The Tyranny of the Night

Instrumentalities of the Night #1

by Glen Cook

Welcome to the world of the Instrumentalities of the Night, where imps, demons, and dark gods rule in the spaces surrounding upstart humanity. At the edges of the world stand walls of ice which push slowly forward to reclaim the land for the night. And at the world's center, in the Holy Land where two great religions were born, are the Wells of Ihrain, the source of the greatest magics. Over the last century the Patriarchs of the West have demanded crusades to claim the Wells from the Pramans, the followers of the Written. Now an uneasy truce extends between the Pramans and the West, waiting for a spark to start the conflict anew. Then, on a mission in the Holy Land, the young Praman warrior Else is attacked by a creature of the Dark-in effect, a minor god. Too ignorant to know that he can never prevail over such a thing, he fights it and wins, and in so doing, sets the terrors of the night against him. As a reward for his success, Else is sent as a spy to the heart of the Patriarchy to direct their attention away from further ventures into the Holy Lands. Dogged by hidden enemies and faithless allies, Else witnesses senseless butchery and surprising acts of faith as he penetrates to the very heart of the Patriarchy and rides alongside their armies in a new crusade against his own people. But the Night rides with him, too, sending two of its once-human agents from the far north to assassinate him. Submerged in his role, he begins to doubt his faith, his country, even his family. As his mission careens out of control, he faces unanswerable questions about his future. It is said that God will know his own, but can one who has slain gods ever know forgiveness? In The Tyranny of the Night, Glen Cook introduces a new fantasy epic for the ages.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, War, Science Fiction Fantasy, High Fantasy

505 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 13, 2010

About the author

Glen Cook was born in New York City, lived in southern Indiana as a small child, then grew up in Northern California. After high school he served in the U.S. Navy and attended the University of Missouri. He worked for General Motors for 33 years, retiring some years ago. He started writing short stories in 7th grade, had several published in a high school literary magazine. He began writing with malicious intent to publish in 1968, eventually producing 51 books and a number of short fiction pieces.
He met his wife of 43 years while attending the Clarion Writer's Workshop in 1970. He has three sons (army officer, architect, orchestral musician) and numerous grandchildren, all of whom but one are female. He is best known for his Black Company series, which has appeared in 20+ languages worldwide. His other series include Dread Empire and and the Garrett, P.I. series. His latest work is Working God’s Mischief, fourth in the Instrumentalities of the Night series.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/glencook

Reviews

[Choko · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** 4.25 ***

A buddy read with my friends @ BB&B!

*** 4.55 ***

"... "Insofar as Else Tage could see, the Firaldian Peninsula was where insanity went to retire.”..."

Second time around and it is even better!!! The immense knowledge of historical events in Middle Europe during the Middle Ages and the way Cook presents it to us are like a sadistic, but very addictive game and I could not stop trying to put the puzzle pieces down just the way they are supposed to fit together... It takes a lot of time and concentration, but it is a really worthy read for the fans of both military Fantasy and History.

-----------------------------------------

"... "Else nodded and smiled but also rolled his eyes. “This is getting hard to follow. I’ll be writing reports and sending them to me keeping track of what I’ve been doing and offering suggestions on how I can influence me to behave in ways that I’ll find more useful toward accomplishing my goals where spying on me is concerned.”..."

I wonder how boring the world would be if there were no writers like Glen Cook in it... Actually, I refuse to even imagine such HORROR! If there was no Glen Cook, then there wouldn't be the Black Company, and there would not be this Alternative History Fantasy, The Instrumentalities of the Night, which is another enthralling and mind-boggling Tour de Force by one of the most deceptively simplistic authors I have ever read! For the ease and accessibility of his prose, his plots and characterizations are so complex and multilayered, that when you first start one of his books you feel like you were dropped in the frying pan, the oil is over your head and you are expected not only to swim, survive and persevere , but finish cooking and serve a diner for your future in-laws... And your boss... This tendency to start his stories at a seemingly random point in the middle of action is one of my personal favorite characteristics of GC's storytelling, but it is also one of the reasons many people find confusing and many give up early on. I understand, but I do wish they would continue. All the random seeming scenes, with no visible connection to each other, every one of them is just a building block and eventually everything comes together, you just have to trust the author to lead you through the minefield of backstabbing, politics, machinations, power struggles, betrayals, battles, magic, gods and demons. And in the end you are happy you have couple of more books to look forward to!!!

Else lives in a world which mirrors ours but in Medieval Times and more specifically, in between the first two Crusades... Else is a captain in the army of the Eastern peoples and after returning from the Holy Lands, he is sent back to infiltrate and spy on the Western Church Patriarch and his cronies, who are just looking for a reason to go on another crusade and plunder everything on the way. His mission - get close to the heads of houses, something like heads of City States, and do everything possible to distract them so they don't even think about invading the Holy Lands again. It sounds completely impossible, but hey, he is just a soldier and has no other choice but accept. Tom Cruise, anyone ☺?

Well, I forgot to mention that while on his way back home, Else had used the first dynomite powered bomb like weapon and was able to kill a demon, which is more like an​ old time minor pagan god, which the current prevalent religions call demons, or more appropriately, The Instrumentalities of the Night! Tum-tum-tuuuuummmmm! Well, obviously those creatures are not happy and decide they have to rid him of his life... They have to get in line, since Else's mission is so dangerous and unpredictable, he gathered enemies every step of the way, all of them wishing for his painful end! The Instrumentalities find two Humans to use as their proxy and those characters are absolutely fantastic!!! Loved their story arc, loved all the gruesome situations they found themselves in, ... I loved​pretty much everything!!!

My favorite part of reading this book is the unmasking of the historical equivalents of this fictional world and ours. Since I am a bit of a History nut, this felt like a puzzle with high payoff at the end:-) And it being made up gave the author a great canvas to work with! And he did not disappoint 💓!

I have to make myself stop here, or I run the risk of delving into the plot and giving something away... I just want to end by recommending this to history and fantasy fans, although I would not think it appropriate for the very young, since it is a bit on the violent side - it is Medieval Time after all!

"... "THE GODS OF THE ANDORAYANS REFLECTED THE NORTHERN FOLK THEMselves. Which meant that they were rowdy, drunken, not too bright, drunken, violent, drunken, and short-sighted. While often drunk.”..."

Now I wish you all Happy Reading and may you always find what you Need in the pages of a Good book!!!

