Paperback
chinese language
Published by 重庆出版社.
数百年前，来往于伦敦世界间的大门大开，世界平衡稳定。可好景不长，人类对权力的渴求、对魔力无止尽的所求、欲望的膨胀招致黑伦敦陷落，魔法随之消失。人们关上了往来的大门，裹足不前，指派所剩无几的被魔法选中的“旅行者”穿梭其间，以信件传信息…… 凯尔，贵为红伦敦的王室成员，以“旅行者”为职责，却总是夹带私货、违反法则，只为求得自我价值的证明；莱拉，生活在灰伦敦的低贱女飞贼，心怀航海梦，一心想打破阶层束缚，逃离灰伦敦。一次意外的偷盗行动，将凯尔和莱拉的命运紧紧系在了一起。为了送回盗来的魔法原石，他们招来杀身之祸，不得不打破百年禁忌，开启了穿梭于各个伦敦的逃亡之旅……
I didn't care much for this. Kell was an OK if somewhat dull protagonist, but I found Delilah tediously annoying. Neither the magic system nor the various Londons were particularly interesting, and I found the plot a bit thin. It's a fair enough fantasy novel, but I'd rather try a different Schwab novel than continue this particular series.
Though V.E. Schwab has been on my radar for a while I haven't picked up anything by her before. I have now ordered the second two books in this series. This was an interesting, fun adventure, with lots of character.
This is a multiple-worlds story, in which dimensions with different forms or levels of magical power are connected through a shared sense of "London" (though the different Londons and the countries in which they exist are quite distinct from one another).
The primary protagonist, Kell, is a magic user who moves between the worlds. His relationship with his own world is "complicated", and things are made much moreso when he unexpectedly ends up smuggling something he doesn't intend.
There are some lovely ideas here, and the world-building is well-handled. The main characters are compelling and sympathetic, while still having some rough edges. Setting the stage across the different dimensions takes …
Though V.E. Schwab has been on my radar for a while I haven't picked up anything by her before. I have now ordered the second two books in this series. This was an interesting, fun adventure, with lots of character.
This is a multiple-worlds story, in which dimensions with different forms or levels of magical power are connected through a shared sense of "London" (though the different Londons and the countries in which they exist are quite distinct from one another).
The primary protagonist, Kell, is a magic user who moves between the worlds. His relationship with his own world is "complicated", and things are made much moreso when he unexpectedly ends up smuggling something he doesn't intend.
There are some lovely ideas here, and the world-building is well-handled. The main characters are compelling and sympathetic, while still having some rough edges. Setting the stage across the different dimensions takes some time, and so the main plot doesn't kick in until about 100 pages in, but at no point does the book feel slow - there are enough sharp ideas and interesting people to keep things moving. Once things really get going it gets hectic, without much pause for breath for the characters or the reader.
Overall, this is a fun, period fantasy thriller, and a good read. As mentioned above, I have ordered both follow-up books, and did so before finishing this one, I'm looking forward to them.
The story is not without its drawbacks though. Once the world-building phase is done, and the main plot kicks off, that's more or less that for depth. The magic, which had felt like it had some nicely inventive components, gets very general to keep things moving, and there isn't much room for character development at that stage, so the villains are a bit cartoonish, and the differences between dimensions a little...one-dimensional.
I'm still looking forward to the next book, and hoping that the extra story gives Schwab an opportunity to expand and deepen some of the nice ideas here.
A Darker Shade of Magic is an enthralling tale set in a world of parallel Londons, each with its own unique magic system. Schwab's vivid world-building and well-developed characters keep readers engaged throughout the story making it hard to put the book down. The only downside is that the pacing can be uneven at times, but overall with this being the first book in the series I’m excited for what’s to come.
Fun worldbuilding. Standard "gotta find the macguffin, beat the dark lord, and destroy the macguffin to save all the worlds" kinda fantasy.
A breezy, fun adventure with some nice urban fantasy-ish world building on the side. It didn't ever grab me like other fantasy series can, and I felt the supporting cast didn't get as much development as I'd have liked, but it was an overall good time, the magic was fun and I found myself reading more than I intended as the chapter lengths were short and I could easily read one or two more than I'd originally planned before bed.
