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Nightfall #1-2
The Nightfall Duology
Legendary thief, lethal assassin, powerful sorcerer... this epic fantasy duology follows the adventures of the elusive man known as Nightfall as he struggles between his criminal past and his present obligation to protect the King.
Darkness comes where Nightfall goes....
He has been known by countless names and terrifying deeds throughout the lands of mankind--thief, magic wielder, swordsman, assassin, adventurer. But chief among those names and perhaps the most dangerous of his personae is that of Nightfall, a man--or perhaps the legendary demon himself--gifted with unique powers which any sorcerer would kill to possess.
Yet though Nightfall has always escaped his pursuers by moving on to new realms, new identities, and new enterprises, even the cleverest of beings must occasionally slip. And when this master of the night finally falls prey to a royal trap, he finds the consequences beyond even his ability to evade. Bound by sorcery and oath to guard and guide a young prince on his quest, Nightfall will need every trick and talent at his command to keep both himself and his idealistic young charge from death at the hands of unknown betrayers.
Darkness comes where Nightfall goes....
He has been known by countless names and terrifying deeds throughout the lands of mankind--thief, magic wielder, swordsman, assassin, adventurer. But chief among those names and perhaps the most dangerous of his personae is that of Nightfall, a man--or perhaps the legendary demon himself--gifted with unique powers which any sorcerer would kill to possess.
Yet though Nightfall has always escaped his pursuers by moving on to new realms, new identities, and new enterprises, even the cleverest of beings must occasionally slip. And when this master of the night finally falls prey to a royal trap, he finds the consequences beyond even his ability to evade. Bound by sorcery and oath to guard and guide a young prince on his quest, Nightfall will need every trick and talent at his command to keep both himself and his idealistic young charge from death at the hands of unknown betrayers.
736 pages, Paperback
Published April 3, 2018
23 people are currently reading
100 people want to read
About the author
Mickey Zucker Reichert
89 books183 followersMickey Zucker Reichert (pseudonym for Miriam Susan Zucker Reichert) is an American fantasy fiction author of several best selling novels. Perhaps her most famous work is the epic Renshai series, which offers an intriguing perspective on traditional Norse mythology. She is also a parent and paediatrician with a soft spot for critters great and small. She has been known care for a veritable zoo of creatures, at times including mice, horses, snakes, llamas, parrots, squirrels, possums, and foxes.
Alongside her twenty-two novels, Reichert has also published one illustrated novella and fifty-plus short stories.
Alongside her twenty-two novels, Reichert has also published one illustrated novella and fifty-plus short stories.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 27, 2020
I loved “The Legend of Nightfall” and “The Return of Nightfall” and the bonus short story: “Darkness Comes Together”.
December 5, 2025
The Legend of Nightfall is the first book I remember reading that starred an unapologetically criminal antihero (and not the noble outlaw kind of criminal – Nightfall is an actual notorious thief & killer). At the start of the book he is captured and magically bound to serve the annoyingly idealistic and naive Prince Ned (the king’s embarrassing second son), and adventure ensues. I know it sounds like the setup to a farce, but it’s actually more in the dark fantasy category (though nowhere as gritty, violent, and hopeless as modern grimdark). The sequel, written 15+ years later, picks up right where the first one left off and proves nearly as entertaining as the first one.
The author builds an interesting world in which some rare people (including Nightfall) have natal talents, and even rarer people are sorcerers who can murderously extract these talents for their own use. Nightfall’s natal talent of being able to change his mass (but not size) at will is cool, but judging from the stunts he pulls with this talent, I don’t think that the author has a very firm grasp of physics. I was able to just chock it up to something like “movie physics” and went with it.
I don’t think anyone would call this duology a literary masterpiece. At times the author makes use of some lazy writing practices to advance the plot: things like giant misunderstandings that could have been solved in seconds if one character had just talked to the other instead of being childishly sullen or a characters suddenly being uncharacteristically stupid or incompetent. Even so, the overall plot and characters kept my interest, and I found it enjoyable (even surprisingly moving at times). The nostalgia from having read the first book 20+ years ago probably helped, but I think it would be an enjoyable book even without that. Highly recommended if you’re in the mood for older escapist fantasy that’s a notch above shared world schlock like Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance.