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 5 out of 5]

💀 A Seasoned and Not So Seasoned Glen Cook Mercenaries Buddy Reread (SAaNSSGCMBR™) with Evgeny, Choko, Elena the Not So Seasoned One and Eilonwy (when she shows up in 2058) 💀

Previous rating: 4 stars.
New rating: 8 stars. Now that's more like it.

» And the moralssssss of this particular reread are:

① I'm pretty sure my soul was possessed by my Evil Twin of Despicable Book Taste (EToDBT™) when I read this book for the first time. I mean, why else would I not remember a bloody shrimping thing about this mostest awesomest story have given this book a disgustingly pathetic, revoltingly lame 4 star rating? There is no other rational explanation. This is Glen Cook after all, so there is no fishing way I could remember less about this glorious creation of his than about Who's Holding the Baby? loathe one of his books so much as rate it less than 7 stars. Ergo, it wasn't me and stuff.

② If you don't know what the words treachery and backstabbing mean, or are not sure how a double duodecuple agent manages his workload, read this book. I guarantee it will help broaden your lacking horizons.



Wow. This little guy here shows most devious spying abilities. Pretty sure he'd be recruited by one of the factions in this book in less time it takes Else Tage, our present man of international yumminess mystery, to add a new backstabbing mission to his list. And that, my Tiny Arthropods, is quite an achievement indeed.

③ When Seasoned Glen Cook Mercenaries (SGCM™) resort to a spreadsheet to keep track of who is maybe pretending to be who then again maybe not and feigning to do doing perhaps what and vice-versa in what could possibly be misleadingly fictitious locations that might or might not be the locations you didn't think they were, then you know you're in for a treat. Normal people tend to think this is confusing as fish, and Suicide-Inducing Info Dumping of Doom (SIIDoD™). We SGCM™, however? We thank our god Glen Cook for making us feel like complete morons once again, and ask for more. Yes, we are slightly masochistic like that.



Glen Cook piñatas R us.

I have to admit, this isn't stuff for the amateurish, lethargic barnacle, my Little Barnacles. This Most Wondrous Piece of Alternate History Meets Fantasy (MWPoAHMF™) is a story that requires one's full decapodic attention, and makes one's two grey cells sweat and overheat and slightly implode and stuff. And that is what is so scrumpalicious about my cunning boyfriend Else this book. You have to earn him it. And work for him it. Hot duplicitous guys Stupendously delicious books come to those who work for them and stuff.

④ Donkeys make the best, fiercest, mostest badassest soldiers. Especially when they are called Pig Iron. And the official SaNSSGCM™ Seasoned and Not So Seasoned Glen Cook Mercenaries, remember? No? Why am I not surprised? You really are a hopeless barnacled bunch Yeah, I love you, too mascot.

⑤ I might have been totally out of it when I first read this book My Evil Twin Of Eternal Damnation (EtoED™) might have taken over while I was reading this book for the first time, but that doesn't mean my memory was completely wiped out. There's something I do remember. Yes there is. Else is MINE MINE MINE. QED and stuff.

The End. For now.

We shall return! We shall prevail! For we Glen Cook Mercenaries are as ferocious and tough and tenacious as Pig Iron, and will not give up until my boyfriend Else gets an Olympic gold medal in Trequinquaguple Spying (that is an official Olympic sport, yes)!



· Book 2: Lord of the Silent Kingdom ★★★★★
· Book 3: Surrender to the Will of the Night ★★★
· Book 4: Working God's Mischief ★★★★



[Original non-review of the crappiest of crappiest kinds]

☠ I Am Only a Month Late for this Oh Please Fellow Mercenaries Don't Sever My Little Head Just Yet Buddy Read (IAOaMLftOPFMDSMLHJYBR™) without My Dearest of Wives, My Elephantine Canadian Nemesis and The Girl Formerly Known as Slowpoke over at BB&B ☠

This is Glen Cook, ergo this is slightly awesome. And thus was very scientifically proven the undeniably scrumptious greatness of this book. You are very welcome.

The end.



Also: Else is MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE. Duh.

Also, also: there is no info-dumping in this book. None whatsoever. Because Glen Cook doesn't do info-dumping. He wouldn't know how to if he tried. And if he did try, I wouldn't mention it. So there. Move along, nothing to see and stuff.

Also, also, also: decuple backstabbing. It's bloody shrimping sexy.



You've obviously never read a Glen Cook book, darling.

[Bookwraiths · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally reviewed at Bookwraiths Reviews

I'm a big fan of Glen Cook and have been since I was a know-it-all teenager, so whenever he puts out a new book, I eventually get around to reading it. Usually I love the thing, because I just enjoy the way the man tells stories. But even I have to say this book/series was difficult to get real excited about. However, since Cook wrote it, I finally gave it a try and was glad I did so.

With The Tyranny of the Night, Cook takes us to a thinly concealed 13th century Europe. So thinly disguised I might add that I soon made a list of what fictional country was Italy, which was Burgundy, et cetera and kept up with the characters locations that way instead of the fictional ones.

Sorry, I digressed there.

In this fantasy world, there is a wall of ice in the north which is slowly crawling over humanity, reclaiming the land for the imps, demons, and dark gods who are (drum roll please) the instrumentalities of the night. The wise in the world theorize that this ice age is occurring because the great magical Wells of Ihrain, which the world's two greatest religions both covet and which correlates to Jerusalem in our world, are gradually drying up. Indeed, the glacier's growth is increasing, which suggests that the wells are accelerating toward their eventually demise. However, this lessening of their power has not kept the Patriarchs of the West and the Pramans, or the followers of the Written, from fighting several crusade-like wars for possession of them.

As our story begins, a precarious truce holds sway over the world, but that all changes when Else, a young Praman warrior, and his small band of comrades are attacked by a creature of the night: a demigod to be specific. Too ignorant or too stubborn to just die, Else determines to fight back, and he does just that, using his ingenuity to cast down the undefeatable creature of the night. A victory which brings not great joy and accolades to Else but the eternal wrath of the night and the hatred of more human enemies. In fact, Else's immediate reward for his unexpected success is to be sent as a spy into the heartland of his people's mortal enemies - unto the Patriarchal city itself, leaving his family, his friends, and all he has ever known behind. There his mission is simple: weasel his way into a position of power and direct the attention of the western kingdom away from any war to take back the Wells of Ihrain.

These ridiculous orders from his lord are accepted by Else as his duty, and he departs even though he has lots of unanswered questions. However, he soon finds that in order to survive he has to do more than pretend to be a westerner; he has to become one. Quickly, our hero is emulating his sworn enemies, eating their food even though it is sacrilege to his beliefs, casting aside his own spirituality, and even fighting and killing other Pramans. Submerged in this alter ego he has crafted, determined to do his duty even though it violates his every belief, Else begins to doubt the foundations of his life: faith, country, and family.

