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Dread Empire #3
All Darkness Met
At empire's end war is not all hell. Mocker finds old friends in the halls of death, and Nepanthe new lovers in the fields of blood and bone. The war-child wields the sword of truth: the Star Rider's dread secret is at last revealed. And so it ends. Though "end" is but a wizard-word for new beginnings.
336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
13 people are currently reading
552 people want to read
About the author
Glen Cook
158 books3,705 followersGlen Cook was born in New York City, lived in southern Indiana as a small child, then grew up in Northern California. After high school he served in the U.S. Navy and attended the University of Missouri. He worked for General Motors for 33 years, retiring some years ago. He started writing short stories in 7th grade, had several published in a high school literary magazine. He began writing with malicious intent to publish in 1968, eventually producing 51 books and a number of short fiction pieces.
He met his wife of 43 years while attending the Clarion Writer's Workshop in 1970. He has three sons (army officer, architect, orchestral musician) and numerous grandchildren, all of whom but one are female. He is best known for his Black Company series, which has appeared in 20+ languages worldwide. His other series include Dread Empire and and the Garrett, P.I. series. His latest work is Working God’s Mischief, fourth in the Instrumentalities of the Night series.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/glencook
He met his wife of 43 years while attending the Clarion Writer's Workshop in 1970. He has three sons (army officer, architect, orchestral musician) and numerous grandchildren, all of whom but one are female. He is best known for his Black Company series, which has appeared in 20+ languages worldwide. His other series include Dread Empire and and the Garrett, P.I. series. His latest work is Working God’s Mischief, fourth in the Instrumentalities of the Night series.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/glencook
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September 26, 2019
💀 Vanishing Unrelenting Glen Cook Mercenaries Buddy Read (VUGCMBR™) with The Overlord and My Nefarious Daughter 💀
Okay, so, as I might or might not have mentioned in my dazzlingly titillating pre-review, the main thing you have to know about this book is:
Bloody shrimping hell, Cook didn’t hold back in this one. And I thought I was nefarious! I stand corrected and stuff. I am obviously naught but a wee bit amateurish, slightly anemic villain compared to the Ferociously Ruthless Destroyer of Everything that Breathes (FRDoETB™). I mean, the body count got so high here that I ended up wondering if a) there would be a single character left at the end of the book and b) I was going to be next. I seem to have survived (I think), but let me tell you, it’s nothing short of a fishing miracle and stuff. As to whether any of the characters made it to the end of the book, well, .
Anyway, one of the Somewhat Pretty Cool Things (SPCT) about this book is that in it, Cook yet again displays Wonderfully Scrumptious and Slightly Superhuman Fast Forwarding Abilities (WSaSSFFA™). I mean, the guy is as merciless with his timeline as he is with his characters. And I 💕 lurves💕 him for it. Because why the Holy Barnacle waste 600 quite possibly boring as shrimp and never-ending pages describing the events of the last 3 years, when you can NOT describe them at all, and viciously dispose of them in one puny sentence?! That’s Otherworldly Glen Cook Efficiency (OGCE™) for you! Now excuse me while I do a happy dance with my favorite candle holder to celebrate in style. (Yes, I know, I have the coolest accessories.)
Some people might dream of steel but I dream of Jeannie. Please don’t tell anyone, it might ruin my nefarious reputation and stuff. Thank thee kindly.
Other Slightly Fantabulicious Stuff (SFS™) featured in this book include: “trickery, surprise and a cabal of wizards” (because Glen Cook so DUH), somewhat magical time-traveling babes (don’t ask), and a Super Sexey Fire Avatar (SSFA™) who is a teensy little bit, um, well, you know, hot and stuff (pun quite obviously absolutely not intended). There’s a yummilicious gigantic malformed foetus (he’s my newest pet and I named him Georgie, just so you know), super cute and fluffy pestilential pigs, blood drinking devils (yay!), children of darkness *waves at Booboo*, thaumaturgic impasses (these suck big time, if you ask me) and fanged, clawed, squat Reptilian Yet Humanoid Thingies (RYHT™) that slither and crawl and stuff (my murderous children’s new BFFs!). And there are also backstabbers aplenty and Machiavellian shenanigans galore (because Glen Cook so DUH). All in all, one might possibly maybe say that all this Slightly Fantabulicious Stuff might possibly maybe be, um, you know, slightly fantabulicious and stuff.
