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Eberron
Night of Long Shadows
Explore the dark under-belly of Khorvaire with Eberron 's version of the private detective - The Inquisitives!
Nights of the Long the three nights of the year when the darkest powers of the world gain strength and rise to prey upon the unwary. When one of Sharn's most famed Inquisitives is hired to investigate a brutal murder at Morgrave University, his brilliance may be his damnation, as he uncovers a trail of blood leading from the deediest neighborhoods of the City of Towers to the highest reaches of power.
Nights of the Long the three nights of the year when the darkest powers of the world gain strength and rise to prey upon the unwary. When one of Sharn's most famed Inquisitives is hired to investigate a brutal murder at Morgrave University, his brilliance may be his damnation, as he uncovers a trail of blood leading from the deediest neighborhoods of the City of Towers to the highest reaches of power.
320 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 8, 2007
13 people are currently reading
236 people want to read
About the author
Paul Crilley
51 books204 followersPaul Crilley (who also writes thrillers under the pseudonym Paul Herron) has been writing professionally for the past 20 years. In that time, he has worked on over twenty-seven television shows - one of which was nominated for an iEmmy - as a head-writer, writer, script editor, and story-liner.
His Delphic Division series, Poison City and the sequel Clockwork City, (written as Paul Crilley), about a supernatural police force based in Durban, South Africa, is in development as a television series with Jerry Bruckheimer Productions and CBS. Paul worked on the Bioware MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic and has also written comics for IDW, (most notably, Star Wars Adventures, and The X-Files)
Over the years, Paul has worked with Marvel, 20th Century Fox Television, NBC Universal, Anonymous Content, Krysten Ritter’s production company Silent Machine, Disney, the SyFy Channel, and IDW comics. He has written twelve novels, worked on five computer games, and also novelized Frank Miller’s seminal graphic novel, Daredevil: The Man Without Fear for Marvel.
His new thriller Breakout, (written as Paul Herron), comes out in 2021 from Headline (UK) and Grand Central Press (US).
His Delphic Division series, Poison City and the sequel Clockwork City, (written as Paul Crilley), about a supernatural police force based in Durban, South Africa, is in development as a television series with Jerry Bruckheimer Productions and CBS. Paul worked on the Bioware MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic and has also written comics for IDW, (most notably, Star Wars Adventures, and The X-Files)
Over the years, Paul has worked with Marvel, 20th Century Fox Television, NBC Universal, Anonymous Content, Krysten Ritter’s production company Silent Machine, Disney, the SyFy Channel, and IDW comics. He has written twelve novels, worked on five computer games, and also novelized Frank Miller’s seminal graphic novel, Daredevil: The Man Without Fear for Marvel.
His new thriller Breakout, (written as Paul Herron), comes out in 2021 from Headline (UK) and Grand Central Press (US).
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
December 28, 2021
An okay read and a nice introduction to the city of Sharn. Nonetheless, I find myself somewhat disappointed - partially due to the hype around Abraxis Wren and partially due to the wasted potential in the book.
Given the description, I was expecting this to be some kind of Sherlock Holmes novel with the arrogant half-elf Abraxis Wren in the leading role. I was wrong. There is not one single intelligent idea coming from the "best inquisitive of Sharn" in the whole book. Instead, the plot is solved by other characters (in particular the bully Cutter and the secret service agent Col) or - in most cases - simply by accident. This could have been funny if the self-proclaimed genius Wren would be treated with the irony he deserves, but even this is lacking. He is just a guy who somehow stumbles through the case and happens to be in the right spot to kill the evil guy in the end. If there was humor to be found here (beyond some dialogues between Wren and Torin), it was lost on me.
Given the potential of the main protagonists, this is a shame. There was so much more that the author could have done with these characters and with the plot at hand. Instead, it all feels somehow like a D&D adventure where the main goal is to show as much of the city as possible and where the solution consists in fearlessly running from clue to clue, beating up people.
So in the end, I don't quite understand why Abraxis Wren ever got so popular in the Eberron community...
Given the description, I was expecting this to be some kind of Sherlock Holmes novel with the arrogant half-elf Abraxis Wren in the leading role. I was wrong. There is not one single intelligent idea coming from the "best inquisitive of Sharn" in the whole book. Instead, the plot is solved by other characters (in particular the bully Cutter and the secret service agent Col) or - in most cases - simply by accident. This could have been funny if the self-proclaimed genius Wren would be treated with the irony he deserves, but even this is lacking. He is just a guy who somehow stumbles through the case and happens to be in the right spot to kill the evil guy in the end. If there was humor to be found here (beyond some dialogues between Wren and Torin), it was lost on me.