If all that wasn't enough for poor Else to deal with, someone keeps trying to kill him too? But is it the night, or is it human enemies? Else doesn't know, and neither does the reader - at least in large part. But there is one thing everyone is certain off: once a man kills a god how can the world ever be the same again. And that is what Cook explores in this first book of the series.

Hopefully, I did the book justice with that brief description. Please understand there are several characters who get considerable page time here - it isn't just about Else and his mission - and these separate stories do not always interconnect in any but a very remote way. So it can be very confusion to get everything straight in your mind when you first begin reading this novel. However, it's worth the effort and does grow on you. Now, I don't know if the growth is new hair on your bald head or fungus on your toes, but it is there nonetheless. But my bad jokes aside, give this book a try you might enjoy it.

[Maria Dimitrova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buddy read with the Glen Cook fans of BB&B.

This was a very different book from what I expected. My expectations were more along the line of the other Glen Cook books I've read (The Black Company) so at first all that politicking and religious stuff was overwhelming, confusing and a bit annoying. Honestly if it wasn't for the old-timers and their comments I would have been hopelessly lost. Or I would have had to reread every other chapter 2-3 times, go back to reread previous passages when something clicks in my mind and in the end I would have thrown away the book in frustration. And in the end it would have taken me so much longer to finish it.

Once I got into things, however, it was a very addictive read with the typical minimalistic writing I've come to expect from Glen Cook. It's a complex world and requires a lot of attention to keep up with it so I wouldn't recommend to read it parallel with some other book. Don't expect clear cut heroes and villains and don't expect a mighty struggle against the forces of evil. This ambiguity that mirrors real life is probably the thing I liked most about TTotN and it sets this book apart from most fantasy books.

[Eilonwy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual with Glen Cook, the story line in this book is pretty complex and twisty, and hard to summarize.

So let’s talk about the world the story is set in. It’s an alternate version of our earth, taking place around the time of the Christian Crusades, the East/West Christian Schism, and the spread of Islam, so approximately 1200 CE. All these religions and a few others (various Jewish sects, even Norse mythology) are followed by the characters, who all, naturally, believe they are on the One and Only path to righteousness as they travel through various Mediterranean lands. But it’s our world with a twist -- magic exists, and (some) gods interfere in human affairs. So it’s very definitely a fantasy version of all this history.

I loved it. The book starts off a little info-dumpy (unusual for Glen Cook) which made the first few chapters very slow going for me, but after about 50 pages the multitude of characters began to feel familiar and a plot began to develop, and I was hooked. There’s plenty of GC’s trademark double-crossing--by the end of the story, I couldn’t keep track of how many layers of double-agenting one character was doing!

This world lacks some of the richness of The Black Company novels, which is one reason I’m knocking a star off the rating. Also, it could really use a map and a cast of characters, although I think I figured what most of the countries are. But overall, it was an absorbing, fascinating place to be, filled with GC’s usual interesting characters that you never dare turn your back to. The ending, in particular, was just incredible.

Edited to Add: I enjoyed this just at much as a reread. The last few chapters are some of my favorite fantasy ever.

I’m really looking forward to Book 2, which my Buddy Readers and I are all finally ready to tackle together! Woo-hoo!

Check out my Fellow Mercenaries’ reviews:

Evgeny

Choko

[E. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a huge Glen Cook fan. My love for the Black Company series is far beyond irrational, I recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy with an enthusiasm that borders on fanatical. But, as much as I am loathe to admit it, I really just did not like this book.

Firstly, one of the very compelling parts of the Black Company is that it is written largely from the perspective of the soldiers on the ground. The Company, if you haven't read the books, is a mercenary band, and they really don't care much for the politics involved in why they are fighting most of the time. By contrast, in this book you are treated to often lengthy genealogies of power that don't really seem to matter. It takes place in the context of a world that strongly resembles a crusades-era catholic church, and the vast plethora of heresies, not to mention the political infighting, create a tapestry of power struggles that, frankly, I had trouble caring about much less keeping track of.

Secondly, Cook seems to be attempting an experiment in authorial voice in which every sentence is brief and clipped, and paragraphs are often one or two sentences. It gives the whole thing a fragmented feel that I found off-putting in the extreme. If I hadn't read so much of his previous stuff and known that he is, actually, a good writer, I would have given up on this book three chapters in. As it was, I kept slogging through it out of a sense of faithfulness. I finally did finish it, and the payoff was good, but stylistically the whole thing left me so alienated that I just really couldn't care.

If you are already a Cook fan, this is probably worth picking up used just so you can help me figure out what the hell he was thinking. If you're not, skip this and read Black Company instead. I consider Tyranny of the Night to be a failed experiment, and I can only hope it was helpful to him, because it sure wasn't much for me.

[Jennifer Wheeler · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not even worth 1 measly little star if I'm being completely honest. This is the most wretchedly over-complicated and boring book ever written quite possibly in the history of forever. If you enjoy rapid-fire naming of characters, places, and religious factions, with no backstory and very little happening within the storyline within the first 32 pages (that's how far I got), then look no further. But for real. This sucked balls.

[Art · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a lot to recommend this book, especially to those who are sick and tired of the typical High Medieval might and magic type of effluvium that saturates the SciFi/Fantasy bookshelves these days. Cook is in his usual form, gritty and realistic, yet able to find glimmers of something good even in his vilest villains. However, this particular book suffers from an overwhelming complexity of places, names, religions and characters. Cook makes it worse by being disingenuous: after a short while it becomes obvious that the setting is late Medieval Europe, fractured and in the throes of Christian-Muslim rivalry. Frequently, I found myself staring into space, trying to figure match Cook's made-up placenames with actual nations. The "neato" effect lasted all of five minutes; afterwards, the calling of old things by new names grew tiresome. This would've worked far better as an alternative history rather than outright fantasy.

Once I got the handle on the myriad moving parts of the story, the story itself is engaging, complex and interesting. The ending sags, but it's not really an ending. As with most fantasy books these days, this one's a series.