Oh, I almost forgot! You know what the mostest marvelousest thing about this series is?(Of course you don’t, for Clueless Barnacles will be eternally clueless and stuff.) The Black Company of Utter Scrumptiousness (TBCoUS™) and The Bloody Fishing Unfinished Instrumentalities of the Luscious Night (TBFUIotLN™), they were both born right here, in the Dread Empire Incubation Center (DEIC™): a ring spawned by a Tear, the Greatest Female Character in the Entirety of All Fantasy Literature (GFCitEoAFL™) hatched by a SSFA™, a sometimes-ever-so-slightly-annoying-yet-very-delicious male lead fathered by a sometimes-ever-so-slightly-annoying-yet-very-delicious male lead…And then there’s this:
Glorious is as glorious does and all that. And now I think I need to dance again and stuff.
Yes, I sometimes trade my favorite candle holder for a super sexy outfit and a puny human sidekick. Because I’m bold and audacious like that.
➽ Nefarious Last Words (NLW™): I’m not sure but I think I might have liked this book a little. Then again, who knows? There’s a slight chance I might have only somewhat loved it a teensy bit. Maybe.
Reading order for this series, asfirmly kindly suggest by Evgeny (aka the Ruthless Glen Cook Overlord™):
① Book 1: A Shadow of All Night Falling ★★★★
② Book 4: The Fire in His Hands ★★★★
③ Book 5: With Mercy Towards None ★★★★
④ Book 2: October’s Baby ★★★★
⑤ Book 3: All Darkness Met ★★★★★
⑥ Book 6: Reap the East Wind ★★★★★
⑦ Book 7: An Ill Fate Marshalling ★★★★★
⑧ Book 8: A Path to Coldness of Heart ★★★★
⑨ Short stories: An Empire Unacquainted with Defeat ★★★★
Pre-review nonsense
This Slightly Very Good Book (SVGB™) in a nutshell:
In other words:
In other, other words:
What can I say, I'm nefarious and stuff, ergo I lurves it when everybody dies and stuff, ergo I dance my shapely exoskeleton off in celebration and stuff.
➽ Almost nearly full review to come. In a couple of decades and stuff.
Okay, so, as I might or might not have mentioned in my dazzlingly titillating pre-review, the main thing you have to know about this book is:
Bloody shrimping hell, Cook didn’t hold back in this one. And I thought I was nefarious! I stand corrected and stuff. I am obviously naught but a wee bit amateurish, slightly anemic villain compared to the Ferociously Ruthless Destroyer of Everything that Breathes (FRDoETB™). I mean, the body count got so high here that I ended up wondering if a) there would be a single character left at the end of the book and b) I was going to be next. I seem to have survived (I think), but let me tell you, it’s nothing short of a fishing miracle and stuff. As to whether any of the characters made it to the end of the book, well, .
Anyway, one of the Somewhat Pretty Cool Things (SPCT) about this book is that in it, Cook yet again displays Wonderfully Scrumptious and Slightly Superhuman Fast Forwarding Abilities (WSaSSFFA™). I mean, the guy is as merciless with his timeline as he is with his characters. And I 💕 lurves💕 him for it. Because why the Holy Barnacle waste 600 quite possibly boring as shrimp and never-ending pages describing the events of the last 3 years, when you can NOT describe them at all, and viciously dispose of them in one puny sentence?! That’s Otherworldly Glen Cook Efficiency (OGCE™) for you! Now excuse me while I do a happy dance with my favorite candle holder to celebrate in style. (Yes, I know, I have the coolest accessories.)
Some people might dream of steel but I dream of Jeannie. Please don’t tell anyone, it might ruin my nefarious reputation and stuff. Thank thee kindly.
