Dominion: A Coldfire Saga

The Coldfire Trilogy #0.6

by C.S. Friedman

Four hundred years after mankind's arrival on Erna, the undead sorcerer Gerald Tarrant travels north in search of a legend. For it is rumored there is a forest where the fae has become so powerful that it devours all who enter it, and he means to test its power.

This novella prequel to C. S. Friedman's bestselling Coldfire Trilogy (Black Sun Rising, When True Night Falls, Crown of Shadows) offers fans of the series a tale of Tarrant's secret history, while new readers will enjoy a chilling introduction to one of High Fantasy's most fascinating—and deadly—worlds.

Genres: Fantasy, Audiobook, Science Fiction, Fiction, Dark Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Short Stories

119 pages, ebook

First published January 3, 2012

About the author

Celia S. Friedman is a science fiction and fantasy author. She has also been credited Celia S. Friedman and Celia Friedman.

Reviews

[April Steenburgh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I carried battered, loved copies of the Coldfire Trilogy with me through multiple moves and a seemingly endless progression of life changes. After a devastating flood they were some of the first books I worked to replace. The characters of the trilogy are like old friends- every now and then I get the urge to check in on them, revisit scenes and passages I particularly liked. Occasionally I take a weekend and reread the series, and every time I wish there was just a bit more for me to dig into. My love of the antihero started with Gerald Tarrant.

So it was with unabashed glee that I stumbled upon Dominion and tossed aside all that I had planned for the evening to read. I had not expected a new Tarrant story, had not known one was in the works, and as a result reading was one of the most wonderful evenings I have had in quite some time. For fans of the original trilogy, it takes place well before the trilogy proper, detailing when Tarrant first enters the Forest and how he makes it his own. It is dark and beautiful and frightening and perfect. Dominion is true to the trilogy I love, while adding more meat for me to chew on. It is a novella- so it is short, but makes every word count.

It is only a matter of time before I give in and give the trilogy another read.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Coldfire Trilogy, it is a horrifying and satisfying look at human emotion and ambition all tucked in a science fiction/fantasy setting that is unsettling and different than anything I have come across since. I highly recommend giving it a read.

[Marielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice story but nothing more.

[Seon Ji (Dawn) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

A short prequel to the Coldfire Trilogy.

The GR summary makes it sound more interesting than it really is, and I suspect this prequel was meant to be read after the 3 main stories. Since it was written well after the trilogy, it only makes sense.

I read the trilogy years ago and remember nothing of the tale, so I felt a little lost reading this prequel. I will come back to revise my review after re reading the rest in the series to either confirm or deny my suspicions stated above.

This prequel is only 52 pages and tells of Sorceror Gerald Tarrant, former human (but still retains some of his humanity) who is enticed to go into a dark forrest where the Fae seems to be at it strongest (Fae being a natural force of nature which can be drawn upon to create magic). He then is able to achieve what no other sorceror has be able to before. He is able to allow the Forrest's Fae into himself, without it changing his physical form, and also is able to resist and controll it.

Tarrant comes across a female warrior who is fighting for "The One God" and the church (which unbeknownst to her or the church, Tarrant is the creator of and thier prophet) and send her back out of the forrest to deliver a message to the church. Tarrant also comes across an albino wolf who was formerly a human sorceror , and restores him to his human form with the condition of his servitutide to Tarrant.

All very complicated.

Anyhoo..

The writing style is very different than what I am used to and it took me a bit to get accustomed to it. It's very descriptive and flowery, but I didn't mind it since there is beautiful imagery and the reader is shown more than told.. which I prefer.

Safety: Violence with blood and some gore.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

This free Audible.com download is a prequel to the Coldfire series, which I have not read, and thus this short novella did little for me, I'm afraid. The writing is okay, but it's a stock dark fantasy story. The two main characters are an ancient vampire with vestiges of a conscience (turns out he helped create the Church that is now dedicated to his destruction) and a Church warrior woman who wounds a white wolf before facing the vampire. The white wolf is a minor secondary character.