Given the potential of the main protagonists, this is a shame. There was so much more that the author could have done with these characters and with the plot at hand. Instead, it all feels somehow like a D&D adventure where the main goal is to show as much of the city as possible and where the solution consists in fearlessly running from clue to clue, beating up people.
So in the end, I don't quite understand why Abraxis Wren ever got so popular in the Eberron community...
August 30, 2025
As always love the setting. A fun blend of mystery with glimpses of Ocean's 11 and other intrigue. The relationship between Ren and Torin feels off but Cutter is a compelling character. I'd love a less stereotypical villain but that just comes with the territory I think. Thoroughly entrenched in Sharn. Curious where the second one will go.
September 1, 2010
Night of the Long Shadows by Paul Crilley- This is the second book in the stand-alone novel series titled The Inquisitives. It's also the first book in The Chronicles of Abraxis Wren. The series is set in the Eberron setting of the pen and paper role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons. The other novels in The Inquisitives are Bound by Iron by Edward Bolme, Legacy of Wolves by Marsheila Rockwell, and The Darkwood Mask by Jeff LaSala. The second book in The Chronicles of Abraxis Wren is the sequel to Night of the Long Shadows and is called Taint of the Black Brigade. Paul Crilley has written two other novels. His first he co-wrote with Tiffany Trent called Oracle of the Morrigan, which is the sixth book in the Hallowmere series. His other novel is to be released September 2010 and is the first book in the Invisible Order series titled Rise of the Darklings. Night of the Long Shadows was released in May 2007 and was published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
A professor at Morgrave University was found slain, with a man with dragon tattoos standing over his corpse. The witness, a dwarf named Torin, is thankfully a partner to an inquisitive named Abraxis Wren, who is called in to investigate the death. After Wren looks over the crime scene, he takes Torin and sets off to find the man with the dragon tattoos. As Wren and Torin uncover more about who this character is, the motives and reasoning doesn't sit right with the inquisitive. There must be more to this murder than it seems.
Criticisms:
1) Editing. This is the major problem I saw with the story, however, it doesn't impact the story too much. It was just bothersome. For example, within the first few chapters, we have a paragraph that was repeated. How does something like that happen? It did take me out of the moment and was a little frustrating to have to re-read what I've just read. Then later in the story, one of the last chapters to be exact, two names were mixed up. Now I could understand this mistake if the names were similar enough, but the only similarity was they both started with C. Also, I must note that neither Cutter or Col were in the scene together and on top of that, the chapter was focusing on Cutter. There were other, smaller mistakes, but nothing as bad as a paragraph being repeated or a name mix up. It was just sloppy editing.
2) Dialogue Flow. Now this is a very minor issue with the dialogue. There were times when a conversation was happening that I lost track of who was saying what. Now this only happened once, that I can recall, in the story, hence why it's not a big issue, but it does require mentioning.
Praises:
1) Characters. I really enjoyed the two main characters. Cutter and Wren were just interesting foils to each other. Cutter, the man with the dragon tattoos, was the more 'normal' fantasy character. The big tough guy of the story. However, he brought a little heart to the story with his love he shows towards Rowen. However, Abraxis Wren stole the story. To put it simply, I loved his character. Wren was the kind of character that is seen mostly as the comical sidekick character of the main hero. Here, the comedian is the hero. Almost everything Wren did in the story had a sense of humor to it. Sometimes it was a small little action he does or a clever quip he says, but it works in all the right ways. You hardly ever see a main character like that and it was refreshing to see it. The secondary characters were good as well, always filling their needed roles almost perfectly. However, the did little else. Torin was the best of the group, mostly due to the verbal sparing between Wren and him. All in all, the main characters really made this story a blast to read.
2) Humor. The story was funny, plain and simple. From the funny exchanges between Wren and Torin to some of the situations, the story had a humorous feel to it that you normally wouldn't place with a murder mystery. Instead of hampering the story in silly jokes, it made it easier to read. The interactions between Wren and Torin were funny enough that it seemed like something you'd see between two friends. It also made the more serious scenes, where no jokes were found all the more serious. The humor helped the story flow and not get caught on things that would slow it down.
