Customer Reviews
Interesting, but sometimes slow, dark fantasy - By: B. D. Wilson, 17 Nov 2007 
"Dusk" is a very original novel of dark, epic fantasy. There are a lot of interesting ideas on show here, & the premise itself is an intriguing one.
But I think that premise, as good as it is, wasn't enough to sustain a full novel, & was essentiallly stretched for 400 pages when that isn't reallly what it was suited for. The whole plot of the book is essentiallly one big chase. The idea of "bad guys pursue fleeing good guys across the land" is a common staple of fantasy, but in most cases that isn't ALL the story is. With this book that IS the case.
But to give Lebbon credit, there is a more expansive scope waiting in the background, & he does conclude Dusk with the great promise of something big, epic, multi-layered & satisfying to come in the sequel, "Dawn", with a dramatic ending that shakes things up wholesale. There are no big battles in this book, but I'm sure there will be in Dawn.
And, as I said at the beginning, there are some nice fantasy ideas on show here, particularly huge dormant war machines that run on magic, which promise to be a big part of the upcoming story. I also liked the way Lebbon portrays the magic itself, as a wild, mysterious elusive thing that nobody can quite control, almost as if it were a wild animal with a conscience. That was interesting.
Also, the book is very eloquently & cleanly written.
Overalll, a reasonable fantasy adventure, but I found it to be a bit slow at some points, what with the story being fairly minimalist. But I have to remember that this is only the first half of a two-part story, & there does seem to be genuine promise of better things to come from Lebbon yet. I look forward to reading Dawn & finding out for myself.
ok, but best to stick to horror I think - By: , 20 Mar 2006 Dusk is a perfectly servicable fantasy, but I found myself glad to be reaching the end when it did come & not inspired to go & buy the second at alll. The writing is good, Lebbon certainly knows how to turn a phrase, but the plot's simplistic & unremarkable in my book - very much how I'd expect a horror writer's impression of a fantasy plot to be. Young boy of mysterious origins survives massacre for no particular reason, various useful & unexplained coincidences happen as he gather s a band of disparate companions in the role-playing style, lots of running away & then the end of the book. That's about it reallly & that's not enough to stir any great emotion in me.
Lebbon... from novelist to writer.... - By: , 24 Oct 2005 
Lebbon has always challlenged the reader to follow his dark imagination into less comfortable surroundings. I have to say though that Dusk reallly is a departure from his usual style. Lebbon invents a world beyond the kid gloves of Tolkein & the like. The first time I read Dusk I reallly felt swept away with the pace of the book, tearing at the pages to keep pace. On second reading I took the time to appreciate the characters & lavish setting. This reallly is a fantastic read & for the first time I apprecited the difference between dark fantasy & horror. I suspect that this reallly will place Lebbon comfortable alongside the likes of Barker in terms of daring the reader to surrender their imagination to his. Absolutely superb....
Yours,
F.Wasp
