Scan barcode
arf88's review against another edition
4.0
There's a part of this book, about half way through, that I was absolutely bored by, but I love both the start and the ending. Lucky for me, Cook doesn't fall into the same trap so many other fantasy writers do re:length, so it didn't take too long to get past the part I didn't like. Not as gripping as his Black Company books, but I'm excited enough to read the next book in the series.
lundos's review against another edition
3.0
The first ~65% is a complete mess of name dropping - both character names and places - and the story shifts back and forth between characters and time jumping around Pulp Fiction style.
The writing style is abrupt and jarring and while this makes sort of sense in the Black Company (just read that again a couple of days ago), here it's just annoying and difficult to get into. The characters aren't as likeable as Croaker, Elmo and One-eye, and the plot is ... well... very hard to understand. Even after reading the ending.
There are some real genius in some of this, but it's very hard getting a reading flow, since some of it is dropped without forewarning and without a possibility to even guess.
On a side note some of the characters could/must be inspiration for SE. E.g. Saltimbanco/Mocker insiration for both Pust and Kruppe? Funny language, playing an unimposing clown, mule, smarter than they seem, etc.
The writing style is abrupt and jarring and while this makes sort of sense in the Black Company (just read that again a couple of days ago), here it's just annoying and difficult to get into. The characters aren't as likeable as Croaker, Elmo and One-eye, and the plot is ... well... very hard to understand. Even after reading the ending.
Spoiler
I get that it was the Star Rider wanting to kill the two old Princes of the Dread Empire, but who is the Star Rider? Who is the Director? The Dark Lady must be deathThere are some real genius in some of this, but it's very hard getting a reading flow, since some of it is dropped without forewarning and without a possibility to even guess.
On a side note some of the characters could/must be inspiration for SE. E.g. Saltimbanco/Mocker insiration for both Pust and Kruppe? Funny language, playing an unimposing clown, mule, smarter than they seem, etc.
lauregul's review against another edition
2.0
Die Stormkings, sieben Geschwister mit magischen Fähigkeiten, nehmen Iwa Skolovda ein und streben danach, sich ein großes Imperium aufzubauen. Napanthe, die einzige Frau unter den Geschwistern, wird von ihren Geschwistern als Herrscherin der Stadt zurückgelassen. Sie langweilt sich in ihrer Rolle, bis ein seltsamer Mann in die Stadt kommt. Kurz darauf entbrennt ein Machtkampf unter Magiern, der nur von dem dahinterstehenden Liebesdrama überschattet wird.
Das ganze Buch ist ein großes Durcheinander. Die Geschichte weiß selbst nicht, was sie sein möchte: ein Liebesdrama, ein epischer Kampf zwischen Magiern, eine Komödie... Ein solcher Genremix ist zwar möglich, funktioniert hier jedoch nicht. Dazu kommen plötzliche Zeitsprünge, die nicht dazu beitragen, die Geschichte zu entwirren. Außerdem will irgendwie einfach keine Spannung aufkommen. Während des ganzen Buchs wartete ich auf den Moment, in dem es klick macht und die Handlung Fahrt aufnimmt. Aber zu so einem Moment kam es einfach nicht. Die Story schwappt nur so vor sich hin – und auf einmal ist sie einfach zu Ende.
Die Welt wirkt, als hätte sie Potential. Die zahlreichen legendären Magier sind interessant und, würde das Buch sich wirklich mit ihnen befassen, hätte ich es vermutlich deutlich interessanter gefunden. Passend dazu sind auch fast alle Hauptcharaktere uninteressant. Nepanthe und ihr "lustiger" Sidekick erfüllen ihren Zweck, haben aber absolut keinen Charakter, ebenso wie auch die anderen Protagonisten. Lediglich die beiden Nebencharaktere „Old Man“ und „Star Rider“ sind spannend und mysteriös, da beide eine interessante Hintergrundgeschichte zu haben scheinen, die aber leider nie näher beleuchtet wird.
In einem Wort zusammengefasst: langweilig. Das Buch bleibt trotz interessanter Konzepte absolut langweilig. Womöglich sind die Folgebände besser.
Das ganze Buch ist ein großes Durcheinander. Die Geschichte weiß selbst nicht, was sie sein möchte: ein Liebesdrama, ein epischer Kampf zwischen Magiern, eine Komödie... Ein solcher Genremix ist zwar möglich, funktioniert hier jedoch nicht. Dazu kommen plötzliche Zeitsprünge, die nicht dazu beitragen, die Geschichte zu entwirren. Außerdem will irgendwie einfach keine Spannung aufkommen. Während des ganzen Buchs wartete ich auf den Moment, in dem es klick macht und die Handlung Fahrt aufnimmt. Aber zu so einem Moment kam es einfach nicht. Die Story schwappt nur so vor sich hin – und auf einmal ist sie einfach zu Ende.
