Rating: 
Summary: Must for those who love the whole story!
Review: I personally like in my books a combination of action, politics, and how things go in daily life so I can get into the book on a personal level. This book goes through multiple story lines as well as giving you the whole story. You find yourself in the begining of a war, then you go through the war from the soldiers perspectives on each side, the daily people from commoner to nobility, and you get to see how to politicians are doing. Also in this book you get alot of magic and many mythical creatures which keeps readers motivated to read it. This is a must for all readers who love to be entangled with story line of the books they read.
Rating: 
Summary: Has Turtledove Lost his Touch?
Review: As a total fan of all prior books by this author I was very happy when this book came out. But it really fell short. First of all, there are way too many characters, which prevents the reader from getting to really know or care about any of them. There are also too many different sides and none of them are clearly good or evil. Maybe this is supposed to be some deep philosophical message about the pointlessness of war, but it makes for a pretty pointless story. I regret the time I wasted trying to read through this. Even more, I regret the time that Harry Turtledove, probably my favorite author, wasted writing it, time that could have been better spent writing something interesting and exciting like the WorldWar series!
Rating: 
Summary: I can't believe I didn't put it down earlier!
Review: The only reason I didn't give it one star is it had its moments - not many, but a couple. The characters are spread out too far to keep straight. Obviously from the reviews, this is a story about a world at war and it never ends or seems to have a point... perhaps that is the point. I have a VERY bad taste in my mouth after this book. Beware!
Rating: 
Summary: Overall a good book marred by some glaring flaws.
Review: I have long been a fan of Harry Turtledove and purchased Into the Darkness with great eagerness. Although the book is rater entertaining, I think it has some serious flaws. First, Mr. Turtledove has continued in this volume to use his customary technique of having many different story lines, giving each a few pages before proceeding on to the next story line. I found this mechanism annoying and confusing in the context of this volume. Perhaps my reaction was partially due to the fact that this work is set in a fantasy world and the characters have unusual names, but I frequently found it difficult to keep the storylines straight. Second, the pace of the work struck me as plodding. This is the first volume in a trilogy, and I fear some unnecessary padding was tossed into the work. Third, the sexual content in the book was fairly strong and graphic. Although this is a matter of taste, parents considering purchasing this book should be aware that there are scenes in the book that are completely unsuitable for children. Having written several negative comments, let me hasten to add that the work does have its strong points. Setting World War II in a fantasy setting is fascinating; I found it amusing to draw comparisons between events that occurred in World War II and the events depicted in the novel. Also, the concept of warfare being made much more deadly by "modern magic", is a compelling reflection on technology and war in the century now ending. Turtledove is a great story teller, and if he can avoid some of the problems outlined above in the future volumes in the series, I will eagerly purchase them.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Fantasy War with correlations in Our World.
Review: As with most harry Trutledove's books, Into the Darkness is an excellent read and keeps the reader entrapped with its fast-paced story. The characters are well-developed and the plot meshes very well with the overall concept. Additionally, if one looks closely, the different countries of Delavria have real world comparisons with European powers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Unkerlant is easily seen as a combination of Tzarist and Stalin Russia, while Algarve, the other major empire, has the same military precision and styloe as the early Prussian and German Empire. Additional correlations follow, with the Algarvians rounding up Kaunians and putting them in "concentration camps". Overall, the book is very well written and seems to allow Turtledove to explore what military powers would do in set situations. Although the technology is changed, the tactics (the Behemoth Blitzkrieg)and the army development is not, making INTO THE DARKNESS a must-read for any fan of Turtledove. Into the Darkness is
Rating:
Summary: This is a winner. Buy it!
Review: INTO THE DARKNESS is one of the best fantasies I have ever read. It has everything going for it: believable, very human characters; an involving plot; and one of the finest jobs of building a world from scratch that I have ever seen. I can't wait to find out how the rest of the series develops. I hope Harry Turtledove is writing fast!
Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: This is my all-time fave book! The characters are well developed, the pace is perfect, and the writing style is to die for! BUY THIS BOOK! BUY THIS BOOK!!!!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Magic is the mass destruction weapon
Review: Many of the citizens, especially the elite, still remember the humiliation of defeat in the Six Years War. So when the Duke of Bari disappears, the Kingdom of Algarve invades with the objective being to bring the lost territory back under their control. However, several other countries have signed protective treaties with Bari and see this as an opportunity to wreak havoc on their enemy, Algarve. On the other side, friends of Algarve join the fray too. War spreads quickly as the world seems to have plunged INTO THE DARKNESS. Fighting impacts everyone from the upper class to the lowliest of peasant. This war is deadlier than any before because magic has become even more powerful than before. Dragons are destroying cities with fire bombs and sea creatures are eradicating ships. The darkness has spread across the continent. Readers of alternate history tales recognize Harry Turtledove as one of the grandmasters of the sub-genre with his epic novels. His latest tale will enhance his reputation among his legion of fans. The story line never slows down as Mr. Turtledove passionately pleads his case by describing the horrors of "modern" war with its weapons of mass destruction that impact on everyone. No one is immune from the strife. Anyone who relishes a world at war plot that uses magic as a major force of power will gain much pleasure by plunging INTO THE DARKNESS. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: WWII with magic
Review: "Into the Darkness" has great potential--what would happen if the known world went to war? What if the Blitz was fought with dragons? What if tanks were replaced by behomoths, and motorcyles with unicorns? Good idea, but very poor execution. The structure of the book is a series of glimpses into the life of various characters, ranging from farmers to generals. Every time I became interested in a character, the vignette was over, and the plot moved on. There were too many characters--over 15 "viewpoint" characters, and a host of supporting characters! This technique might have worked in a story set in the "real" world, but I found it difficult to keep track of so many characters and so many locations. There were at least 10 factions or nations involved in the war, as well as the ancient Kaunian Empire. Enough already! This could have been a much stronger book if Mr. Turtledove had focused on a smaller group of characters. Good examples of a small group of characters against a larger backdrop include Guy Gavriel Kay's "Tigana" or Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings". Mr. Turtledove has a lot of ideas, but if he wants to sell books they must be broken into more manageable pieces!
Rating:
Summary: Good Start to a Good Series
Review: This is a good start for a good series. It is a bit slow, but very interesting. The characters are memorable and it is fun trying to figure out which country is which (Algarve being Germany, Unkerlant being Russia). This book is really good.
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