I’m very glad to have finished this book because I was very bored. There wasn’t strong characterization, so I didn’t care about the protagonists. The villains were cartoonishly evil. The magic “system” was full of arbitrary rules that were just there to create obstacles for the protagonists. I thought Holland actually had the most potential to be a complex character, but that doesn’t get explored (at least not in this book).
Well that was fun! I dont have a lot else to say about it though. I don't think I've ever used this phrase before but I think Im going to call this a "popcorn book". I had a lot of fun, I liked the characters, and the fantasy elements were really great, but there's not a lot to think about or linger on. So it's the book equivalent of a big blockbuster movie. Lots of spectacle, not much substance. There were a few moments where characters talked about the use of violence that almost added something, but everything gets wrapped up before that gets very far. I hear there are some interesting things in the other books of the series so I do plan to read on, but for now I'm walking away feeling entertained, and not much else.
Intriguing premise where worldbuilding is concerned. The characters are likeable, though kind of trope-y. The book's weakest element is its over-the-top, shallow and unrelatable villains.
I listened to the German audiobook (and read some parts of the original in between). If you're looking for an audiobook that's not too demanding and easy to follow, this one works.
Interesting! Really liked the the setting, but I don't know that the story was compelling enough for me to finish out the trilogy. Maybe eventually!
It ought to be a good book. The premise is great, the plot good and the characters are decent enough. The problem is that the writing is so dry it’s hard to care about any of it
I felt really detached from this book, like I didn't particularly care about the characters or their motivations.
Even I didn't know at first I got hooked with the main characters and the possibilities the world(s) the author created, is an fast and easy read (even though it took me a while). I can easily recommend this to anyone how likes fantasy novels, but I'm gonna wait until I read the entire saga, the next book is already on its way.
I think what made this book work for me were the relationships between characters.
The first thing I remember hearing about this book was the setting, which was nice, but what made those adventures not empty was the way characters treated each other and were in turn treated by others.
The magic is on the soft-ish side in this one, but it doesn't quite feel like anything could happen, it does have some rules.
I really enjoyed it.
My six-year-old has developed this very polite habit of calling things she doesn't like "not my thing." This was "not my thing." It's hard to say quite why: I like fantasy and strong female protagonists and good world building, but. Here's the good: the world building was amazing. I loved the idea of the four Londons, and it felt truly original -- each felt real and whole. Schwab really excels at invoking a feeling of a place. But. The protagonists fell flat. There was too much violence -- pretty much anyone named and not protected by plot armor died within the chapter, and when that happens it's hard to get attached. The plot felt flimsy.
Also, I know it's itself derivative to accuse a fantasy book of being a Lord of the Rings derivative, but the MacGuffin was an amazingly powerful malevolent artifact that enervated the users, but whose possession …
My six-year-old has developed this very polite habit of calling things she doesn't like "not my thing." This was "not my thing." It's hard to say quite why: I like fantasy and strong female protagonists and good world building, but. Here's the good: the world building was amazing. I loved the idea of the four Londons, and it felt truly original -- each felt real and whole. Schwab really excels at invoking a feeling of a place. But. The protagonists fell flat. There was too much violence -- pretty much anyone named and not protected by plot armor died within the chapter, and when that happens it's hard to get attached. The plot felt flimsy.
Also, I know it's itself derivative to accuse a fantasy book of being a Lord of the Rings derivative, but the MacGuffin was an amazingly powerful malevolent artifact that enervated the users, but whose possession and use was addictive. Using the MacGuffin (primarily to be invisible) allowed the enemy to spy on them. The main quest was to return the MacGuffin to the place where it was made in order to destroy it.
Yeah, not my thing.
I loved how the story is finished in itself but there is a lot of subtle potential for further stories. I often have issues with reading a trilogy whose first book is clearly a stand-alone story and then suddenly the author decided to add some more books because the first issue sold so well. I don't get that feeling here.
I also liked how the story avoided the usual fantasy-tropes like "we're accidentally on a quest together so we have no choice but to fall in love" or "I totally unexpectedly found out that I have high-potential magical powers to save the day, although everyone thought I'm just human" (although I still half expect that to happen further on).