[astaliegurec · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you sort the reviews for this book on Amazon by Lowest Rating First, you'll get a good idea of what's wrong with this book. Essentially, it reads like a text book on Medieval History with all the names changed (except Iceland, oddly). Plus, it has WAY too much geographical, historical, genealogical, political, and religious information in it. After a while, your eyes sort of glaze over and you end up skimming through things. Even after reading the 500 pages in the book, I still couldn't keep the players straight. Also, the secondary characters aren't consistent in their behavior. This is especially bad because it's hard enough to pull up any one name out of the dozens presented. If the characters don't even act the same from appearance to appearance, you're not sure you're thinking of the right person. Having said that, I've got to say there's an excellent story buried in there. By the time the book ends, either you've absorbed enough of the irritating trivia or you learned to ignore it enough that you become engrossed in the story. Unfortunately, that's when the book ends. It's not a bad ending for a series. It's just that you finally feel like you're reading a Glen Cook book instead of a history book and then it's gone. Oh, well. For the story alone, I'd give this a four star rating. But, because of the extraneous baggage Cook adds, I'm reducing my rating by one star to an OK 3 stars out of 5.

The books in Glen Cooks "Instrumentalities of the Night" series are:

1. The Tyranny of the Night: Book One of the Instrumentalities of the Night
2. Lord of the Silent Kingdom (Instrumentalities of the Night)
3. Surrender to the Will of the Night (Instrumentalities of the Night)
4. Working God's Mischief (Instrumentalities of the Night)

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A straight-forward political fantasy by Glen Cook, this book had a huge cast and moved to a ton of different places and it was very easy to become lost and confused by all the names. Fortunately, perhaps, much of the geopolitics mirror medieval Europe and the Middle East (with all the names changed—probably to avoid all the emotional baggage if it had been set there) and once I made that connection it became much easier to keep track of everything going on. Not nearly as dark or depressing as the Black Company books, this was more of a romp with consequences and with a main character (as much as the book had one) who was engaging and a magic system that drew me in as well. So I enjoyed it and wouldn't mind coming back for future book in the series.

[Psychophant · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book annoyed me a lot. It still annoys me when I think about it. It is well written, specially the soldiering bits, which is not surprising considering Glen Cook's mastery of that aspect. It is the worldbuilding what irritates me. This is supposedly a fantasy world. With strong sorcery and interventionist supernatural forces. And yet when you start reading you realize the world itself is basically ours by the beginning of the XIIIth century AD, with all the names changed. Both religion, politics and even past history are the same, as if those supernatural effects just did not affect much.

There are two sources of annoyance. One is at the lazyness implied on not adjusting the history to consider the effects of the changes made to the world. The second is more particular, as it distracted me, every time a new name or locale appeared, trying to decide which was its earth analogue. And always there was one... Probably those who do not have an idea of the period will enjoy it more, as it is a good period for conflict driven stories, but for me it is just a cheap way out of building a world.

Fortunately once the book starts the plot deviates from established history, so that makes it at least something to look forward to. I am not yet sure I want to continue with the series, despite the story-telling talent of Cook and his ability to make likable villains as well as good antiheroic main characters. The setting, thanks to Earth's intrinsic richness, is immersing, and the author has done his homework, even if I cringe each time Brothe appears and I translate it to Rome...

If you have no idea who the Mamluks were, or the Catars, you will enjoy it more.

[Ryan St george · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only reason this doesn't get five stars is because it can be extremely complex and confusing in the beginning. If you want to read military fantasy with strong influences of the Crusades, Islam, Odin and Norse religion, Christianity, 13th century Europe, Byzantium/Constantinople, Cathars/Albigensian, Mystic Judaism, and a bunch more other awesomeness this is the series for you!

History buffs will love this! I know I did! Can't wAit for book two.

[Redsteve · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you enjoyed the author's BLACK COMPANY series and are also a history nerd, this is the book for you. Cook combines dark military fantasy with (very) thinly-disguised 13th Century Europe and the Near East, featuring wars, intrigue, and religious turmoil mixed with sorcery and demonic entities. The book is still entertaining as a fantasy novel, but it's also a lot of fun recognizing the places, events, and historical figures that Cook has repurposed. Solid 4 stars.

[Book_Phenom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short review explaining my rating:

Glen Cook has been on my tbr list forever. From the synopsis, this book SOUNDS like something I would love. Unfortunately, this book was really disappointing for me. The beginning was so info dumpy. We spent chapters talking about geography, politics, and religion. We were also introduced to an insane amount of characters rather quickly. It wasn't just slow but it was so freaking boring. I wanted to DNF this but I wanted to see if it got better.

The book did pick up towards the end but not enough to make me want to continue with the story. I still plan on reading The Black Company though.

[Shane · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow, Glen Cook, what happened? I loved the Black Company books so I was happy to finally get around to this. I made it about 32 pages in before I gave up on these bizarre ramblings. It was like reading a history text book written by some scholarly grad student for his final thesis. It was name after name after name like reading reading the Bible, Abraham begat Isaac begat Jacob. At some point I started just "browsing" the paragraphs, but then it never stopped. I was also disappointed in the "Europeanish" setting, rather than an original fantasy setting.

Not totally giving up on Cook, just going to pretend this never happened.

[Ashleigh · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF’d 50 pages in. It was just an onslaught of names, places, religions, people, kings, beliefs, factions, battles, etc. etc. etc.

No glossary or map, and a bit of googling suggests one needs quite an understanding of political and social history during European medieval times. For all I know, not a bad book, but one that was information overload for me and not enjoyable. I got 10% in, and nothing improved, so gave up.

[Pavlo Tverdokhlib · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is arguably Cook's best. Unlike the Black Company, which created its own world with a long history that the reader had to try to piece togetehr slowly themselves, here we have our history. Well, kind of. The parallels are real and deliberate, giving us a 12th century Europe and the surrounding Mediterranean states. Crusades are in full swing, and a new ambitious "Patriarch" (read: Pope) wants to launch another one. Oh, and crush the local variant of the Cathar heresy in what-should-be Southern France.

Except there's also magic, that's supposedly keeping the Ice Age at bay. The Holy Lands are important because of the magic. And gods are manifestations of this magic "The Night"- its "Instrumentalities"
Then one of the protagonists discovers that guns and silver can kill these "Gods". And the Night does not like that.

The book's plot is a mashup of plots and conspiracies. The main character, Else Tage, an officer of the elite corps of slave-soldiers is sent from the Holy Lands undercover into the Western Lands. His mission- sow chaos any way he can to prevent the Patriarchy from launching a crusade against his homeland. To do this, Else poses as a mercenary soldier of fortune, as he tries to make his way into the corridors of power. Along the way he'll encounter oppressed minorities, fellow mercenaries, fanatical Brotherhood of War, as well as many spymasters and some of the most powerful players in this version of Europe.