Other Slightly Fantabulicious Stuff (SFS™) featured in this book include: “trickery, surprise and a cabal of wizards” (because Glen Cook so DUH), somewhat magical time-traveling babes (don’t ask), and a Super Sexey Fire Avatar (SSFA™) who is a teensy little bit, um, well, you know, hot and stuff (pun quite obviously absolutely not intended). There’s a yummilicious gigantic malformed foetus (he’s my newest pet and I named him Georgie, just so you know), super cute and fluffy pestilential pigs, blood drinking devils (yay!), children of darkness *waves at Booboo*, thaumaturgic impasses (these suck big time, if you ask me) and fanged, clawed, squat Reptilian Yet Humanoid Thingies (RYHT™) that slither and crawl and stuff (my murderous children’s new BFFs!). And there are also backstabbers aplenty and Machiavellian shenanigans galore (because Glen Cook so DUH). All in all, one might possibly maybe say that all this Slightly Fantabulicious Stuff might possibly maybe be, um, you know, slightly fantabulicious and stuff.
Oh, I almost forgot! You know what the mostest marvelousest thing about this series is?
“Soldiers live. And wonder why.”Which might possibly maybe have originated from this:
“None of us are left but me.” And, after a while, “Why am I still alive?”Ha.
Glorious is as glorious does and all that. And now I think I need to dance again and stuff.
Yes, I sometimes trade my favorite candle holder for a super sexy outfit and a puny human sidekick. Because I’m bold and audacious like that.
➽ Nefarious Last Words (NLW™): I’m not sure but I think I might have liked this book a little. Then again, who knows? There’s a slight chance I might have only somewhat loved it a teensy bit. Maybe.
Reading order for this series, as
① Book 1: A Shadow of All Night Falling ★★★★
② Book 4: The Fire in His Hands ★★★★
③ Book 5: With Mercy Towards None ★★★★
④ Book 2: October’s Baby ★★★★
⑤ Book 3: All Darkness Met ★★★★★
⑥ Book 6: Reap the East Wind ★★★★★
⑦ Book 7: An Ill Fate Marshalling ★★★★★
⑧ Book 8: A Path to Coldness of Heart ★★★★
⑨ Short stories: An Empire Unacquainted with Defeat ★★★★
Pre-review nonsense
This Slightly Very Good Book (SVGB™) in a nutshell:
In other words:
In other, other words:
What can I say, I'm nefarious and stuff, ergo I lurves it when everybody dies and stuff, ergo I dance my shapely exoskeleton off in celebration and stuff.
➽ Almost nearly full review to come. In a couple of decades and stuff.
August 13, 2019
Whoa, what the heck is left for the final three books in this series after this?
I really liked this installment. Where the previous books have had something of a cast of thousands as far as whose POV you might be in at any given chapter, this one focused much more tightly on Bragi, so it had a more personal feel to it. This was the kind of writing that made me love Glen Cook forever during the Black Company series, so I enjoyed getting to see an earlier example of it.
But wow, this installment was also pretty bleak and dark and devastating. All Darkness Met, indeed.
I really liked this installment. Where the previous books have had something of a cast of thousands as far as whose POV you might be in at any given chapter, this one focused much more tightly on Bragi, so it had a more personal feel to it. This was the kind of writing that made me love Glen Cook forever during the Black Company series, so I enjoyed getting to see an earlier example of it.
But wow, this installment was also pretty bleak and dark and devastating. All Darkness Met, indeed.
July 28, 2019
What a great book! Out of the first five Dread Empire novels, this is easily my favorite. It touches upon most of the things I really like about Glen Cook, and is also the only book I’ve read in this series (so far) which can stand alongside the Black Company books in terms of quality.
What’s even more surprising is that I thought the previous volume, October's Baby, was okay but mostly forgettable...and yet it was published in the same year (1980) as this one. Considering the books were likely written around the same time, I really didn’t expect to enjoy this one as much as I did.
My main reason for giving this four stars instead of five is that it became a bit too epic in scope during the second half, and I don’t think Cook had quite developed the skills yet to juggle all of it. As such, certain parts felt rushed or confusing.
Anyways, a great (and emotional) conclusion to the original Dread Empire trilogy, which I enjoyed more than the prequel books (those are collected in A Fortress in Shadow).
What’s even more surprising is that I thought the previous volume, October's Baby, was okay but mostly forgettable...and yet it was published in the same year (1980) as this one. Considering the books were likely written around the same time, I really didn’t expect to enjoy this one as much as I did.
My main reason for giving this four stars instead of five is that it became a bit too epic in scope during the second half, and I don’t think Cook had quite developed the skills yet to juggle all of it. As such, certain parts felt rushed or confusing.