3) Murder Mystery. The mystery itself was interesting and exciting. Things happened at a rapid pace that it was almost had to put down for too long. It also helped that it wasn't really predictable, for the most part. With as many twists and turns the story had, it would be hard for anyone to predict what was going to happen in the next chapter. There were times when the story almost felt like something you'd find on a good hour-long crime drama on television. It just was a fun mystery that kept me at the edge of my seat.
Side Notes:
1) Characters. There were a lot of characters that only showed up for one or two scenes and were never heard of again. Usually I'd be upset or angered by this, but for the type of story that Night of the Long Shadows was, it didn't bother me. In fact, it was almost like something out of a crime TV show like CSI or Law and Order, with all the characters and suspects.
2) Eberron. I'm still really new to the whole setting and there were somethings I weren't familiar with that I had to look up. Not a huge issue in the scheme of things, but it was something to keep in your mind while reading that you may have to look up things.
3) Cover Art. It's okay, but ultimately nothing special. The green hue everything has isn't really flattering and really doesn't work. Wren and Cutter do look really good, but they don't save it from the green blandness. They just balance it out to make it an okay cover.
Overall: 4/5
Final Thoughts:
Night of the Long Shadows is a really fun and exciting murder mystery. The biggest issue I had with the novel was the lack of editing. Having a huge mistake like repeating a paragraph again was lazy on the editors' part. I just hope that other copies of the book have this fixed. It's also worth mentioning that there were times when it was hard to pick out who was saying what, but it wasn't a huge issue. Those issues being said, they hardly impact the humorous experience I had while reading it. From the wonderfully witty dialogue to Abraxis Wren's clever quips and jokes, it was surprising to see how humorous an investigation of a murder can be. While the humor was great, it wouldn't have been as good without Abraxis Wren. Wren just made this story so much more enjoyable than it already was. His humor and attitude towards things aren't what you'd normally see in a main character, I say we need more Wren's in fantasy stories. When all is said and done, would I recommend Night of the Long Shadows? Yes, it's definitely worth a read.
A professor at Morgrave University was found slain, with a man with dragon tattoos standing over his corpse. The witness, a dwarf named Torin, is thankfully a partner to an inquisitive named Abraxis Wren, who is called in to investigate the death. After Wren looks over the crime scene, he takes Torin and sets off to find the man with the dragon tattoos. As Wren and Torin uncover more about who this character is, the motives and reasoning doesn't sit right with the inquisitive. There must be more to this murder than it seems.
Criticisms:
1) Editing. This is the major problem I saw with the story, however, it doesn't impact the story too much. It was just bothersome. For example, within the first few chapters, we have a paragraph that was repeated. How does something like that happen? It did take me out of the moment and was a little frustrating to have to re-read what I've just read. Then later in the story, one of the last chapters to be exact, two names were mixed up. Now I could understand this mistake if the names were similar enough, but the only similarity was they both started with C. Also, I must note that neither Cutter or Col were in the scene together and on top of that, the chapter was focusing on Cutter. There were other, smaller mistakes, but nothing as bad as a paragraph being repeated or a name mix up. It was just sloppy editing.
2) Dialogue Flow. Now this is a very minor issue with the dialogue. There were times when a conversation was happening that I lost track of who was saying what. Now this only happened once, that I can recall, in the story, hence why it's not a big issue, but it does require mentioning.
Praises:
1) Characters. I really enjoyed the two main characters. Cutter and Wren were just interesting foils to each other. Cutter, the man with the dragon tattoos, was the more 'normal' fantasy character. The big tough guy of the story. However, he brought a little heart to the story with his love he shows towards Rowen. However, Abraxis Wren stole the story. To put it simply, I loved his character. Wren was the kind of character that is seen mostly as the comical sidekick character of the main hero. Here, the comedian is the hero. Almost everything Wren did in the story had a sense of humor to it. Sometimes it was a small little action he does or a clever quip he says, but it works in all the right ways. You hardly ever see a main character like that and it was refreshing to see it. The secondary characters were good as well, always filling their needed roles almost perfectly. However, the did little else. Torin was the best of the group, mostly due to the verbal sparing between Wren and him. All in all, the main characters really made this story a blast to read.
