. In writing, for a romantic relationship to work, the characters need chemistry. Just saying that they get a jolt w...

This is the second book in the series that introduced me to my favorite author. I love how Hambly sets up her world, and especially her magic system. Having everyone, both good and bad, human and non-, have sensible motivations really sells it for me, although some are discovered quite late (as it should be).

The Darwath Trilogy (1982-83), by Barbara Hambly, is really one giant book broken into three pieces. It's a portal fantasy of two people who go to a fairly bland fantasy world and wind up helping to fight "the dark."I got bored quick. This just wasn't for me. The writing was perfectly fine, just not left-field enough for me. Note that it's not a bad novel, just dull.The writer tried for more realism, which was great, except that she picked all the most boring realisms. Our protagonists are unama...

The Walls of Air is an exceptional book. Not only does it progress the story of the people struggling against the ravages of the Dark zones, but it casts a light on the characters more giving them more shape. Barbara Hambly is a fantastic writer and storyteller. I had no idea that th Darwath series was written in the 80’s as her first books and I was surprised that they were so good.This book is a roller coaster ride from beginning to end. The ending leads to an opening for the next book in the