Anyways, a great (and emotional) conclusion to the original Dread Empire trilogy, which I enjoyed more than the prequel books (those are collected in A Fortress in Shadow).
May 29, 2016
All Darkness Met is the godfather of the Game of Thrones. The list of dead major and minor characters beggars the imagination. Glen Cook shoved an entire three year war and military campaign into a single book. At times, the book reads like a standard fantasy novel, and others, summarizes vast military land battles into a few pages, rattling off one death after another.
The story centers around Bragi Ragnarson, who, ten years ago, had defeated the Dread Empire. Things don't take long going from bad to worse as named characters get killed, kidnapped, and sidelined. The Dread Empire wants revenge for its previous defeat, and it's had ten years to amass legions. What begins with assassination and skullduggery ends in a knock-down, drag-out war with a body count in the millions.
Brutal, unmerciful, and containing almost no feel-good moments, this military fantasy answers the dorky question, "If wizards could do X, then why didn't they?" In this book, they do. The magics are fearsome and frightening, bypassing immoral and going straight for reprehensible.
Cook's writing has risen to the complexities of this work, finally bringing to fruition this idea of military fantasy. It's a frightening war combining the worse elements of medieval warfare with the worse elements of modern warfare.
The ultimate downfall of this book is that it bites off so much that it can't even pretend to chew it. This book could have been written as an entire series by itself, spread across four or five more books. The sheer amount of narrative condensation is unbelievable. Glen Cook's skills have risen considerably just to produce this work, but this military fantasy genre demands even more than Cook can achieve. For every prose problems that he's solved and mastered, he invents two new problems. The narrative often bogs down under the weight of its own ambition, requiring vast summaries just to bring the book in at a publishable word count.
If you like this sort of fantasy, this is worth a read. If you don't, it's going to turn you off.
The story centers around Bragi Ragnarson, who, ten years ago, had defeated the Dread Empire. Things don't take long going from bad to worse as named characters get killed, kidnapped, and sidelined. The Dread Empire wants revenge for its previous defeat, and it's had ten years to amass legions. What begins with assassination and skullduggery ends in a knock-down, drag-out war with a body count in the millions.
Brutal, unmerciful, and containing almost no feel-good moments, this military fantasy answers the dorky question, "If wizards could do X, then why didn't they?" In this book, they do. The magics are fearsome and frightening, bypassing immoral and going straight for reprehensible.
Cook's writing has risen to the complexities of this work, finally bringing to fruition this idea of military fantasy. It's a frightening war combining the worse elements of medieval warfare with the worse elements of modern warfare.
The ultimate downfall of this book is that it bites off so much that it can't even pretend to chew it. This book could have been written as an entire series by itself, spread across four or five more books. The sheer amount of narrative condensation is unbelievable. Glen Cook's skills have risen considerably just to produce this work, but this military fantasy genre demands even more than Cook can achieve. For every prose problems that he's solved and mastered, he invents two new problems. The narrative often bogs down under the weight of its own ambition, requiring vast summaries just to bring the book in at a publishable word count.
If you like this sort of fantasy, this is worth a read. If you don't, it's going to turn you off.
January 12, 2018
All Darkness Met (Dread Empire #3) - Glen Cook | A guerra contra o Dread Empire se agrava! | NITROLEITURAS #fantasia
Minhas impressões do terceiro volume da primeira saga de fantasia sombria do criador da Companhia Negra!
All Darkness Met (Dread Empire #3) - Glen Cook | 336 pgs, Berkley Books, 1984 (1ed. 1980) | Lido de 5.12.17 a 7.12.17 | NITROLEITURAS #fantasia #fantasiasombria
SINOPSE
No fim da guerra do império, nem tudo é um inferno. Mocker encontra velhos amigos na porta da morte, e Nephante conquista novos amantes nos campos de sangue e ossos. A criança-da-guerra brande a espada da verdade, e o terrível segredo do Star Rider é revelado. E assim tudo acaba. Apesar de que o fim, para feiticeiros imortais, é apenas uma nova palavra para novos começos!