2) Humor. The story was funny, plain and simple. From the funny exchanges between Wren and Torin to some of the situations, the story had a humorous feel to it that you normally wouldn't place with a murder mystery. Instead of hampering the story in silly jokes, it made it easier to read. The interactions between Wren and Torin were funny enough that it seemed like something you'd see between two friends. It also made the more serious scenes, where no jokes were found all the more serious. The humor helped the story flow and not get caught on things that would slow it down.
3) Murder Mystery. The mystery itself was interesting and exciting. Things happened at a rapid pace that it was almost had to put down for too long. It also helped that it wasn't really predictable, for the most part. With as many twists and turns the story had, it would be hard for anyone to predict what was going to happen in the next chapter. There were times when the story almost felt like something you'd find on a good hour-long crime drama on television. It just was a fun mystery that kept me at the edge of my seat.
Side Notes:
1) Characters. There were a lot of characters that only showed up for one or two scenes and were never heard of again. Usually I'd be upset or angered by this, but for the type of story that Night of the Long Shadows was, it didn't bother me. In fact, it was almost like something out of a crime TV show like CSI or Law and Order, with all the characters and suspects.
2) Eberron. I'm still really new to the whole setting and there were somethings I weren't familiar with that I had to look up. Not a huge issue in the scheme of things, but it was something to keep in your mind while reading that you may have to look up things.
3) Cover Art. It's okay, but ultimately nothing special. The green hue everything has isn't really flattering and really doesn't work. Wren and Cutter do look really good, but they don't save it from the green blandness. They just balance it out to make it an okay cover.
Overall: 4/5
Final Thoughts:
Night of the Long Shadows is a really fun and exciting murder mystery. The biggest issue I had with the novel was the lack of editing. Having a huge mistake like repeating a paragraph again was lazy on the editors' part. I just hope that other copies of the book have this fixed. It's also worth mentioning that there were times when it was hard to pick out who was saying what, but it wasn't a huge issue. Those issues being said, they hardly impact the humorous experience I had while reading it. From the wonderfully witty dialogue to Abraxis Wren's clever quips and jokes, it was surprising to see how humorous an investigation of a murder can be. While the humor was great, it wouldn't have been as good without Abraxis Wren. Wren just made this story so much more enjoyable than it already was. His humor and attitude towards things aren't what you'd normally see in a main character, I say we need more Wren's in fantasy stories. When all is said and done, would I recommend Night of the Long Shadows? Yes, it's definitely worth a read.
January 4, 2018
Aha, now this book was a pleasant change of pace from the disappointment of the first book in the Inquisitives title from Eberron. This also happens to be the first of at least two books about the Inquisitive Abraxis Wren, the second being Taint of the Black Brigade. I read Taint of the Black Brigade some years back, and upon realizing it was the second book for the titular character I promised I would eventually read this first one.
I will say that I enjoyed this, though not for the character of Wren himself. He feels more like an afterthought or a side character in this story, with the character of Cutter taking the spotlight. There is plenty of intrigue, twists and turns in this book, and I personally find Cutter to be a sympathetic and compelling character. Wren however, was more annoying than anything even when he was being helpful, and he fails to actually come across as interesting rather than a pompous, arrogant ass up until the very end of the story. There is also a lot going on in this book that probably could have been cut out or at least written in a way that made it more important to the plot, so a lot of the events that transpire feel a bit muddled and leave loose ends dangling.
It's good though, as far as I'm concerned, for the sake of entertainment value and for being an Eberron book. I recommend it especially for Cutter. If anyone is wanting to get into it for the titular character however, I do suggest you read Taint of the Black Brigade first and then come back to this one. And keep in mind that Wren is an arrogant, posturing, womanizing paradigm of various interpretations of Sherlock Holmes, so if that's a put-off, you might want to skip these entirely.
I will say that I enjoyed this, though not for the character of Wren himself. He feels more like an afterthought or a side character in this story, with the character of Cutter taking the spotlight. There is plenty of intrigue, twists and turns in this book, and I personally find Cutter to be a sympathetic and compelling character. Wren however, was more annoying than anything even when he was being helpful, and he fails to actually come across as interesting rather than a pompous, arrogant ass up until the very end of the story. There is also a lot going on in this book that probably could have been cut out or at least written in a way that made it more important to the plot, so a lot of the events that transpire feel a bit muddled and leave loose ends dangling.
