The Daylight War: The Demon Cycle, Book 3

WTF Audible? What's up with not letting me know that this was out? With all the recommendation from you for books I've already listened to, I am SHOCKED that not once did you recommend this to me. I LOVE THIS SERIES!!!!!

What happened, Mr. Brett???
First, I must say that I have been counting the days (and weeks, and months) until this release. The other two books, I’ve read and listened to MANY times each. I love the characters, the action, the whole concept of the demons and wards. I was even so starved for the story that I listened intently to the Krasian’s stories, rather than just tolerating them as a means to an end (namely, getting back to Cutter’s Hollow).

I’ve sung the praises of these books to anyone who’ll listen.

So when I saw that Audible had The Daylight War nearly two weeks early, I thought either Christmas came late, or there was some mistake.

And then I WISHED it’d been a mistake. Thank God they used Pete Bradbury again, because that’s the only thing that got me through the **tedium** of the first half of the book. The interactions between Arlon and Rena were especially painful. Not only did I feel like I was back in junior high, but Mr. Brett made sure I REALLY understood the point he was trying to convey about Arlon’s new aww shucks, Regular Joe demeanor (another huge disappointment) and Rena’s neediness. Even Leesha’s parts felt weak. There were many things he glossed over (Leesha and the duke), while belaboring the broader points of Arlon’s and Rena’s insipid interactions.

Finally, around the half-way mark, we get some action, and things progress. We have battles, thank the creator. And then, after all that, the book ends with a cliffhanger?! Ugh.

In summary: yes, you should get the book. It’s got some good content, even if it takes its sweet time getting there. But PLEASE don’t judge the series by this book. And, Mr. Brett, PLEASE write the fourth book as well as you wrote the first two.

First off, I will start by saying that I will read the next book in the series. However, this book did not give the same satisfaction as the first book in the series.

In the previous books, as in most books, the author builds towards a goal - you keep trying to figure out what that goal will be, how it will turn out, and you expect what you are reading to be contributions towards that goal; everything leads you to that goal and the story hangs together.

I felt that If I had only listened to the last hour of this book, I would not have missed very much. Maybe all the things discussed in this book will gain more meaning in future books of the series. In this book, they seem to be non-contributary to the outcome of the book. The only parts that really seem to matter are those parts where the warded man himself is talked about, or where his opposite number is discussed. My hope is that groundwork is being laid in this book. It is impossible to know if that is really the case. If I had it to do over, I truly would have listened to only the last half of the book now that I know all what I was reading added little to the altimate conclusion.

It feels like the overall body of the story and the conclusion are two different stories that have little relation to each other; they are only tied together loosely by a thin thread. If you decide to read this book, you will understand better what I mean (and you'd have been forewarned).

It is not a waste of a credit. But don't expect the same satisfaction you got from the first book-

wow! i thoroughly enjoyed the 1st book, getting thrilled as arlen became the warded man and rescuing leesha and rodjer. the 2nd book took me a while getting into b/c the beginning was focused on jardir, and i was still pissed at him for stealing the spear from arlen, but i ended up enjoying jardir's story b/c the krasians reminded me of the freeman in dune. jardir's story added more depth to the story and world. so, i wondered what would be in book 3, the daylight war.

this time, we get enevera's story. her story, from being called by the dice to enter the dama tiq to her harrowing experiences being surrounded by rivals to her finally rising to damania is interesting and adds to her complexity.

add tp that, there are a few scenes b/ween her and jardir are retold from her perspective. all in all, i enjoyed being caught up by enevera's story. it helps you to understand why she schemes and tells half truths to jardir.

ok...i know i'm butchering the spelling. LOL

arlen grows out of his dark side, no longer scared of his powers. speaking of powers, he gained some new abilities from his struggle with the mind demon, and they are awesome. he shows them off in the battles.

speaking of the battles, they come later in the story, but they are epic. 100s of demons under the control of mind demons ruthlessly attack the hollow, where arlen is, and rizon, where jardir is. we get a little peak into hierarchy of the core through the mind demons’ interactions with each other.

when arlen gets back to the hollow, there are big changes as the duke has sent count thamos to oversee the protection and the building up of the hollow. and what they've managed to build is cool so i won't spoil it. but the demons, under the direction of the mind demons, know how to build too!

down in rizon, aben, is helping jardir plot and plan his strategies through aben's prophecy of profit, which aids jardir as much as enevera's dice. under everybody's noses, aben continues to build his empire and his own private army. aben even finds something of great interest to jardir and enevera. aben is finally able to get revenge on somebody who has been a real thorn in his side since his days as a young boy.

