This post will include my review of the book The Daylight War by Peter V. Brett. The third book in the Demon Cycle, released in February 2013.
The text below is taken from the blurb on the back of the book.
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Every thirty nights the darkness intensifies and the demons grow stronger. Humanity must prepare for the next attack, but one month is scarcely enough time to train a village, let alone a continent caught in the throes of civil war.
Arlen Bales understands the threat better than anyone. Born ordinary, the demon plague has shaped him into a weapon so powerful he has been given the unwanted title of saviour, and attracted the attention of deadly enemies both above and below ground. Unlike Arlen, Ahmann Jardir embraces the title of Deliverer. His strength resides not only in the legendary relics he carries, but also in the magic wielded by his first wife, Inevera, a cunning and powerful priestess whose allegiance even Jardir cannot be certain of. Once Arlen and Jardir were like brothers. Now they are the bitterest of rivals. As humanity’s enemies prepare, the only two men capable of defeating them are divided against each other by the most deadly demons of all: those that lurk in the human heart. |
When I first picked up this book I thought wow, it’s really quite thick. At almost 800 pages it is the longest of the three books, but I think it probably took me the least amount of time to read. It was just that good. As with any series it took a little while for me to orientate myself with the story and to remember what happened before. Once I had my feet the rest of this story just flew by.
In this book we learn the story of Inerva, Jardir’s First Wife, how she grew from a young girl to the most powerful woman among the Krasian people. Her backstory is told in the first half of the book with the rest being the tale of Arlen and Jardir as they seek to stave off the demon threat during the Waning – the deeper darkness of the new moon.
The history, culture, politics, and character development is excellent. The action frequent and the magic system is well thought out and follows definite rules though those do blur at times when applied to Arlen and, to a lesser extent, Jardir.
The events of the novel (excluding Inerva’s backstory) take place over about two months, and despite the short timeframe a lot happens in that time, and culminates in a literal cliff hanger. Hopefully the next book isn’t too far away because I simply have to know what happens next.
In short this was an awesome read, and fans of the series will not be disappointed.
Goran Zidar 
This sounds like a good book. I rarely read such long books myself, but I appreciate the point that they don’t seem so long when they’re good.