It's good though, as far as I'm concerned, for the sake of entertainment value and for being an Eberron book. I recommend it especially for Cutter. If anyone is wanting to get into it for the titular character however, I do suggest you read Taint of the Black Brigade first and then come back to this one. And keep in mind that Wren is an arrogant, posturing, womanizing paradigm of various interpretations of Sherlock Holmes, so if that's a put-off, you might want to skip these entirely.
April 17, 2020
Considering the detail and effort the author took to build the mystery and build-up to the climax (some parts going on for pages and pages), the conclusion seemed to be done rather quickly. A paragraph or two and it was over.
Then there was how the dramatic situation with Torin was resolved, a quick wrap up in the epilog with Wren disclosing the how of it in a monolog to the one person who gets arrested (and an ancillary bit player at that).
It was just not a satisfying conclusion to the case and felt rushed when it didn't need to be.
Then there was how the dramatic situation with Torin was resolved, a quick wrap up in the epilog with Wren disclosing the how of it in a monolog to the one person who gets arrested (and an ancillary bit player at that).
It was just not a satisfying conclusion to the case and felt rushed when it didn't need to be.
June 20, 2020
I picked up this book in hopes of gaining some inspiration for running a game in Sharn and it did not disappoint. The characters travel all over the city and Paul Crilley clearly had a great understanding of the city as he paints beautiful scenes of the different wards and districts of the City of Towers.
On top of that, the characters feel real and compelling, which is something a lot of these D&D books struggle with. All in all it was an excellent read that I would reccomend to any fan of Eberron.
On top of that, the characters feel real and compelling, which is something a lot of these D&D books struggle with. All in all it was an excellent read that I would reccomend to any fan of Eberron.
September 14, 2025
Fantasy Mystery
I first found out about the main character Abraxis Wren from the Eberron comic specials and I am glad to see where he started. Paul Crilley does a good job balancing the story between Wren and the other main character Cutter without making either of them feel pointless. Both serve different roles for the story that feel unique and that could not be filled by the other. The mystery has plenty of twists that kept me guessing what the heck the goal of the villains was. I definitely recommend it.
I first found out about the main character Abraxis Wren from the Eberron comic specials and I am glad to see where he started. Paul Crilley does a good job balancing the story between Wren and the other main character Cutter without making either of them feel pointless. Both serve different roles for the story that feel unique and that could not be filled by the other. The mystery has plenty of twists that kept me guessing what the heck the goal of the villains was. I definitely recommend it.
January 12, 2021
Holmes and Watson in Eberron, what more could you want? As much for fans of Holmes canon as for D&D nerds - and I'm both! ;-)
May 23, 2022
Gigantic bore.
November 27, 2022
Witty dialogue and a good presentation of the setting are the only worthwhile aspects of the book. The writing and story are both subpar.
July 23, 2024
I love to read pulpy novels, and this one was really quite good.
November 21, 2025
A fun read and story. Great characters. My only wish is that there'd been some character arcs rather than just a story arc. Still a good read.
February 17, 2019
I just read it again and now, over 8 years later, I can say that... it has many problems. I didn't like the many, many liberties it gets from the source of Eberron (like making Orcs just followers of the shadow and goblins as mere cannon fodder to die, when the former are hunter and part of a Druid society and the later were slaves from one of the largest and oldest fallen civilizations and now minorities oppressed by the humans) and, well, it's also incredibly sexist.
I don't know if its the type of setting (Noir/Hard boiled detectives) or the author views, but all the female characters only exist around the man, either as lovers, prostitutes, possible dates and even one of the minor antagonists (Yana) was defined by the fact that Cutter refused sex 5 years ago. I think that there is not a single woman whose dialogue didn't revolve/ was defined directly to a man (attraction or protection) and they were, almost to a fault, victims (and the traitor from whom we never learn why but died beautifully).
So... yeah.
Besides that, while it looks like the author read the Sharn map, there is not really a sense of the personality for city as itself. It looks like a generic dark city you see in other books and while it added the fantastic constructs and magical artifacts that are the staple of the setting, there is no sense that these are humanoids, from different cultures and from a different world. You see the title of elf, dwarf, warforged, bugbear, halfling orc... but they all feel as merely human and not actually other races. The closest are some racist comments in meta from Wrex to Thorin about dwarves, but it's more like generic dwarves than Eberron dwarves.
You could have removed everything from Eberron and make all of them human and it would barely change anything. They also overuse the Valenar elf to define something great/badass, but they never explain why the Valenar should be the metric since the only Valenar elves we see are slavers and their leader who died like a punk in a flashback.
Its entertaining and have some good dialogues, there is actually a convoluted mystery that is both parts low level revenge and epic quest, a jail break (very short) and a combination of bad luck, plots and search. Wren is a very good character (shame it was destroyed completely in the sequel by retcon his entire personality and history), I like Thoring and you can understand the pain that Cutter is suffering and why he acts as he acts.
So, 2 stars. If you are not a fan of the setting, you can get almost everything from other books and it would be less confused. If you are a fan of the setting, is better to think of this book as a very hard AU Fanfic of Eberron or a Homebrew that just lifted places and some tibids from the setting. And so very, very sexist.
I don't know if its the type of setting (Noir/Hard boiled detectives) or the author views, but all the female characters only exist around the man, either as lovers, prostitutes, possible dates and even one of the minor antagonists (Yana) was defined by the fact that Cutter refused sex 5 years ago. I think that there is not a single woman whose dialogue didn't revolve/ was defined directly to a man (attraction or protection) and they were, almost to a fault, victims (and the traitor from whom we never learn why but died beautifully).
So... yeah.
Besides that, while it looks like the author read the Sharn map, there is not really a sense of the personality for city as itself. It looks like a generic dark city you see in other books and while it added the fantastic constructs and magical artifacts that are the staple of the setting, there is no sense that these are humanoids, from different cultures and from a different world. You see the title of elf, dwarf, warforged, bugbear, halfling orc... but they all feel as merely human and not actually other races. The closest are some racist comments in meta from Wrex to Thorin about dwarves, but it's more like generic dwarves than Eberron dwarves.
You could have removed everything from Eberron and make all of them human and it would barely change anything. They also overuse the Valenar elf to define something great/badass, but they never explain why the Valenar should be the metric since the only Valenar elves we see are slavers and their leader who died like a punk in a flashback.
Its entertaining and have some good dialogues, there is actually a convoluted mystery that is both parts low level revenge and epic quest, a jail break (very short) and a combination of bad luck, plots and search. Wren is a very good character (shame it was destroyed completely in the sequel by retcon his entire personality and history), I like Thoring and you can understand the pain that Cutter is suffering and why he acts as he acts.
So, 2 stars. If you are not a fan of the setting, you can get almost everything from other books and it would be less confused. If you are a fan of the setting, is better to think of this book as a very hard AU Fanfic of Eberron or a Homebrew that just lifted places and some tibids from the setting. And so very, very sexist.
pre-goodreads
September 20, 2020The nights of the long shadows are the three nights of the year when the dark powers of the world gain strength and rise to prey upon the unwary.*
So, what does that have to do with a viciously murdered professor, his courtesan and her boyfriend? Enter Abraxis Wren, inquisitive of House Medani, and Torin, his dwarf partner. You will follow them as they stumble, sleuth and bicker their way through the nights (and days) of the long shadows, meeting crooked politicians, dark clerics and a rampaging warforged - even teaming up with a couple of unlikely people.
The mystery is very engaging and inventive, encompassing more than just one simple murder. However, it is the characters that steal the show. Each one is unique and well thought out - from the halfling mafia enforcer to the owner of an upscale brothel to a brilliant (if mad) artificer. Not to mention the dwarven female that is never seen, but that I hold quite a clear image of in my head.
Wren makes a perfect main character; his intelligence (and just a drop of flightiness) provides in him the perfect foil for Torin's more grounded manner. The characters are very vibrant and fit in the story well; Sharn was shown in all its grime and glory. This novel has a bit more of a gritty feel to it than most other Eberron novels that I have read, which works for it very well.
Though it is the second in the Inquisitives Series, it can be read as a standalone novel - first you might want to read a short story by the author in Tales of the Last War titled Death before Dawn as it's a bit of a prequel to at least one of the characters. Mr. Crilley's second Abraxis Wren novel (titled Taint of the Black Brigade) was released in August of 2010. Originally the third Wren novel was slated for release in 2013, but I am unable to find mention of it. I do hope that it is still slated for this year because I look forward to seeing what our favorite (only?) half-elf inquisitive does next.
4 stars: slight room for improvement, though very addictive.
*From back cover.
So, what does that have to do with a viciously murdered professor, his courtesan and her boyfriend? Enter Abraxis Wren, inquisitive of House Medani, and Torin, his dwarf partner. You will follow them as they stumble, sleuth and bicker their way through the nights (and days) of the long shadows, meeting crooked politicians, dark clerics and a rampaging warforged - even teaming up with a couple of unlikely people.
