Swallowing Darkness (2008) (edit title/settings)

Characters edit see section history

• Meredith Gentry: aka Merry. Princess Meredith NicEssus, princess of the Unseelie Court wielder of hands of flesh and blood. Finally with child; twins, fathered by her royal guard. 3 fathers for each child.
• Doyle: ( DOLE ) aka Darkness. Former god of Healing. Captain of Merry's Guard. Merry's most treasured lover. One of the fathers of her twins.
• Sholto: ( SHOLE-toe ) King of the Sluagh, one of Merry's lovers and fathers of her twins.
• Rhys: (REESE) AKA Cromm Crauch, former Death God, One of Merry's Guard, One of her lovers and father of her twins
• Galen: ( GAY-len ) Youngest guard in The Ravens, Merry's best friend since childhood, and one of her favorite lovers and one of the fathers to her twins. His lineage is half-pixie and half-Unseelie sidhe. His powers include the subtle ability to have everyone like him. He has also gained power through Merry. Galen is extremely unpolitical, naive, and idealistic, but he is also the voice of simple reasoning for Merry. Fortunately, letting go of those naive and idealistic ideals is allowing Merry to survive.
• Mistral: ( MISS-tra-el ) Former Storm God, one of Merry's newest lovers, One of the fathers of her twins
• Frost: AKA Killing Frost, Doyle's second in command, Merry's second most treasured lover, one of the fathers of her twins.
• Gran: Merry's grandmother, half human and half-brownie.
• Taranis: ( TAR-a-nis ) King of Light and Illusion, High King of the Seelie Court. Taranis is Merry's uncle on her mother's side. He is just as insane as Andais, actually more so because he no longer considers the wellbeing of the Seelie Court above his own. Taranis is infertile, just like Andais, but refuses to recognize his infertility. He is convinced that he can father a child with Merry. He kidnaps and rapes her, then tries to claim her twins as his own.

Setting & Locations edit see section history

• Los Angeles, CA
• Cahokia, IL: Where the entrance to the different Sithen are located. The Sithen technically exists in a place of its own. Like the Black Coach, it has a life of its own and frequently redecorates at its own will.

Organizations edit see section history

• Seelie Court: (Pronounced SEE-lee) Also called "the Bringers of Beauty and Wishes" whose power descends from their King or Queen. The Seelie Court is ruled by King Taranis. It is the court of light.
• Unseelie Court: (Pronounce UN-see-lee) Also known as the lesser court or the dark court ruled by Andais, Queen of Air and Darkness. They take in all those turned away from the Seelie court.
• Brownie: The worker faeries said to clean your house while you sleep.
• Goblins: Goblins are considered the foot soldiers of the Unseelie Court since they do most of the fighting during war. Described as intimidating horrific creatures (from a human perspective) the Goblins consider moles and extra limbs and eyes marks of beauty. Goblin society is violent and taking blood and flesh during sex is expected among them. Kingship among the Goblins comes not through inheritance but battle challenge. Kurag is the goblin king. They consider anything that comes out of the body more valuable than jewels or weapons. It was also an insult if the men did not leer at your women. It implied that she was ugly and infertile. An alliance can be formed with the goblins if the rights of both blood and flesh are invoked. Sex should always be negotiated before starting when dealing with goblins.
• Nightflyer: A winged creature under the command of Sholto. Few creatures in Faerie were stronger than Sidhe, nightflyers were one of them. Most of their body parts are able to regenerate and contain a nest if tentacles resting in their abdomen.
• Slaugh: (Pronounced SLEW-ah) Nightmarish creatures, the Sluagh are feared even among the Unseelie where inhumanity is common. Among the Sluagh are the nightflyers and nighthags. The Slaugh were the original Unseelie Court. They are the creatures of the Wild Hunt.

First Sentence edit see section history

Glossary edit see section history

• Fey: (Pronounced FAY) A general term for all inhabitants of faery, the sidhe are the highest ranking and most powerful members of the fae and considered the nobility. There are lesser non-sidhe fey, some of whom have interbred with humans.
• Sidhe: (Pronounced SHE) The royalty of the fae, the Sidhe are divided into the Seelie and Unseelie courts. Usually marked with triple irises and bright glowing skin.
• Glamour: Magic that can change a fey's appearance for the eyes of humans. Only few sidhe can work glamour on other sidhe. This is considered an insult to do so without permission.

Series & Lists edit see section history

Preceded by A Lick of Frost, and followed by Divine Misdemeanors.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Laurell K. Hamilton (Author)

Other Contributors:

1. Don Sipley (Cover Artist)

First Edition edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: PS3558.A443357 S93 2005
• Dewey: 813.54

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Sexually explicit material

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Science Fiction & Fantasy › Fantasy › Urban
• Books › Science Fiction & Fantasy › Fantasy › Fairies & Elves
• Books › Science Fiction & Fantasy › Fantasy › Series
• Books › Romance
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Erotica › Adult Fiction
• Books › Science Fiction & Fantasy › Authors, A-Z › ( H ) › Hamilton, Laurell K.

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

• Laurell K. Hamilton: Author's Website

More Books Like This edit see section history

Books with Additional Background Information edit see section history