davidengland's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
mferrante83's review against another edition
4.0
Helen Lowen’s Wall of Night series was recommended in a recent by Courtney Schafer here as a series that improves after book one. Having read the first book of that series, Heir of Night, I’m excited to see if that truly is the case. Malian, the heir of Night, is set to inherit her father’s title and take over the long watch for the Darkswarm; the abominations that her people are pledged to fight against. Before she can even dream of ascending however it is revealed that the Darkswarm is rousing and the time of ancient prophecy, a prophecy in which Malian will play a key part, is at hand. What is so fascinating about The Heir of Night is how much the familiar elements are used in counterpoint to what is an original and interesting world. There are element of The Heir of Night that are strictly borrowed from science fiction and while couched in terms of the fantastic there is the general feeling that this is a novel of the far future and an alien world more than a typical secondary world fantasy tale.
Unfortunately, while Lowen introduces a fascinating setting with a rich history the overarching plot doesn’t quite rise to the richness of its surroundings. That doesn’t make it bad a bad book by any means but the familiarity of the plot keeps it from being a great book. However, given how I was introduced to the series I’m confident that things are going to change going forward. Lowen does an excellent job with the characters particularly the lead characters Malian and Kalan. While several years apart both characters a still rather young but exhibit a maturity born of their circumstances. Malian, as the heir to a powerful house shows a deep understanding of duty and responsibility that wars with her youthful desire for freedom and companionship. Kalan, a student in the order that studies magic, shows competence and knowledge balanced by a youthful desire to shirk responsibility. Each occasionally feels a bit older than their years but I felt this was more a function of the world in which they live than anything else.
Given the prominence of Night in the title there is a fair amount of darkness to Lowen’s tale both in the history of the world and in the plot itself. The harshness of Malians world, of the House of Night itself, is a function of the dark deeds of the past wherein the people of present are paying for the crimes of the past both recent and ancient. The Heir of Night is at its best when it leans on the weirdness of the setting. The somewhat trippy journey into a nether realm of dreams seen several times in the novel calls to mind past works of sword and sorcery and feels like something you might see in an issue of Weird Tales. The Heir of Night marks the beginning of an interesting series that many fantasy fans may have overlooked. I’m excited to see where things go next and to explore deeper into the vibrant world that Lowen has created.
Unfortunately, while Lowen introduces a fascinating setting with a rich history the overarching plot doesn’t quite rise to the richness of its surroundings. That doesn’t make it bad a bad book by any means but the familiarity of the plot keeps it from being a great book. However, given how I was introduced to the series I’m confident that things are going to change going forward. Lowen does an excellent job with the characters particularly the lead characters Malian and Kalan. While several years apart both characters a still rather young but exhibit a maturity born of their circumstances. Malian, as the heir to a powerful house shows a deep understanding of duty and responsibility that wars with her youthful desire for freedom and companionship. Kalan, a student in the order that studies magic, shows competence and knowledge balanced by a youthful desire to shirk responsibility. Each occasionally feels a bit older than their years but I felt this was more a function of the world in which they live than anything else.
Given the prominence of Night in the title there is a fair amount of darkness to Lowen’s tale both in the history of the world and in the plot itself. The harshness of Malians world, of the House of Night itself, is a function of the dark deeds of the past wherein the people of present are paying for the crimes of the past both recent and ancient. The Heir of Night is at its best when it leans on the weirdness of the setting. The somewhat trippy journey into a nether realm of dreams seen several times in the novel calls to mind past works of sword and sorcery and feels like something you might see in an issue of Weird Tales. The Heir of Night marks the beginning of an interesting series that many fantasy fans may have overlooked. I’m excited to see where things go next and to explore deeper into the vibrant world that Lowen has created.
jepha's review against another edition
4.0
A brilliant novel full of magic, adventure, and treasonous plots! If you like the heroic epic style of LOTR or Game of Thrones, or the coming of age adventure style of The Wind Singer, then you will devour this book. The world is well imagined and the characters are complex, tbe story is full of twists and turns, betrayal and brotherhood.
I can't wait to read the next installment
Also, the author is a Kiwi!
Featured Book of the Week:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyE_1GuF39M&feature=youtu.be
I can't wait to read the next installment
Also, the author is a Kiwi!
