This second installment of the Darwath 'Trilogy' (in much the same way the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series is a trilogy) is a romping adventure. The first book, The Time of the Dark, is so intense and fraught with terror, that I love this second book because it simply gives us a bit of a breather. The intensity of our two main heroes' first introduction to the realm of Darwath is rubbed raw, and we can see them setting into their roles in their new (temporary) home. We get to know the citizens of the realm in a bit more detail which is nice to flesh out the other people surrounding the main story. We also get to see more of the motivations and characteristics behind other people in this story, lovingly detailed and intimately portrayed with the clean sharpness of Gil's side-stroke. The only complaint I have of this novel is it detracts a bit into a Tolkienesque overly-detailed landscape portraiture. It bored me to tears sometimes. Which is strange, because these same lands get the same infinite detail inspection in one of the later novels, Icefalcon's Quest. However somehow the investment of Icefalcon's personality and purpose behind that deep inspection of his surroundings gives it much more life than the ones here in The Walls of Air from the perspective of Rudy. In general, the travel time of Rudy and Ingold up until their encounter in Quo felt forced and just off for some reason, and I can't pinpoint why. Could just be my imagination. Either way, Barbara doesn't let us down! There are still amazing shocks and plot turns that will spin your head around. I remember during my first read of this book back when, I had to re-read certain passages because I just had to be sure, is that what happened? No let me check again... And again, amazing characters! Barbara Hambly not only stays true to the character developments in the first book, she manages to show them in this second one in a period of transition and change that is believable, subtle, and insightful. A great adventure! A great chance to take a deep breath! Because you're going to need it in the third book!
It's rare that I like the second book of a trilogy more than the first, but I suppose that The Walls of Air here is an exception -- I almost considered giving up after the first book. Oh, I liked the characters and the worldbuilding well enough, because Hambly is always good at that, but the plot seemed to meander and I felt like I wasn't quite invested enough in where it was going.This book basically hands you all the investment. It's a quest story, split two ways -- Rudy and the wizard Ingold go off in search of more wizards to fight the Dark while Ingold trains him, and meanwhile Gil and Queen Minalde stay at the Keep of Dare trying to figure out if there is anything hidden within it that would be a clue to fighting the Dark. I always like scenes of wizardly training, and it was nice to see Gil actually get to be a historian, and what they find out is pretty cool. And I love the revelation that Ingold is or at least has been capable of monstrous things. All the characters are very well-drawn, even the minor ones -- I think everyone loves the Icefalcon -- and I can't help but admire the Bishop even though she's basically standing in the way of the fight. And that monk with magic? Poor guy.Also, um, I may be shipping Gil/Ingold and I'm not sure if I'm supposed to but the Windrose Chronicles primed me pretty well for this.
What do You think about The Walls Of Air (1997)?
Wizards, Queens, parallel worlds, viking-like warriors, dragons, mammoths and scary Dark Ones...this book has it all and then some and it just works. I don't know how I ever missed this series as a teen because I read a lot of fantasy back then, but I'm glad I ran across it now. Barbara Hambly has created a very interesting world with likable characters and fantastic world-building. This is the 2nd book in her Darwath Trilogy and I see a lot of people describe this a a "transitional 2nd book" and I can see that in some ways but I personally enjoyed it even more than the first. I think the characters were more fleshed out, the world became a little clearer to me. I was never once bored and felt like anything was added that wasn't needed. I just really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it, especially if you enjoy fantasy.
—Nikki
I read this series from start to finish without putting it down. That really says it all in terms of the pacing and suspense elements. As a thriller, this is a 5 star book.The weakness to me lies in the character development, specifically in the romances. They are not really central to the series, but apparentlyare required elements, so they are there. To me, they don't really work. In writing, for a romantic relationship to work, the characters need chemistry. Just saying that they get a jolt when they touch doesn't create chemistry.I was also disappointed in the direction of the Gil character. Rather than finding herself, it felt like she lost something.
—Ambre
In book 2 of the Dawath trilogy the action shifts from book one which was all about establishing the world, the characters , and the problems they are dealing with to beginning the resolution process. I learn more about each of the characters as well as the world they live in and the author begins to peel back some of the onion as I realize the main plot thread is not as straight forward as it first appeared to be. Hambly also does a deeper dive into the main characters lives which also moves the bigger picture part of the plot forward at the same time and still keeps you guessing about how the final plot line will be resolved. This is a great second book.
—Kris
