The Walls of Air

By Barbara Hambly

A whirlwind fantasy classic set in the richest world imaginable, with unforgettable characters and the highest stakes – The Walls of Air is the second book in Barbara Hambly’s epic Darwath Trilogy.

Once upon a time, Gil and Rudy lived simple lives.

Until they met Ingold, Gil was an ordinary PhD candidate and Rudy was a drifter, whiling away his life riding motorcycles under the California sun. But wizards have a way of complicating things. Ingold brought them across the Void, where an evil known as the Dark threatened to devour civilization whole.

Civilization’s hopes rested on an infant prince, and to protect him Gil and Rudy had to draw on newfound powers — she as a warrior, he as a wizard. With Ingold’s help they escaped the Dark, and led a hardy band of survivors to a far-away keep, where humanity could be safe for a time.

But now that time is past, they have been found, and there is nowhere to hide from the Dark.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK
• Release date: May 14, 2020
• ISBN: 9780008378721

Barbara Hambly

Barbara Hambly was born in San Diego. Her interest in fantasy began with reading The Wizard of Oz at an early age and has continued ever since. She attended the University of California, Riverside, specialising in medieval history and then spent a year at the University at Bordeaux in Southern France as a teaching and research assistant. She now lives in Los Angeles.

Reviews for The Walls of Air

[jean_sexton-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Many middle books of trilogies feel a bit weaker. We've met most of the main characters, and the author doesn't really resolve the storyline. Still somehow, there needs to be enough story to keep our interest. This book does that. This fantasy follows the pattern of Tolkien's The Two Towers and splits up the characters. Rudy and Ingold head off to the wizards' city while Gil and Minalde stay behind in the Keep. Through Rudy's eyes, we learn more about the nature and perils of magic. Gil is a historian and intent on finding out more about the physical infrastructure of the Keep while trying to dodge most of the political and social infighting. I found both alternating stories interesting in their own way. Unifying them both is the threat of the Dark and how people deal with adversity and tragedy.I enjoyed the story and, while I noticed it was the middle book, I also thought it had enough going on that it wasn't significantly weaker than the first book. Highly recommended for fans of The Time of the Dark.

[reading_fox · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Continuing the trilogy. Gil and Ruby have now split up, Gil staying in the Darwarth fortress keeping the Dark at bay and using her old scholarship powers to un-riddle church records, while Rudy does the Quest journey thing to Quo with Ingold to find the grand leader of the wizards and see if he won't come out from behind his palace to lend a hand in aid. Gil's is the more interesting storyline as she explores the old keep, but Rudy takes more words as he wonders about a bit. I wasn't convinced of the plot line in Rudy's quest, but apparently the Dark really want Ingold. We've yet to find an explanation why.Good world building fine characters and great writing. What's not to like in the middle of trilogy? - apart form the last 50 pages being an excerpt form the next book rather than part of this one. I don't mind the first chapter but 50 pages is far too many.

[velmeran · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love this series. It incorporates the human fear of the dark, the dream of a world where even the most outcast of us can find a place, magic, high adventure, the heroes journey, strong characters, strong female characters, love, and more.This book was not as strong as the other two in the series. It was the workhorse driving the action. It is the book where things did not always work out the way you might like and the happy endings looked as though they might fall apart.

[karlstar_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the continuation of the excellent Darwath Trilogy (which later became 5 books). There's little or no dropoff in this book. By now Rudy and Gil are integrating themselves into the community, as much as they can while on the run from The Dark. Gil has found a niche with the Guards, but Rudy is still searching, and still trying to learn how to be a wizard, much to his surprise. Good characters, good writing, excellent plot.