“Days of the Dark” by D.L. Jennings

Days of the Dark

D.L. Jennings
Indigo River Publishing (2024)
ISBN:  978-1954676756
Reviewed by Karen Gellender for Reader Views (06/2024)

In a war-torn world of magic and wonder, a ruthless god fights for control over all the realms of creation. Standing in his way are brave mortal warriors: a nigh-legendary old soldier, a blacksmith’s apprentice, a female soldier, and a young warrior queen. As they struggle to maintain control of their destinies, they must face the blight of the pale chovathi, a ravenous horde of horrific, horse-like monsters that are almost impossible to kill. If they cannot fight off the countless scores of chovathi, they won’t even live to see if the outcast Lord of the Dead, Ahmaan Kaa, succeeds in his dark quest.

In this desperate situation, the influence of a more benevolent god, The Shaper, becomes key to maintaining control of the human world and the realm of the dead alike. Sera, the female soldier known as the Godseed, may save the world, but she might just as easily doom it to destruction. Humans channel gods, and gods seek help from mortals as the situation grows ever more desperate. Strange alliances will be formed and tested, and there is no victory without great cost.

In the award-winning Highglade Series, D.L. Jennings presents an epic, meticulously imagined fantasy world filled with humor, lots of strong women, and a tale that feels unique and fresh.

“Days of the Dark” is the third book in the series, so it goes without saying that interested readers should probably start at the beginning with “The Gift of the Shaper,” Book One. However, we are evaluating the book on its own merits, and it is possible to understand most of the narrative if you jump in on Book 3; just be prepared to spend some time perusing the large glossary at the back of the book that explains terms.

Highglade has plenty of characters, locations, and special vocabulary, and it will take quite a few chapters to get comfortable with the book’s vividly detailed world. Some readers will enjoy this profusion of special terminology, a critical ingredient to world-building, while others may find it a bit tedious. It’s a bit reminiscent of Robert Jordan’s “The Wheel of Time” in this sense.

The chapters in this book tend to be very short, which makes it fun to consume, kind of like popcorn. It’s so easy to tell yourself “I’ll just read one more chapter” and look up three hours later to wonder where the time went. There is a lot of heavy material in “Days of the Dark,” but a persistent touch of wry humor keeps the narrative from ever getting too dark for its own good.

Naturally, there are some limitations. Characters spend a lot of time traveling between locations, and considering that they are on horses, camels, or on foot, that’s only natural, but it can get tiresome. If you cut out the parts of the book where characters are just en route to their next location, you would lose a significant chunk of the story. Two of the most interesting characters, Alysana the knife-wielding heroine, and Thornton the blacksmith, are sidelined for most of the narrative; presumably, they played bigger roles in the earlier books, but their absence becomes conspicuous at times.

Fortunately, the other characters bring a lot to the table. Sera and Duna, two sword-wielding women who can fight as well as any man, are always interesting to follow when it’s their time in the spotlight. General Aldis Tennech provides a very different point of view, and his heartwarming storyline is a highlight of the book.

The important thing to know about this book, and this series in general, is that it is epic fantasy with a capital E. This is not meant for people who casually read urban fantasy or lighter fare, and “Days of the Dark” will likely lose the interest of a reader who isn’t fully prepared to invest in it. However, this book in the hands of readers who enjoy epic fantasies, family sagas, or action/adventure fantasies is a thrill ride firing on all cylinders.