On a Darkling Plain

By Richard Lee Byers

Book Overview

Grief-stricken over the mysterious death of his beloved wife, the vampire known as Elliott Sinclair is sinking into lethargy and despair.

When a mysterious enemy assails his people, he rouses himself to command the defense, only to discover that he and his clan are merely pawns in a deadly game between two ancient undead. It is a duel that has raged since the dawn of civilization. And the unseen puppet master who has secretly guided the destiny of Elliott and his friends is willing to sacrifice every piece on the chessboard in order to checkmate her opponent.

On A Darkling Plain is a World of Darkness novel and a tale of the Jyhad, the age-old clandestine war among vampires that has shaped the course of human and vampire history. Richard Lee Byers is the author of numerous short stories and ten previously published novels, and has contributed to several White Wolf Publishing anthologies as well as writing the recent World of Darkness novel Caravan of Shadows.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1637891989
• ISBN13: 9781637891988
• Release Date: March 2025
• Publisher: Macabre Ink
• Length: 410 Pages
• Weight: 1.04 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

One of the very best WoD novels

Richard Lee Byers returns to give us yet another excellent novel, which I bought immediately after having read his book Netherworld. Someone is roaming the streets of a calm city in the South, draining humans recklessly and thereby endangering the Masquerade. At the same time, the local kindred find their financial assets under attack, their art all over the world is being destroyed, and their Prince has mysteriously fallen ill. The Toreador elder Elliot Sinclair must get his act together and take charge of his city before it is too late, for all of this is only meant to weaken the kindred before the final attack... In one chapter you get to follow the respected Toreador elder, and in the next a Caitiff neonate, both fighting for the same cause but still enemies who don't meet until the end of the story. What nobody knows however is that this is part of a battle between two Methuselahs, and in the end the stakes are higher than anybody could have imagined. I strongly recommend this book, it has everything you could ask for in a V:tM novel. Byers doesn't fall for the temptation of creating characters with powers they shouldn't have (common in WoD literature), which only makes it more interesting. The kindred act just the way a member of this or that clan should, and even the most noble of them have to struggle against their bestial nature. In short, this book can be used as inspiration for your own roleplaying, or simply for the joy of reading a great story.