Featured Book of the Week:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyE_1GuF39M&feature=youtu.be
tfrohock's review against another edition
4.0
The Heir of Night is the first book of the Wall of Night series, which is a more traditional epic fantasy (think Brooks, not Abercrombie), a sub-genre that I don't normally gravitate toward; however, I wanted to challenge my reading habits in 2013 and try new novels and new authors. I never know when a novel will introduce me to a new way of thinking or bring me back to a sub-genre that I drifted away from, such as the more traditional epic fantasies that I enjoyed so much when I was younger.
In The Heir of Night, Lowe tweaks the old tropes by giving us a female protagonist, Malian, a precocious young woman who finds that there is much more to being a hero than she first imagined. What interested me was how Lowe deviated from the traditional third worlds of epic fantasy with her backstory of the Darkswarm and the Derai.
The Darkswarm and the Derai move across space to fight through the centuries on different worlds, a storyline that gives Heir of Night a science fictional spin. Lowe utilizes necromancy and other dark arts to give the novel the right touch of dread for epic fantasy fans--not so much as to qualify for horror, but just enough to send a shiver down your spine.
Lowe keeps a firm grip on her world and her magic systems to deliver a well written, well told story, and I can think of no greater compliment to give to another writer. If you enjoy Tad Williams, David Eddings, and Terry Brooks, then you will definitely enjoy Lowe's Wall of Night series.
In The Heir of Night, Lowe tweaks the old tropes by giving us a female protagonist, Malian, a precocious young woman who finds that there is much more to being a hero than she first imagined. What interested me was how Lowe deviated from the traditional third worlds of epic fantasy with her backstory of the Darkswarm and the Derai.
The Darkswarm and the Derai move across space to fight through the centuries on different worlds, a storyline that gives Heir of Night a science fictional spin. Lowe utilizes necromancy and other dark arts to give the novel the right touch of dread for epic fantasy fans--not so much as to qualify for horror, but just enough to send a shiver down your spine.
Lowe keeps a firm grip on her world and her magic systems to deliver a well written, well told story, and I can think of no greater compliment to give to another writer. If you enjoy Tad Williams, David Eddings, and Terry Brooks, then you will definitely enjoy Lowe's Wall of Night series.
m_j_webb's review against another edition
3.0
Undoubtedly well-written and overall conceptually brilliant, it just did not engage me as I'd hoped. I'm not certain as to why. Maybe it was just individual preference but I was switching off when I should have been hooked. A real shame because I so wanted to enjoy this book. I have purchased book two and three and would normally be delving straight in to the sequel, but somehow I'm craving a change of pace/genre? I think I will read them at some point....
markyon's review
3.0
Out at the garrison overlooking the Wall of Night, the House of Night is attacked and its inhabitants slaughtered by a Raptor of Darkness. Our hero and heroine of this tale - Malian, the teenage heiress being groomed to inherit the House of Night, and Kalan, her male Temple trainee friend, escape the massacre and find themselves hunted by the Swarm of Dark. In doing so, Malian and Kalan both find they have magical powers. A mystery assistant from the Derai’s past comes to their aid:
“First you must come into the heart of my power,” the voice replied, “so I have some hope of protecting you, while you may draw on my strength. It is imperative that we work together, for you are young and untrained and I am weaker than I used to be. But together, and with the boy’s help, we may do what needs to be done.”
Also to Malian’s assistance comes Nhairin, a seasoned female steward, a sort’ve Gurney Halleck to our Paul Muad’dib-like heroine. Her task, with Asantir, the Honor Guard Captain, is to find Malian and protect her from the evil monsters that wield magic and who seem to be determined to kill her. Asantir and Nhairin are sent by Malian’s father, Earl Tasarion, to retrieve her. With the help of heralds Jehane Mor and Tarathan of Ar, they manage to get the two young protagonists guided back to the safety of the Old Keep.
This is not without a change, however. What Malian and Kalan’s newly discovered powers allow them to do is travel whilst in a dream state between the physical world and the metaphysical plane. Whilst in the metaphysical realm they find both the presence of old warriors such as Yorindesarinen and old adversaries to the House of Night and the Derai Alliance.
There is, as you might expect, a lot at stake here, wrapped up in portents of doom. Earl Tasarion’s sister, the witch-like priestess Korriya, foretells of prophecies and predicts that harm will befall the family and the House. The Earl’s consort, the Queen of Winter, Rowan Birchwood, stands as an outsider amongst the Derai from the Winter Kingdom but is secretly part of the complex conflict herein.
And as the oldest House in the Derai Alliance, the old saying goes, ‘If Night falls, all fall.’
