Dark Age

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, emotional abuse, graphic violence, addiction, child death, and sexual violence.

Dark Age is an exploration of power—how it is seized, sustained, subverted, and abused. Across the novel’s multiple narrative threads, Brown interrogates what happens when individuals and institutions prioritize control above all else, including ethical leadership, community welfare, and personal integrity. Characters who pursue power for its own sake often fall victim to its corrupting influence, while those who attempt to wield it responsibly face impossible moral compromises. The novel presents no easy answers but rather a grim meditation on the cost of power in a fractured universe.

This theme is particularly visible in the character arcs of Lysander and Atalantia. Lysander, initially an ethically and politically ambiguous figure, increasingly adopts the manipulative and hierarchical strategies of the old Society to advance his claim to leadership. Though he insists on his noble intentions, his actions become increasingly violent and self-serving. His decision to kill Alexandar and to deceive Darrow’s forces from within marks a shift from conflicted ideals to calculating usurper. In contrast, Atalantia operates without pretense. Her grip on power is ruthless, and she uses chemical warfare, assassination, and psychological torture to maintain control.