The characters are used to describe the setting- the tone feels very much like the Black Company. In fact, Else's banter with any soldiers feels incredibly familiar, to the point where you're sometimes left wondering "just when did he build up such a relationship with X or Y"?

However, there's not much time to wonder, because the plot moves quickly, the pacing is solid. Some chapters are incredibly short, while others last for dozens of action-packed pages.

Oh, and there's time-travelling vikings. These just show up in the plot from time to time to mess up everyone's schemes.

I was sold on this book pretty much on the setting alone. But the rest of the book delivers as well. Probably one of my favourite reads this year.

[Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read Mr. Cook's "Black Company" series, I looked forward to reading the start of the Instrumentalities of the Night series, "The Tyranny of the Night."

I must admit that I was somewhat disappointed by this book during the first couple hundred pages. I found it quite difficult to separate the characters and the religions to which they belonged and the religions seemed to play quite an important part.

After awhile the book started to get a bit clearer or I started to become more acclimated to the environment which the book depicts. For most of the second half it settles into a split narrative between two different characters. One is a spy with many identities most often referred to as else or Pipe. He quickly became my favorite character in this book. The other was a dead (or undead, or once dead character named Svavar Grimmsson who by the end of the book attains the status as a major Instrumentality of the Night. A third character of major importance who recedes from the spotlight in the later stages of the book is Brother Candle.

Once I settled into the rhythm of the book, everything became better and I could feel some of the "Black Company" flavor seeping into this work. I am looking forward to starting the second book in the series: "Lord of the Silent Kingdom."

[John Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glen Cook became one of
my favorite authors when
I rad the 1st book of the Black Company
(but that's another post)
Cook specializes in
gritty
darm
fantasy
that feels very real
no white wizards
or elves
or any of that tired rubbish
just plain old people
beating the shit out of each other
An intense book set in an
alternate yet entirely believable
version of 15th(?) Century Europe
Exciting military fantasy
that is simultaneously clever
a trick that most
"mens adventure" books
miss

[Kelly Flanagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

so far this book is just as all the reviews state.. too much info! The Author doesn't allow you to fill in any detail of the political aspects of life within this world, and not just one kingdom, but the entire world.
dialog though sparse is well written, and there seems to bee a good story in there. I hope to find it before I am tempted to shelve the book.

[Joelendil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine that all the most interesting/infamous people and religious/geopolitical situations from the 1200’s through the early 1500’s existed and happened contemporaneously. Also imagine that the world oozes with dark godlike powers and beings. That’s pretty much the worldbuilding behind Glen Cook’s Instrumentalities of the Night series.

If you don’t know your Medieval Crusader-era history, you can easily become hopelessly lost in the bewildering tangle of politics and religion that drive the plot. Even if you do know that history, it takes a while to sort things out since Cook has renamed all of the people, places, and religions. At the end of this post I’ve listed the identities of some of the major players as far as I can figure them out (and you can find similar lists elsewhere). I didn’t bother with individuals since some of them seem to be composites of a few people (though there are clear analogues to Rodrigo Borgia, Raymond VI, Saladin, Genghis Khan, and others).

At this point, I’m hard-pressed to say what the overarching plot is. We spend the most time with a Praman (Muslim) secret agent who worms his way into the heart of Brothen Episcopal (Roman Catholic) power, but other major strands include Maysalian/Connecten (Cathar/Languedoc) politics, Devedian (Jewish) self-preservation (or possibly world-dominating conspiracy; I can’t decide whether it’s just our Praman/Muslim agent or Glen Cook himself who is coming off a bit anti-Semitic), and a healthy dose of Norse mythology.

In spite of a few overly graphic bits (the crusading era was brutal and Rodrigo Borgia’s papacy was decadent and perverted) and an incredibly unfocused plot, I found this book fairly enjoyable. Cook mixes together vast swaths of history and a lurking dread of dark powers into something unique…messy but interesting so far.



A partial list of places and religious/ethnic groups as far as I can tell (If you’ve read the series, I’d love your input):

Andoray- Scandinavian nation (Norway?)
Arnhand- France
Brothe- Rome
Calzir- Barbary pirate states but located in Southern Italy (and Sicily)
Connec- Languedoc (Southern France, home of the Cathars/Albigenses)
Direcia- Iberian peninsula (mostly Muslim occupied, but being “reconquered”)
Dreangerea- land of the (Fatimid?) caliphate south of the Holy Land (Egypt?)
Eastern Empire- Byzantine Empire
Firaldia- Italy
Friesland- Nation conquering/uniting Scandinavia (Denmark?)
Grail Empire- Holy Roman Empire
Great Sky Fortress- Asgard
Lucidia- land of the (Ayyubid?) caliphate north of the Holy Land (Syria?)
Navaya- Navarre (or Castile)
Platadura- Maritime city-state, Muslim ally of Navarre
Shippen- Sicily
Sonsa- a major maritime city-state
Viscesment- Seat of the anti-pope (Avignon?)

Chaldarean – Christian
Episcopal – Roman Catholic
Maysaleans- Cathari/Albigenses
Brotherhood of War- Templars with shades of the Inquisition
Devedian- Jewish
Dainshau- Orthodox Jewish?
Praman- Muslim
Sha-lug – Mamelukes (or Janissaries)

[Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, so you ask yourself "Why the hell is this person giving this three stars and marking it down with the infamous Did Not Finish tag? Well, I'm really torn on this book (and by extension the entire series).

Glenn Cook has a vehemently "anti-map" policy for his fantasy books. But the deal here is that, unlike his Black Company books that really do not need any sort of geographic connection to the text -- one cold foggy valley filled ankle-deep with blood and snow for our intrepid anti-heroes to slog through is as good as any other in that series -- the Instrumentalities of the Night series is unabashedly set in on an alternate Earth, in what we know of as Europe and the Middle East, in what would be around our 13th century CE.

The fact that all place names, nations, nationalities, seas, cities, states, religions, etc etc have been perhaps too subtly modded from what we know means the reader is constantly apt to mentally equate "Firaldia = Italy", "Chaldereans = Christians", "Brothe = Rome", "Devedians = Jews", and so on and so forth. That constant press to remember "who is who again?" and "where are they talking about?" and "what is that again here in the real world?" derails the flow and winds up drawing me out of the story. It's all too clever by half.

As I am a visual learner and a map-geek, if there was at least a map of these locations, I could use that to keep a mind's eye on what was where, and so forth, to keep me more mentally in the game.

A very slow burn of a novel, but one that eventually I just kinda grew tired of. Between the distracting mental juxtaposing of "this world" with the "real world"..., and IMO a large-ish plot hole* that may or not be resolved later on, my patience finally ran out at the 60% mark.

A deep and overly complex dive, that I'm sure some folks adore. Thus the middle-of-the-road 3-star rating. But for me, I'm moving on, thanks.

------------------

*Our intrepid warrior with the confusing name of Else kills an 'immortal' demon, by way of stuffing a cannon with silver and gold and firing it point blank. Bang! Demon dead. Huzzah! For the first time(?) a mortal has used modern technology to kill a 'god'. Got that? Cool. Because it is why that the remaining gods resurrect Nordic warriors and set them off to kill Else: to keep him from spreading the word on "How To Kill Gods For Fun And Profit". This is one of the principle storylines.

The problem here is that it's predicated on "If the gods can kill Else and silence him forever, no one else in The World will know how to kill gods". In my mind, I'm thinking "Hmm, really?". After all, Else was hardly alone when he ordered that cannon loaded up with silverware and coins. His troops witnessed everything, as did the company wizard..., and Else reported his actions to his superiors later on. Is every single person he was with and/or ever talked to now also on the gods' hit list? Hmmm

[malynosorozec · Rating 5 out of 5]

„-Wróg twojego wroga jest twoim sprzymierzeńcem.
-Ale nigdy przyjacielem”


Studnie Mocy słabną. Lód w coraz szybszym tempie pokrywa świat. Delegatury Nocy wykazują niespotykaną od dawna aktywność. Starzy Bogowie ponownie dobijają się do bram świata. Wielkie religie zajmuje walką ze sobą. Królowie, wodzowie i przywódcy religijni chcą za wszelką cenę na trwałe odcisnąć swój ślad w historii. Krwawy ślad. Następne lata na zawsze zmienią oblicze świata…

…A w pierwszym rozdziale pierwszego tomu, w Lesie Estery na doborowy oddział niewolnych sha-lugów zostaje nasłany Bogon – Baron Nocy, pomniejszy bóg. Kapitan Else Tage działa zdecydowanie, szybko, instynktownie. Udaje mu się znaleźć sposób na pokonanie potwora… Wieści się rozchodzą. Noc wstrzymuje oddech. Kapitan Tage zrobił wszystko aby ocalić życie swoje i swoich ludzi, nie zdaje sobie sprawy, że właśnie podarował ludzkości narzędzie, dzięki któremu można zabijać bogów. Nie odsyłać, więzić czy osłabiać ich moc, ale permanentnie zabijać. Noc zrobi wszystko aby zneutralizować Bogobójcę. Ale tego dżina nie da się wepchnąć powrotem do butelki… Świat zaiste się zmienia…

Witajcie w najkrwawszym świecie stworzonym przez Glena Cooka. Starzy Bogowie, Duszodawcy, potwory, Delegatur Nocy, czarnoksiężnicy, ludzie (a także krasnoludy – w trzecim tomie). Wszyscy przeciwko wszystkim. Reguły zmieniają się szybciej niż sojusze. Człowiek nie wie, z której strony spadnie cios. A wszystko z domieszką charakterystycznej dla autora nutki sarkazmu. Po prostu rewelacja.

Akcja książki osadzona jest w świecie dwóch dominujących, walczących ze sobą religii. W każdej chwili możliwa jest kolejna krucjata mająca na celu wyzwolenie z rąk niewiernych Ziemi Świętej, w której znajdują się najpotężniejsze ze Studni Mocy. Pośrodku wojny Chaldran i Al-Pramy znajdują się devovie, od których wiary wywodzą się obie religie, i inne mniejszości religijne, na których zwykle skupia się gniew fanatyków.

Na wschodzie władza podzielona jest między Gordimera Lwa – byłego niewolnika, którego siła opiera się na fanatycznej lojalności armii szkolonych od najmłodszych lat sha-lugów, a Indalę al-Sul Halaladyna – wielkiego wodza, którego zachodni rycerze nauczyli się już szanować.

Na zachodzie wielką władzę posiada Patriarcha – opętany wizją krucjat, szalony Wzniosły V, który nie cofnie się przed niczym działając w imię Boga. Jego największym sojusznikiem, a zarazem zajadłym wrogiem jest imperator Johaness Czarne Buty. Dodajmy do tego dziesiątki żądnych łupów królów i książąt z podzielonej Firaldii. Wszystkie oczy zachodu na początek kierują się na bogaty Skraj Connec, siedlisko pokojowo nastawionych Poszukiwaczy Światła. Wzniosły pod pretekstem walki z herezją ma nadzieję zdobyć fundusze potrzebne do wyzwolenia Ziemi Świętej. I jest jeszcze Piotr z Navai, mający własne cele i ambicje król, którego armii Patriarcha bardzo potrzebuje. Aha i jeszcze fanatyczne Bractwo Wojny i kościelne Kolegium skupiające największych czarodziei zachodu…

A na obrzeżu wydarzeń mamy miedzy innymi Cesarstwo Wschodu, Imperium Ghargaceńskie i przede wszystkim władającego niezmierzonymi stepami Tsitsimeda Złotego, którego niezadowolenia obawia się połowa znanego świata.

To jest właśnie jedna z największych zalet serii – zawsze gdzieś na uboczu czai się coś większego. Żadne zwycięstwo nie jest stałe, żadna armia nie jest na tyle wielka, żeby się nie obawiać. Zawsze gdzieś tam jest Tsistimed czy Dawni Bogowie, gotowi wkroczyć na najmniejszą oznakę słabości.

Kolejny atut to postaci. Mamy tych wielkich i potężnych. Silni bohaterowie, niezważający na nikogo i na nic byle by osiągnąć swe cele. A z drugiej strony zwykli ludzie, prości żołnierze, dla których najważniejsze to przeżyć. Mamy znakomite postaci pierwszoplanowe, ale także idealnie wpasowujących się w klimat mniej ważnych bohaterów takich jak Po Prostu Zwyczajnie Joe i Żelazny Wieprz.

Glen Cook potrafi zaskoczyć nas w najmniej spodziewanych momentach. Czytamy sobie spokojnie o wiecznie narzekającym Pinkusie Ghorcie, aż tu nagle bum! Znajdujemy się w samym centrum wielkiej rzezi, która zmienia całkowicie układ sił.