RESENHA
ALL DARKNESS MET é mais um livro brutal, sem misericórdia, e, comparado com os outros dois volumes, bem mais niilista. Cook não dá refresco para seus personagens, e até mesmo cria uma cena que é uma espéce de "precursora" do famoso Red Wedding do George R.R. Martin. Personagens da saga morrem para todos os lados e de maneiras inesperadas, e a sensação de desespero é imensa durante toda a trama.
Ou seja, é DOIDIMAIS VÉÉÉÉIO para quem curte fantasia bem sombria mesmo.
Esse é um livro mais maduro em termos de prosa, com a escrita do Cook mostrando mais do que sumarizando os eventos militares. É muito interessante ver como a visão genial da Companhia Negra, a da mistura de horror, fantasia e narrativa militarista mais de ficção histórica, a mesma fórmula depois levada à perfeição por Martin, evolui a partir de suas raízes na literatura pulp de espada e feitiçaria.
A capacidade de condensação narrativa de Cook é impressionante, com trama suficiente em um único livro para uma longa série. O problema é que, ao condensar a narrativa, a força dramática de cenas narradas ao invés de mostradas perde força. Mas, caraca, a imaginação do Cook é de meter medo, sensacional. Vi também como ele bebe muito de Shakespeare, principalmente na estrutura dos dramas palacianas e militares, principalmente de peças como Hamlet, Henrique VIII entre outras, recriadas em um estilo pulp, claro!
Uma coisa que notei no meio do livro é a ENORME influência da saga Dread Empire no Berserk de Kentaro Miura, bem maior, ao meu ver, do que a influência da saga da Companhia Negra. Alguns exemplos:
O Star Knight do Dread Empire é muito semelhante ao Skull Night do Berserk.
O Dread Empire lembra, apesar de ser baseado na China Antiga, a nação de Kushan do Berserk.
Tem um artefato chamado o Ovo de Deus na saga Dread Empire que lembra muito as Bereliths do Berserk.
E os Adeptos e a God Hand do Berserk são muito parecidos com os poderosos e monstruosos feiticeiros da saga Dread Empire.
Muito legal ver as conexões, e ver como Keitaro Miura retrabalhou os tropos (lugares comuns) da fantasia militarista, popularizados por Glen Cook em sua obra Berserk.
Fica a recomendação novamente, para fãs de fantasia militarista, de fantasia brutal e da saga da Companhia Negra.
ONDE COMPRAR
A Cruel Wind - Dread Empire Vol. 1 a 3
https://goo.gl/d2FxTv
Um abraço do Newton Nitro!
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Minhas impressões do terceiro volume da primeira saga de fantasia sombria do criador da Companhia Negra!
All Darkness Met (Dread Empire #3) - Glen Cook | 336 pgs, Berkley Books, 1984 (1ed. 1980) | Lido de 5.12.17 a 7.12.17 | NITROLEITURAS #fantasia #fantasiasombria
SINOPSE
No fim da guerra do império, nem tudo é um inferno. Mocker encontra velhos amigos na porta da morte, e Nephante conquista novos amantes nos campos de sangue e ossos. A criança-da-guerra brande a espada da verdade, e o terrível segredo do Star Rider é revelado. E assim tudo acaba. Apesar de que o fim, para feiticeiros imortais, é apenas uma nova palavra para novos começos!
RESENHA
ALL DARKNESS MET é mais um livro brutal, sem misericórdia, e, comparado com os outros dois volumes, bem mais niilista. Cook não dá refresco para seus personagens, e até mesmo cria uma cena que é uma espéce de "precursora" do famoso Red Wedding do George R.R. Martin. Personagens da saga morrem para todos os lados e de maneiras inesperadas, e a sensação de desespero é imensa durante toda a trama.
Ou seja, é DOIDIMAIS VÉÉÉÉIO para quem curte fantasia bem sombria mesmo.
Esse é um livro mais maduro em termos de prosa, com a escrita do Cook mostrando mais do que sumarizando os eventos militares. É muito interessante ver como a visão genial da Companhia Negra, a da mistura de horror, fantasia e narrativa militarista mais de ficção histórica, a mesma fórmula depois levada à perfeição por Martin, evolui a partir de suas raízes na literatura pulp de espada e feitiçaria.
