When Night Falls: Book One of The Three Gifts

The Three Gifts #1

by Gerald L. Coleman

When Night Falls is an epic fantasy in the tradition of The Lord of the Rings by Tolkein or The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan.



We rarely consider the reputation of our age. An ordinary one, for most of us, would suffice. You might be an Empress too concerned with the affairs of State, a soldier focused on your duty, a former rascal trying to find redemption, or even a great warrior too busy with your command to know that there are whispers being spoken in late-night taverns. But what happens when your ordinary age stops being so ordinary? What happens when dark, twisted, things step out of the mists of legend to walk the world again? Strange, black, ships have been spotted far out at sea. People are disappearing from towns without a trace. Only Cordovan, a member of the Watchmen of Alexandria, knows something is wrong, as he races toward the capital, hoping he will make it in time. Meanwhile, far to the north, two of the ancient Sages of the West, theKi'gadi, know that the darkness is coming. While the rest of the world carries on, unaware of the danger, they search for the place where the darkness is taking root. Heroes will be needed to face what is coming. Thankfully, Alexandria is home to one. His name is Bantu, the Commander-General of the Peoples Company. He will be the key when night falls.

Genres: Fantasy

548 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 27, 2014

About the author

Gerald L. Coleman is a philosopher, theologian, poet, and Science Fiction & Fantasy author. He was born in Lexington and now makes his home in the Atlanta area. He did his undergraduate work in philosophy, english, and religious studies, followed by a master's degree in Theology. He is the author of the Epic Fantasy novel series, The Three Gifts, which currently includes When Night Falls (Book One), A Plague of Shadows (Book Two), and the upcoming When Chaos Reigns(Book Three). His poetry has appeared in: Pluck! The Journal of Affrilachian Arts & Culture, Drawn To Marvel: Poems From The Comic Books, Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel Vol. 18, Black Bone Anthology, the 10th Anniversary Issue of Diode Poetry Journal, About Place Journal, and Star*line Vol. 43, Issue 4. His speculative fiction short stories have appeared in: The Cyberfunk Anthology: The City, the Roaring Lion Anthology: Rococoa, the Urban Fantasy Anthology: Terminus and Terminus 2, the 2019 JordanCon Anthology: You Want Stories?, Dark Universe: Bright Empire, Cyberfunk! by MVMedia, the JordanCon 2022 Anthology: Neither Endings Nor Beginnings, and Whether Change: The Revolution Will Be Weird. His essays appear in the polish language Con-Magazine: KONwersacje, Apex Magazine 127, and the Hugo nominated Fanzine: Journey Planet. He has been a Guest Author at DragonCon, Boskone, Blacktasticon, JordanCon, Atlanta Science Fiction & Fantasy Expo, SOBSFCon, The Outer Dark Symposium, World Horror Con, Imaginarium, and Multiverse. He is a Scholastic National Writing Juror, a Co-founder of the Affrilachian Poets, an SFWA member, a Rhysling Award Nominee, a recipient of The Hero of the Horn Award at JordanCon, and a Fellow at the Black Earth Institute. He is currently working on new editions of When Night Falls, A Plague of Shadows, and writing book three in epic fantasy series - entitled, When Chaos Reigns. You can find him at Geraldcoleman.com.

Reviews

[Milton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Gerald Coleman takes us to a fantasy world reminiscent of The Wheel of Time and Lord of the Rings, except this is a story replete with multicultural characters. It tells the story of the Alexandrian Empire and the various characters inhabiting this unique world. The Empire is at its peak, but there are forces at work from a time long ago conspiring to not only bring the empire down but change the course of history. When Night Falls introduces us to many characters that will be swept up into this turmoil, most notably Bantu, the commander of the People's Company, a band of semi-mercenaries pledged to uphold the empire. Gerald Coleman meretriciously crafts an engaging world and story, writing with the details, energy and flair that immerse you into this world. The characters are distinct and engaging, and the fight scenes are as detailed as they are exciting. When Night Falls is the kind of book you make time for, a book that deserves a comfortable chair and a cup of choca (the Alexandrian equivalent of coffee). It will definitely be time well spent.

[R.W.W. Greene · Rating 4 out of 5]

"When Night Falls" really brought me back to the days when I'd buy books for length, hoping they'd last me the week. That buying plan took me through Hugh Cook's "Wizard War Chronicles," Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time Series," and any number of fantasy series I burned through in those days ... pure story, all of them. Author Gerald L. Coleman holds his own in that pantheon, with bonus points for bringing fresh ideas to the usual fantasy tropes and archetypes. This, the first book in the series, kept me turning pages and left me wanting another big book for my bedside stand. Fortunately, the second book of the series just came out. I'm looking forward to my continued voyage in Coleman's afrofantastic word.

[Jude Mcpherson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do not like fantasy. At all. Its a genre that has never spoken to me. However, i'm anticipating the next book in this series already. Mr. Coleman is at ease on the page. His character development is on point. His style of writing maintains pace and action without turning the book into a paper music video. I'm still not a fan of the fantasy arena. But I will be knee deep in the rest of the series trying to comprehend the true meaning of the 3 gifts. Gerald Coleman can write.

Believe that.

[Claudia Wair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating fantasy (with a dash of steampunk) and multi-dimensional characters. Women and characters of color are portrayed as well-rounded beings instead of tired tropes (that alone makes this an important read). Can't wait for book 2.

[Gerald Coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's my book. I wrote it. So I feel a little funny doing a review. I will just say that I hope you enjoy reading it!

[Stephen Alexander · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sooo damn long....Sooo daaaammmnnnn sssllooowwwww!
At 500+ pages, this book will take a while to read.
Sure, there isn't 80 pages of nothing like that Game of Thrones book but still there was way too much that shouldn't have been in there.

I'll talk about it more this week.

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had been searching for a new fantasy series and I am glad to have found When Night falls. What an exciting find! It's not often you get to discover a new author and a new series, especially when it's at the very beginning. I love the diversity of the characters and the level of action. I hope Gerald Coleman writes a number of these!

[June Nutter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! It's very descriptive In the beginning and then jumps into nonstop action and this is only the first book! Looking forward to the next book!!!