I do love a good, epic space saga. And this definitely fits that description. The Dark That Dwells is not a short, quick read. But it was so interesting and really sucked me in!

It took me a little bit to get into this book. At first I had a hard time figuring out exactly what the plot was and how each character related. Part of that was likely due to the fact that this story is so big and sweeping. There were quite a few characters and so much action. But once I figured it out, I had such a fun time reading this!

I loved the history and world building in particular (or, universe building in this case). It was so detailed, but understandable. I was fascinated learning about the different groups and factions, and how they interacted.

If you like space operas with plenty of action, I'd recommend giving this a read! I'm excited to see where this story goes next.

this was a great beginning to a space opera, the characters were great and I really enjoyed the plot and going through this book. I look forward to more from the author.

When I look for new releases to read, I generally try to leave my comfort zone. I tend to stay away from authors I already know, or have heard about, and look for debuts. Even if just a single part of the description engages me, I usually put it up for consideration. On top of that, I usually try to find something that, to me, might explore something within the real world. Rarely do I read for an escapist story. I chose this book more with an eye towards the first few requirements, while pushing myself out of that arbitrary “meaningful” comfort zone I tell myself I inhabit. The Dark That Dwells by Matt Digman and Ryan Roddy is a romp of a space opera, tinged with fun fantasy elements that feel like a role-playing game.

The Dark That Dwells takes place in a galaxy after the dissolution of a major empire, and its split into several different factions that now vie for control. Everything is feudal in flavor, with two larger powers in control of most of the space and smaller fiefdoms powerful enough to hold their own and enact their own destinies. While these powers conduct their business, an old evil awakens out of sight and out of mind. It doesn’t yet seem to threaten the established order, but there are a few who are willing to do anything to keep that evil at bay.

If that plot synopsis feels incredibly vague to you, well, you’re correct. It’s hard to describe what goes on in this book in terms of succinct plot. Dark has this weird dynamic, where the plot is very character driven and feels like it has very high stakes, but it’s not particularly focused on one thing or another. This does and doesn’t work because it keeps roping you into something that feels greater and greater, but in some ways you’re just reading a character drama that could potentially spill over into the wider world. The opening chapters for each character are nicely done; they do a great job of introducing the characters and the parts of the world they inhabit. As their stories go on, the reader is shown how they start to intersect and influence each other. The problem starts to show when the “main” characters who exhibit the most external conflict(which the story is ostensibly about) take a back seat to the “cooler” characters.

This is highlighted in a lack of motivations that drive the characters. Sidna and Tieger have the most identifiable motivations and are in direct opposition to each other. Tieger is a witch hunter, and Sidna is the witch (in Tieger’s eyes) as she tries to find more power to keep him from killing her and protecting what is left of her kind. Fall and Ban seem to be more of the focus of the story since they exist to make decisions and facilitate the actions of the other characters. They often had more time to introspect and ask themselves “what am I doing?” before they ended up on whatever side of the conflict they did. They sort of ended up getting caught in the mess while also becoming the arbiters of right and wrong within the story. I think the part that annoyed me the most about this is that while Ban certainly has the darkest past and has to wrangle with the most internal conflict, he never gets to break out of the “bodyguard” role. Meanwhile, Fall just gets to be special and cool while making a majority of the plot decisions. This is all on top of the fact that the main thrust of the story seems to revolve around the conflict between Tieger and Sidna. The emphasis on Ban and Fall ends up making Tieger and Sidna mere plot devices to propel Fall and Ban’s internal conflicts. It didn’t necessarily detract from the fun, but it knocked all the punch out of the finale.

Where Roddy and Digman excel, though, is world building and description. I don’t read a lot of books with an incredible amount of physical description that paints a picture. I usually skew more towards mood and feeling over the literal physical presence of the world and characters. The authors describe everything, and clearly put a lot of love and detail into the work. The different empires and fiefdoms all have distinct armor, banners and colors. People are dirty, scarred, and carry a weight that really makes the action sequences feel heavy and grounded. The world feels raw and, if not realistic, then at least “real.” I spent a lot of time thinking about how characters moved, looked, clashed, and just generally existed. Rarely do I feel the “theatre of the mind” when I read, often just hearing the text in my brain, but Roddy and Digman made this feel like an epic science fantasy movie. It was incredibly enjoyable and rarely did I feel that descriptions overstayed their welcome.