The mystery is very engaging and inventive, encompassing more than just one simple murder. However, it is the characters that steal the show. Each one is unique and well thought out - from the halfling mafia enforcer to the owner of an upscale brothel to a brilliant (if mad) artificer. Not to mention the dwarven female that is never seen, but that I hold quite a clear image of in my head.
Wren makes a perfect main character; his intelligence (and just a drop of flightiness) provides in him the perfect foil for Torin's more grounded manner. The characters are very vibrant and fit in the story well; Sharn was shown in all its grime and glory. This novel has a bit more of a gritty feel to it than most other Eberron novels that I have read, which works for it very well.
Though it is the second in the Inquisitives Series, it can be read as a standalone novel - first you might want to read a short story by the author in Tales of the Last War titled Death before Dawn as it's a bit of a prequel to at least one of the characters. Mr. Crilley's second Abraxis Wren novel (titled Taint of the Black Brigade) was released in August of 2010. Originally the third Wren novel was slated for release in 2013, but I am unable to find mention of it. I do hope that it is still slated for this year because I look forward to seeing what our favorite (only?) half-elf inquisitive does next.
4 stars: slight room for improvement, though very addictive.
*From back cover.
April 26, 2011
Night of the Long Shadows is an action-packed blend of high fantasy and hard-boiled crime fiction. While this is the secod book in The Inquisitives series, set in the world of Eberron, it is a stand-alone story and can be read independent of the 1st book (although that book is well worth a read as well) and can be enjoyed by any fan of fantasy (even if you've never read an Eberron novel before).
Dark and gritty, Night of the Long Shadows has a pulp noir feeling to it. Well-written plot twists and deep, interesting characters make this one of the best Eberron novels to date. The novel has a great cast of characters. The "heroes" are an eclectic mix. The story starts with a gruesome murder and quickly evolves into a fast-paced action-packed adventure through the city of Sharn.
We are introduced to a wide array of characters from all walks of life. As mentioned in another review, there is the mob enforcer who finds himself in the middle of a murder mystery, a half-elf detective who quickly comes to realize not everything is as it seems, the detective's dwarven assistant who helps keep him in line, and the old gang that hints at a less than savory past for our detective. Not only are the 'heroes' well done, but the villians provide an exciting mix of nastiness and genius.
The story is well-written and full of surprising twists that leave the reader on the edge of his or her seat. The author does a great job of providing clues and revealing the mystery a little at a time without tipping his hat too soon. I was left scratching my head through most of the book.
In addition to a great cast of characters and an engrossing mystery, the author does such a good job describing the city itself, that it becomes almost like another character in the tale.
Great writing, crisp dialog, an interesting tale, and deep characters makes this novel a must read for any fan of fantasy or mysteries. I highly recommend this novel for anyone looking for a good read.
Dark and gritty, Night of the Long Shadows has a pulp noir feeling to it. Well-written plot twists and deep, interesting characters make this one of the best Eberron novels to date. The novel has a great cast of characters. The "heroes" are an eclectic mix. The story starts with a gruesome murder and quickly evolves into a fast-paced action-packed adventure through the city of Sharn.
We are introduced to a wide array of characters from all walks of life. As mentioned in another review, there is the mob enforcer who finds himself in the middle of a murder mystery, a half-elf detective who quickly comes to realize not everything is as it seems, the detective's dwarven assistant who helps keep him in line, and the old gang that hints at a less than savory past for our detective. Not only are the 'heroes' well done, but the villians provide an exciting mix of nastiness and genius.
The story is well-written and full of surprising twists that leave the reader on the edge of his or her seat. The author does a great job of providing clues and revealing the mystery a little at a time without tipping his hat too soon. I was left scratching my head through most of the book.
In addition to a great cast of characters and an engrossing mystery, the author does such a good job describing the city itself, that it becomes almost like another character in the tale.
Great writing, crisp dialog, an interesting tale, and deep characters makes this novel a must read for any fan of fantasy or mysteries. I highly recommend this novel for anyone looking for a good read.
December 31, 2014
Night of the Long Shadows is a great casual read for veterans of the fantasy genre who love franchises like Forgotten Realms or Shadowrun. It's not earth shattering, it's not genre re-defining, but it's a quality read.
Paul Crilley does an admirable job selling the characters and driving the narrative forward, and his technical ability to control the flow of the page and hit all the right dramatic notes certainly impresses me. The content flags sometimes in the presence of over-abundant cliches, but I consider this only typical for a mufti-book franchise (in this case, Eberron).
The story follows Cutter, a dangerous bodyguard turned anti-hero who will stop at nothing to find his lost love, along with trademark characters like Wren (and his dwarven sidekick), as they romp around the fantasy world, solving crimes and ridding the world of a few evils. It all seems very run-of-the-mill until the introduction of several franchise-specific villains, blanketed by a surprisingly good mystery that holds the narrative together through all three acts.
Read it!
Paul Crilley does an admirable job selling the characters and driving the narrative forward, and his technical ability to control the flow of the page and hit all the right dramatic notes certainly impresses me. The content flags sometimes in the presence of over-abundant cliches, but I consider this only typical for a mufti-book franchise (in this case, Eberron).
The story follows Cutter, a dangerous bodyguard turned anti-hero who will stop at nothing to find his lost love, along with trademark characters like Wren (and his dwarven sidekick), as they romp around the fantasy world, solving crimes and ridding the world of a few evils. It all seems very run-of-the-mill until the introduction of several franchise-specific villains, blanketed by a surprisingly good mystery that holds the narrative together through all three acts.
Read it!
January 9, 2022
A mystery set in a d&d setting. I was wondering about how it could be pulled off, what with me thinking that the sparseness if familiarity would ruin the "mystery" content.
I pleasantly found I was wrong.
This here book is a fun romp through Eberron's biggest city, Sharn, involving the criminal gangs, light political intrigue, and highlights parts of the city mentioned in the source books.
The characterization was ok, with Cutter's backstory being integral to the plot, binding every character together, although Torin, for being Wren's Watson seemed a bit lacking.
Ah. Another thought.
Magic. And a mystery setting. It seemed magic isn't as prevalent as I assumed it might be, easing the investigation with simple spells.
Still. A pretty decent book.
I pleasantly found I was wrong.
This here book is a fun romp through Eberron's biggest city, Sharn, involving the criminal gangs, light political intrigue, and highlights parts of the city mentioned in the source books.
The characterization was ok, with Cutter's backstory being integral to the plot, binding every character together, although Torin, for being Wren's Watson seemed a bit lacking.
Ah. Another thought.
Magic. And a mystery setting. It seemed magic isn't as prevalent as I assumed it might be, easing the investigation with simple spells.
Still. A pretty decent book.
September 16, 2013
Abraxis Wren is such so full of himself, and it is AWESOME!!! Starts out as just a case of someone stealing some dreamlily supposedly and ends up being something else entirely. Wren is an inquisitive (detective). His assistant; Torin, walks in on a human standing over the corpse of a professor in the University where he is looking through books for Wren. After the constables show up, Wren is asked to look into the case.
The bickering between Wren and Torin is great. Really liked how the author fleshed out Cutter in the book as well. He was just a bruiser who's lady friend was at the wrong place at the wrong time.
The bickering between Wren and Torin is great. Really liked how the author fleshed out Cutter in the book as well. He was just a bruiser who's lady friend was at the wrong place at the wrong time.
June 5, 2015
I kind of had hopes for this one (huge mistake) so obviously I was disappointed. The premise seemed like it could be interesting, but instead it just moved along predictably with boring characters and pretty much nothing there to interest me.
Usually when I don't like a book, I can write a long review detailing things that annoyed me. However, this book just didn't have anything good to start with. It wasn't particularly obnoxious in any regard, but it wasn't at all something I would choose to read again, or to even think about again.
Usually when I don't like a book, I can write a long review detailing things that annoyed me. However, this book just didn't have anything good to start with. It wasn't particularly obnoxious in any regard, but it wasn't at all something I would choose to read again, or to even think about again.
July 24, 2010
So far I love this book. Basically Sherlock Holmes in Sharn with fantasy tropes thrown in. Very fun and engagingly written.
Read
June 23, 2025Good book.
September 12, 2011
A great book. I would definitely recommend it.
September 27, 2012
I'd call this more of a 3.75 star book. Fun, interesting, but there was never any real sense of danger to me when it came to the villain's "grand scheme."
March 29, 2017
Surprisingly well written and interesting story. Not sure I will ever re-read it, but it was worth the read.
April 8, 2017
Really Good!
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