The author builds an interesting world in which some rare people (including Nightfall) have natal talents, and even rarer people are sorcerers who can murderously extract these talents for their own use. Nightfall’s natal talent of being able to change his mass (but not size) at will is cool, but judging from the stunts he pulls with this talent, I don’t think that the author has a very firm grasp of physics. I was able to just chock it up to something like “movie physics” and went with it.
I don’t think anyone would call this duology a literary masterpiece. At times the author makes use of some lazy writing practices to advance the plot: things like giant misunderstandings that could have been solved in seconds if one character had just talked to the other instead of being childishly sullen or a characters suddenly being uncharacteristically stupid or incompetent. Even so, the overall plot and characters kept my interest, and I found it enjoyable (even surprisingly moving at times). The nostalgia from having read the first book 20+ years ago probably helped, but I think it would be an enjoyable book even without that. Highly recommended if you’re in the mood for older escapist fantasy that’s a notch above shared world schlock like Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance.
June 5, 2023
All three stories good fantasy stories
I liked the character of Nightfall and his knife throwing skills and disguises and his mysterious personality. In the first book, we see him introduced and trying to keep a prince out of trouble while dealing with an oath bond. The second has more stuff in it and I like the variety of things in it. I like how Nightfall becomes himself again. It would have been nice to see some more action in both the books. In the bonus short story, I like the twist at the end.
I liked the character of Nightfall and his knife throwing skills and disguises and his mysterious personality. In the first book, we see him introduced and trying to keep a prince out of trouble while dealing with an oath bond. The second has more stuff in it and I like the variety of things in it. I like how Nightfall becomes himself again. It would have been nice to see some more action in both the books. In the bonus short story, I like the twist at the end.
January 14, 2023
Legend of Nightfall is one of my absolute favorite stories. I read it every 5 years or so. When I found out there was a sequel, I really wanted to read it. While at the bookstore last weekend, I found this gem containing BOTH stories. So not only did I get to visit an old friend, I got to join him on his followup adventures. (:
January 19, 2022
Pretty good high fantasy
Anti-Hero assasin with a questionable moral compass on his adventures.
Caught in a curse that he cannot break to become a servant to a naive and careless noble.
Magic, Evil Sorcerors and feudal kingdoms.
The setting is good, the character is great.
Anti-Hero assasin with a questionable moral compass on his adventures.
Caught in a curse that he cannot break to become a servant to a naive and careless noble.
Magic, Evil Sorcerors and feudal kingdoms.
The setting is good, the character is great.
April 9, 2019
audio book. quite interesting.
March 6, 2021
3.5* classical fun fantasy story with antihero as main character.
November 19, 2024
DARKNESS COMES WHERE NIGHTFALL GOES!
Yes, that was nice!
Yes, that was nice!
Currently reading
May 15, 2025The electronic version also has short story. The print version does not per authors introduction.
May 2, 2018
The Legend of Nightfall has long been a favorite of mine--it was one of my first experiences with an anti-hero rather than the typical morally upright heroes most of the fantasies I'd read centered around. Parts of this did age a bit weaker than others, but overall it's still a fun adventure story centered heavily on character growth and development.
I enjoyed The Return of Nightfall a lot more than when I first read it! I remember thinking it didn't feel up to snuff to the first book, but now years later having read them back-to-back they're both solidly fun. I especially liked that it allowed for Nightfall to take on more of his various personas than the first book obviously did, which was a fun look into what his past would have been like.
This is still definitely a favorite series of mine and I was really happy to revisit it.
I enjoyed The Return of Nightfall a lot more than when I first read it! I remember thinking it didn't feel up to snuff to the first book, but now years later having read them back-to-back they're both solidly fun. I especially liked that it allowed for Nightfall to take on more of his various personas than the first book obviously did, which was a fun look into what his past would have been like.
This is still definitely a favorite series of mine and I was really happy to revisit it.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews