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The Paderborn Chronicles #1
Dark the Night Descending
Arran Swinn knows a thing or two about nightmares. After all, they killed his father. When the sun goes down, the Siheldi come out, and surviving the onslaught until daybreak can be little more than a gamble without the right protection.
Thanks to a dash of luck, a little daring, and an heirloom from his father, Arran can provide protection these days – for the right fee. Guiding seagoing merchants along the haunted trade routes is easy money…right up until he takes on a secretive passenger who proves to be almost as bad as the Siheldi themselves.
With the daylight fading and the ocean rising, Arran finds himself saddled with an illegal cargo, a bargain for his soul that he can’t hope to keep, and the unwelcome scrutiny of Megrithe Prinsthorpe, a tenacious trade inspector intent on seeing him hang for his misdeeds.
After uncovering a plot that could replace the Siheldi with something much worse, Arran must decide just how much he’s willing to sacrifice to the spirits that have had him marked out since the night his father’s death changed his life forever.
DARK THE NIGHT DESCENDING is the first book in The Dreamer’s Shadow series.
Thanks to a dash of luck, a little daring, and an heirloom from his father, Arran can provide protection these days – for the right fee. Guiding seagoing merchants along the haunted trade routes is easy money…right up until he takes on a secretive passenger who proves to be almost as bad as the Siheldi themselves.
With the daylight fading and the ocean rising, Arran finds himself saddled with an illegal cargo, a bargain for his soul that he can’t hope to keep, and the unwelcome scrutiny of Megrithe Prinsthorpe, a tenacious trade inspector intent on seeing him hang for his misdeeds.
After uncovering a plot that could replace the Siheldi with something much worse, Arran must decide just how much he’s willing to sacrifice to the spirits that have had him marked out since the night his father’s death changed his life forever.
DARK THE NIGHT DESCENDING is the first book in The Dreamer’s Shadow series.
- GenresFantasy
258 pages, Paperback
First published October 6, 2014
5 people are currently reading
715 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Bresnick
11 books17 followersJennifer Bresnick is a 2007 graduate of Mount Holyoke College with a major in history. Born and raised on Long Island, NY, she now resides in the Boston area, fervently avoiding all discussions about professional sports.
When she isn't writing down the conversations in her head to give them an appearance of respectability, Jen enjoys crocheting silly animal hats, being creative in the kitchen, and on a completely unrelated note, putting out kitchen fires.
When she isn't writing down the conversations in her head to give them an appearance of respectability, Jen enjoys crocheting silly animal hats, being creative in the kitchen, and on a completely unrelated note, putting out kitchen fires.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 7, 2014
Arran Swinn is a captain without a ship, a man who is trying to rebuild after an unfortunate disaster at sea. After securing enough money, he buys an old ship, The Tortoise, and begins to look for a crew, though securing cargo becomes his next challenge.
When Elargwyd, one of the Neneckt – a race of sea-dwelling creatures who have the ability to change their appearance – comes to the captain, looking for passage, he reluctantly accepts the job, though one passenger isn’t much of a cargo. Arran looks for an old client in the hopes of securing something profitable, but he is turned away. He is therefore surprised when packages mysteriously arrives from the client. Arran accepts the payment without regard to what the packages are.
That decision begins a series of disasters, each pushing Arran further along a path where he is no longer in control. The shipment put Arran in the cross-hairs of the Guild of Miners, a group regulates the trade of red iron, a scarce and precious commodity, and a target for counterfeiters.
Arran is forced into hasty alliances in the hope of clearing his name, and finding the a way to pay a debt to a mysterious creature, a payment whose forfeiture would result in his death. After betrayals and shifting alliances, Arran is confronted with his destiny, one that put his life and death in his hands. His fate, and the fate of mankind, may rest in his decision.
I’m familiar with Jennifer Bresnick’s work, having read a few of her short stories, and I even reviewed her first book, The Last Death of Tev Chrisini – the 2012 winner of the Shelf Unbound Contest for Best Independently Published Book. In this novel, I see a great improvement in her writing and storytelling.
In Dark the Night Descending, I found her ability to create a world uniquely her own as good as ever. Her world is inhabited by men and other super-human beings, creatures that have to power to terrorize mankind. It is not a safe world, and the terrors she writes are not unknown to the thoughts of men.
I can relate to Arran as a man trying to fight his way back after suffering a professional setback. He’s a man who finds himself dragged into a situation beyond his ability to cope, and his struggle is complicated by a cast of characters that have their own agendas, ones that finds Arran as dispensable.