Evidently, the vampire is a major character in the series, so I guess this story would be more meaningful to someone who has read it. For someone who has not, there is no reason to identify with the characters or the setting, no sense of recognition or investment.

Firmly 3 stars; nothing wrong with the story, but nothing enticing about it to anyone who hasn't read the Coldfire series.

[Bonnie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked Black Sun Rising, and vaguely recall the origin story of the sorcerer (prologue? epilogue?) as being quite chilling. Which is probably why I bought Dominion, thinking it was a novella expanding on that. However, it is a short story and pretty sleight. Gerald Tarrant, evil sorcerer, getting up to no good in the forest. Along with fey spirits, an albino, wolf fight, enchantments.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a 52-page bridge novella set 600+ years after the events of Nightborn: Coldfire Rising (included at the end of its Audible edition) and before the main trilogy from the 90s, starting with Black Sun Rising.

I would class the novella as Sword and Sorcery.

I liked the bad guy, aka the evil sorcerer Tarran. I might read the original fantasy trilogy. Apparently this novella gives backstory to Tarran, who is one of the main characters in the trilogy.

[Al Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a fit of whimsy, I hereby announce I will give everyone five stars, but the reviews may not reflect it.

I love the Coldfire trilogy, it is without a doubt one of my favourite series. Dominion is a prequel novella about Gerald Tarrant that really serves no purpose at all. It's short and not a bad read by any stretch, but it just doesn't add anything new. Maybe one for completists.

[Blind_guardian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Friedman is great and creepy as always, as is Terrant, her immortal pseudo-vampire sorcerer. This tells the tale of how he tamed the Dark Forest and made it his home.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A deeper look on Tarrant before he becomes the boogeyman.

[Mihir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review originally at Fantasy Book Critic

ANALYSIS: Dominion is a novella by celebrated SFF writer Celia S. Friedman, it is a prequel to her seminal work that is “The Coldfire trilogy”. The first book “Black Sun Rising” was released in 1991 and captured the interest and fascination of readers worldwide with its curious mix of science fiction and fantasy. Two sequels followed at a biennial rate and the author closed of the trilogy and the story of eclectic bunch of characters found within. Liviu is also a fan of this series as is Pat of Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist and it's through both their efforts that I go to know about Dominion.

Before we start I would extoll readers to read this wonderful essay about the series and its motifs by a polish fan. It has a few mild spoilers but it remarkably demonstrates why it had such an impact amongst SFF readers nearly two decades ago and why it still holds a special position in their minds/hearts. I haven’t read the trilogy but that is more due to laziness on my part rather than anything else. Also since this novella was a prequel, I thought of it as a perfect opportunity to begin my exploration of this evocative work.

The story has two protagonists namely Gerald Tarrant and Faith, the former is the first of a kind among mages, the latter the ultimate survivor of a hunting Knight force. They are polar opposites and are both drawn to a certain special forest that will test their fortitude. Gerald is drawn to it for the sole reason that it raises his curiosity by being a font of fae energy, which might have sentience. Faith on the other hand, doesn’t have an exact clue about how she has landed there. Death however stalks both of them and one misstep will be all that it takes for the forest to claim dominion over both of them.

What is so good about this novella is that even though it is on the shorter side in matters of length, it does not waste any extra space in immersing the reader in the dark world of Erna. The setting and background information is quickly given to the reader without making it all to obvious and at the same time is the introduction of the dual POV threads which fuel the story. The pace of the plot is of the express kind but it does not hamper the characterization in any way, which just shows the proficient prose utilized. Another point about the characterization is that readers will be thoroughly invested in both characters and of course it’s almost impossible not to be enamored by the Neocount whose actions, intellect & power are visible only as the tip of the iceberg. I know who the readers will most likely be rooting to achieve dominion (as was I) and that is another highlight for the novella to entrance the reader in such a small timeframe.

The novella is structured in such a way that its not hard to guess where it will end up but here’s the beauty you can’t exactly predict how it will end for both the protagonists (Obviously veteran fans of the Coldfire trilogy will know more about the fate of one of the POV characters). The twist in the end as well as the origin story of another character in the middle will be very much appreciated by pervious fans as I’m lead to believe that both plot twists are pivotal for certain events in the future trilogy. Overall this novella stands out for making it easy for fans & non-fans to get acquainted with it easily, with out losing out on the surprise factor that is often the downfall seen in most prequels due to the nature of the stories.