there's just the right amount of politics thrown in- between the krasian clans and between the hollowers and count thamos. there's even good old family infighting. all this adds to the overall tension in the story. peter brett does a great job mixing the different layers of tension throughout the story.

just as arlen's powers have grown so has jardir's thanls to the spear and crown he wears. his powers even surprise enevera. Both use their powers in unique ways, which add depth to the storytelling.

renna tanner, arlen's sidekick, is as crazy amd unpredictable as ever. she keeps trying to keep up with arlen, causing her to at times lose touch with reality. will this obsession be her white whale?

leesha, wanda, rodjer, and garret finally leave jardir's conquered territories. however, leesha and rodjer are not leaving alone. that's my way of hinting at things. LOL

this is a long listen but well worth it. all of the characters get the right amount of time. this allows peter brett to add depth to each character.

i'm trying to not say too much. this is a worthy follow-up. i'm just sad that i'll have to wait so long for the next book b/c this book ends with a massive cliffhanger in the fight b/ween jardir and arlen. "the end" are now my most hated 2 words! LOL yes, they finally do get to confront each other, and i've listened to the last 45 minutes a couple of time already!

if you've liked the story so far, you'll love this book! A worthy addition!

Well, I was surprised to find this on Audible early this morning, and a week before the book is officially released. I know writing a review before you finish a book annoys some people, so I can only review the 7 hours I've listened to so far, but I can say that those 7 hours have been excellent. If you listened to and/or read "The Warded Man" and "The Desert Spear" and enjoyed them, you're going to love this (and if you haven't, you should do so). The story is as absorbing as it was in the first two books, the writing is still great, and Pete Bradbury is an excellent narrator who is perfect for this series.
Do yourself a favor and buy it.

I'm not sure why this book is titled the Daylight War. Don't want to spoil anything, but the plot that this title refers to doesn't really go anywhere in this book. This was disappointing. And lots of backstory was rehashed. This, too, was disappointing. It would have been more true to the story being told if this volume had been titled: The Daylight Porn, but I'm getting off track...

Despite my complaints, I still enjoyed most of the hours spent listening to this book. No, the overall plot doesn't advance much. It didn't in book 2 either. I'm not sure why Brett is writing this series this way, but I'll reserve my judgement whether this is a good idea or not until the end of the Demon Cycle. If you're a fan, yes, buy this. If you're new to the series, I'd say wait until the fifth and final volume is released. You'll deal with a lot less frustration if you take my advice.

Yes, it ends on a cliffhanger. In fact, the ending almost jumps up and down with its own "clever" cliffhangeriness. I found it annoying. It seemed the story would have been better served with another hour or two to close this portion of the tale. Oh well. Authors have their artistic freedoms.

I liked it. I hated it. Which feeling will prevail in the end? I don't know. Give me a few weeks to think about it. Faults and all, you can't deny that Brett is a talented writer, and his characters are truly interesting. Just please, please, Mr. Brett and co, take this story somewhere in book 4.

I would definitely listen to this again! This is the best new fantasy series to come out in a long time.

It is similar to Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan in terms of plot development, character evolution, and addictive writing style.

The final battle screen. I wont ruin for anyone, but it is both a literal and a figurative cliff hanger that had me screaming at my iPhone as the narrator suddenly says, "The End."

I had many extreme reaction, including many laughs and cries.

If you hate being addicted to great stories, then you should stay away from this series in general and this book in particular, because Brett will suck you in and leave you angry that there is not more to consume. Buy this book. Support this new author- Peter V. Brett may very well be "the next great thing."

This series just keeps getting better and better! This is one of the best fantasy series currently being written: it is action-packed, with a compelling storyline, and strong character development. My only complaint is that this book had some much more racy scenes than the previous ones.

Best series for me in while and I am a long time listener of audio books. Great character development, fresh, and exciting story. Although it is a long story, it kept me engaged from start to finish and it approaches the coexistence of magic and science for fiction from a different perspective which was refreshing. The writer, Brett, also did a good job capturing the emotions of each character and the people living in the various hamlets. Sometimes this is loss in a fiction book but Brett took his time walking the listener through it.

I also loved the narrator Bradbury. He has great depth and is able to transition between characters flawlessly. Although there is romance in the story, it was done very subtly which made it easier to consume for my tastes.

Lastly, the author has a unique ability to interweave the main story with all ancillary stories to create the great book. I highly recommend this book and suggest you listen for yourself.

I don't know what it is about this series that has me so hooked. It is such a strange and eerie world. But something about the characters just hooks me right in. A fantastic tale of survival filled with human fallacy, strength and weakness.

Pete Bradbury is great with the narration. He keeps the story to a perfect pace.