Customer Reviews

When True Night Falls: The Coldfire Trilogy #2

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

First I was uncertain I would like this one after Black Sun Rising eclipsed everything else. I also worried that the plot would be weak, but let me tell you, When True Night Falls is my favorite of the Coldfire Trilogy. Damien begins to understand the nature of Tarrant's transformation from the Prophet to the Hunter. Their relationship is explored more deeply, and you see sides of Tarrant you had hoped, but weren't sure, were there. I loved this book so much, and some parts were so moving I cried. I think the action in this book was excellently executed and that you can really picture the desperation that the characters go throw as they confront the obstacles in their path to the enemy. The theological discussuions in this book really got me thinking. This book is not your usual rainbow-dragon-magic-and-princess kind of fantasy. It's gritty and intelligent and just an overall WOW. Be sure to read the last in this series, Crown of Shadows.

Don't ask my why. This book is very emotional and intense and very action-packed, and the end, well, the end made me cry. I don't want to give anything away, but let's just say that this book gets you attached to the characters and to feel the desperation of certain situations, and so, when something sad happens, it's very very sad. But I'm giving a wrong impression. This book is far from a tragedy. It's the fast-paced sequel to Black Sun Rising, that most excellent of books, though this one is better, being more effective. In this book you learn a lot more about Erna, sacrifices, the turning of Tarrant: how a man revered as "prophet" could become the "Hunter" a vampire-like adept. I adore passages in this book that were so descriptive that I was there alongside the characters and the dialogue between Damien and Tarrant, those antagonistic allies, - well those are priceless. I keep rereading chapters over and over, getting a thrill over how closely attached I feel to this world and this cast. The mix of theology with SF and fantasy (even a skillful dab of horror) kept the story original in a genre that is afflicted with formulaic creations. The author's imagination in creating the fae and a character so utterly "cool" but complex as Tarrant (the Hunter) is pretty astounding. If I've convinced you that this book is as great as it is, then you must first read Black Sun Rising and after reading this one, read Crown of Shadows. I assure you, the Coldfire Trilogy is worth it.

Almost everyone I spoke to who had read this series said that the second book was not as good as the first. Possibly as a result of this, my expectations were not as high, but I have to disagree. Though in structure, it's similar, and you could even argue that this volume is a rehash of the first book, I felt that this book was done better than the first one.

In the beginning of this novel, the characters from the first book are arriving at their destination: the lost civilization, the eastern continent, settled by a group of religious pilgrims centuries before. The priest Damien Vryce finds a culture and nation that realizes his dearest dreams of a civilization ruled by his religion, where the faith in his God holds dominance in the hearts and minds of its people. But it is soon revealed that all is not as it seems in this new land, and the companions find themselves on a trek to the south to discover the source of the evil that has insinuated itself into the civilization.

In that regard, it is a rehash. Much of the book is spent traveling again, and this is the part I found a bit tedious. This book could have been about 100 pages shorter if the unnecessary overland journey section were shortened. But I felt that the reasons behind the actions certain characters take were a bit more well established than in the first volume of the trilogy. The characters also change and grow along the way, and the characterization is better in this volume than the previous. In the course of this novel, we learn who the true enemy is, and this sets up the plot of the third novel.

One of the problems I had with this book was the title. The author took pains to define what True Night meant in the first book, and it doesn't really come into play for this one. The plot or resolution doesn't hinge on the fall of Erna's True Night, nor does anything happen on such an event. You could take the figurative stance that True Night in this case doesn't mean a literal True Night, but a state of hopelessness or deception. But it would be a weak stance. Also the coldfire doesn't really enter into it much, either. but they're catchy phrases, so they make decent titles.

Despite the lengthy travel spanning the middle section of the novel, it moves along at a pretty good pace. The tension builds up well, and there are some gripping moments near the end where you really can't put the book down. So don't be put off by people saying this is a boring middle-novel where nothing really happens. This is where the real foundation of the climax to the trilogy is being set down.

I wish I could review this book in a vacuum, but I can't help compare it to the first in the series, Black Sun Rising, because I read them one right after the other.

First, don't get me wrong. The author can hold my attention, and draw me from chapter to chapter. There were episodes in the book I could not put down. Again, she has created a weird world -- this time on the eastern continent -- and has further developed her archon demon as well as her evil dictator, "The Prince." Her wasteland of death near the end is truly scarey!