I did not have any negative feedback for this story as it simply caught me off guard with its sheer excellence and it shames me to say that I haven’t yet read the Coldfire trilogy in spite of owning all the three books.

CONCLUSION: C.S Friedman’s Dominion is nothing short of a brilliant way to get new readers exposed to her seminal trilogy and other works. Do yourself a favor and read this novella if you are looking for dark fantasy and a protagonist who is quite simply the perfect embodiment of an antihero. Dominion is a must read for all fans of the darker turn of the fictional worlds, so go meet the Neocount and be prepared to amazed.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have spent a long time on finding a book with a main character as rich and dark as Gerald Tarrant. I sat crying towards the end of volume three of the Coldfire Trilogy and mentally shook C.S. Friedman's hand at the same time for going through with her characterisation of him to the bitter end where all other authors before have eventually strayed from their paths and shown that their dark 'hero' was not so deeply corrupted after all.

When I discovered yesterday that despite all her claims that the Coldfire Trilogy was finished and she did not like writing sequels (see the FAQ on her website) Ms Friedman had written – well – a prequel to the trilogy, my first reaction was quite like Baroness Jessie’s: “Gimmegimmegimme”!
And then the doubts came (could a new story live up to the high expectations aroused by the first books?), and they were strengthened by the unenthusiastic reviews. Unfortunately, reading ‘Dominion’ confirmed them.

The Coldfire Trilogy thrived on the mystery surrounding Gerald Tarrant. It circled around him, slowly closing in on him, uncovering bits and pieces of his personality and of his past but never quite revealing enough to give the reader the impression of truly knowing him. You gained a feeling, an instinctive understanding for him and for the world surrounding him, quite as if you yourself tapped into the fae. The world building remained rather vague in places – Friedman described some things in great detail (the religion, the fae) yet others remained in the fog, and this added to the feeling of mystery and directed the readers’ attention to the important pieces of the story: the characterisation(s) and the intriguing idea of a symbiosis of the human mind with the natural forces surrounding it.

The second aspect is well represented in Dominion: the story allows a glimpse into how the Neocount explores the symbiosis farther than anyone else ever dared to by binding the Forbidden Forest to himself. However, I find this description rather crude. Bending the natural forces of the forest to his own will, gaining a deep understanding of the workings of nature and balancing them so that he creates a perfect ecosystem suiting his purposes was – alongside the creation of true horses – the grand accomplishment that demonstrated the greatness of Tarrant’s mind, the brilliance of his cold rationale. I cannot see this in this novella. There are many power struggles in this tale, struggles for dominion, yes, but I cannot find any displays of extraordinary intelligence.

As Nai said, the pace is off. There is no introduction into the world, we are dropped into the thoughts of Gerald Tarrant head on, and those thoughts are much less refined than one would expect. Has he truly spent 400 years idle, merely sating his thirst? This does not sound like the proud Neocount of Merentha that accomplished so much before he even reached his 30th birthday. In the first scene he expresses his weariness of the forest, that he needs to fight the urge to go there. In the second scene he mounts an un-horse to ride there. Why the change of mind? –No explanation. This I found to be a running theme: in the Coldfire Trilogy there was always a strong rationale behind Tarrant’s deeds. In Dominion, I cannot identify it.

All in all, the new novella does not carry the spirit of previous volumes. The idea was good: the creation of the symbiosis of sorcerer and forest, the slow molding of Tarrant into the being he is when Damian encounters him, is a fascinating topic (and I agree with Nai also that I was expecting to be told how Tarrant learned to feed on fear). However, the author spent too few pages and too little heart blood on what could have been a brilliant treat for her fans.

[Richard Bray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nowadays, it seems as though you can’t swing a stick in the fantasy section of your local bookstore without hitting three or four antiheroes.

