Whew! What a great adventure! By Darkness Hid by Jill Williamson, is a great read for all ages — middle school to adults. The Kingdom of Er’Rets has been divided into darkness and light, literally, since the murder of King Axel and Queen Dara thirteen years before. Half of the kingdom is covered in a night like cloud of mist which has begun to change the hearts and minds of those who dwell beneath it. But the other half of the kingdom is in danger of becoming engulfed in darkness as well. Political factions work to eliminate truth — truth of the rightful king and truth about the One true God.
Each city and province in Er’Rets has their own particular god they give homage to. The worship of Arman, the only true God, is discouraged and belittled. Who would worship a God whose Son could be killed by men? But a small remnant, The Way is still in existence. They work to restore the true king to the throne of Er’Rets as well as restore the worship of Arman.
By Darkness Hid can be read strictly as a fantasy-adventure. The parallels between Er’Rets and our world are subtle. The reader has to keep looking for them. But they are there. Followers of the Way are not prohibited to worship Arman, yet they are ridiculed and Arman is dismissed as myth. Other gods that can give you what you want with the right bribe are substituted for the true God. The political systems of each province are becoming more and more restrictive — the compassionate treatment of the weak is giving way to the subjugation of peasants and strays, orphans without any to protect them. Cruelty is seen as the right of kings.
By Darkness Hid is just the first installment of the Blood of Kings trilogy. I look forward to reading the next 2 books in the series. Highly Recommended.
(I received a copy of this book from the publisher and author in return for a review. The opinons expressed are mine and mine alone.)
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A great adventure it was! Thanks for your review :).
Great review. I missed some of those things mirroring our world. . .
Good post!
Beckie,
Thanks for the review. I’m glad you liked the story. It’s so interesting to read what everyone picks up on. Thanks for touring the book!
🙂
Jill
Excellent review. You saw some of the things I only noticed in my second read. Very astute! BTW, the second book, To Darkness Fled released last month and is available at Amazon or Marcher Lord Press, among other on-line venues.
Becky
I ordered To Darkness Fled last week. It’s already in the library. I hope I can get some of the youth to read both in the series.
Nice review, Beckie. I liked that you brought out the spiritual themes in the story.
Getting youth to read it–shouldn’t be too hard! When I next touch base with my teen, I’ll be giving him this book and asking him to spread the word. He’s good at that.