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gloame's review
2.0
The thing about CS Friedman is that she comes up with some really amazing concepts for stories, concepts that I would normally lap right up, but when I actually read (or in this case, listen to) the book—I'm disappointed.
Fans of Ms Friedman's other books will probably enjoy this novella. I find her writing style to be bland, though, and it's difficult to get through her work. Everything she writes feels very muted and passive, as if every action is filtered. It's hard to relate to any of the characters because they are so very...I don't know...distant? It's hard to get absorbed in it.
I probably wouldn't have finished this novella if it hadn't been for RC Bray's narrating. Love his voice. He brings a lot to the book.
Fans of Ms Friedman's other books will probably enjoy this novella. I find her writing style to be bland, though, and it's difficult to get through her work. Everything she writes feels very muted and passive, as if every action is filtered. It's hard to relate to any of the characters because they are so very...I don't know...distant? It's hard to get absorbed in it.
I probably wouldn't have finished this novella if it hadn't been for RC Bray's narrating. Love his voice. He brings a lot to the book.
abrswf's review
4.0
This was a fast listen, with a fine narrator. There isn't a huge amount of story but it is very atmospheric. Unfortunately supernatural tales aren't my thing so this is about all of this series I plan to try.
bibliofiendlm's review against another edition
3.0
Good high fantasy short story. Interesting world building for something so brief. It was a free audio on audible.com. Enjoyable.
jenn_geeks_out's review against another edition
3.0
This is a prequel to the Coldfire Saga that I got for free through Audible. And, hey, it was free so I decided to give it a shot. The world and theology in which this series takes place seemed interesting, but in this little introduction there wasn't anything that made me want to run right out and get the first book. I expect that people who've already read the series got more out of this than people who haven't yet read them. As a teaser, this didn't really do its job since, as I mentioned before, I'm not really convinced to read the Coldfire saga, but at least I now know that they exist and will keep them on the back burner.
working_title's review against another edition
4.0
Short, dark and enthralling.
[b:Dominion|13411701|Dominion (The Coldfire Trilogy, #0.5)|C.S. Friedman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1326407895s/13411701.jpg|18670864] leaves me with the feeling, that the whole Coldfire Trilogy would be so much better if written from Gerald Tarrant's perspective. Truly the most interesting character from the series.
[b:Dominion|13411701|Dominion (The Coldfire Trilogy, #0.5)|C.S. Friedman|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1326407895s/13411701.jpg|18670864] leaves me with the feeling, that the whole Coldfire Trilogy would be so much better if written from Gerald Tarrant's perspective. Truly the most interesting character from the series.
czarmorte's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
oracleofaal's review against another edition
3.0
I haven't read anything by Friedman before so this was a very short introduction into what I assume is a epic story of some sort. It has an interesting system of magic and I'd definitely like to more of the background of the Church and it's foundation. Decent character building for such a short story and a small glimpse into world building, but again, it is a short story. I will likely pick up at least the first book in the saga that follows it sometime in the near future and give it a full length try.
annasirius's review against another edition
3.0
I have spent a long time on finding a book with a main character as rich and dark as Gerald Tarrant. I sat crying towards the end of volume three of the Coldfire Trilogy and mentally shook C.S. Friedman's hand at the same time for going through with her characterisation of him to the bitter end where all other authors before have eventually strayed from their paths and shown that their dark 'hero' was not so deeply corrupted after all.
When I discovered yesterday that despite all her claims that the Coldfire Trilogy was finished and she did not like writing sequels (see the FAQ on her website) Ms Friedman had written – well – a prequel to the trilogy, my first reaction was quite like Baroness Jessie’s: “Gimmegimmegimme”!
And then the doubts came (could a new story live up to the high expectations aroused by the first books?), and they were strengthened by the unenthusiastic reviews. Unfortunately, reading ‘Dominion’ confirmed them.
The Coldfire Trilogy thrived on the mystery surrounding Gerald Tarrant. It circled around him, slowly closing in on him, uncovering bits and pieces of his personality and of his past but never quite revealing enough to give the reader the impression of truly knowing him. You gained a feeling, an instinctive understanding for him and for the world surrounding him, quite as if you yourself tapped into the fae. The world building remained rather vague in places – Friedman described some things in great detail (the religion, the fae) yet others remained in the fog, and this added to the feeling of mystery and directed the readers’ attention to the important pieces of the story: the characterisation(s) and the intriguing idea of a symbiosis of the human mind with the natural forces surrounding it.
The second aspect is well represented in Dominion: the story allows a glimpse into how the Neocount explores the symbiosis farther than anyone else ever dared to by binding the Forbidden Forest to himself. However, I find this description rather crude. Bending the natural forces of the forest to his own will, gaining a deep understanding of the workings of nature and balancing them so that he creates a perfect ecosystem suiting his purposes was – alongside the creation of true horses – the grand accomplishment that demonstrated the greatness of Tarrant’s mind, the brilliance of his cold rationale. I cannot see this in this novella. There are many power struggles in this tale, struggles for dominion, yes, but I cannot find any displays of extraordinary intelligence.
