Darwath Books In Order

Publication Order of Darwath Books

The American writer Barbara Hambly is well known for her combining of mystery thrillers and fantasy, along with science-fiction and horror, making her one of the most prolific genre authors to date, becoming almost an institution over the entire course of her career, with a strong voice and idiosyncratic approach to the formula. Known for her precise style and tone, she is able to create whole worlds within her books, transporting the reader to far off lands, taking them on a journey that rivals some of the greats such as J.R.R. Tolkein, someone whom she draws a large amount of inspiration from. This goes some way towards explaining why she has become one of the most successful authors currently living, with a vast amount of titles in her backlog of work. Not just creating her own series as well, she has also worked within other well known franchises, such as ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Star Trek’, both of which she has successfully written for in the past. She hasn’t just written novels either, but she has also made a name for herself as a screenwriter too, along with writing a number of short-stories, making her one of the most versatile authors currently available. One thing that she’s most well known for is creating her own series, each with their own respective worlds and characters, built with due care and precision, allowing them to effectively come alive for the reader. A perfect example of this would be her ongoing and much loved ‘Darwath’ series of novels, which is a franchise that’s set firmly within the fantasy genre. Set within a fantastical landscape it tells the story of the ‘Dark’, as the magical sorcerers and wizards attempt to keep this threat at bay, defending their home and everything that they know. Using elements of horror to conjure up vast threatening images, it manages to tell the saga of how this great evil is kept from causing innocent lives threatened, whilst teaching the wizards to harness their powers. With the world that it’s set within being vast with plenty of room to keep expanding, there was always room to continue building upon this franchise, with its many themes and ideas. This explains why the series has achieved such an infamous status as one of the best-selling series to date, with more and more fans discovering it every day, something that will continue for many years to come.

The main series consists of trilogy which begun in 1982 and lasted till 1983, being brought out over a relatively short-amount of time, with the story itself being entirely self-contained. Later on further books would be released, with a fourth coming out in 1996 followed by a fifth the following year, with a wait until 2015 when the sixth title, a short novelette, being released. These would all work together making the franchise one of her most successful and expansive series to date, as it has the room to continue indefinitely, leaving a legacy that will continue for many years to come yet.

The Time of the Dark

Released through the ‘Ballantine Books’ publishing label, this was originally published in 1982 to much acclaim. Creating a whole world, it manages to introduce its two principal protagonists for the first time, allowing them to discover it all along with the readers. Establishing the style and the tone, it lays out the initial premise for the series, whilst also giving the reader a clear idea of what’s to come.

Telling the story of a person out of time and out place, this follows Gil Patterson, a graduate student in history, as she finds herself transported to the lands of Darwath. Meeting a wizard named Ingold one night in her kitchen, she finds herself thrust into a whole other world, as Ingold seeks to battle against the threat of the Dark. Later meeting Rudy, an artist whose car has broken down in the California desert, they all set out with Ingold to fight this great evil. Will they be able to triumph over the terror? Can they survive this ordeal? What will become of them in the time of the Dark?

The Walls of Air

This time brought out through ‘Del Rey Books’, this title manages to carry on from where the last left off, it being released not long after the first. Carrying on in much the same vein as before, it works at continuing the story, building upon it and taking it forwards as a whole. It also opens the out the world of the series, giving it more room to breathe, as the characters move off on their own narrative strands and adventures. This would also help pave the way for the later books, allowing room for spin-offs to occur, thus creating the franchise as it is currently recognized as to this day.

With his now student Rudy Solis, Ingold Inglorion is teaching her to fight the threat of the Dark that’s been endangering them and humanity as a whole. Three thousand years prior the Dark had engulfed most of humanity, largely destroying it, and now it is up to them to stop this from happening again, whilst Gil serves as part of the Royal Guard, working alongside Queen Alde. Now Rudy and Ingold must travel across two thousand miles of highly dangerous desert in order to reach the City of Wizards and find what they need. Will they get there safely? What will they find there? How many secrets will they find in the Walls of Air?

The Darwath Series

For any fans of the fantasy of the genre this is definitely a must, setting a benchmark for the art-form for many years to come, as it shows Hambly at her most confident. With a large degree of creativity and wit, it really manages to stand out from the rest of its ilk, avoiding genre cliches and really making it all her own, allowing her personality to shine through upon the page. Not showing signs of stopping any time soon either, this is a series that has the potential to carry on into the foreseeable future.