The last half of the book deals with Malian and Kalan embarking on a quest to obtain objects of future significance, both having being given tokens of power to do so, whilst attempting to survive Darkswarm attacks. Towards the end it all becomes dream-like and there’s a lot of resolution in the final chapters and a lot left uncertain ready for the next tale.
This is not a debut work, but the writer’s first adult Fantasy novel. An important point that, and one that I didn’t know until after reading the novel, but helped me make more sense of the style of the tale. Whilst the audience being targeted may be ’adult’, to me it felt more like a novel for young adults with adult overtones: not necessarily a bad thing, and in this regard much, much better than the last novel I read that tried to do the same (Left Hand of God, I’m thinking of you.) When we reduce Heir of Night to bare plot at its simplest, this becomes a little more obvious.
For example, we have teenage protagonists clearly destined for greater things, whose magical powers appear in order to fulfil their destiny and enable revenge for the massacre of their people. There’s nasty enemies wielding magic for evil ends. All good genre stuff, if perhaps a little too close to the cliché of ‘fatherless farm boy (or in this case, motherless child of aristocracy) who becomes a great King (Earl) and goes on a quest to save the World from destruction by great evil’.
There’s also that movement between different worlds, something also seen recently in Kate Elliott’s Cold Magic , an ancient skill, once used now seemingly lost to most Derai. This allows lots of foretelling and dream-sequences, which create tension or annoyance depending upon your point of view.
Despite this, lest that note of caution put you off, there is a lot here to like. The magic’s done well, in that ‘for every action there is a price to pay’ way. The places of darkness and secret are quite atmospheric. And the fight scenes are both exciting and well written. Asantir’s elite troop of soldiers is reminiscent of James Barclay’s Raven, though not perhaps quite as violent.
Interestingly, there are hints that this story may not be as clear-cut Fantasy as the tropes (or my summary above) suggest, with a couple of nods to Gene Wolfe’s Shadow of the Torturer/ Urth, perhaps.
If you can get round the response that there’s a lot here that we’ve met before – I kept feeling that the book wanted to be a lighter version of A Game of Thrones or The Dragonbone Chair very badly - it’s a good, solid read that harkens back to the High Fantasy template that we’ve seen less of, of late. No profanity but a tale where honour, loyalty and sacrifice are paramount. Not particularly new but pleasingly well done.
“First you must come into the heart of my power,” the voice replied, “so I have some hope of protecting you, while you may draw on my strength. It is imperative that we work together, for you are young and untrained and I am weaker than I used to be. But together, and with the boy’s help, we may do what needs to be done.”
Also to Malian’s assistance comes Nhairin, a seasoned female steward, a sort’ve Gurney Halleck to our Paul Muad’dib-like heroine. Her task, with Asantir, the Honor Guard Captain, is to find Malian and protect her from the evil monsters that wield magic and who seem to be determined to kill her. Asantir and Nhairin are sent by Malian’s father, Earl Tasarion, to retrieve her. With the help of heralds Jehane Mor and Tarathan of Ar, they manage to get the two young protagonists guided back to the safety of the Old Keep.
This is not without a change, however. What Malian and Kalan’s newly discovered powers allow them to do is travel whilst in a dream state between the physical world and the metaphysical plane. Whilst in the metaphysical realm they find both the presence of old warriors such as Yorindesarinen and old adversaries to the House of Night and the Derai Alliance.
There is, as you might expect, a lot at stake here, wrapped up in portents of doom. Earl Tasarion’s sister, the witch-like priestess Korriya, foretells of prophecies and predicts that harm will befall the family and the House. The Earl’s consort, the Queen of Winter, Rowan Birchwood, stands as an outsider amongst the Derai from the Winter Kingdom but is secretly part of the complex conflict herein.
And as the oldest House in the Derai Alliance, the old saying goes, ‘If Night falls, all fall.’
The last half of the book deals with Malian and Kalan embarking on a quest to obtain objects of future significance, both having being given tokens of power to do so, whilst attempting to survive Darkswarm attacks. Towards the end it all becomes dream-like and there’s a lot of resolution in the final chapters and a lot left uncertain ready for the next tale.
This is not a debut work, but the writer’s first adult Fantasy novel. An important point that, and one that I didn’t know until after reading the novel, but helped me make more sense of the style of the tale. Whilst the audience being targeted may be ’adult’, to me it felt more like a novel for young adults with adult overtones: not necessarily a bad thing, and in this regard much, much better than the last novel I read that tried to do the same (Left Hand of God, I’m thinking of you.) When we reduce Heir of Night to bare plot at its simplest, this becomes a little more obvious.