Our hero has choices to make. Does he despair and accept defeat, or does he fight on, railing against the powers that seek to use and ultimately destroy him? When his allies betray him, to whom does he turn? Is there anyone left to trust?
The idea of a person finding that he has a greater destiny is nothing new, it’s a well-worn device in literature. What Jennifer does so well is that there is nothing remarkable about our hero, no super power or great ability that sets him apart. He is an every man, somebody who wants to make an honest living and do the best he can with what he has.
To me that’s the heart of the story, that though many powers have tried wrestle control of his life from our hero’s hands, what they can’t take is ability to choose for himself. He is unpredictable and thus he makes himself a dangerous power in his own right. That’s the lesson I take out of it, that we are ultimately in control of how we react to life’s surprises.
I have to give her effort a well-deserved 5 out of 5 stars. The story is entertaining and never predictable. As a reader, I never knew who I could trust, or even like. I was left wanting more and having to wait for the next installment to be written and published. I can’t wait!
When Elargwyd, one of the Neneckt – a race of sea-dwelling creatures who have the ability to change their appearance – comes to the captain, looking for passage, he reluctantly accepts the job, though one passenger isn’t much of a cargo. Arran looks for an old client in the hopes of securing something profitable, but he is turned away. He is therefore surprised when packages mysteriously arrives from the client. Arran accepts the payment without regard to what the packages are.
That decision begins a series of disasters, each pushing Arran further along a path where he is no longer in control. The shipment put Arran in the cross-hairs of the Guild of Miners, a group regulates the trade of red iron, a scarce and precious commodity, and a target for counterfeiters.
Arran is forced into hasty alliances in the hope of clearing his name, and finding the a way to pay a debt to a mysterious creature, a payment whose forfeiture would result in his death. After betrayals and shifting alliances, Arran is confronted with his destiny, one that put his life and death in his hands. His fate, and the fate of mankind, may rest in his decision.
I’m familiar with Jennifer Bresnick’s work, having read a few of her short stories, and I even reviewed her first book, The Last Death of Tev Chrisini – the 2012 winner of the Shelf Unbound Contest for Best Independently Published Book. In this novel, I see a great improvement in her writing and storytelling.
In Dark the Night Descending, I found her ability to create a world uniquely her own as good as ever. Her world is inhabited by men and other super-human beings, creatures that have to power to terrorize mankind. It is not a safe world, and the terrors she writes are not unknown to the thoughts of men.
I can relate to Arran as a man trying to fight his way back after suffering a professional setback. He’s a man who finds himself dragged into a situation beyond his ability to cope, and his struggle is complicated by a cast of characters that have their own agendas, ones that finds Arran as dispensable.
Our hero has choices to make. Does he despair and accept defeat, or does he fight on, railing against the powers that seek to use and ultimately destroy him? When his allies betray him, to whom does he turn? Is there anyone left to trust?
The idea of a person finding that he has a greater destiny is nothing new, it’s a well-worn device in literature. What Jennifer does so well is that there is nothing remarkable about our hero, no super power or great ability that sets him apart. He is an every man, somebody who wants to make an honest living and do the best he can with what he has.
To me that’s the heart of the story, that though many powers have tried wrestle control of his life from our hero’s hands, what they can’t take is ability to choose for himself. He is unpredictable and thus he makes himself a dangerous power in his own right. That’s the lesson I take out of it, that we are ultimately in control of how we react to life’s surprises.
I have to give her effort a well-deserved 5 out of 5 stars. The story is entertaining and never predictable. As a reader, I never knew who I could trust, or even like. I was left wanting more and having to wait for the next installment to be written and published. I can’t wait!
October 16, 2015
Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
"Arran Swinn knows a thing or two about nightmares. After all, they killed his father. When the sun goes down, the Siheldi come out, and surviving the onslaught until daybreak can be little more than a gamble without the right protection.
Thanks to a dash of luck, a little daring, and an heirloom from his father, Arran can provide protection these days – for the right fee. Guiding seagoing merchants along the haunted trade routes is easy money…right up until he takes on a secretive passenger who proves to be almost as bad as the Siheldi themselves.
With the daylight fading and the ocean rising, Arran finds himself saddled with an illegal cargo, a bargain for his soul that he can’t hope to keep, and the unwelcome scrutiny of Megrithe Prinsthorpe, a tenacious trade inspector intent on seeing him hang for his misdeeds.