Każdy tom czymś nas zaskoczy. W pierwszym mamy bitwę z udziałem kilku armii, czarnoksiężników, nowych i dawnych bogów i na dodatek jeszcze martwych nordyckich bohaterów. W drugim poznajemy wielkich czarodziejów, z niespotykanymi w innych książkach zdolnościami i tytułowe Milczące Królestwo. W trzecim opis najgorszej bitwy wszech czasów i pojawienie się drugiego Bogobójcy. To tylko przykłady. Jest tego o wiele, wiele więcej.

Jeden minus jaki znajduje to czasem nieczytelna forma dialogów. Niekiedy nie wiadomo kto tak naprawdę się wypowiada. Nie wiem czy to wina stylu autora, czy błędów polskiego wydania. Ale na pewno wiem, że zmiana tłumacza w trzecim tomie nie wyszła najlepiej. Dlaczego imiona, nazwy, przezwiska brzmią zupełnie inaczej niż w poprzednich częściach? Czy trudno było zostawić wszystko tak jak było? Strasznie ciężko się przestawić, nie pogubić się w tym wszystkim.

No i formatem książki nie pasują do innych serii autora… Ale za to okładki na wielki plus.

Podsumowując: bardzo, bardzo dobra, wciągająca lektura. Przeraża, bawi, intryguje, zaskakuje, nie daje zasnąć (jeszcze tylko jeden rozdział, jeszcze jedna strona, jeszcze… o już piąta). Glen Cook potwierdza, że jest mistrzem militarystycznej fantasy (jeśli w ogóle istnieje coś takiego). Czekam na kolejną część i z pewnością już niedługo powrócę to tych trzech dopiero co przeczytanych.

10/10

„Niemniej jednak na sens i rozum rzadko jest miejsce w politycznych sporach.”

„Świat istotnie okazywał się niezrozumiały, kiedy jedyną prawda o nim miało być to, że wszyscy kłamią.”

„Człowiek jest tyle wart ile jego słowo.”

„Toczy się bezustanna walka o przetrwanie w świecie, który nie dysponuje dostatecznymi zasobami ani nie wykazuje filozoficznych skłonności do udostępniania ich wszystkim na równi.”

„Najgorsze potwory chodzą na dwóch nogach i mają kochające matki.”

„Przecież to Po Prostu Zwyczajny Joe. Joe jest szczęśliwy. Gdziekolwiek się znajduje, jest to najlepsze z możliwych miejsc.”

„Na dłuższą metę bezwzględność ratowała ludziom życie.”

„Każdy plan, każdy spisek, każdy eksperyment społeczny załamywał się, kiedy tylko wkraczał najgorszy z możliwych elementów – czynnik ludzki.”

„Prawdziwa groza to szybkość i bezosobowość z jaką potrafimy teraz zabijać.”

malynosorozec.blogspot.com

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a very thinly veiled version of high middle ages Mediterranean, various factions from nations standing in for France, Egypt, the Holy Roman Empire, Byzantium, Tunis, the Vatican and (what!?) viking Scandinavia come together and plot, fight, backstab, manipulate and manoeuvre for the various purposes of themselves, their rulers, their gods and their demons (the latter pairing being the Instrumentalities of the title).

This one takes a fairly long run to get going, as the various settings and characters are introduced. But the pace picks up as the factions start coming together (both incidentally and deliberately) and interacting and getting in each others' way.

If I had my druthers this wouldn't be so blatantly ripping off the real world and its history - I prefer my alternative history to be either honest with its setting, or my fantasy to be clearly Somewhere Else - but given that this is what Cook has given us he does a fairly good job with it. There are not many clearly cut characters here, but Cook is not usually about who they are so much as what they do, and this book is no different.

The writing is solid without being flat, with occasional flashes of brilliance.

Overall, a decent read that I will allow me to go at least one book further into the series.

Rated MA for supernatural and mundane violence, a bit of sex and some coarseness. 3/5

[William Bentrim · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Tyranny Of the Night by Glen Cook
The Black Company by Cook was one of my all-time favorite series. This book had similarities but was far more confusing. A child, taken from their family and trained as a warrior is the main character. He is tasked by his capricious ruler to infiltrate an enemy.
The book reeks of dark magic and evil people. Else, the slave warrior, is very pragmatic but also confused. His infiltration is confusing because the enemy keeps changing. Accidentally Else discovers a way to kill the sorcerous creatures of the night and this puts a target on his back. The target seekers are demi-gods who want Else’s knowledge destroyed. Interestingly enough, Else does not seem to extrapolate his experience into a broader threat.
The number of characters and the alliances of same are mind boggling. I found my self glossing over sections because I wasn’t sure who was supposed to be friends and enemies. Perhaps that was Cook’s intent. I don’t know.
I do know that although I liked the book, I certainly didn’t like it nearly as well as ANY of the many Black Company books.
I will read the sequel as I am a glutton for punishment and I hope to discover that Cook becomes less verbose, more intent on the plot and less intent on introducing a new character or enemy on every page.

[Max Savenkov · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is really hard to start, because it throws a huge number of names and places at you. Worse yet, you quickly get a feeling that the book's world is just our world with serial numbers filed off and a bit of magic added. Was there really a need to rename Roman Empire into Brothen Empire, etc.? I haven't seen any good reason why book's events could not happen on alternative-history Earth. Well, maybe aside from the need to research a lot more about European nations and their history - when you replace every country with a fantasy replica, you can play fast and loose with everything from geography to characters' names.

Fortunately, Cook's writing talent is still there - once you get past the torrent of names, the intrigue and action are all adequate, and the main character is good enough, if a little bland. Sometimes, Cook's humour shines through, and you get a feeling you can almost hear Garret and Dead Man bickering. Unfortunately, these moments are few and far between, which is a pity - I like light-hearted Cook more than serious-dark-fantasy Cook, especially since he mostly said everything he could say in this genre in The Black Company.

That being said, I liked that book - though not loved it - and I'm going to try the sequel, since I'm already invested in this knock-off world.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rounded up from 2.5 stars. I loved the Black Company series by Glen Cook, so I was excited to see another series by him. The book is the start of a series in a very thinly veiled world during the Crusades with the addition of "Instrumentalities of the Night," which are various monsters and mythical creatures. So just picture the Crusades, just with magic and wizards. The main character is sent on an undercover mission to infiltrate the equivalent of the Catholic Church to spy on them. I guess my question would be if you were doing the Crusades and all the same geographic locations, why not just use the actual names. I ended up being so confused by locations and trying to figure out where things were.

[Marie Flower Panda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Voilà une chronique difficile à faire… Ce premier tome des Instrumentalités de la Nuit est tellement riche et complexe que je ne sais par quoi commencer. D’autant plus qu’au final, je ne sais pas trop quoi en penser non plus ! Mais bon, je vais essayer de vous donner un avis le plus construit possible.

J’ai découvert l’auteur, Glen Cook, il y a plusieurs années avec son cycle de La Compagnie Noire et j’avais vraiment adoré. Les 13 tomes avaient été lus en moins de 15 jours tant je n’arrivais pas à en sortir. Quand le premier tome des Instrumentalités de la Nuit est sorti, deux sentiments se partageaient en moi : d’un côté, j’avais hâte de découvrir ce nouvel univers et de l’autre, j’étais déçue que l’auteur n’ait pas continué les aventures de ses mercenaires dont j’avais adoré suivre l’évolution. Finalement, voyant que c’était la déception qui l’emportait et afin de ne pas « parasiter » la lecture de ce nouveau cycle, j’ai préféré retardé sa lecture. Dernièrement, j’ai finalement décidé de me lancer dans l’aventure et… il m’a fallu m’y reprendre à deux fois !

Dans La Tyrannie de la Nuit, Glen Cook nous emmène dans un monde similaire au nôtre à une époque qui n’est pas sans rappeler celle du Saint Empire romain germanique et où la magie est très présente. Else Tage est un espion chargé par son suzerain d’infiltrer les plus hautes sphères du pouvoir ennemi afin d’empêcher une prochaine croisade contre son royaume. La mission pourrait être presque simple à réaliser pour cet espion talentueux si un autre ennemi n’avait fait son apparition. Il faut dire aussi que les Instrumentalités de la Nuit, ces créatures de l’ombre tout droit sorties de l’Ancien Monde ne voient guère d’un bon œil les nouvelles religions qui ne cessent de gagner des partisans jour après jour. Alors, lorsque des guerriers tout droit sortis des légendes du passé et semblant possédés par les dieux en personne sèment la terreur sur les terres du Patriarche, beaucoup se préparent à la fin du monde.

La Tyrannie de la Nuit est un roman de dark fantasy, un genre que j’affectionne particulièrement, à ne pas mettre dans n’importe quelles mains. En effet, si vous recherchez une lecture simple et sans prise de tête, passez votre chemin, ce premier tome des Instrumentalités de la Nuit se révèle particulièrement complexe ! Certes, l’auteur met en place un univers vraiment très riche mais qu’est-ce que cette mise en place est longue !! L’histoire est longue à démarrer et il faut vraiment s’accrocher, tant pour comprendre l’univers que pour adhérer à l’histoire. D’ailleurs, la première fois, j’ai abandonné car j’ai commis l’erreur d’arrêter ma lecture pendant quelques jours. Lors de la reprise, j’étais complètement perdue et il m’a fallu recommencer du début. Toutefois, une fois passée la première moitié, le scénario prend un rythme plus soutenu et nous rentrons un peu plus dans le vif du sujet (oui, n’abusons pas non plus, tout est vraiment fait progressivement… très progressivement !). Si au début, cet aspect m’a beaucoup déplu, plus j’avançais, plus je me rendais compte que cette mise en place de l’univers était absolument nécessaire (eh oui...). Sinon, comment comprendre tous les tenants et aboutissants des conflits opposants les différents protagonistes ?
Chaque chapitre se focalise sur des personnalités importantes de chacun des royaumes et il nous faut faire les liens entre chacun d’entre eux. L’attention du lecteur est donc sans cesse sollicitée. La politique et la religion sont au cœur même des principaux conflits. Si les nouvelles religions ne cessent de s’affronter entre elles, elles n’en ont pas moins un ennemi commun : les Instrumentalités de la Nuit, vénérées par les anciens cultes. Les guerres de religion constituent ainsi l’essentiel du sujet du livre mais pas seulement puisqu’il y est également question de magie et de quête de pouvoir. Les puits d’Ihrian constituent en effet une source de pouvoir importante et sont particulièrement convoités par les puissants de ce monde. Or, ils sont, pour la plupart, situés dans les Terres Saintes, que tous cherchent à s’approprier. La disparition des anciennes religions n’est bien entendu pas sans conséquences sur ces sources magiques…

Encore une fois dans un roman de Glen Cook, nous sommes confrontés aux pires facettes de l’humanité. La noirceur des hommes ne connaît aucune limite et l’humanité est condamnée à s’entredéchirer. Et ce ne sont pas les quelques hommes bons et intègres qui permettront de la sauver. J’aime cette noirceur qui se dégage des romans de Glen Cook et qui était très présente dans La Compagnie Noire. Mais ici, l’auteur a choisi un héros courageux, intelligent et humain. Soucieux de ses intérêts, il n’en demeure pas moins fidèle à sa patrie, à sa famille et à ses principes. Or, dans un monde corrompu, les hommes intègres n’ont guère leur place. Ce contraste aurait pu être intéressant et mettre en évidence le rôle crucial d’Else mais au contraire, personnellement, c’est ce qui m’a le plus agacée. Else apparaît beaucoup trop parfait, trop lisse et prévisible. Du coup, il n’en paraissait que plus fade… Les Andorayens étaient vraiment plus intéressants et drôles !

La Tyrannie de la Nuit, malgré des lourdeurs et une histoire longue à démarrer, n’en demeure pas moins un roman riche et complexe à souhait comme je les aime. Malheureusement, je ne pouvais pas m’empêcher de revenir sans cesse à La Compagnie Noire que j’ai nettement préférée. Pour autant, je suis contente d’avoir donné à ce premier tome des Instrumentalités de la Nuit sa chance car cela reste de la très bonne fantasy.

http://drunkennessbooks.blogspot.fr/2...

[Anthony O'Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love me some Glen Cook, love me some military fantasy and yet, unfortunately, The Tyranny of the Night left me a little cold.

It's hard to nail down why, but I think part of it is the sense that this is a story of living gods, time travelling vikings, deep undercover spies and religious conspiracies... so why does it feel so dry? Cook's plotting as always is excellent but his character work here is far less deft and appealing than his usual gear.

There were definitely moments I enjoyed, and some striking world building, but I found myself struggling far more than I expect with Cook. Ah well, they can't all be Shadows Linger.

[Gil Brenum · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main protagonist is the only really well developed character. The start of the book seems largely a glossary of place and character names with no real information or importance placed on them. The story seems more an overview of politics, religion, and their confluence than about the characters and their relationships. Female characters are almost completely nonexistent.

I got the anthology because I remember reading 'The Black Company' way back in the day and thoroughly enjoying it. Right now, I'm wishing I'd bought only this first volumne.