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http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/nonfiction/intmchad.htm |
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Some fantasy novels can be pretty hard to swallow, but Mark Chadbourn’s The Devil in Green (Gollancz, £10.99; Buy the book) is a sumptuous feast of fairytale, magic, dark gothic horror and romance. Monsters and demons from the void are stalking England’s green and pleasant land. Our hero, Mallory, joins up as a mercenary to the last fragment of the Christian Church, holed up in Salisbury Cathedral. This is the first in a series called The Dark Age and if Chadbourn can keep up the pace, excitement and thrill of Book One, the next should be well worth reading. |
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http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article812363.ece |
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==Characters in "The Dark Age Trilogy"== |
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Main Characters: |
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Brothers and Sisters of Dragons: |
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*''Mallory'' is the first Brother of Dragons during the Dark Age. A cynical man, he was once a student of the Classics. The Tuatha call him the Dead Man, on account of him killing himself in another dimension and awakening in ours. His past troubles him and he resents authority. |
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*''Sophie Tallant'' is a priestess for a group called the New Celtic Nation, and is courting Mallory. |
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*''Caitlin Shepherd'' is a country GP. The death of her husband and son fracture her mind and she struggles to keep control of her multiple personalities. The Tuatha call her the Broken Woman. |
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*''Hunter'' is a Special Ops field leader for the remains of the SBS. His best friend is Hal. |
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*''Hal'' is a silent office-drone in the reconstituted British government. Withdrawn, his role in the coming conflict is discovered at the very end. The Tuatha call him the Shadow Mage. |
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*''Mary'' is an old witch who knows Caitlin. Self-loathing and alcoholic, she sees Caitlin as a daughter and sacrifices her life to bring the Goddess (the sacred feminine) back to the world. |
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[[Celtic gods]] and Courts: |
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*''[[Cernunnos]]'' appears in Devil in Green to aid Mallory and again in the Hounds of Avalon. His other half is the [[triple goddess]]. |
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*''The [[ triple Goddess]]'' or Mother, maiden crone, is searched for in Queen of Sinister and one of her aspects, the [[Morrigan]] is key to Caitlin's survival. |
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*''[[Rhiannon]]'' is queen of the Court of Peaceful Days. Mallory ends up there after being attacked on [[Salisbury Plain]]. Though this court has renounced violence, Rhiannon gives Mallory the sword of Llyrwyn |
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*''[[Ceridwen]]'' helps Sophie after she is shot. |
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*''[[Lugh]]'' rules the Court of Soul's Ease. His court is the first Caitlin enters in the Queen of Sinister. Initially he is diminshed because he no longer fights for Existence, but this changes and he fights in the final battle in the Hounds of Avalon. |
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*''[[Dian Cecht]]'' rules the court of The Final Word. Here experiments on humans are carried out and this is where Jack spent much of his life. Dian Cecht is the great healer of the Tuatha. Like alot of the Tuatha he can appear cold and aloof but is fascinated by humans or Fragile Creatures as the Tuatha refer to them |
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*''[[Math_ap_Mathonwy|Math]]'' lives in a tower in the court of Soul's Ease. He wears a mask of four different animals: a boar, a falcon, a salmon and a bear. Caitlin and Sophie approach him for aid in Hounds of Avalon. |
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==Major themes== |
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General themes of the trilogy are the core issues of our own dark ages - faith, plague/illness, war/politics. The books strip away the trappings of modern society to see how we would cope against the great challenges of life without our support network. |
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The books look at the fallibilty of [[human nature]], and at what can happen when different beliefs clash. They also question the wisdom of those who seek power attaining it. |
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The idea of an [[Afterlife]] is also introduced. |
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==Publication history== |
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==Sources, references, external links, quotations== |
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*[http://www.sfsite.com/10a/mc209.htm An interview with Mark Chadbourn on the subject of his work] |
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*[http://www.markchadbourn.net Chadbourn's website] |
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*[http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0575074027 Buy The Devil In Green at Amazon] |
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[[Category:Fantasy novels by series|Dark Age, The]] |
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