But . . . I was a bit disappointed comparing this book to the first in the series. The first novel was complete as a story-- with a beginning, middle, and end. This just seems a transition, albeit 650 pages of transition. It sort of ends unresolved, forcing the reader to purchase the third volume to see what happens.

The plot is less complex and considerably more simple than the first novel, and -- frankly -- I believe it can't support the huge number of pages. One wishes her editor had been a bit tougher on her, and whacked about 25 percent of the manuscript.

For all her strengths as a writer, she has one irritating trait, which is to describe in narrative what a character is feeling. To paraphrase, she might say that "Damien was deeply hurt by what she said. He felt pain at her words. His anger welled up . . . " Really, a good writer should DRAMATIZE emotion, and "render" the feelings of characters in good dialog-- not stop the book and start explaining to the reader what a character is supposed to be feeling.

As with another reviewer, I have ordered the final book of the trilogy from Amazon, hoping it is more like the Dark Sun Rising, and with fewer of the shortcomings of When True Night Falls. Even though I will admit -- for all its flaws -- that When True Night Falls is good. Just, after the first one we have been SPOILED. It was SO good.

In most trilogies, the second book is the weakest of the three. This is one of the exceptions. Like the first book, it gets off to a rather slow start, but is probably an even better read once things get going. Religious themes are even more rampant here; as with Black Sun Rising, if you don't like books that make you think, look elsewhere.

There's not really a whole lot I can say. If you've read Black Sun Rising, you'll want to read this one too. If you haven't, you should. That's all there is to it.

_When True Night Falls_ is the sequel to _Black Sun Rising_, set five months after the end of that novel. The evil that Damien, Ciani, Hesseth and Tarrant found in the rakhlands is just the beginning. Now, Damien, Tarrant and Hesseth must find the originator of the evil, and conquer *it* as well, before Erna as they know it is destroyed. The characters continue to change throughout this second part of The Coldfire Trilogy. A must read for anyone who has read and enjoyed _Black Sun Rising_, any of C. S. Friedman's other books, or who just enjoys complex, layered plots and fascinating, absorbing characters.

Overall I'm hooked on this series, I will buy the third book. But I hope this was the weakest of the three.

A few things which bother me. Throughout most of the book, the heroes are wanted dead, dead on sight. But for some reason that changes to "capture" just before they are captured, even though there is no reason for their enemy to spare them. The demon Karril insists he is prevented from helping them, as if there is a binding preventing him from speaking, then he spills his guts and helps them.

And it always bothers me when characters get out of a tight spot by discovering a new ability.

The descriptions can run too long, which is made even worse when they are long and incomplete ... like not telling us how big an area is, but describing its furnishings in detail.

Supposedly the fae can't be used at sea, then we find out it CAN be used in shallow water, but they still don't use it. The fae is conveniently flawed or omnipotent depending on what the story requires.

I will pick up the third in the series to see how it works out. With all its flaws, I still enjoy the characters, their interaction, and Friedman's habit of killing off characters who seem to be main characters. Too often in Fantasy, there is no fear that a main character will die in the course of battle. In the Coldfire Trilogy you never know.

Following a deep and thinking debut, C.S. continues to make us think about not only the power of the characters but also about our own religious connections and meanings. I found the book to be of the kind you don't want to put down. If you like deep thinking and meaningful Fanatasy I would say that this book and its series is a must for your home library.

Like the first book of this series, this is about good vs evil with the two bound together for their own reasons. The conflict engendered by this is extremely interesting. The only reason I gave this four stars instead of five, was that I think it runs a tad long. This is the third time I've read the book, so maybe I'm just getting overly familiar with it. But, I'd say a lot of the "wandering in the wilderness" parts of it could be trimmed a bit. Other than that, great.

What I've tended to notice in trilogies(at least the good ones) is that the second installment tends to be the weakest part of the series. The first is usually great and the conclusion tends to pack a great emotional charge as the series is wrapped up. This is not to say that this is a bad book, far from it. The characters are fascinating, the ideas original and the plot has a great deal of twists and turns. Gerald Tarrant is one of the best anti-heroes in sci-fi/fantasy and the relationship between the Hunter and Damien Vryce provides an interesting study. It's more horror than action, but the plot rarely slows. On the whole it's a worthwhile read but the strength in this series is definitely in the first and last installments.