After uncovering a plot that could replace the Siheldi with something much worse, Arran must decide just how much he’s willing to sacrifice to the spirits that have had him marked out since the night his father’s death changed his life forever. "
Wow what a fabulous book. I am so glad I was approved for this, and honestly I think it's been one of the highlights of my year, and I am SO excited to purchase and read the second one. You really have no idea how excited I am haha.
The writing in this is absolutely fantastic. I flew through this book in a day of solid reading, and I think that's partly down to the writing being so fluid and smooth. I believe this is a young adult novel, so it's always going to be a quicker read really, but the writing definitely helped. There's something about the way Bresnick structures her novel that makes it difficult for me to assess whether it truly is a young adult novel or not. Yes, there is no real adult content, but it's written with such maturity and delicacy that I almost place it under adult fantasy. Not sure where I'd place it, unlike novels like the clunky Cassandra Clare series. Beautiful writing.
The characters were well developed and I found myself truly sad in parts for the outcome of Arran. He just can't catch a break, bless him, and it makes my heart hurt. I liked that this book focuses on a small group of characters that are very well developed rather than a large group of people, much like fantasy tends to do, as that can often lead to a group of lesser developed characters. I loved the sarcastic dialogue between a few of them. Had me giggling in parts. Arran Swinn, the main character, is written so realistically with flaws that we all have. He is a confident person, but in some situations his confidence wavers and is replaced with fear. And that is so real to me, and makes him all the more likeable as a person.
The plot. Oh wow, the plot. An entirely unique concept with absolutely fabulous world and species building. One of the islands in this book... man I want to live there. It's been built so wonderfully. But seriously, I could not stop reading this. I was desperate to see what happened next and what everything was about. As soon as I finished this first in the series, I went to look for the next one because I just can't wait to find out what happens next. I haven't done that about a book for a long time, now. The plot is fun, scary, adventurous, funny, action-packed, and just all round epic. It's literally everything you could ever want from a plot.
Overall I give this a massive 5/5 stars. It was both a joy and an honour to read.
"Arran Swinn knows a thing or two about nightmares. After all, they killed his father. When the sun goes down, the Siheldi come out, and surviving the onslaught until daybreak can be little more than a gamble without the right protection.
Thanks to a dash of luck, a little daring, and an heirloom from his father, Arran can provide protection these days – for the right fee. Guiding seagoing merchants along the haunted trade routes is easy money…right up until he takes on a secretive passenger who proves to be almost as bad as the Siheldi themselves.
With the daylight fading and the ocean rising, Arran finds himself saddled with an illegal cargo, a bargain for his soul that he can’t hope to keep, and the unwelcome scrutiny of Megrithe Prinsthorpe, a tenacious trade inspector intent on seeing him hang for his misdeeds.
After uncovering a plot that could replace the Siheldi with something much worse, Arran must decide just how much he’s willing to sacrifice to the spirits that have had him marked out since the night his father’s death changed his life forever. "
Wow what a fabulous book. I am so glad I was approved for this, and honestly I think it's been one of the highlights of my year, and I am SO excited to purchase and read the second one. You really have no idea how excited I am haha.
The writing in this is absolutely fantastic. I flew through this book in a day of solid reading, and I think that's partly down to the writing being so fluid and smooth. I believe this is a young adult novel, so it's always going to be a quicker read really, but the writing definitely helped. There's something about the way Bresnick structures her novel that makes it difficult for me to assess whether it truly is a young adult novel or not. Yes, there is no real adult content, but it's written with such maturity and delicacy that I almost place it under adult fantasy. Not sure where I'd place it, unlike novels like the clunky Cassandra Clare series. Beautiful writing.
The characters were well developed and I found myself truly sad in parts for the outcome of Arran. He just can't catch a break, bless him, and it makes my heart hurt. I liked that this book focuses on a small group of characters that are very well developed rather than a large group of people, much like fantasy tends to do, as that can often lead to a group of lesser developed characters. I loved the sarcastic dialogue between a few of them. Had me giggling in parts. Arran Swinn, the main character, is written so realistically with flaws that we all have. He is a confident person, but in some situations his confidence wavers and is replaced with fear. And that is so real to me, and makes him all the more likeable as a person.
The plot. Oh wow, the plot. An entirely unique concept with absolutely fabulous world and species building. One of the islands in this book... man I want to live there. It's been built so wonderfully. But seriously, I could not stop reading this. I was desperate to see what happened next and what everything was about. As soon as I finished this first in the series, I went to look for the next one because I just can't wait to find out what happens next. I haven't done that about a book for a long time, now. The plot is fun, scary, adventurous, funny, action-packed, and just all round epic. It's literally everything you could ever want from a plot.
