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Dawn of Night: The Erevis Cale Trilogy, Book II

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Dawn of Night is the second book of the Erevis Cale Trilogy (following Twilight Falling) and continues the exploits of Erevis Cale and his three companions, Jak Fleet, a Halfling cleric, Drasek Riven, a one-eyed human assassin and Magadon, a psionic tiefling (demon-spawn).

As book two begins, we are introduced to the being manipulating the major events of this trilogy, The Sojourner. It is he who has "created" the slaadi, the three main antagonists from book one who were responsible for stealing the Weave Tap, a "sapling" of immense magic, and whose actions turned Cale from a human into a shade, a creature half man and half shadow. In this novel, the three slaadi are sent on an errand to place a seed from the Weave Tap into a massive power source located in the bowls of the planet, outside of an underground cesspool of a city known as Skullport. This seed's function is to connect the magical power of the Shadow Weave and send it back to The Sojourner, where the a second seed is harnessing the power of the Weave itself.

Before even getting to Skullport, Cale and the others, who we left at the end of book one about to drown beneath the cold waters of a lake, find themselves marooned on The Plane of Shadows, a realm that sucks the life, color and energy out of everything, but seems to give Cale a better understanding of his abilities as a Shade.

This novel, first and foremost, is a character study of Erevis Cale and his transformation from human into shade. He learns the limits of his new abilities and, with the help of Jak, Riven and Magadon, flee from the hideous creatures of the Shadow Domain and return to world of Faerun. They are all on a mission now...to destroy the three slaadi, discover who The Sojourner is and stop their plans from succeeding.

This journey eventually finds them Skullport, an underground city catering the very worst creatures and the most despicable vices associated with such monsters. Again, we discover more and more about each of our main protagonists. Magadon is at war with his demonic half, Jak must face down the horror of witnessing such vile and desperate acts that he sees in Skullport, while Riven himself must face down memories of a previous time he spent in the city of skulls.

The final confrontation is a magical battle that is both tour-de-force in its intensity and in the shocking betrayal that is hinted at throughout, but is so difficult to actually watch happen. That final point, in my opinion, is what makes Mr. Kemp superior writer. That ability to create empathy in even the most heinous of individuals, along with the ease in which I found myself effortlessly turning page after page, make this an excellent second novel of the trilogy.

Granted, there is not as much action, not as many smaller hurdles to overcome for the characters, but those that do present themselves are more difficult for the characters and more violently rendered. This is certainly not a novel for pre-teens, as the graphic imagery is sometimes difficult to digest. Rest assured, however, that the violence is essential to not only the storyline, but to the characters as well and is, at no point, gratuitous in nature.

Dawn of Night is a FIVE STAR sequel to Twilight Falling and, as its predecessor did before it, leaves us with a jaw-dropping cliffhanger where death is certainly possible and the darkness can only expand and deepen.

The Erevis Cale Trilogy concludes with Midnight's Mask...and not a moment too soon!

I was turned to these book after I didnt hear from a close friend for almost a month. Seems he was shacked up with the Cale books and wouldnt leave his house. I was soon to follow in his steps. This book begins to take you down a road to places you couldnt imagine. Paul Kemp is without a doubt one of my new favorite writers. His dark characters and amazingly played out fights and plot will stay in your mind for quite some time. trust me. you will enjoy the books all the way to the end.

Dawn of Night is a worthy sequel to the epic adventures of Erevis Cale started in Twilight Falling.

DoN picks up where Twilight ended and takes us on a journey through several different settings, each interesting and thought provoking in its own way. DoN gives us a feel for the Antagonist of the trilogy and lets us into other preparations being made to further his overall objective. The Pace is quick, and the detailed fight scenes are very well done. As always, Mr. Kemp does a very good job of giving a feel for the setting and mood in order to add to the story line. The characters are well defined and each is interesting separately. The protagonists are evolving as the trilogy continues, which gives them a 'real person' feel.

This book delves into the grittier side of the story, in a way not seen often in this genera. The surprising ending makes one wait for the final book in the trilogy with eager anticipation.

Erevis Cale and his allies have survived a confrontation with the slaadi servants of the enigmatic Sojourner, but now find themselves lost on the Plane of Shadow with no way home. Meanwhile, Azriim and his fellows seek to execute the next part of the Sojourner's plans and head for Skullport, one of the darkest and most dangerous cities in the Realms.

The second volume of the Erevis Cale trilogy picks up immediately after the first book and once again pits Cale and his band of willing and not-so-willing 'heroes' against Azriim and his fellow slaadi. The first novel, Twilight Falling, was entertaining but also suffered from clunky writing and some bad pacing. Dawn of Night is a notable improvement, with a more notable focus on the battle of wills between Cale and his sometimes-ally Riven to prove themselves the better man. The prose is more polished (though still prone to odd lapses) and there's also a satisfying amount of weirdness invoked when Cale and his friends find themselves lost on the Plane of Shadow. Skullport - one of the most vividly memorable locations in the Forgotten Realms setting - is also brought to life in all its squalid, grubby splendour.

