Rating: 
Summary: Solidly satisfying fare from a veteran writer
Review: After losing some of my faith in Modesitt following the Spellsong cycle and some of the later books in the Recluse series, it was a relief to begin reading the Corean Chronicles. Darknesses continues the solid work begun in Legacies. The character of Alucius deepens his understanding of his Talent and capabilities. The reader gains more knowledge of Corus and the different powers within Corus.
The interesting thing about Modesitt is that he always seems to like the ideas that he is working out more than he likes the reader. His books are not really that different from one another; they always seem like parts of the same larger project. When he gets it wrong (Spellsong cycle), then the novels become repetitive and tedious. When he gets it right, then there is a real reassuring quality that makes his work a pleasure to read.
In the world of Modesitt, hard work and solid values are always rewarded. As a reader, it is often nice to have a little literary corner where this is true.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent sequel
Review: Alucius, once a prisoner of the Matrites, is now back among friends--but some of his "friends" seem worse than the enemy! When it is time to return to his men after a month long furlough with his family, Alucius is attacked by assassins. He survives, but this is just the first of many situations where he is put in harm's way. He becomes convinced that he has a powerful enemy among the Iron Valley Council, but he doesn't know who it is or why he is hated.When the Iron Valley is taken over by the Lonachronans, Captain Alucius is assigned an impossible seeming mission far from Iron Valleys and his family. There he is betrayed when his "allies" flee leaving him to hold against overwhelming numbers of nomads. This book is well worth your time. An excellent sequel to Legacies. Mark E. Cooper
Author of The Warrior Within (ISBN:0954512200)
Rating:
Summary: a good second book in this trilogy
Review: Darkness is a good tribute to the world Modesitt has developed. A military tale, Modesitt delves into the everyday boredom and gut clenching combat of a company of mounted militia who are pawns in the game of nations. He also develops the powers Captain Alucius has and introduces the alien danger threatening the Corean world. Modesitt heroes are ordinary people with extraordinary powers achieving amazing tasks. Luck, tenacity and skill allows Alucius to not only preserve his life but the life of his men. But in combat, it is not enough and his men and friends die. This world is an interesting blend of mechanical technology with magical powers. Gritty realism where the characters bleed and hurt. A very fast and enjoyable read and it leaves enough questions to eagerly await the third book.
Rating:
Summary: a good second book in this trilogy
Review: Darkness is a good tribute to the world Modesitt has developed. A military tale, Modesitt delves into the everyday boredom and gut clenching combat of a company of mounted militia who are pawns in the game of nations. He also develops the powers Captain Alucius has and introduces the alien danger threatening the Corean world. Modesitt heroes are ordinary people with extraordinary powers achieving amazing tasks. Luck, tenacity and skill allows Alucius to not only preserve his life but the life of his men. But in combat, it is not enough and his men and friends die. This world is an interesting blend of mechanical technology with magical powers. Gritty realism where the characters bleed and hurt. A very fast and enjoyable read and it leaves enough questions to eagerly await the third book.
Rating:
Summary: The Long Way Home
Review: Darknesses is the second novel in the Corean Chronicles series, following Legacies. In the previous volume, Alucius has destroyed the purple gem that is the source of the Matrial's longevity and power, thus disrupting the control collars. He escapes with a company of new recruits back to the Iron Valleys. While his feat is unprecedented, the ruling council refuses to release him from the militia, but does recognize him as the Captain of the Twenty-first Company formed from the other escaping troops. In this novel, Alucius is enjoying leave-time with his family, especially with Wendra, his new wife. However, he soon has to depart and return to duty. On his way back to Emal, two men try to ambush him, but he disposes of both and continues on his way. When he reaches Emal, he is brought up to date by Captain Feran, commander of the Third Foot. They have received warnings of Deforyan raiders along the border, although Feran and Alucius believe this to be highly unlikely. Both agree that Colonel Clyon is probably bypassing the council's biases and subtly warning them of possible Lanachronan raids under false colors. Alucius sets up an aggressive patrolling schedule and discovers signs of small groups of riders near the river. He starts leading out patrols before dawn and soon finds tracks indicating that a larger group has preceded them down the river road. He sets up an ambush and wipes out all the intruders. However, these men have no possessions or insignia that clearly identifies their affiliation. The Traders' Council soon cuts back on ammunition and supplies. Despite continuing excursions of raiders, Alucius and Feran have to scrounge for money to pay and equip their troops. Eventually, the council bows to monetary and political pressure and effectively become the Lanachronan northern territories and the militia becomes the Northern Guard. Military posts and fortifications along the border are abandoned, Alucius is promoted to Over-captain, and both the Twenty-first and the Third are ordered to join a Lanachronan expedition to Deforya. Alucius leads his company far from home against powerful and numerous opponents. Moreover, he has to fight his way out of other ambushes directed against him personally. However, he does learn more about his talents and the interest shown in him by the Soarers. This novel leaves many interesting puzzles and loose ends. While it ends the story arc begun in Legacies, other stories are promised in this series. These two novels certainly establish a good foundation for several excellent sequels. Highly recommended for Modesitt fans and for anyone else who enjoys realistic military and politically oriented fantasies.