In some ways, to me, they all feel like a pale replica of the neocount of Merentha, Gerald Tarrant. When I first read the Coldfire Trilogy in the ’90s, I’d never encountered a character like Gerald Tarrant. The closest I could think of was Raistlin Majere from The Dragonlance Chronicles, and Gerald Tarrant was a hundred times more frightening than Raistlin Majere on his worst day. Gerald Tarrant was intelligent, refined and brutal as hell — and he immediately became one of my favorite characters in all of fantasy.

In DOMINION, Tarrant comes to the Forest for the first time and quickly bends it to his will. I liked the story, but found myself distracted by the terrible editing job. As best I can tell, DOMINION is only available as an ebook, and it seems as though this story wasn’t edited at all — some of the sentences read awkwardly and it’s easy to see where a simple clean-up could correct the issue. In other places, there are missing, extra or misspelled words. At times, I found myself distracted from the story while thinking about how to fix the text.

As for the story itself — it’s fairly straightforward. Over the course of 56 pages, we see Tarrant’s arrival at the Forest and the origins of the albino. We meet Faith, a hunter for the Church who finds herself trapped in the Forest and soon becomes a target for Tarrant. Whereas The Coldfire Trilogy circled around Tarrant, giving us glimpses of his motivations and his intellect, he seems to be more of a straightforward vampire here. When we meet him, he’s feeding on a family, using his magic to hold them in thrall while he drains the daughter of her blood — there’s none of the subtlety and internal conflict that made the trilogy so entertaining and that’s unfortunate.

I think I would only recommend this story for those who have already read The Coldfire Trilogy and simply want to return to the world of Erna. For those who haven’t read the trilogy, I’d suggest starting there and circling back to this if you’re so inclined. Even though the Coldfire Trilogy’s ending was pretty damn near perfect, reading this reminds me how much I enjoyed my initial encounter with Tarrant, and I can’t help but wish there was another Gerald Tarrant novel in the works.

[NaiNai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really not up to Ms. Friedman's usual standard. I was wary going into this, hearing it would be (at least partially) from Gerald Tarrant's POV--and was right to be skeptical. Much of what makes him interesting as a character are the conflicts--between wanting to stay in his safe forest domain, where he's lord of all, supremely commanding, supremely untouchable vs. being forced out into the world and having to (horror of horrors) save the darn thing; between his Hunter and Prophet sides; between who he began as (Lord of the Forest, etc.) and who Damien "corrupted" him into being--all of which are disappointingly lacking in this short story.

The pacing is misguided as well--I understand the purpose of the scene of casual brutality which the story led off with, but feel it was misaimed. Better to lead off with what the actual plot is (Tarrant deciding to answer the call of the forest), rather than let it seem like Tarrant is just aimlessly wandering around for no purpose (something that I think would be anathema to that character).

Finally, disappointed by the resolution with Faith. I understand symbolically that it's supposed to represent his dominion over the forest, by not allowing the forest to control him and make him kill her, but he is (or at least becomes) the Hunter. This would be an excellent place for that origin to be shown. Instead, it reads like Ms. Friedman has a darker character than what she can handle, so instead of allowing him to do what's in his nature (kill Faith and feed off her), she instead pulls him back, and leaves with an unsatisfying ending.

Despite this rather heavy criticism, I still enjoyed the story: if for no other reason than it allowed us to return to Erna, for a fresh perspective of a new time, seen through different eyes.

[Eric Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not going to write out a full review of this book, because it's only like 70 pages long. This book takes place six hundred years before The Coldfire Trilogy and is mostly about how Terrant took control of the Forest, learned how to feed upon fear rather than blood, and found his albino sidekick. It's a fun little story that sheds some light on the murky backstory of one of the more interesting characters in the series. If you've got a free afternoon and want to read more about Terrant's past, pick it up, if you don't really care, you're not missing too terribly much. The book DOES lack the part that really made Terrant an interesting character, however. He's always had his two sides, the Hunter and the Prophet, and the interesting part has always been watching which one he will choose to act like in any given situation. It made him a pretty sympathetic, interesting and entertaining character to read about. Here, he hasn't really set himself up as the Hunter yet, and he doesn't really consider himself to be the Prophet anymore. He's just a monster driven by his thirst for blood and need to stay out of daylight. I can see where some people might not find him as interesting without the division that really sort of defined him as a character.

[S.E. Lindberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

C S Friedman fans will delightfully devour this Coldfire prequel. It takes place after the vivid prologue to the first Coldfire book but prior its first chapter. So it explains a bit of how Tarrant assumes control over the Canopy's Fae. It is engaging. And short. The length did not bother me since the eBook was well advertised as being a novelette.

However, from listening in on C S Friedman's Facebook page, I had assumed the prequel would occur even earlier in Tarrant's life and explain the events leading to the prologue. So, after reading Dominion, I was left hungry for more. In this light, this prequel did its job: I had a great time reading it and remembering the Coldfire series; I am even inspired to reread the trilogy now.

For newcomers to the series, start with Vol. One, Black Sun Rising. Consider Dominion after that.
Black Sun Rising

[Kat Hooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted at FanLit.

Ever since I read a few novels by C.S. Friedman last year (In Conquest Born, The Wilding, The Madness Season and This Alien Shore) I’ve been practically desperate to begin her more famous COLDFIRE SAGA. Friedman’s stories are smart and creative and I can’t wait to see what else she has to offer. The only thing that’s so far kept me from picking up Black Sun Rising, the first COLDFIRE novel, is that I already have a huge stack (I mean hundreds) of audiobooks purchased and ready to read at Audible and on my bookshelves at home. Mostly I collect these when they’re on sale or when publishers send me review copies, so I hoard my precious Audible credits and spend them like a miser.

But I just don’t know how much longer I can hold out on COLDFIRE. I actually have Black Sun Rising in my Audible... Read More:
http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...

[Fantasy Literature · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever since I read a few novels by C.S. Friedman last year (In Conquest Born, The Wilding, The Madness Season and This Alien Shore) I’ve been practically desperate to begin her more famous COLDFIRE SAGA. Friedman’s stories are smart and creative and I can’t wait to see what else she has to offer. The only thing that’s so far kept me from picking up Black Sun Rising, the first COLDFIRE novel, is that I already have a huge stack (I mean hundreds) of audiobooks purchased and ready to read at Audible and on my bookshelves at home. Mostly I collect these when they’re on sale or when publishers send me review copies, so I hoard my precious Audible credits and spend them like a miser.

But I just don’t know how much longer I can hold out on COLDFIRE. I actually have Black Sun Rising in my Audible... Read More:
http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...

[Darcy Conroy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Warning! Vampires within.
I'd not heard of the author or her series, and the blurb suggested nothing about vampires, so I thought this would be a good way to see if I might want to read a story the 'fae' (a gaelic mythological world) Unfortunately I got a story about vampires and their universe simply tweaked a touch (though not enough to be unique in anyway) and titled 'fae'.
I did enjoy the narrator's timbre and performance - this particular piece was lacking in dialogue or audio variety and so might be soporific to some, but I don't think it was the fault of the narrator. The little opportunity the narrator had to "show his stuff" made me want to look for more books narrated by him - I hope he doesn't only do vampires!

[Douglas · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this is a novella, but even so shouldn't it tell a story, if a short one? I'm giving it three stars because what is there is good. Still it felt more like this novella was written to fill in gaps from the main story rather than because the author had something to say.

This novella tells the story of a vampire-like MC who makes his way to a forest densely occupied by fey. A knight sworn to fight the fey also ends up in the forest. The MC overcomes the challenge of the fey and thereafter experiences a sort of symbiosis with the forest. This allows the MC to confront the knight.

Bottom line: Worth the read but maybe more so after reading the series?

[Ida Jagaric · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really love this series!!! And was excited to find out about this prequel! It's not light reading, there's fairly dense paragraphs that slow me down, but it is amazing writing!! And I would say *mature* writing that has characters' conflicts that aren't caused by immature reactions. ie. The go-to classic "I can't believe you lied to me! We can't be friends/lovers/partners anymore!"