Overall I give this a massive 5/5 stars. It was both a joy and an honour to read.
November 8, 2015
I received a copy of this title from the publisher via Netgalley.
Ten Second Synopsis:
Arran Swinn is a ship's captain who asks no questions about his cargo. He probably should have in this case however, as it lands him in a life or death struggle with a face-changing murderess, sees him making a bargain for his life he can't hope to keep and being pursued by a single-minded Guild inspector who wants to see him hang.
There is some really strong world building here and a rollicking adventure with a hapless but lovable anti-hero. In this strange world are the neneckt – water-dwelling face-changers with a distrustful relationship with humans – and the Siheldi – a mysterious and deadly ghost-race that apparently come out only at night to suck the souls out of the unfortunate. The tale is fast-paced as Arran races from one disaster to the next and enough creepiness balanced with humour to keep the reader engaged throughout. There are some quite frightening scenes with the Siheldi and plenty of twists as Arran finds out who he can trust and who might just turn on him at the drop of a medallion. I’m not sure I’ll go the extra mile and continue with this series, but this first offering is certainly worthy of filling a fantasy/adventure-shaped gap in your TBR list.
Ten Second Synopsis:
Arran Swinn is a ship's captain who asks no questions about his cargo. He probably should have in this case however, as it lands him in a life or death struggle with a face-changing murderess, sees him making a bargain for his life he can't hope to keep and being pursued by a single-minded Guild inspector who wants to see him hang.
There is some really strong world building here and a rollicking adventure with a hapless but lovable anti-hero. In this strange world are the neneckt – water-dwelling face-changers with a distrustful relationship with humans – and the Siheldi – a mysterious and deadly ghost-race that apparently come out only at night to suck the souls out of the unfortunate. The tale is fast-paced as Arran races from one disaster to the next and enough creepiness balanced with humour to keep the reader engaged throughout. There are some quite frightening scenes with the Siheldi and plenty of twists as Arran finds out who he can trust and who might just turn on him at the drop of a medallion. I’m not sure I’ll go the extra mile and continue with this series, but this first offering is certainly worthy of filling a fantasy/adventure-shaped gap in your TBR list.
October 18, 2015
I won this book courtesy of Good Reads giveaways.
My largest problem with this book, it is the first in a series and now I have to find the rest. Other than that, which I am secretly excited about because that means this adventure will continue, I loved the book. There was some mythology I felt was lacking explanations, but as the story unfolded that becomes less of an issue. It actually played out better waiting for the explanations.
The main character, Arrin Swinn, is unwittingly caught in a plot to change the very existence of humans in his world - and their fear of the non-human residents of it. Audience members get a third-person view of both his thoughts, and those of other forces at play. Despite this insight, no one knows what is truly coming for them.
The story has suspense, humor, drama, and fantasy blended into it, along with other elements. It is a page-turning novel I recommend not starting when you have other things you want to accomplish.
My largest problem with this book, it is the first in a series and now I have to find the rest. Other than that, which I am secretly excited about because that means this adventure will continue, I loved the book. There was some mythology I felt was lacking explanations, but as the story unfolded that becomes less of an issue. It actually played out better waiting for the explanations.
The main character, Arrin Swinn, is unwittingly caught in a plot to change the very existence of humans in his world - and their fear of the non-human residents of it. Audience members get a third-person view of both his thoughts, and those of other forces at play. Despite this insight, no one knows what is truly coming for them.
The story has suspense, humor, drama, and fantasy blended into it, along with other elements. It is a page-turning novel I recommend not starting when you have other things you want to accomplish.
October 27, 2014
This was a fantastic story! There were many times as I was reading it that I didn't want to put it down (which was a problem because I read it during my breaks at work). It has a vivid world and interesting characters, human and otherwise. The non-human characters are some of the most original, unique creatures/beings I've ever seen in a fantasy novel. The seaside world and the underwater world are both so richly described you can practically smell the saltwater and seaweed. Actually, the only bad thing about Dark the Night Descending is that I have to wait for the next book to come out!
I really liked Jennifer Bresnick's other books, The Last Death of Tev Chrisini and The Spoil of Zanuth-Karun, but this book was even better than those. When I got down to the last chapter or two, I didn't want it to end!
I really liked Jennifer Bresnick's other books, The Last Death of Tev Chrisini and The Spoil of Zanuth-Karun, but this book was even better than those. When I got down to the last chapter or two, I didn't want it to end!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews