“We’re in big trouble aren’t we?” — Phoebe

“Yes.” — Piper

“There’s nobody but us standing between this world and one where evil rules.” — Paige


Most of the Charmed books I’ve read which were penned by Diana Gallagher are pretty good, and this one is no exception. She really captures the feel of the show in Dark Vengeance, which despite the ominous title has many lighthearted moments. The story was excellent for a “based on” book and fit very well with the mood and atmosphere of the fun series. It might have been nice if there had been a bit more of Cole in this one, but other than a minor caveat where the author a couple of times mistakenly indicated the wrong sister within a swiftly moving scene, there’s very little to complain about and much to enjoy.

Cole is dealing with the loss of his demon half, Belthazor, and trying to adjust to being human as this one opens. He’s taking a sabbatical to fish and figure out his new life, leaving Phoebe to pursue new web design classes as she tries to find a vocation which won’t interfere with all her duties saving innocents. There still exists some friction — not to mention suspicion — of Cole by Paige, because of the whole Phoebe-not-telling-anyone-about-Cole’s “other” side initially.

Meanwhile, the newest Charmed One is supplementing her regular job by helping Doug Wilson at the homeless shelter. Paige has become attached to Stanley Addison and she is attempting to get the older man into a permanent home of his own. Piper on the other hand, is stressing about bills and her workload between home and P-3. Things are about to get a little weird for all of them, however. Piper gets the giggles after handing a flute to the band she’s auditioning for P-3. Paige suddenly feels exhausted after a new shelter worker named Kevin with whom she feels a spark accidentally touches her with his cane. And Phoebe goes for a cup of coffee after class with a female student and when she comes into contact with the girl’s bracelet, she gets a vision, and feels woozy.

Back home there’s more amusing trouble, with a mischievous gremlin in the plumbing that Leo can’t seem to get rid of. Suddenly minor annoyances like Phoebe’s sudden short-term memory loss become a full-blown worry when each of the Charmed Ones loses some of her power. Phoebe can barely levitate, Piper can’t freeze things, and Paige can only sort-of-kind-of orb things. What’s going on?

We find out quickly, along with the sisters, that it all has to do with an old battle between the Sol´agath clan of good witches and the Dor´chacht clan of evil magic in which the Charmed Ones’ descendants won. But now, thanks to hiding their magic, the bad guys are planning round two. Soon, whether they like it or not, the sisters will be transported to the Valley of Ages to battle their counterparts. But their foes have found a way to diminish the power of the Halliwell sisters, thereby ensuring a different outcome this time. Leo explains the gravity should the sisters lose the battle:

“And since there will be no benevolent magic or Charmed Ones to protect the innocent, humanity will ultimately succumb to the influences of evil and embrace the darker side of human nature.”

I kept thinking Cole would return early from his fishing trip and affect the outcome somehow, but it played out differently. It was very well done, both on the domestic side and the magical solution side. Even Leo’s belated answer to the gremlin problem was quite fun. Dark Vengeance felt very much like a good episode of the series, and was well written and executed. Save for that final scene in the Valley of Ages, this one had more of a domestic vibe with the personal life of the Halliwells front and center. There was a lot of nice interaction and it felt like a short novel rather than just a slight story put together to cash in on the popularity of the series. Very enjoyable for fans, a nice way to revisit the popular series. ( )

The Charmed novels are still not as good as the TV series, but they are a fun read anyway. Each is unique and a seperate story from the show. This one is about an ancient tribe of evil warriors and sourcerers. They cheated the system when they should have been defeated. Now they have returned to wage war on the Charmed ones (who are descendents from the good warriors) and try to absorb their powers. So cheating even more!

It reads well and is not as focused on the male characters which is good. Only really for Charmed fans and teenagers which suits me as I love it! ( )