A capacidade de condensação narrativa de Cook é impressionante, com trama suficiente em um único livro para uma longa série. O problema é que, ao condensar a narrativa, a força dramática de cenas narradas ao invés de mostradas perde força. Mas, caraca, a imaginação do Cook é de meter medo, sensacional. Vi também como ele bebe muito de Shakespeare, principalmente na estrutura dos dramas palacianas e militares, principalmente de peças como Hamlet, Henrique VIII entre outras, recriadas em um estilo pulp, claro!
Uma coisa que notei no meio do livro é a ENORME influência da saga Dread Empire no Berserk de Kentaro Miura, bem maior, ao meu ver, do que a influência da saga da Companhia Negra. Alguns exemplos:
O Star Knight do Dread Empire é muito semelhante ao Skull Night do Berserk.
O Dread Empire lembra, apesar de ser baseado na China Antiga, a nação de Kushan do Berserk.
Tem um artefato chamado o Ovo de Deus na saga Dread Empire que lembra muito as Bereliths do Berserk.
E os Adeptos e a God Hand do Berserk são muito parecidos com os poderosos e monstruosos feiticeiros da saga Dread Empire.
Muito legal ver as conexões, e ver como Keitaro Miura retrabalhou os tropos (lugares comuns) da fantasia militarista, popularizados por Glen Cook em sua obra Berserk.
Fica a recomendação novamente, para fãs de fantasia militarista, de fantasia brutal e da saga da Companhia Negra.
ONDE COMPRAR
A Cruel Wind - Dread Empire Vol. 1 a 3
https://goo.gl/d2FxTv
Um abraço do Newton Nitro!
______________________
Se você gostou, se inscreva no CANAL NITROBLOG no YOUTUBE!
https://goo.gl/3ZNWbM
E conheça o meu CANAL de DICAS DIÁRIAS DE INGLÊS, o MELHORE SEU INGLÊS!
https://goo.gl/ATUJc3
E nos siga no INSTAGRAM MELHORE SEU INGLÊS, sempre com MUITAS DICAS DIÁRIAS DE INGLÊS!
https://goo.gl/iwisNJ
ASSOCIADOS AMAZON LINK:
https://goo.gl/pP1CmY
Compre livros na AMAZON e contribua com o NITROBLOG e o MELHORE SEU INGLÊS - Canais do Youtube!
CONTOS E LIVROS DE NEWTON NITRO
Conheça meus Contos e Livros (Download Gratuito!)
https://goo.gl/AXJIl4
ROMANCE MARCA DA CAVEIRA
https://goo.gl/24sOu1
SERVIÇOS DE LEITURA CRÍTICA
https://goo.gl/VDx6nh
FACEBOOK - Newton Nitro
https://goo.gl/2RCewf
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___________________________________
BLOGS
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April 3, 2020
While the Dread Empire series isn’t exactly a romp in the park, this installment (last book of the original trilogy, fifth in chronological order) is probably the grimmest: tragedy, betrayal, torture and revenge play major roles, especially in the first half. The main storyline takes place seven years after the events in October’s Baby, and many of the characters are starting to feel their age. Like many others of the series, this book contains a certain amount of backstory, in this case, of O Shing, heir to one of the Princes Thaumaturge of Shinsan (the Dread Empire) and rival to Mist, who was a more important character in the October’s Baby. While the first half of this book is more intrigue and politics, before the novel is complete, the reader will get more than their fill of warfare and sorcery, as the forces of the West go toe-to-toe with Shinsan and it's secret puppetmaster(s). Warning: Don't get attached to any of the characters, because the gloves are definitely off in this one.
March 31, 2015
I don't know if it was because I was semi-irritated, when I was reading this book, or because it was just so uninteresting(boring), but I do know that I can't give it more than 1.5/5 Stars.
As usual, I list what went through my mind while reading this book:
The star rider's hand is in everything.
I wonder if someone can really talk like mocker for an extended period of time and still make sense.
These assassins sound like that cult of Kali in the Black Company Series with the "bloodless killing"..... but seeing as both series were written by the same Author....
I wonder if the artwork for October's Baby is actually the "unborn", they both are surrounded by a "nimbus of power".
As usual, I list what went through my mind while reading this book:
The star rider's hand is in everything.
I wonder if someone can really talk like mocker for an extended period of time and still make sense.
