Dawn of Night

by Paul S. Kemp

Book Overview

In the sequel to Twilight Falling, Erevis Cale suddenly finds himself an untold power--as well as a daunting responsibility--and is forced to put his trust in a god born of chaos and worshipped by... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786932252
• ISBN13: 9780786932252
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
• Length: 302 Pages
• Weight: 0.37 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 4.1" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

The Night is in Full Swing!

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 ima

Highly Recommended

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

Masterful Writing Continues

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.

Gritty continuation of the adventures of Erevis Cale

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.

A Excellent Read

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.