The Dark That Dwells ended up being a good time despite its flaws. The ending leaves a little to be desired and sets up a world where so much more could be happening. In a lot of ways, this feels like a small RPG arc within a larger universe that has tons of small stories like this. I would definitely return to this world with a new cast of characters that unearth some of the forgotten histories that exist within it. If you’re looking for a good time with some distinct characters set in a fun world reminiscent of science fantasy RPGs, then The Dark That Dwells will fit the bill. I look forward to more from Digman and Roddy.

Rating: The Dark That Dwells – 6.5/10
-Alex

The Dark that Dwells is the perfect mix of sci fi and fantasy.

Fall Arden is a ranger. He has taken a job as guide for the Morning Rain, a space ship. Hermes, a shape-shifting AI, has been his friend and companion since Fall was a child.
Ban Morgan, who made a serious mistake and is now trying to make up for it as a bonded Marine. Becks, the woman who loves Ban, is also a marine.
Sarin Orin is an arcanist, and not a particularly nice person. She is after a treasure and will do anything it takes to get it. Mei, also a ranger, is working for Sarin as escort and protector.
Tieger, who will do anything to catch and torture Sarin. A powerful man in powerful armor, he's a religious zealot and feels it's his duty to kill Sarin and her kind.

This diverse group will all meet and partnerships will be made and enemies fought. It's just an amazing story. If you like space opera, fantasy, sci fi in general, I recommend this book.

The Dark the Dwells by Matt Digman and Ryan Roddy, an interesting premise. I was very interested in this book but had a hard time connecting to it. I do think others will enjoy this book, Thank you for giving me a chance with it.

I did not really like this book. I could not connect with the characters for some reason. I also did not get the different POV's. I never knew from who is talking, and I could not tell by the writing style. I also was not invested in the storyline as much. I skimmed over much of the plot, as I could not care about anything. It can just be me and me not liking sci-fi a lot; However, I think I need to read it again in a different point in time. Probably when it's published I will try and pick it up again. I still have hope that I will like it the second time around.

This was truly an epic read. I didn't quite realize what all was entailed in this story when I began, but it was a delight throughout the entire book. There are quite a few stories intertwined here, and the authors have done a marvelous job of showing the story rather than explaining it for hours. Right off the bat I was thrown into the action and everything fit into place right as questions came about or as it was necessary.

I can't get over how quick it was for me to start caring about the characters. I'm a little upset I have to wait for anything else to come out! Most of all, I was impressed with the environments portrayed here. Beautiful worlds and cultures were effortlessly cycled through and understood while maintaining a solid plot and flow of time.

If I had a complaint, it would have to be that the characters didn't even stumble when reality is literally pulled out from underneath themselves. They were a little too willing to believe or follow the impossible.

What an interesting intersection of science fiction and fantasy. I do not recall ever having read something quite like it. A universe where means of faster than light travel and battling with melee weapons coexist...

I found this to be pretty enjoyable, there wasn't a whole lot of character growth and their interpersonal relationships were more hinted at than revealed but if you can sift your way through multiple POV's it was a fun ride along the way.

Overall, I don't think I would put it at the top of the list to read but I would certainly be open to reading more books set in this world.

I struggled to even complete 10% of this book - I wasn't sure the relationship between the characters, it seemed to jump between viewpoints too rapidly, not leaving the reader time to get hooked, and I couldn't tell if the book meant to be SF or Fantasy. The blending of the two can work, but has to be really pulled off well, and this story failed to hit that mark for me. The word choice and grammar was good, but this isn't one that I'll be picking up again.

I didn not finish this book, but netgalley requires rating, so I give it 2,5 stars.

I'm not going to rate this book, becuase I didn't finish it. I am about 150 pages through but I am going to get a break. I think that the main problem for me was too long chapters, that with a few PoV's was confusing, because I could forget what happened with the other characters. Also none of the protagonist really caught my attention. I think that it was just not a time for me to start such a novel, I may got back to it later and then I'll give an honest review.

This is a great space opera. I enjoyed the book and look forward to a sequel. The characters were all well developed and I thought the plot was fantastic. It was a fast paced story with many twists and turns along the way.

An epic space opera perfect for fans of Firefly and It's A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet - The Dark That Dwells follows several adventurers in a mad dash to save the universe, if they don't kill each other first. With vivid world (and universe) building and sympathetic and charismatic characters, the ending of this novel will stick with you long after you've put the book down!

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.