These assassins sound like that cult of Kali in the Black Company Series with the "bloodless killing"..... but seeing as both series were written by the same Author....
I wonder if the artwork for October's Baby is actually the "unborn", they both are surrounded by a "nimbus of power".
February 2, 2025
Like every other review points out, this is a bit of a weirdly weighted book because war breaks out about halfway through, and it becomes a ton of battles overall. But I felt like it still kept the focus mostly on Bragi (more on that name later), with some meandering to other characters when it seems useful.
People also warn that it's a bloodbath, but for my money the only meaningful deaths occur in the first half of the book. In the latter half, you'd get sections where it's like, 'X fought off the supernatural beasts, but one's claw got him in the side, and he fell, his life's blood spilling out.' And I'd be like, 'who the hell was X?' Then like a chapter later I'd think, 'oh, right, X was that one dude who disappeared for 100 pages.' This plus the name thing left most of the deaths pretty meaningless for me.
The name thing. Okay. You want to tell a story of huge scope with dozens of characters, and you're trying to be Vietnam story-style down-to-earth about it. Real people often have nicknames, or weird shortenings of their name. But here's the problem. It means our main-ish character is Bragi Ragnarson. Often called just Ragnarson. Or Marshall. But never Regent, even though he becomes regent like halfway in. Also, his son is named Ragnar. (So is his full name Ragnar Bragison? Or Ragnar Ragnarsonson?) You've got Vathlokkur, Vathler and Visigodred. At least two of these are wizards, I believe. Steven Erikson, who was hugely influenced by Cook, at least gave us dramatis personae .... s in his books. I remember my first time reading Gardens of the Moon, flipping back to that damn thing like I was doing introductory Spanish homework. This one needed that.
And a map. Everybody's always talking about tactics, and who's stationed where, and I'm like, I HAVE NO FRAME OF REFERENCE FOR ANYTHING YOU'RE SAYING. Yeesh.
Still, I'm giving it four stars because at least a couple of the deaths got to me*, and my personal favorite character lived, so whew. Also, I just ... did not care for October's Baby, so it was nice to a) enjoy a Dread Empire tale again, and b) get October's Baby explained to me in like one paragraph fairly early on. Thanks for that, Glen!
Curious about where it goes from here, but I'll probably go back to the Black Company before delving into Dread Empire again anytime soon.
*not the one that I'm assuming got to most people. It just felt like that character had changed so much, it was like they'd died offscreen already.
People also warn that it's a bloodbath, but for my money the only meaningful deaths occur in the first half of the book. In the latter half, you'd get sections where it's like, 'X fought off the supernatural beasts, but one's claw got him in the side, and he fell, his life's blood spilling out.' And I'd be like, 'who the hell was X?' Then like a chapter later I'd think, 'oh, right, X was that one dude who disappeared for 100 pages.' This plus the name thing left most of the deaths pretty meaningless for me.
The name thing. Okay. You want to tell a story of huge scope with dozens of characters, and you're trying to be Vietnam story-style down-to-earth about it. Real people often have nicknames, or weird shortenings of their name. But here's the problem. It means our main-ish character is Bragi Ragnarson. Often called just Ragnarson. Or Marshall. But never Regent, even though he becomes regent like halfway in. Also, his son is named Ragnar. (So is his full name Ragnar Bragison? Or Ragnar Ragnarsonson?) You've got Vathlokkur, Vathler and Visigodred. At least two of these are wizards, I believe. Steven Erikson, who was hugely influenced by Cook, at least gave us dramatis personae .... s in his books. I remember my first time reading Gardens of the Moon, flipping back to that damn thing like I was doing introductory Spanish homework. This one needed that.
And a map. Everybody's always talking about tactics, and who's stationed where, and I'm like, I HAVE NO FRAME OF REFERENCE FOR ANYTHING YOU'RE SAYING. Yeesh.
Still, I'm giving it four stars because at least a couple of the deaths got to me*, and my personal favorite character lived, so whew. Also, I just ... did not care for October's Baby, so it was nice to a) enjoy a Dread Empire tale again, and b) get October's Baby explained to me in like one paragraph fairly early on. Thanks for that, Glen!
Curious about where it goes from here, but I'll probably go back to the Black Company before delving into Dread Empire again anytime soon.