For example, we have teenage protagonists clearly destined for greater things, whose magical powers appear in order to fulfil their destiny and enable revenge for the massacre of their people. There’s nasty enemies wielding magic for evil ends. All good genre stuff, if perhaps a little too close to the cliché of ‘fatherless farm boy (or in this case, motherless child of aristocracy) who becomes a great King (Earl) and goes on a quest to save the World from destruction by great evil’.
There’s also that movement between different worlds, something also seen recently in Kate Elliott’s Cold Magic , an ancient skill, once used now seemingly lost to most Derai. This allows lots of foretelling and dream-sequences, which create tension or annoyance depending upon your point of view.
Despite this, lest that note of caution put you off, there is a lot here to like. The magic’s done well, in that ‘for every action there is a price to pay’ way. The places of darkness and secret are quite atmospheric. And the fight scenes are both exciting and well written. Asantir’s elite troop of soldiers is reminiscent of James Barclay’s Raven, though not perhaps quite as violent.
Interestingly, there are hints that this story may not be as clear-cut Fantasy as the tropes (or my summary above) suggest, with a couple of nods to Gene Wolfe’s Shadow of the Torturer/ Urth, perhaps.
If you can get round the response that there’s a lot here that we’ve met before – I kept feeling that the book wanted to be a lighter version of A Game of Thrones or The Dragonbone Chair very badly - it’s a good, solid read that harkens back to the High Fantasy template that we’ve seen less of, of late. No profanity but a tale where honour, loyalty and sacrifice are paramount. Not particularly new but pleasingly well done.
charonlrdraws's review
3.0
And I need to get my hands on book two at somepoint, yeah I'm in no hurry to get it either but hey this was an okay book and I wanted to read something a little different for once in the fantasy genre and a majority of the books I've read this year have been YA books so yeah trying to get into more adult fantasy books and there aren't that many that have caught my attention to be honest.
Anyway.
A summery for The Heir of Night:
A dark enemy. An ancient war. A new champion.
Young Malian is being trained to rule.
Her people garrison the mountain range known as the Wall of Night against an ancient enemy, keeping a tide of shadow from the rest of their world. Malian is expected to uphold this tradition, yet she's known little of real danger until the enemy attacks her fortress home and the Keep of Winds becomes a bloodbath.
Malian flees deep into the Old Keep-and when the danger is the greatest her own hidden magic flares into life. But if she accepts its power, she must prepare to pay the price.
I was debating if I should give this book four stars but no really, I liked the premise and all but at times I lost interest while reading this and that was a shame too as I really like some things this book had to offer but it did have a habit of dragging at times which was a little disappointing.
I will continue with this trilogy because I am curious to see how it ends.
Anyway.
A summery for The Heir of Night:
A dark enemy. An ancient war. A new champion.
Young Malian is being trained to rule.
Her people garrison the mountain range known as the Wall of Night against an ancient enemy, keeping a tide of shadow from the rest of their world. Malian is expected to uphold this tradition, yet she's known little of real danger until the enemy attacks her fortress home and the Keep of Winds becomes a bloodbath.
Malian flees deep into the Old Keep-and when the danger is the greatest her own hidden magic flares into life. But if she accepts its power, she must prepare to pay the price.
I was debating if I should give this book four stars but no really, I liked the premise and all but at times I lost interest while reading this and that was a shame too as I really like some things this book had to offer but it did have a habit of dragging at times which was a little disappointing.
I will continue with this trilogy because I am curious to see how it ends.
purringlion's review against another edition
3.0
All in all, a good read; still, I expected more after Robin Hobb's praise. The world shows great realism, however, the characters seem too powerful (especially for their age) to make it *really* believeable. I love the world, the background, the setting, the silhouette of the story, but I feel that the balance between realism and fantasy is shifted in favor of the latter and while the overall story shines, the scenes itselves do suffer.
Still, I'm looking forward to the next book and to seeing if it is more up my alley.
Still, I'm looking forward to the next book and to seeing if it is more up my alley.
conprimo's review
4.0
This book had an unmistakable ring of the Malazan books by Steve Erikson so I wasn't surprised to read that the author had started reading that series whilst writing this book.
For all of that it was a good book, more manageable because some of the really bizarre aspects of the Malazan books had been somewhat tamped down.
For all of that it was a good book, more manageable because some of the really bizarre aspects of the Malazan books had been somewhat tamped down.