The Weight of Blood – David Dalglish

Storyline:  The Weight of Blood in this dark fantasy by David Dalglish would be enough to run the Red Cross for at least a month.  I have to admit that this was my first dark fantasy.  I have read much of fantasy prior to, but this was a new experience and I must say I was impressed.

The story follows the squalid lifestyle of two outcasts, Harruq and Qurrah Tun who happen to be half Orc and half Elf by blood (speaking of blood).  They are basically unwanted and unloved by any save each other and the stronger one looks after the younger while he cultivates his dark powers.  They are recruited by an evil entity bent upon bringing a new kingdom of terror and evil upon the land.

Although they are not human, they have some very human traits though only one of them seems to have any semblance of a conscience and soon they have a slight disagreement when one of them falls in love with an Elf.

Grammar/Spelling: Spelling and grammar are very well edited with very few mistakes noticeable throughout the book.  Nothing detracts from the storyline and though the story is quite bleak and disturbing, I kept putting it down and then finding myself drawn back to it out of sheer morbid curiosity.

Character Development:  Mr. Dalglish wove a dark spell over me with his story of these two emotionally disturbed brothers.  I found myself actually rooting for one of them and feeling sorry for the other even though they are quite evil in general.

The characters are extremely well developed and described, their feelings are exposed and their pain palpable. I like the Elves and sympathize with their plight.  Men, it would seem, are completely irrelevant and expendable in this dark tale.

Writing Style: The writing style is fast-paced and action-filled.  Very little time passes between one terrifying development and the next.  Mr. Dalglish’s expert descriptions leave little to the imagination and the reader can almost smell the burning flesh, hear the screams of anquish and taste the blood in the air.  The really, really bad guys get their just desserts.

Continuity: Time line is spot on.  Orcs stay dirty and Elves stay clean. Ha!

Overall Rating: 5

A solid 5 for the genre, but get ready to rumble if you want to read it.  It’s quite gory in some parts and plumb awful in others.

Extreme violence, sexual content, disturbing imagery.