As well as the Cale/Riven rivalry, the book also brings into play several other interesting devices. The duality of having two 'adventuring bands' diametrically opposed to one another is an interesting touch, and Kemp imbues each character with their own quirks and motivations that fleshes them out nicely. It's not the deep-seated characterisation of modern masters of fantasy, but it's enough to make the book more interesting than the average tie-in novel. Kemp also takes an interesting approach to magic, which is so codified by rules and structures (since it is based on the D&D magic system) that it's use has become routine and even perfunctory. This depiction may be slightly dull - the wonder of someone unleashing a powerful magical spell in another book is here totally missing - but it also makes sense in a world where the use of magic has become routine over the course of thousands of years.

On the minus side, the book suffers somewhat from middle book syndrome (there is no beginning or end, which is to be expected) and there are moments when the setting's game origins are again laid bare, such as being able to tell when the characters have succeeded at making a saving roll against a spell. These are much less frequent than the first novel but still a little wince-inducing when they happen.

Overall, Dawn of Night (***½) represents a notable improvement over the first book in the series. It's still, at heart, an adventurous romp with an unusually conflicted band of heroes as its sole major twist (which is less of a twist now than when the book originally came out), but remains an entertaining read. The novel is available now in the UK and USA and as part of the Erevis Cale Omnibus (UK, USA).

This story delves into dark places with even darker characters. A new villain is revealed with startling power and an intriguing personal philosophy, and readers get to enjoy a healthy dose of characters and action very much in line with the previous book Twilight Falling. If books were drugs, Dawn of Night would be the latest fix that keeps you hooked for more. As a reader, the ending had me so engrossed that I found it extremely difficult to stop, especially when I had the next book readily available. Because of this I have to give it five out of five stars. Not only was it a fun book to read, but it has completely sold me on the entire series and the characters involved. There is no longer any choice for me but to continue reading and that's always the sign of a great saga.

Dawn of Night by Paul S. Kemp- This is the second book in The Erevis Cale Trilogy. The first is Twilight Falling and the last is Midnight's Mask. However, the first appearance of many of these characters are found in the Sembia: Gateway to the Realms series. There is a short story in Halls of Stormweather anthology entitled "Resurrection" and the second book in the series entitled Shadow's Witness. Then after this trilogy, the story continues in The Twilight War trilogy (Shadowbred, Shadowstorm, and Shadowrealm).

Caution: Spoilers may be present if you haven't read Twilight Falling!

The story picks up right were Twilight Falling left off. We find Erevis Cale, now a shade, and the group in the Plane of Shadows. Somehow Cale transported his friends to the Plane of Shadows from the closing and disappearance of the Fane of Shadows, saving them all from drowning. On the Plane of Shadows, the group try and find there way out of a bog, Cale faces down a shadow dragon, and they come across a city of dead. Throughout this "adventure," Drasek Riven slowly makes Cale embrace his "shadedom" which allows them to leave the Plane. Meanwhile, the slaadi and their master the Sojourner, plan on using the Weave Tap to tap into the magical properties of Skullport, an underground city beneath Waterdeep. The Sojourner wants to create a thing called the Crown of Fire and needs to plant seeds from the Weave Tap to cause this to happen. After discovering where the slaadi are, Cale and the group travel to stop them. But are they in time?

Negatives:
1) "Villain" Parts. They just are so boring. I hate to say it, but it feels like nothing happens and it just drags on and on. The Sojourner is the worst of them. His scenes are just so lackluster and just feel unimportant and a little forced. He honestly isn't that interesting of a character. With the slaadi, Azriim I really liked in Twilight Falling, but here he just seems like he is just there. He doesn't do anything and he seemed to lose all his quirks and everything that made him interesting up until the last 100 or so pages. It just felt forced and the scenes didn't feel right. They didn't have the menace or presence that they did in the previous book. Like I said, the parts were really boring.
2) Grammar and Spelling Errors. Now, this isn't a fault on the book, but rather an observation on a lot of recent Forgotten Realm books. They have been really sloppy. I think these books have editors, but they sure are missing a lot of these misspellings, grammatical errors, and errors in who's who and what's what. There were times when I honestly couldn't believe what was in there, or missed rather. It just boggles the mind.
3) The "Love Interest." The love interest between Cale and this random woman named Varra was just so sudden and unexpected that I barely believed it was added in here. For one things, she's just in one chapter, and yet Cale acts like he is in "love," well to be honest not love-love but he cares about her. It's just so random and unbelievable.

