Darkwitch Rising
Darkwitch Rising is the third book in the Troy Game series by Sara Douglass.
 Darkwitch Rising first edition cover. | |
| Author | Sara Douglass |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | David Wyatt |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Troy Game |
| Genre | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Voyager Books |
Publication date | May 2005 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 809 pp (first edition) |
| ISBN | 0-7322-7158-4 |
| OCLC | 255431896 |
| Preceded by | God's Concubine |
| Followed by | Druids' Sword |
Plot summary
All of the players are back again, born in medieval London, and with more desire to finish the Troy Game for once and for all. Brutus is reborn as King Charles, Coel as Louis de Silva, Matilda as Queen Catherine, Ecub as Marguerite, Cornelia as Noah Banks, Genvissa as Jane Orr and the hateful Asterion as Weyland Orr.
With Genvissa already in his hands with his imp inside her womb, all Weyland needs to do is wait for Noah to come to him as she must, with another imp inside her own womb. Then his plans are to force Jane to teach Noah the arts of Mistress of the Labyrinth, then dispose of Jane however he will. While he is waiting, he is running his own whorehouse.
Charles, the rightful heir to the throne of England is exiled to the Scilly Islands, but not entirely. Unknownst to all but his close circle of friends including Louis, Marguerite, Kate, he has a small turf of England. Together, using this small piece of earth, they scry out Noah.
Noah makes love to Brutus as a 'healing of the wounds' and they conceive a 'daughter'. That daughter is named Catling - the Troy Game incarnate. As Catling grows in Noah's womb, she traps the imps into her power.
Later in the story, Noah Banks returns to Weyland through excruciating pain caused by the imp. At this stage in the story, Catling is already born. Unknownst to her, when she would have died, Weyland came and, unexpectedly, healed her back.
Through this pain caused by imps to the two rival women in the past, Jane and Noah both become sisters through shared pain.
Much later, Noah falls in love with Weyland and deserts Louis. She is a Darkwitch, the Goddess Eaving and also Mistress of the Labyrinth. Only she, Louis and Weyland combined have the power to finally exterminate the Troy Game for once and for all.
But, without Louis by their side, Noah and Weyland fail and so the final part of the Troy Game is written: Druid's Sword.
Characters
Jane Orr
- Genvissa reborn. In the earlier life, she was Swanne, wife to Harold. Jane is reborn as Asterion's younger sister, and, under his power, she becomes his whore in his whorehouse. She soon catches the pox and later falls in love with Coel, the Faerie King. She is killed by the Troy Game for betraying its true nature to Noah.
King Charles
- Coel reborn. In the earlier life, he was Harold. He is King of England in this life, and mistaken by some players of the Troy Game to be Brutus. He also assumes the crown of the Faerie King.
Louis de Silva
- Brutus reborn. In the earlier life he was William of Normandy. His name in this life literally means 'Louis of the forest' as he was born there, bastard son of the Marquis de Lonquefort and his mistress Helene. He is French and described as having 'poet's eyes'. He becomes the resurrected Ringwalker, the Stag God Og.
Noah Banks
- Cornelia reborn. In the earlier life, she was Queen Caela of England. She is Eaving, Mag reborn and, in this book, trains to become the most powerful Mistress of the Labyrinth ever seen. It is later found out that she is a descendant of Ariadne and the Minotaur, Asterion. As it is, she falls in love with Asterion and becomes pregnant with their child, Grace.
Weyland Orr
- Asterion reborn. He is the dreaded Minotaur that all the other players of the Game struggle against until Noah and he fell in love. Noah then suspects that the evil is not Asterion, but the Troy Game. He has a daughter called Grace.
- Loth reborn. In his earlier life he was Saewald, physician of King Edward the Confessor. In this life he is King Charles's younger brother, a Christian who has renounced his pagan ways and upbringing from his first life as Loth.
Publication history
- 2005, AUS, Voyager ISBN 0-7322-7158-4, Pub date May 2005, Hardback
- 2006, AUS, Voyager ISBN 0-7322-7159-2, Pub date January 2006, Trade Paperback
- 2006, AUS, Voyager ISBN 0-7322-7160-6, Pub date 26 April 2006, Mass Market Paperback
- 2005, US, Tor Books ISBN 978-0-7653-0542-8, Pub date 21 April 2005, Hardback
- 2005, US, Tor Books ISBN 0-7653-4444-0, Pub date 27 December 2005, Paperback
- 2005, UK, Tor Books ISBN 978-0-7653-0542-8, Pub date July 2005, Hardback
- 2006, UK, Tor Books ISBN 0-7653-4444-0, Pub date 1 March 2006, Paperback