*not the one that I'm assuming got to most people. It just felt like that character had changed so much, it was like they'd died offscreen already.
November 30, 2024
3.5
A curious conclusion to the first trilogy in Cook's Dread Empire series. The first half of the book is a cracker with great characters, devious twists and rising tension. However, the second half feels oddly matter of fact, even rushed, and dashes to an anticlimactic conclusion. It also sidelines - or straight up removes - a number of important and interesting characters and what we're left with isn't quite as compelling.
Still plenty of good moments, mind you, and I'll eventually get to the prequel duology and sequel trilogy, but this one didn't quite hit the way I wanted it to.
A curious conclusion to the first trilogy in Cook's Dread Empire series. The first half of the book is a cracker with great characters, devious twists and rising tension. However, the second half feels oddly matter of fact, even rushed, and dashes to an anticlimactic conclusion. It also sidelines - or straight up removes - a number of important and interesting characters and what we're left with isn't quite as compelling.
Still plenty of good moments, mind you, and I'll eventually get to the prequel duology and sequel trilogy, but this one didn't quite hit the way I wanted it to.
October 14, 2019
Meh. What a mess of a book.
100% Plot-driven, very old school in this sense, to the point that events happen and people show up and act apparently just to bring the story forwards.
Still not sure I understood what was the Star Rider goal anyway...will that be solved in the final trilogy? I do not think I will ever read that one.
Still there are interesting bits, in the rough and sketchy characterization of the various figures in the story.
100% Plot-driven, very old school in this sense, to the point that events happen and people show up and act apparently just to bring the story forwards.
Still not sure I understood what was the Star Rider goal anyway...will that be solved in the final trilogy? I do not think I will ever read that one.
Still there are interesting bits, in the rough and sketchy characterization of the various figures in the story.
October 12, 2021
Very similar to book #2 is the series, though more large scale battles. Again some fantastic magic scenes. I'm confused a bit by the change of tone of the Star Rider and what happened to the Old Man. I think there are a lot of threads left hanging here. Maybe they continue in further chronicles of the Dread Empire.
January 15, 2024
You can tell Cook is becoming a better author by this point but he hasn't reached his apex yet. There is a lot positive about this, but it falls apart near the end. It feels rushed to tie up everything together.
A lot of aspects of this book feel like they would be better represented in his Black Company series that comes later.
A lot of aspects of this book feel like they would be better represented in his Black Company series that comes later.
November 3, 2021
Better than the first 2. Get A Cruel Wind and read them all at once, it's much more enjoyable.
May 13, 2025
Glen is the best
June 4, 2017
Not terrible but I was bored stupid the entire book.
April 4, 2020
Did not finish.
After the high-level reports of a battle (set of battles? war?) were given, I realized I didn't care about who won. I didn't know or care who all was involved. I didn't care what happened to most of the individual characters.
I still had about half the book left, and I just didn't care what happened. I didn't see the point in continuing to the end when I was feeling that way about things.
I loved the Black Company books, so I am disappointed this wasn't of the same quality.
After the high-level reports of a battle (set of battles? war?) were given, I realized I didn't care about who won. I didn't know or care who all was involved. I didn't care what happened to most of the individual characters.
I still had about half the book left, and I just didn't care what happened. I didn't see the point in continuing to the end when I was feeling that way about things.
I loved the Black Company books, so I am disappointed this wasn't of the same quality.
March 19, 2019
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.
January 18, 2012
Continuation from October's Baby. More fantasy war, still done right. Gets a bit patchy towards the end of the volume, but that's Cook's style, and all the important stuff is in the characters, not the detail of what they do anyway. Loose ends left hanging. Not everything turns out for the best. As it should be. Rated M for supernatural themes and violence. 4/5
January 14, 2016
Excellent. A very good start and an even better finish. The author kept me guessing to the end. The author demonstrates a good understanding of military tactics. That's important if one hopes to write a well-crafted tale involving large epic battles as well as whole campaigns. I will definitely want to read more in the series.
July 28, 2010
The Dread Empire series was written in a very different style than the Black Company books and at first I wasn't in to it as much. I never did like it quite as much as the Black Company series but I came to enjoy it a lot and consider it a very strong fantasy series.
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