As Nai said, the pace is off. There is no introduction into the world, we are dropped into the thoughts of Gerald Tarrant head on, and those thoughts are much less refined than one would expect. Has he truly spent 400 years idle, merely sating his thirst? This does not sound like the proud Neocount of Merentha that accomplished so much before he even reached his 30th birthday. In the first scene he expresses his weariness of the forest, that he needs to fight the urge to go there. In the second scene he mounts an un-horse to ride there. Why the change of mind? –No explanation. This I found to be a running theme: in the Coldfire Trilogy there was always a strong rationale behind Tarrant’s deeds. In Dominion, I cannot identify it.
All in all, the new novella does not carry the spirit of previous volumes. The idea was good: the creation of the symbiosis of sorcerer and forest, the slow molding of Tarrant into the being he is when Damian encounters him, is a fascinating topic (and I agree with Nai also that I was expecting to be told how Tarrant learned to feed on fear). However, the author spent too few pages and too little heart blood on what could have been a brilliant treat for her fans.
When I discovered yesterday that despite all her claims that the Coldfire Trilogy was finished and she did not like writing sequels (see the FAQ on her website) Ms Friedman had written – well – a prequel to the trilogy, my first reaction was quite like Baroness Jessie’s: “Gimmegimmegimme”!
And then the doubts came (could a new story live up to the high expectations aroused by the first books?), and they were strengthened by the unenthusiastic reviews. Unfortunately, reading ‘Dominion’ confirmed them.
The Coldfire Trilogy thrived on the mystery surrounding Gerald Tarrant. It circled around him, slowly closing in on him, uncovering bits and pieces of his personality and of his past but never quite revealing enough to give the reader the impression of truly knowing him. You gained a feeling, an instinctive understanding for him and for the world surrounding him, quite as if you yourself tapped into the fae. The world building remained rather vague in places – Friedman described some things in great detail (the religion, the fae) yet others remained in the fog, and this added to the feeling of mystery and directed the readers’ attention to the important pieces of the story: the characterisation(s) and the intriguing idea of a symbiosis of the human mind with the natural forces surrounding it.
The second aspect is well represented in Dominion: the story allows a glimpse into how the Neocount explores the symbiosis farther than anyone else ever dared to by binding the Forbidden Forest to himself. However, I find this description rather crude. Bending the natural forces of the forest to his own will, gaining a deep understanding of the workings of nature and balancing them so that he creates a perfect ecosystem suiting his purposes was – alongside the creation of true horses – the grand accomplishment that demonstrated the greatness of Tarrant’s mind, the brilliance of his cold rationale. I cannot see this in this novella. There are many power struggles in this tale, struggles for dominion, yes, but I cannot find any displays of extraordinary intelligence.
As Nai said, the pace is off. There is no introduction into the world, we are dropped into the thoughts of Gerald Tarrant head on, and those thoughts are much less refined than one would expect. Has he truly spent 400 years idle, merely sating his thirst? This does not sound like the proud Neocount of Merentha that accomplished so much before he even reached his 30th birthday. In the first scene he expresses his weariness of the forest, that he needs to fight the urge to go there. In the second scene he mounts an un-horse to ride there. Why the change of mind? –No explanation. This I found to be a running theme: in the Coldfire Trilogy there was always a strong rationale behind Tarrant’s deeds. In Dominion, I cannot identify it.
All in all, the new novella does not carry the spirit of previous volumes. The idea was good: the creation of the symbiosis of sorcerer and forest, the slow molding of Tarrant into the being he is when Damian encounters him, is a fascinating topic (and I agree with Nai also that I was expecting to be told how Tarrant learned to feed on fear). However, the author spent too few pages and too little heart blood on what could have been a brilliant treat for her fans.
drey72's review
4.0
If you’ve never read C.S. Friedman’s Coldfire trilogy, then pick up Dominion and meet one of the best anti-heroes ever written. Gerald Tarrant is not nice – and he’ll be the first one to tell you so. When we meet him, he’s on his way to the Forest – the one where the fae are dark and strong – and he means to test himself against its powers, and come out on top.
Fans of the series will know the outcome, of course, but that doesn’t matter – Dominion is still that breath of fresh air after being cooped up in a basement cellar for lengths of time on end. Its relatively short length (it’s a novella after all) means you don’t get the whole world-building prose that explains everything about Erna and its inhabitants. Instead, C.S. Friedman gives you exactly what you need to get immersed in Tarrant’s quest – and balances his story with another POV.
The story’s over too quickly, especially for fans who want more of Tarrant. Hopefully this novella is only the first of many on that’ll give us exactly that.
drey’s rating: Excellent!!
Fans of the series will know the outcome, of course, but that doesn’t matter – Dominion is still that breath of fresh air after being cooped up in a basement cellar for lengths of time on end. Its relatively short length (it’s a novella after all) means you don’t get the whole world-building prose that explains everything about Erna and its inhabitants. Instead, C.S. Friedman gives you exactly what you need to get immersed in Tarrant’s quest – and balances his story with another POV.
The story’s over too quickly, especially for fans who want more of Tarrant. Hopefully this novella is only the first of many on that’ll give us exactly that.
drey’s rating: Excellent!!