Crown of Shadows (Coldfire) [Hardcover]

C.S. Friedman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1995 | Series: Coldfire (Book 3)

From the author of When True Night Falls comes a high-action adventure novel. The undead sorcerer Gerald Tarrant has united with his adversary--a warrior priest of the true Church. But even as they strive against the greatest threat their world has ever known, Gerald must face another enemy--his only living descendant--a man bent on the destruction of his ancient forebearer!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This closing volume of Friedman's Coldfire trilogy (When True Night Falls; Black Sun Rising) ably concludes one of the better fantasy series in recent memory. Even readers unfamiliar with the earlier volumes will quickly be enmeshed in the struggles of the Reverend Damien Vryce and The Hunter, Gerald Tarrant, to maintain the order of the planet Erna against the forces of the demon Calesta. The battle is made more complicated in this volume by the development of an allegiance between Calesta and Andrys Tarrant, a descendant of Gerald's who vows vengeance on his ancestor. Andrys is a bit too inept to ever seem threatening, however, and a bit too lacking in joie de vivre to come off as a classic Pretender/Fool. But the sections without Andrys, especially those focusing on The Hunter, are interesting enough, and as the final battles?involving The Church, The Hunter, the forces of Calesta and various people and factions whose alignments vary throughout the novel?are held around The Hunter's keep, readers will be enthralled. While Friedman introduces a science fictional raising-of-the-stakes gambit here that isn't entirely satisfying, her general mastery of her material should delight her fans.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Despite opposition by his Patriarch, warrior priest Damien Vryce again seeks the assistance of the immortal sorcerer Gerald Tarrant. While racing against time to prevent the enslavement of their world, the two men find themselves trapped between justice and retribution. Betrayal and loyalty assume ironic forms in this conclusion to Friedman's complex and compelling "Cold Fire Trilogy." The richly detailed setting and strong supporting characters give substance to a tale that explores the consequences of embracing evil in hopes of achieving its redemption. A priority purchase for fantasy collections.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: DAW Hardcover (October 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0886776643
• ISBN-13: 978-0886776640
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #990,702 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome, October 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Crown of Shadows (The Coldfire Trilogy, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

By the time I had reached this book in the series, I cared so much for the characters that I practically DIED during some scenes. This book is the perfect conclusion, which is kind of a bad thing because now we can't pester the author into writing a companion book. The ending was just so magnificent, I was both sobbing and laughing at the same time. The plot becomes even more complex so make sure you've got your understanding of the first two pretty well. However, it's so complete, encompassing the whole of Erna, executed on such a grand scale...in other words, worthy of Gerald Tarrant himself. Wow but he's changed. And Damien has too. They've become so close and dependant on one another that sometimes I just stopped to marvel. I think the story was very real. Because for not one moment did I doubt Tarrant's evil while I also believed that he was good. And if I'm making htis sound cheesy, don't blame C.S.Friedman. She did an excellent job, so read it, especially if you've already travelled with Damien and the Hunter in the first two. After I read this I was haunted a long time so I guess I should warn you that you won't be able to appreciate any other literary work until you've got it out of your system. I don't think I've ever encountered the likes of Damien, Tarrant and Erna before in all my years crammed with book reading.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Have you accepted Gerald Tarrant as your personal savior?", July 18, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Crown of Shadows (The Coldfire Trilogy, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

It was with those words that a friend of mine introduced me to C.S. Friedman and the Coldfire Trilogy. At the time, I had no idea what she meant - now I do. Introduced in the Trology's first book, Black Sun Rising, are two characters who are pitted against incredible odds. The first is Damien Kilcannon Vryce, a priest of the Church and Knight of the Flame, who in the first book was a righteous and angst-ridden man who shuddered to think that he would ever work in close quarters with such evil. The second character and perhaps the most memorable is the handsome, vain, intelligent and ice-cold Gerald Tarrant (AKA the Hunter or the Prophet), who nine centuries ago killed his wife and children to forge a pact with the Unnamed Evil, who would sustain his life for eternity. But as the Trilogy goes on, you see both of these characters change; Vryce becomes so inured to the Hunter's presence that things he once would have protested are second nature to accept, and he worries if he's damned his soul beyond redemption. Tarrant suffers a similar change, and apparently from his very rare outbursts, it's not totally of his own will - we lucky readers get to watch as he becomes more and more human. It's touching.

In the 3rd book, The Unnamed Evil and the Iezu demons are the focus as Tarrant and Vryce seek a way to destroy their Iezu foe, Calesta. With the help of another Iezu, Karril, who risks everything for friendship, they might just have a ghost of a chance.... But in the meanwhile, another Tarrant is forced to wade through the Hunter's legend in wake of a tragedy that still has him resorting to alchohol and narcotics. A few familiar faces to those who've read the first book of the Trilogy pop up to help him through it, and by the end these characters are as dear to your heart as Vryce and Tarrant.

My favourite part of the entire Trilogy, though, is the way that Vryce and Tarrant click. It's like the Odd Couple - two people you'd never expect to work together so well, and yet they can do amazing things if they stop arguing long enough to. Throughout the Trilogy, the witty exchanges the pair have make you laugh out loud, and their fragile something-like-friendship at times has you reaching for the tissues. I stayed up till 3AM to finish this one, and I suspect you will too.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fitting conclusion to an engaging trilogy., December 9, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Crown of Shadows (Coldfire) (Hardcover)

Crown of Shadows is the third book in the Coldfire trilogy.
I found all three books to be enjoyable on a number of
levels. Friedman does an excellent job of creating a world
of "logical magic". In other words you can see how and why
things work based on the rules that Friedman sets forth. I
love fantasy novels, but I like for the element of magic to
make a certain amount of sense. The best part of this book
and the entire series, however, is the relationship between
the two principal characters: Damien Vryce and Gerald
Tarrant. In the beginning Vryce represents all that is good
while Tarrant is the embodiment of evil. As the series
unfolds we watch as the two meet somewhere in the middle.
I ended up rooting for Tarrant as much as for Vryce and was
pleased with the way the author chose to leave things. I've
read hundreds of books in the fantasy genre and this series
rates in my top ten. --SB