Die Welt wirkt, als hätte sie Potential. Die zahlreichen legendären Magier sind interessant und, würde das Buch sich wirklich mit ihnen befassen, hätte ich es vermutlich deutlich interessanter gefunden. Passend dazu sind auch fast alle Hauptcharaktere uninteressant. Nepanthe und ihr "lustiger" Sidekick erfüllen ihren Zweck, haben aber absolut keinen Charakter, ebenso wie auch die anderen Protagonisten. Lediglich die beiden Nebencharaktere „Old Man“ und „Star Rider“ sind spannend und mysteriös, da beide eine interessante Hintergrundgeschichte zu haben scheinen, die aber leider nie näher beleuchtet wird.
In einem Wort zusammengefasst: langweilig. Das Buch bleibt trotz interessanter Konzepte absolut langweilig. Womöglich sind die Folgebände besser.
peapod_boston's review against another edition
3.0
Rereading Cook's "Dread Empire" books on my way to "A Path to Coldness of Heart." I was struck by how clearly this is his early work. Parts of it are awkward. Other parts are lyrical. Many of the elements of classic, epic fantasy are here, but already Cook puts them through his blender and they come out unrecognizable. Here are very real characters playing out what would appear to be epic dramas. Varthlokkur's history, especially, played out between the lines of the main story, shows how someone can go from being a farm boy to the great dark wizard in a way that feels very real.
I'd love to know how much of the prequels he'd mapped out, as Haroun, Bragi, and Mocker all spring to life with full backgrounds and histories. Who would start a fantasy series these days with major characters already married or having lost their kingdom to an enemy? That's one thing Cook has always done well--drop you into a world that feels like it has run backwards (and will keep running forward) from where you are.
I'd love to know how much of the prequels he'd mapped out, as Haroun, Bragi, and Mocker all spring to life with full backgrounds and histories. Who would start a fantasy series these days with major characters already married or having lost their kingdom to an enemy? That's one thing Cook has always done well--drop you into a world that feels like it has run backwards (and will keep running forward) from where you are.
monocular's review
2.0
Finished A Shadow of All Night Falling (Dread Empire #1), and it's what you might call... a solid 2/5! And yet, I'm definitely going to read more Glen Cook down the line.
The world was pretty bland and the pacing was downright bizarre, but there's something there that has the potential to be great. The last 30 pages, after a whole lot of meandering, suddenly turned into something genuinely compelling, asour main characters showed their worst sides when facing their own corpses, and one will have to be left behind without resurrection . There's also several other, potentially more interesting books happening in the sidelines of this one, which is absolutely bizarre. There's genuinely a chapter in here detailing 100 years of history in 10 pages - and it's a more compelling narrative arc than the actual story Cook is telling!
I really wish we'd actually spent more time breathing with the characters, because when we finally did right at the end it was great. But so much of the story was told as summary, with important plot points being relayed so tersely that the stakes are gone. Thekidnapping at the very core of the second half of the book happens off-screen - Cook, that's good drama, why won't you show it to me 😭
The world was pretty bland and the pacing was downright bizarre, but there's something there that has the potential to be great. The last 30 pages, after a whole lot of meandering, suddenly turned into something genuinely compelling, as
I really wish we'd actually spent more time breathing with the characters, because when we finally did right at the end it was great. But so much of the story was told as summary, with important plot points being relayed so tersely that the stakes are gone. The
deehaichess's review against another edition
4.0
The writing style of this book mystified me a little. I decided it was remiss of me to have not read any of Glen Cook's novels but as with all these epic writers sometimes is a little had to work out where you're supposed to start, let alone really know what to expect. So i just stared here.
This book had the tone of an account almost, and had a certain emotional distance because of that. But what seemed to save it and make it far more engaging was the casual dialogue. People spoke in a way that seemed modern without there being any slang or colloquialisms, and it took the edge off what have might been a dry read, and gave the story the kind of humour I'm more used to seeing in British stuff. I'm still a little confused about who this Black Company is, or even if I'm reading books in the right order, but taken as a single story I still quite enjoyed it.
This book had the tone of an account almost, and had a certain emotional distance because of that. But what seemed to save it and make it far more engaging was the casual dialogue. People spoke in a way that seemed modern without there being any slang or colloquialisms, and it took the edge off what have might been a dry read, and gave the story the kind of humour I'm more used to seeing in British stuff. I'm still a little confused about who this Black Company is, or even if I'm reading books in the right order, but taken as a single story I still quite enjoyed it.
zlwrites's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
The first half was better, all dark and whatnot. Minimalist writing style. Best part was the story of the wizard as he grew up. Interesting to read a book that eventually lead to Game of Thrones and Malazan.
The first half was better, all dark and whatnot. Minimalist writing style. Best part was the story of the wizard as he grew up. Interesting to read a book that eventually lead to Game of Thrones and Malazan.
wizardmacdonald's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
More...