What do you think?
Rate this book
The Words of the Night
It’s 1618. Do you know where your historian is?
Retirement wasn’t supposed to have dragons....
Historian Jason Finn crossed the planet to escape the Black Dog of depression - and almost got there. Over the mountains of Korea, a monster out of nightmares tore his plane from the sky... and into another world.
Hunting down ravenous shapeshifting pirates, Night Magistrate Lee Cheong found survivors from elsewhere. Survivors who say pirates are not the only threat. Over twenty years ago Hanyang burned in dragon flames... and that monster still lives.
Now the young magistrate must lead demon-hunters on a desperate chase, aided by a bandit sharpshooter, a seafolk medic, a Heavenly cultivator on the run for her life... and a time-lost historian.
Jason’s willing to help, but he’s cursed, fighting to survive, and struggling to understand a land of magic and monsters. All the while doing his best to keep a teenage girl alive.
Upside? Jason’s definitely not depressed....
Retirement wasn’t supposed to have dragons....
Historian Jason Finn crossed the planet to escape the Black Dog of depression - and almost got there. Over the mountains of Korea, a monster out of nightmares tore his plane from the sky... and into another world.
Hunting down ravenous shapeshifting pirates, Night Magistrate Lee Cheong found survivors from elsewhere. Survivors who say pirates are not the only threat. Over twenty years ago Hanyang burned in dragon flames... and that monster still lives.
Now the young magistrate must lead demon-hunters on a desperate chase, aided by a bandit sharpshooter, a seafolk medic, a Heavenly cultivator on the run for her life... and a time-lost historian.
Jason’s willing to help, but he’s cursed, fighting to survive, and struggling to understand a land of magic and monsters. All the while doing his best to keep a teenage girl alive.
Upside? Jason’s definitely not depressed....
- GenresAlternate HistoryDragons
595 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 6, 2025
14 people are currently reading
3 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 16, 2025
Fun, immersive and actually pretty historically accurate! The world this story takes place in feels rich and well research, the characters interesting and the premise itself attention grabbing. It's TV/popcorn fiction in the best way where you feel like your watching a fun, pulpy historical fantasy that absolutely required bingeing to get to the next part faster. Also if you're like me love reading all the little bit of logistic nitty gritty that goes into everything, then this has a lot for you to chew on. My only criticism is that except for possibly our two POV leads and a side character or two, that while the characters themselves are interesting concepts they fall into that surface level sort of filling up space that I had to flip back a few times to remind myself who they are. Here' to hoping another installment will expand on them! Overall, I had a very good time from concept to ending and think it makes a very great summer read/pick me up!
June 11, 2025
A fascinating page turner!
Well written and researched, this was a great read and I couldn't put it down until the end. There a few places (maybe 4 at most) where things got a little too 'in the weeds', but nothing that took me out of the overal story. I am very much hoping for a sequel, and highly recommend this book. It might take you a few chapters to get used to the Korean names, but it flows well.
Well written and researched, this was a great read and I couldn't put it down until the end. There a few places (maybe 4 at most) where things got a little too 'in the weeds', but nothing that took me out of the overal story. I am very much hoping for a sequel, and highly recommend this book. It might take you a few chapters to get used to the Korean names, but it flows well.
June 10, 2025
Great read-- book and references both!
Amazing job weaving the many perspectives into a story, and great job leading through a world that is more strange in being old than it is for having magic!
Amazing job weaving the many perspectives into a story, and great job leading through a world that is more strange in being old than it is for having magic!
July 11, 2025
A historian is on a plane to Korea when it is attacked by a dragon.
He and a girl on it find themselves the prisoner of monsters. Pirates who are shark-men. And he finds himself being turned into one.
When the attack comes, he is ready to give up.
Meanwhile, the Demon-Callers are investigating the reports of pirates, and we see this from the point of view of their commander, who is a vampire.
It involves discussions of allergies, a feather cloak, archery, discovery that this is 17th century Korea that does not match theirs even without considering the merfolk and the cultivators, smallpox inoculations and the use of eggs for rabies inoculations, wine, gold, relative, the royal court and its rules, and more.
He and a girl on it find themselves the prisoner of monsters. Pirates who are shark-men. And he finds himself being turned into one.
When the attack comes, he is ready to give up.
Meanwhile, the Demon-Callers are investigating the reports of pirates, and we see this from the point of view of their commander, who is a vampire.
It involves discussions of allergies, a feather cloak, archery, discovery that this is 17th century Korea that does not match theirs even without considering the merfolk and the cultivators, smallpox inoculations and the use of eggs for rabies inoculations, wine, gold, relative, the royal court and its rules, and more.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews