Book Reviews: The Darkling Threads by Derek Corsaro

Warning: The book reviewed in this post, The Darkling Threads by Derek Corsaro, contains dark scenes and depictions of violence. If you are triggered by such depictions or otherwise wish to avoid them, proceed with caution.

Good day, readers and writers! I have another book to share with you. Today I’m going to the other side of the science fiction/fantasy aisle and review an epic fantasy novel called The Darkling Threads by Derek Corsaro.

The geldens are a private race of beings. They keep their city hidden and have never traveled to the edge of Quiem Forest; they don’t even know if the black flames at the end of the world are truly the end of the world. The geldens only wish to protect their kingdom, but what happens when trouble comes looking for them and they don’t even realize it?

The Darkling Threads by Derek Corsaro follows Coda and Risa, mumblers charged with protecting the Gelden King, and Meen, a human/gelden hybrid, during the Time of Measurement, when gelden companies attempt to expand their maps of the outside world. As Meen and Coda face the threats of Quiem Forest, a new threat appears back home in the disguised form of true demon Daijobi and fledgling demon Elemelemelem. Only Risa suspects something is wrong with these new visitors, but she can’t put her finger on it. What do these strangers want with the gelden? Are they telling the truth about their motives? Can they be trusted? Most importantly, why isn’t Coda there to protect the Gelden King, and who will survive the Time of Measurement?

Corsaro has put a lot of imaginative energy into this story. I did recognize some elements as traditional to this genre, including some aspects of the plot and the use of demons. I otherwise feel that the author has created a new, complex world which is entirely unique to this series, complete with unique flora, fauna, histories, and societies. Even the magic there works differently than in any other epic fantasy novel I have read. The names of some of the creatures are so common to us now that they conjure slightly conflicting images in contrast to the author’s descriptions; panthers, for example, are used in the novel but these panthers are not like those that we would see on Earth. I love all the imaginative energy driving this work, but I do wish that some animal names were a little more unique to this world.

For the most part, Corsaro describes the different parts of this world vividly and kept my interest throughout. However, I would have liked to understand sooner what kind of being was at the heart of the story. It becomes clear within a couple a chapters and I could tell from the first chapter that the beings had magic; still, the descriptions did not fully indicate that the beings were not human until after the first chapter. I actually thought Coda was just a human with magic until the term “gelden” was first used. This detail is minor but I feel that the story would have had a stronger start if this fact had been more obvious earlier, especially since humans play a minor role much later in the novel.

In addition to his imaginative energy, Corsaro populates this world with a variety of characters. Some of them are more stereotypical, such as Skinner the elderly gelden who mistreats poor Meen for being different. The main characters, though, are compelling enough to push past any stereotypical traits.

This novel is definitely a story for misfits and outcasts. All of the main characters, even the fledgling demon Elemelemelem, are different from their fellows in one way or another. Coda is too connected to the world and its magic for the other mumblers; Risa cannot seem to master spells as well as her colleagues; Meen is seen as a hybrid bastard and a burden by most of the gelden; and the other fledgling demons and fledgling dragons think Elemelemelem is too weak to become a true demon.

Out of all the outcasts, Meen is my favorite character. His plight to fit in and leave his mark on the world touched me, and his growing friendship with Coda, while odd and sometimes awkward, gave me hope for both of them. His fate broke my heart, but I can’t comment on that any further without any spoilers. Meen seems like the stereotypical underdog, but that also means he’s easy to connect to and brings attention to a section of society which is often underrepresented.

Unfortunately, the sheer number of characters and perspectives sometimes bogs down the novel. Although told from third person omniscient, the shifts in perspective threw me off for the first couple chapters. They become easier to follow after that, but I wonder if Corsaro tried to pursue too many characters in one novel. On the one hand, this large cast allows Corsaro to explore many aspects of this world and the plot as well as more realistically depict in-depth political plots and battles. On the other hand, I found it hard to keep the characters straight at times. The exoticness of many of the names compounded this issue for me but, as a fantasy novel not taking place on Earth, it may detract from the credibility of the world if the names sounded too much like ours.

Overall, The Darkling Threads by Derek Corsaro is a well-planned, incredibly complex novel that is worth the 300+ pages. Corsaro’s characters and writings pulled me in fairly well, although it took a few chapters for me to feel emotionally attached to any of the characters. Once I did, though, I grew very attached and felt the highs and lows of some characters—particularly Meen, Coda, and Risa—very strongly. I noticed some minor proofreading errors, but they didn’t detract from my reading experience. I can’t wait to see where Corsaro takes Coda, Elemelemelem, and Daijobi in future installments.

You can get The Darkling Threads as an ebook and in paperback on Amazon.

Do you know of any books I should read? Want your work reviewed on this blog? E-mail me at thewritersscrapbin@gmail.com or message me on Fiverr and I’m sure we can arrange something.