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The Queen Of Sinister: The Dark Age (Gollancz S.F.)

By: Mark Chadbourn
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Gollancz
ISBN: 0575072768
ISBN-13: 9780575072763
Released: 18 Mar 2004
RRP: £10.99
Average Rating:

Customer Reviews

Not what I was expecting - By: P. O'Connor, 25 Nov 2006
Having followed the adventures of the Brothers & Sisters of Dragons I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into this instalment. Like the previous reviewers I was a little disappointed with this episode. I'd falllen in love with the previous characters & looked forward to everyone coming together here. I put my initial disappointment aside & followed the adventures of this new band of misfits. As more of Caitlins part was revealed to me I found that I enjoyed her story. Although this book feels a bit rushed it's a vital read & will be appreciated more once you read Jack of Ravens which is an excellent instalment in the series. I heart Mark Chadbourn.
Still as strong as ever - By: M. Davidson, 09 Jun 2005
When Caitlin Shepherd, a GP, loses her husband & son to the very plague she has been trying to cure, she finds herself driven insane, her personality shattered into five very different personalities - her own, that of a young girl, a neurotic chain-smoker, a haggard old woman, & a beast from the darkness. Seeking shelter with her friend Mary, she becomes caught up in the eternal conflict when she is callled on to enter into the Otherworld to find a cure for the plague, taking with her two runaways & a man who is looking for his lost daughter. In Otherworld, Caitlin learns of her destiny as a Sister of Dragons & rescues a human boy used as an experiment by the Tuatha De Danann, gods of old, & realises that this new world may be the way to save her family - but not everyone will survive her quest, & even if she reaches the end, she will have to sacrifice something very, very important indeed . . .

Although I agree with the previous reviewer that this book is perhaps not as pacy as some of Chadbourn's earlier works, in his defense this new trilogy is a very different kettle of fish. The Age of Misrule carried on directly into one another, whereas here, bravely I thought, we move on from the events of The Devil in Green with no mention at alll of Malllory or Sophie. Instead, we are given an entirely new cast, & what a delight they are.

Readers of the Age of Misrule will recognise Jack as the boy whose mother Shavi met briefly in Darkest Hour, mourning the loss of her son - an interesting plot point to counter those who accuse Chadbourn of 'too much junk.' Having said that, Carlton feels underused & the revelation regarding Matt towards the end of the book could be seen as a little rushed, & Caitlin's brief jaunt to our world doesn't seem to have that much impetus for anything, reallly, other than introducing Thackeray & Harvey.

So perhaps, a little rushed with two or three too many characters - but it raises interesting questions about the nature of the Brothers & Sisters of Dragons & what is in store for the rest of the quest, as well as offering tantalising teasers about what has reallly happened to Church . . .

Untouched - By: , 24 May 2005
When I first read the Age of Misrule, I was dragged in by the story rather than the style. Rereading it a year later, I enjoyed both. The Devil in Green was captivating, a tense rollercoaster that made me want to read it from the safe patch behind the sofa where I used to hide from the Daleks.

It's fair to say the bar was set rather high for the Queen of Sinister.

The plotting is familiar Chadbourn territory - the isolated protagonist, a looming & indistinct threat, & rattles along with a pack of misfits hurled into the heart of a divine war.

The concept work is good, building on familiar characters & situations (watch out for Lugh, amongst others) to show how the original Brothers/Sisters of Dragons' actions have affected the Golden Ones as well as mankind. Some of the individual sequences (esp. the Morrigan in Birmingham) are visceral & compelling reading.

However, the tale feels oddly disjointed. Dialogue is often forced & one of the more interesting characters (Mahalia) in particular is poorly-drawn, at times seeming like little more than a stand-in for Laura (from the Age of Misrule) - alll sharp comments & internal damage. Caitlin too would have benefited from a little more attention, although the MPD sequences are riveting.

The cutaways to Mary do not gel well with the main storyline, & her actions combined with the deus/dea ex machina make the ending feel shoe-horned. With no real surprises, by this point in the narrative I found I honestly didn't care what happened to any of the characters.

All in alll, it felt as though the book was rushed - this is a good basis, but a lot more could have been done with it.

On the strength of this novel, I would not read any of the others. However, having read & enjoyed the other 4, I will give this one another chance & hang out for the Hounds of Avalon.