HOME BIOGRAPHY OLD MAGIC THE NAMED THE DARK THE KEY FAQS LINKS CONTACT
THE DARK
BOOK II IN THE GUARDIANS OF TIME TRILOGY
An
International Reading Association’s Young Adult Choice for 2005
A
Junior Library Guild Selection
An
International Reading Association’s Teacher’s Choice for 2005
I blink a few times and rub my
eyes as the light in the room suddenly changes. “Arkarian?” He’s still
searching for an opening and hasn’t noticed. I tap his shoulder and point to
the centre of the room. It’s there the strangest thing is happening. All the
light in the room is moving, spiralling towards this single point.
“Isabel! Quickly!”
Arkarian’s voice sounds desperate. He grabs my hand, gripping it tightly.
Within seconds the light completely disappears. “Whatever happens, don’t let go
of my hand.”
Isabel
and Ethan are two of the Named, sworn to fight the Order of Chaos, an evil band
trying to distort the course of history. In this epic quest the two are joined
by Isabel’s brother Matt, who is still getting accustomed to life in the Guard.
This time, they must find Arkarian, their ageless mentor, who has been
kidnapped and sent to the underworld – a nightmarish landscape full of bizarre
creatures. Although Isabel and Ethan have been forbidden to rescue him, an
ever-increasing connection to Arkarian drives Isabel to convince Ethan and Matt
that they must risk everything to find him, despite the potential consequences.
At the critical moment, will each of them find within themselves what they need
to complete their quest and defeat their enemies?
This
exciting sequel to The Named is told from the perspectives of both Isabel and
Arkarian, and stands on its own as testament to the power of friendship and the
strength of love.
The Dark
has been published in the
What
people have said about The Dark
“The
dual-narrative of the strong male and female characters glides the story along
at the right pace and makes it difficult to put the book down… The Dark is
engaging and suspenseful and the characters are warm, making it a magical story
placed firmly between fantasy and reality.”
SPRESS
Magazine
“The
Dark is a thrilling, complicated and magical story.”
The
Age Teacher Newsletter
“The
characters are strong and tackle their problems head on… The suspense is strong
as is the sense of the complex plot developing. Loyalty, sacrifice, friendship,
trust and faith in self and others are strong themes, with references to
medicine, science, history and future relating to the older and tweaking
interest. Many positive messages exist in the text within a diversity of
settings, both real and fantasy. Informative and imaginative, it will appeal to
fantasy and adventure readers.”
Viewpoint
Magazine
“Fans
will eat it up with a spoon.”
Kirkus
Reviews
“What a truly stunning follow up to the first novel. The story flows on
as if they had been written together, with the characters really coming to life
and developing into fascinating people. This is an inspired book that combines
the world that we recognise around us with another that channels right back to
the legends of Gods and Immortals. Marianne Curley weaves her writing with
masterful threads that leave the reader spellbound and waiting eagerly for the
next instalment.”
Mrs
Mads Book-A-Rama
“Curley’s
special effects, whether magical or a product of super science, are
successfully realized.”
VOYA
“Lively,
believable characters… An imaginative, suspenseful novel... Plenty of swashbuckling
action.”
Booklist