Positives:
1) "Good Guys." Now while the villains were boring and unexciting, the heroes are just wonderful. Cale's fight against if he is human was done beautifully. His concern about what he has become and his worry about what he is is done in a way in which you can sympathize with what he is going through. Riven is another interesting character. In the previous book, Riven was a mean, cruel, yet likable assassin. Here he starts off as a little bit of a nicer version of himself, but slowly comes to become the heartless killing machine he is. Magadon is the last character who I really liked. He reminds me a lot like Drizzt Do'Urden (of R. A. Salvatore fame) in his ideals and character. He is a nice foil to the two assassin's in the the group. Then being what he is, just makes him even more interesting.
2) Descriptions of Cities. I really liked the way that Paul S. Kemp described the cities of Elgrin Fau and Skullport. He paints Elgrin Fau as this lost deserted city on the Plane of Shadow. The emptiness and eerie feel really makes it feel lonely and creepy. And it only get worse (in a good way). The city of Skullport was given this view of utter gruesomeness and horror. The Skulls (the enforcers of the city) were really brought to life. While other authors views of the city seemed to hint at the corruption of the city, Kemp really brings it to life.
3) Twist. The ending really comes at a shocker. You honestly never would have thought this is the way the second book would have ended. But looking back, you could see what happened and why it happened. It was executed perfectly.

Side Notes:
1) Jak. While still a little annoying, the halfling did seem able to handle himself a little better in the book than the last. He didn't come off as pathetic.
2) Explanations. I like how things were explained. There are some stories in which you don't understand why this or this happened, yet here you get an explanation. For example, the exit out of the Plane of Shadows. Simple, yet you could see why it had to be done that way.
3) Cover Art. It annoys the eye. Cale's face is okay. It is a little annoying with the frown, or at least I think he's frowning, but he looks bland. Then what's up with the globe? It's barely mentioned in the story, yet bam! It's on the cover again. At least the book Cale received would have made more sense. Then what's the stuff coming off Cale's face? Shadow? It just looks like a cheesy tattoo artwork with skulls.

Overall: 4/5
Final Thoughts:
The boring villain scenes really made parts of the book a chore to read through. But the story with our heroes really make it bearable.

Paul S. Kemp continues what is arguably shaping-up as the best trilogy ever published by Wizards of the Coast. Although some authors may currently be better known for their previous contributions to the Forgotten Realms' setting, Mr. Kemp has served notice that he is elevating the art of crisp, captivating storytelling to whole new heights. He accomplishes this through believeable, interesting, and conflicted characters, witty and realistic dialogue, vivid locations, sights and sounds, flowing action sequences, and consistent, intelligent and purposeful plotting, which, from the very beginning, immediately immerses the reader (nearly cinematically) into the fantastic world of Faerun.

With Dawn of Night, Paul S. Kemp doesn't miss a beat in making this second chapter of the Erevis Cale trilogy as equally compelling as his first book, Twilight Falling. As others have outlined some of the plot lines, I'll refrain from doing so again. However, for the reader who is looking to truely suspend disbelief, while continuing to race with Cale and his companions on an engrossing and supremely imaginative quest, there is no greater fantasy fiction available than what Mr. Kemp has furnished with Dawn of Night, and its predecessor, Twilight Falling.

Kemp is in his usual form. Dawn of Night picks up events right after Twilight Falling and continues at a pounding pace. The Plane of Shadows and Skullport are so well-described I could almost taste the foul air.

The book opens with a very interesting scene involving the Sojourner, the slaads' master hinted at in Twilight Falling. He is powerful! The book then moves to Cale and his group. Cale must deal with a life-changing transformation, and Riven also seems to be undergoing something. Magadon's past is explained and I found him a very intriguing character.

The action is, as usual, well described but not gratuitous. Kemp's pacing is excellent and the end of the book leaves me pining for book III.

This second of the three about the First of Five is a great read. Mr. Kemp does an excellent job, as always, of providing characters with believable details undertaking epic tasks. The gritty characters of Cale and Riven are impressive enough to inspire several copy-cat characters for those of us that read and play the RPGs. The ending is another terrific cliff-hanger which leaves us waiting and wondering "When is the next book Mr. Kemp?"

I really enjoyed the second chapter in the tale of Cale and friends and am looking forward to the final (?) installment.

Each character gets enough center stage to satisfy everyone, and their development is real. These are flawed characters with some problems and real issues which allows the reader to more intimately identify with one or more of them.

If you're a fan of Riven (and who doesn't like the one-eyed scoundral?), then the Dawn of Night is an absolute must read! Riven's development in this book is surprising, shocking, and well done. I won't give anything away, but I will say that Mr. Kemp has proven that things aren't as they always first appear.

Jak continues to be the loyal friend, always there when the chips are down and serving as a moral compass at times for Cale. Mags is a great addition and I'm glad to see a well written psion and am looking forward to reading more of him. And as usual, Cale stoicly moves ahead doing what he knows must be done.

All in all, an excellent read. The scenes in Skullport are worth the price alone. I highly recommend this book and the series.

Till we meet in Skullport,

The Bat