Ugh!!!!

And the series often talks about ethical dilemmas like Star Trek: The Next Generation did!! :) Sadly missing in most media. :/

[Gwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have given this book five stars, but it was a teaser. It _really_ made me want to go back and re-read the Coldfire series. Gerald Tarrant is a fascinating character, and I would love it if C.S. Friedman would delve into his world with a new full-length book. This was waaaaaay too short for my tastes. That being said, I think fans of the Coldfire series will generally like this short little story.

[Jon Swanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dominion will probably only take about an hour to read. I've read one of Friedman's other Coldfire books, but that was probably close to 20 years ago and only dimly remembered.

Recalling that book made Dominion more enjoyable, but it stands pretty well on its own and is a great place to get into the series if you're interested. A way to test the waters.

[ambyr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Over-the-top and completely incapable of standing on its own from the series to which it's a prequel. But the Coldfire trilogy was one of the much-loved, much-read touchpoints of my adolescence, and it retains a fond enough place in my heart that I was happy for a chance to revisit its world, if only for a brief while.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful untold tale of Gerald Tarrant from Friedman's Coldfire trilogy. Serves well as an amuse bouche for new readers before diving into Friedman's work, or a dessert to those who loved Coldfire and want another taste.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure why they say this can be an intro to the series. I didn't have any reason to care about the character since I haven't read the trilogy. Vampires within...

[Leigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

very slow going. and i feel like the plot has holes. when starting the book I didn't realize it was going to be a series or more correctly, a prequel to the existing series. I have not read the existing series, so this story did little to entice me or hold any resonating qualities or markers that would help me identify with the characters lives.

The two main characters are an ancient vampire and a Church warrior woman. ironically, the vampire is actually one of the founding members of the church that is set out to destroy "creatures of the night" like him. that was probably the only thing i enjoyed about the story was the dark humor of being the creator of his own demise.

Firm 2 stars; nothing wrong with the story, but nothing enticing about it to anyone who hasn't read the Coldfire series.
side note - the cover looks cool. nice foreshadowing about the dark omnipresent woods.

[Jesse Switzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rated 5 stars based on the main series, probably wouldn't be an interesting story for someone not familiar with the series. Its been so log since ive read the main books and barely remember it other than it was one of the best ive ever read. This story follows a girl named Faith who is a knight of the church. It starts with her in the forest waking up after loosing the rest of her knights to a battle. She is regaining her memories and trying to flee the forest injured. A parallel story takes place with Tarrant the vampire. He has been pulled to the forest and is trying to take control, he ultimately does and uses his new power to track Faith to feed. He finds her but instead of killing her lets her go to issue a challenge to the church. I cant remember the main books but it does remind you that he basically created the church and is a prophet. Need to reread the books...

[Sunny · Rating 1 out of 5]

Note to self - never bother reading again! I had so much hope for this series after enjoying In Conquest Born and The Wilding, the premise also sounded really interesting, but while the first book was okish to start with I really grew to dislike everything about this series. I can’t believe I was reading it for a second time - time to ditch from my library. Clearly so unmemorable I’d forgotten I’d already read. Repetitive, predictable, tedious plot line. Absolutely stupid quest. Thoroughly unlikeable characters. Somewhat confusing world building.

This short prequel was just completely uninteresting and irrelevant.

[Horus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set as a prequel to the Coldfire trilogy, this short story sets up an introduction to the world and characters. However, as someone who read and liked the trilogy (and all of her writing, frankly) the short story was more like a tease. Maybe if I hadn’t read the rest of the series already, it would be a great way to pull me in, making me interested to know more. For me, knowing the series, this story is too short and more like a forgotten chapter than anything else. It was nice, but not enough.

[Kaylee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is definitely one that wouldn't be as enjoyable if you weren't already familiar with this world and Tarrant.

However, I have read the Coldfire trilogy and love it. One of my favorite series ever and Tarrant is awesome. Therefore, this did not disappoint. Great to get some background into Tarrant and made me realize that I've missed this series! Might be time for a reread.

C.S. Friedman is an amazing author and I especially enjoy this series.