Rating:
Summary: Darknesses is a hit!
Review: Darknesses, the second Corean Chronicles takes up a year later in th military career of our hero. It is jam packed with action, sometimes almost too much with not enough pause between action scenes. Again our hero has to combat evil while trying to keep himself and his troopers alive, not to mention his secret talent. We learn more about the Soarers and the early history of Corus. Our hero's talent and his wife's talent grow in this novel. I had to keep reading to find out what happens to our hero next. I feel some of the battle scenes and wars end a little too quick. The fighting and battles are almost over before you can really get into them. I feel the author could have drawn things out a little more. I look forward to more books in this series as I really enjoyed reading this.
Rating:
Summary: not great but solid and well-paced
Review: First off, though this does stand as in independent story in what is called the Corean Chronicles, it will make a lot more sense to you and you'll be a lot more invested in the characters if you read the first book ahead of time. Darknesses returns to the same main character, Alucius, who remains as in the first a reluctant soldier caught up in battles and politics he'd rather not wage, preferring to set down his sword and his strange Talent and return home to be a herder with his new wife. This book roams further afield than the first book as Alucius is sent to various locales (helps to periodically check the map to keep all his travels and the stratagems behind them straight) and involves more characters, which helps prevent it from feeling stale. As in the first, the world and especially the military world is prevented in a gritty realism and while there is a lot of detail regarding troop movement etc., Modesitt is careful not to let it overwhelm the story or bog it down. It's a smoothly paced book throughout, helped by the many quick shifts of character and setting. Some of the side characters are given short shrift, but Modesitt does a nice job with the one ruler he focuses most on, giving us a seemingly full sense of character but in a nice deft touch, without revealing to us whether he will turn out friend or foe to Alucius. Problems with the book are minor though distracting: The major villains of the story (as opposed to the many smaller ones) are introduced a bit too abruptly and through too much exposition as opposed through the natural flow of action and dialogue. There is a bit too much deus ex machina intertwined with that story line as well. The jumps back to his herder homestead are somewhat perfunctory. And some of Alucius' actions and dialogue started to feel a bit repetitive, such as his many protests (clearly unbelieved by most he protested to) that he is just a normal guy doing his job. Overall though, it's an enjoyable read which expands on the first book and leaves some clear openings as well for future material. It won't wow you, but you'll have a good time.
Rating:
Summary: Keeping you up at night
Review: I just had to purchase Darkness after having read Legacies. I am happy to say that I was not disappointed in the second of this series. The book moved seamlessly into the second story and again there was no letdown which means I couldn't put it down. I did lose sleep trying to finish it. I am anxiously awaiting for the next one in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Quality Comment Without Recapitulation
Review: I will not redescribe or resummarize the story, as this has been done excellently by the editorial reviews and the other customer reviews. "Darknesses" is an excellent sequel, as it takes the original story and expands it in both depth and breadth. The depth comes in character development of Alucius and in various expansive complications of the story that nevertheless remain coherent. The breadth comes in the form of broadening the story to cover characters and factions across the entire unicontinental world of Corus. "Darknesses" also ties up many loose ends from the first book of the series, "Legacies", starts new story-lines and finishes them, and starts other new story-lines that are left to be resolved in later books of the series. Some sequels just add more complexity to the story without finishing anything. "Darknesses" finds a wonderful balance of creating ends and new beginnings. As I stated in my review of "Legacies", Modesitt does a lot of work on developing characters and setting. His books thus require patience. Your patience will pay off though, in this rich story.
Rating:
Summary: strong epic fantasy
Review: On Corus, sheepherder Alucius possesses a powerful, untapped Talent that he tries to hide while serving his mandatory military time. Alucius just wants to go home to his wife Wendra so though he is a captain in the 21st Company he avoids trouble as much as possible in order to avoid becoming noticed. Warlord Aellyan Edyss finds and opens an ancient vault containing magical weapons and legendary beasts from a time long before the Cataclysm. Aellyan plans to use his weaponry to conquer and then rule Corus. Alucius realizes his dilemma once he understands the threat posed by Aellyan. If he displays his prowess and succeeds in defeating the warlord and his magical army and arsenal Alucius will become visible to his superiors and a pawn of individuals like the Lord-Protector of Lanachrona. If he hides his Talent by doing nothing, he will probably die. DARKNESSES, the second book of the Corean Chronicles (see LEGACIES), is a superb fantasy due to the abilities of L.E. Modesitt, Jr. to make a world of magic and mystical beasts seem real. The story line combines plenty of action with strong characters and even a sense of history. Alucius is a delightful reluctant hero and his opponent is more than just a vile villain as he is a complete character too. The support cast such as Wendra and the magically created beasts add depth to a strong epic fantasy that will have the audience wondering where the author will take them next. Harriet Klausner
| 
