The Damned

Title: The Damned

Series: The Darkest Hand Trilogy #1

Author: Tarn Richardson

Pages:352

Genre: Historical Fiction Horror

Sep, 26, 2019



1914. The outbreak of war. In the French city of Arras, a Father is brutally murdered. The Catholic Inquisition - still powerful, but now working in the shadows - sends its most determined and unhinged of Inquisitors, Poldek Tacit to investigate: his mission to protect the Church from those who would seek to undermine it, no matter what the cost.



Yet as Tacit arrives, armed forces led by Britain and Germany confront each other across No Man's Land. As the Inquisitor strives in vain to establish the truth behind the murder and to uncover the motives of other Vatican servants seeking to undermine him, a beautiful and spirited woman, Sandrine, warns British soldier Henry Frost of a mutual foe even more terrible lurking beneath the killing fields that answers to no human force and wreaks their havoc by the light of the moon. Faced with impossible odds and his own demons, Tacit must battle the forces of evil, and a church determined at all costs to achieve its aims, to reach the heart of a dark conspiracy that seeks to engulf the world, plunging it ever deeper into conflict.



Morally complex and fast paced, this is a gripping work of dark fiction set in an alternative twentieth century, where humanity's desire for love, compassion and peace face daunting challenges in a world overwhelmed by total war and mysterious dark forces


My thoughts

Rating: 5

Would I recommend it? yes

Will I read the rest of the books?yes

Would I read anything else by this author? yes

WOW , just WOW , right from the very start this story had me hooked , and I was lost from the begging to the end of it, yes its slow at the begging and some times if a story is slow going it takes me a while to get in to it but surprisingly it works for this story because gives it a more dark , and twisted feel , which made me enjoy it even more , another reason why I loved it was it was how it reminded me a little bit of my all time favorite series, by James Rollins , and that series is the Order Of the Sanguines , and just like that one is one had It is everything in it that made me fell in love with the Oder of the Sanguines series which is : the historical backdrop with supernatural ties, the struggle of good against evil and a little bit of conspiracy!With that said I want to thank Netgalley for letting me read and review in exchange for my honest opinion

Supernatural horror meets man made horror in Tarn Richardson's work of dark fiction. A mixture of traditional horror, historical fiction and Dan Brown type Vatican conspiracy this alternate history will appeal to those who have enjoyed such works as Kim Newman's Anno Dracula series. With over 100 short chapters the story races along from one scene and time age to another leaving the reader at times perhaps a little baffled as to what is going on and how the different narratives all fit together. But don't worry just go along with this helter skelter of a ride for all will become clearer towards the end.

The story is mainly set in Arras during the early stages of World War 1 where Father Andreas is brutally murdered in the Cathedral and the Vatican sends its more fearsome inquisitor Poldek Tacit to investigate. At around the same time on the nearby front line the Germans evacuate their position and retreat after a ferocious attack from something lurking beneath the ground that is not connected with the nearby British forces. Is there a connection between the two events?

This is a surprisingly morally complex story and has an ambiguity at the heart of it for is ultimately Poldek Tacit an instrument for good or evil and can the application of the ruthless Inquisition still be justified when it is being administered not only against demons and werewolves but also against those of a different religious faith.

There is enough bloody gore to satisfy the average horror fan and a plot that will ensure that the reader is fully engaged. This was a most enjoyable read and if you like your horror mixed with fact and mystery then I think you might well like to give this a try.