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dantastic's review against another edition
4.0
After an illness following a plane crash in Sumatra, Edward Bond is whisked away to The Dark World, a twin of Earth where mutants rule. Bond encounters a mysterious hooded woman, a werewolf named Matholch, and a red witch named Medea, all of whom think he is the missing Ganelon. Will Bond free The Dark World of it's tyranny or rule the Dark World himself?
I've been interested in The Dark World since I found out it was one of Roger Zelazny's inspiration for Amber. Edward Bond/Ganelon's plight seems similar to Corwin's at first. Bond has fragments of memories that aren't his own and bluffs his way through situations as long as he can.
Ganelon was an interesting protagonist, an anti-hero motivated by his own ends rather than heroism. The Coven were an intersting lot; a gorgon, a vampire, and a werewolf. Ghast Rhymi was strongly implied to be Merlin trapped in the Dark World. Llyr felt like Cthulhu more than anything else. Since Kuttner was involved with the Cthulhu mythos crowd, it's not hard to imagine that that was intentional.
The Dark World wasn't developed as much as I would have liked. The revelation about Bond and Ganelon, as well as their final fates, were well done. The ending was unexpected.
The Dark World is a quick read and should entertain any fan of pulp fantasy and Roger Zelazny fans.
I've been interested in The Dark World since I found out it was one of Roger Zelazny's inspiration for Amber. Edward Bond/Ganelon's plight seems similar to Corwin's at first. Bond has fragments of memories that aren't his own and bluffs his way through situations as long as he can.
Ganelon was an interesting protagonist, an anti-hero motivated by his own ends rather than heroism. The Coven were an intersting lot; a gorgon, a vampire, and a werewolf. Ghast Rhymi was strongly implied to be Merlin trapped in the Dark World. Llyr felt like Cthulhu more than anything else. Since Kuttner was involved with the Cthulhu mythos crowd, it's not hard to imagine that that was intentional.
The Dark World wasn't developed as much as I would have liked. The revelation about Bond and Ganelon, as well as their final fates, were well done. The ending was unexpected.
The Dark World is a quick read and should entertain any fan of pulp fantasy and Roger Zelazny fans.
naidim's review against another edition
5.0
While the prose is a little clunky at times, the story is original and outstanding. If you like fantasy stories, this should be on your "Must Read" list.
peapod_boston's review against another edition
3.0
Kuttner is a forgotten master from the early days of fantasy and science fiction. You may well have read him under one of his many pseudonyms. If not, you've probably read someone who cites him as an influence.
"The Dark World" tells of a man drawn through magic to another world. He learns that he is the evil sorcerer, Ganelon. Rebels erased his memory and swapped him for a twin from our world. His evil cohorts swapped him back.
Kuttner gives us a hero who starts as a good guy, becomes the bad guy, and really only helps the good guys win because he's pissed off at the other bad guys. There's no real moment of redemption for Ganelon (outside one comment at the end that makes him a little more pitiful). It's an interesting trick that kept me reading in spite of some stylistic awkwardness and dated prose.
That said, Roger Zelazny cites Kuttner as an influence, and fans of his Amber books should read this just to enjoy the frisson of recognition as you realize how direct that influence is. I have no doubt the Ganelon character in the Amber books is a direct recognition of the debt Zelazny owes Kuttner.
"The Dark World" tells of a man drawn through magic to another world. He learns that he is the evil sorcerer, Ganelon. Rebels erased his memory and swapped him for a twin from our world. His evil cohorts swapped him back.
Kuttner gives us a hero who starts as a good guy, becomes the bad guy, and really only helps the good guys win because he's pissed off at the other bad guys. There's no real moment of redemption for Ganelon (outside one comment at the end that makes him a little more pitiful). It's an interesting trick that kept me reading in spite of some stylistic awkwardness and dated prose.
That said, Roger Zelazny cites Kuttner as an influence, and fans of his Amber books should read this just to enjoy the frisson of recognition as you realize how direct that influence is. I have no doubt the Ganelon character in the Amber books is a direct recognition of the debt Zelazny owes Kuttner.
grandgranini's review against another edition
3.0
Kuttner is one of those classic pulp authors that I never got around to read even though his wife C. L. Moore is one of my favorite writers of dark fantasy and planetary romance.
The Dark World is interesting in a number of ways. It was first published in 1946 but doesn't feel all that dated. All the magic that is happening gets explained with the science of the day. The main character is unusual in that he is a flat out villain who is having a bit of an identity crisis. He is a tyrant out of a fantasy world who gets banished to our universe and has his memories wiped. Then he goes back to his world but has trouble remembering who he is and where his loyalties lie, and ends up leading a revolt against his fellow tyrants. Roger Zelazny cited this book as a major influence and I did notice a lot of similarities to the Amber series.
The Dark World is interesting in a number of ways. It was first published in 1946 but doesn't feel all that dated. All the magic that is happening gets explained with the science of the day. The main character is unusual in that he is a flat out villain who is having a bit of an identity crisis. He is a tyrant out of a fantasy world who gets banished to our universe and has his memories wiped. Then he goes back to his world but has trouble remembering who he is and where his loyalties lie, and ends up leading a revolt against his fellow tyrants. Roger Zelazny cited this book as a major influence and I did notice a lot of similarities to the Amber series.
l98mason's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Quick review (12/11/2022).
3 stars.
Average. I liked the ending a lot though.
3 stars.
Average. I liked the ending a lot though.
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