A Darkling Plain by Philip Reeve

Challenge #30 ~ “A long book.”

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

My opinion in three sentences:

I don’t know if I’d have ended up finishing this if I hadn’t been listening to the audiobook – there was a lot of set-up in the novel, and a lot of places where things felt unnecessarily long. I enjoyed the fact that (being the final book in the series) cast old and new were brought back for the explosive finale, but it did highlight the underdeveloped nature of some in comparison to others (yes, I’m looking at you, Tom). Still, the plot managed to keep the momentum going and proved distinct enough from the previous three to offer an interesting read, despite the lack of finesse writing.

(Without spoiling anything) the best bit:

Once again, Reeve amazes with a plotline that is both different and twisting. (Within the confines of the world he’s established) things take a realistic turn, and even four books in, the reader is being offered new food for thought. I can’t say much without giving anything away, but this instalment offers the final arc to the series that makes it almost cyclical, proving both clever and an alarming commentary on human nature. Some series drag things out or add books for purely economical purpose. Here, there’s clear thought and respect for the works that have come before.

A warning for the book:

Tom, our protagonist from book one, is both the same and different in this book, which supposedly takes place 20 years later. And, frustratingly, Reeve manages to do whichever is the wrong choice in relation to character development and continuity. Two decades and many adventures later, Tom is still the naïve child he was, sitting down for a pleasant meal with the man who tried to kill him. Pages later, the strong father figure abandons his daughter without a goodbye, urged on by the need to seek out someone he’s been wilfully ignoring for several years. (If you’ve read the other three books, you’ll know how out of character this is.) Plot-wise, A Darkling Plain offers the incredible ending you’ve been looking for. When it comes to characters, however, things aren’t quite so wonderful.

Recommended for fans of: