• Dark Lord of Derkholm

  • Derkholm Series, Book 1
  • By: Diana Wynne Jones
  • Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
  • Length: 13 hrs and 35 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (387 ratings)

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Dark Lord of Derkholm  By  cover art

Dark Lord of Derkholm

By: Diana Wynne Jones
Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
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Publisher's summary

Mr. Chesney operates Pilgrim Parties, a tour group that takes paying participants into an outer realm where the inhabitants play frightening and foreboding roles. The time has come to end the staged madness...but can it really be stopped?

Master storyteller Diana Wynne Jones serves up twists and turns, introduces Querida, Derk, Blade, and Shona and a remarkable cast of wizards, soldiers, kings, dragons, and griffins, and mixes in a lively dash of humor. With all the ingredients of high fantasy, this unforgettable novel will delight fans old and new.

©1998 Diana Wynne Jones (P)2018 Tantor

What listeners say about Dark Lord of Derkholm

Average customer ratings
Overall
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  • Overall
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One of her best! kinda like Terry prachett's books

one of her best kinda reminds me of a Terry prachett book with guilds and God's running amok.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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so good! Wish there were more DWJ books on amazon!

great story, wish the sequel was on amazon too! would also love to see Dogsbody on audible! Wonderful narration.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent Read

This has been a favorite book of mine for decades since I was a small child. The characters are fun, world building fantastic. Hits a bit harder as an adult, though.

The reading brings the story to life in a very satisfying way.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

fantastic... mostly.

DWJ was one of my favorite authors when I was younger, and this book is a huge part of the reason why. I loved the driving plot, the big reveal near the end, etc. as an adult, I love the chapter where everything becomes too much and a character just sits down for... weeks? bc trauma.

I'm less thrilled about the narrator, and how he puts an emphasis on squawking the gryphons' lines, rather than showing any kind of emotion for them-- which really does them a disservice.

on the book itself, I'm also not so keen on .. spoilers beyond this point.

okay so. not so thrilled with how everything is wrapped up in a neat little bow, rapidfire, in a single scene. it feels too convenient. this is a hallmark of DWJ's books if I recall, and I think I loved the salvo of things coming together as a kid, but now it just doesn't sit right.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

So happy audible has this book now !

For everyone who has ever read or watched fantasy or ever been to Ren fairs it’s especially funny if you think about Rene Faire . It’s such a great family story too perfect for family road trips .

This is one of my all time favorite books the reader did a great job at the voices for the different characters! I always thought this was the best Diana Wynne Jones book to start people with it’s so fun and it’s a good one to start with

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Where did chapter 49 from?

I have always loved this story. The performance is excellent. CHAPTER 49 WAS NOT IN THE BOOK!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Best book ever

They do the voices of the characters (to a point) and I love this book!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Unique and engaging

Loved the characters and story, family interactions were some of the best parts. Lighthearted but serious at times. The narrator was fantastic - the type who makes the story better

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful

This is such a terrific book - so well told with a story that is quite well thought-out and so so funny. DWJ takes many of the tropes of fantasy and incorporates them in the most inventive and humorous way. Truly a masterpiece.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Delightfully Entertaining

I love this story with everything in me. It's funny, set in a dazzling world and has the most interesting of characters and rushes on in a tangle of excitement that only completely unravels neatly at the end.

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