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Tales of Noreela #1
Dusk: a dark fantasy novel
Winner of the British Fantasy Award for Best Novel.
The award-winning first fantasy novel from New York Times bestselling writer Tim Lebbon
Kosar the thief senses that Rafe Baburn is no ordinary boy. After witnessing a Red Monk plunder Rafe's village and murder his parents, Kosar knows the boy needs his help. And now, for reasons he cannot fathom, others are seeking the boy's destruction.
Uncertain where to begin Kosar turns to A'Meer, an ex-lover and Shantasi warrior whose people, unbeknownst to him, have sworn to safeguard magic's return to the land of Noreela.
It is Rafe who bears this miracle of magic.
Now Kosar and a band of unexpected allies embark on a battle to protect one special boy. But horrific dark forces are closing in, and if they take magic for themselves dusk will fall forever..
Praise for Dusk
“An exquisitely written, unique world is revealed in this novel... It’s rare indeed to witness the conventions of fantasy so thoroughly grabbed by the throat and shaken awake the way Tim Lebbon has done with Dusk. Even more enticing, this first novel in the series concludes with a jaw-dropping finale, and for what it’s worth, such a reaction from me is not a common occurrence.” – Steven Erikson, author of The Malazan Book of the Fallen series
“This is fantasy for grown-ups - and the ending made my jaw drop. This is an excellent book.” – Paul Kearney, author of The Mark of Ran
“Dusk is a deliciously dark and daring fantasy novel, proof of a startling imagination at work.” - Christopher Golden, author of Ararat
“Dusk is dark, twisted and visceral, with a very shocking sting in the tail - the perfect jolt for anyone jaded by the creaking shelves of cuddly, rent-an-elf fantasy.” – Mark Chadbourn, author of The Age of Misrule and The Dark Age
“Tim Lebbon is a master of fantasy and horror, and his visions make for disturbing and compelling reading.” – Douglas Clegg, author of The Priest of Blood
“In Dusk, Tim Lebbon has etched a powerful new version/telling of the traditional magical quest, whose tortured twists and turns will (alternately) disturb and electrify its readers.” – Sarah Ash, author of Prisoner of the Iron Tower
“Tim Lebbon writes with a pen dipped in the dark stuff of nightmare. The world he creates is eerie, brutal and complex, and the story abounds with action and menace.” – K.J. Bishop, the author of The Etched City
"A Riveting Work of Staggering Imagination." - F. Paul Wilson, author of the Repairman Jack series
"As far as fantasy worlds go, Noreela is among the most imaginative & absorbing that I’ve had the pleasure to explore" - Fantasy Book Critic
"Shades of Cook and Erikson here in the book’s violence, Mieville in it’s contemporary weirdness and perhaps most strongly Paul Kearney here, in that combination of horror, decay and squalor, though Lebbon is clearly his own voice." - SFF World
"Dusk is a great read and another reason for me to point to Tim Lebbon as one of the most talented authors working today." - Dread Central
"As 'Dusk' descends on the land in a truly shocking ending, one weirder and more horrifying than any I’ve ever read, all that remains for the reader is an all-encompassing desire to know: what happens next?" - The Agony Column
"...
The award-winning first fantasy novel from New York Times bestselling writer Tim Lebbon
Kosar the thief senses that Rafe Baburn is no ordinary boy. After witnessing a Red Monk plunder Rafe's village and murder his parents, Kosar knows the boy needs his help. And now, for reasons he cannot fathom, others are seeking the boy's destruction.
Uncertain where to begin Kosar turns to A'Meer, an ex-lover and Shantasi warrior whose people, unbeknownst to him, have sworn to safeguard magic's return to the land of Noreela.
It is Rafe who bears this miracle of magic.
Now Kosar and a band of unexpected allies embark on a battle to protect one special boy. But horrific dark forces are closing in, and if they take magic for themselves dusk will fall forever..
Praise for Dusk
“An exquisitely written, unique world is revealed in this novel... It’s rare indeed to witness the conventions of fantasy so thoroughly grabbed by the throat and shaken awake the way Tim Lebbon has done with Dusk. Even more enticing, this first novel in the series concludes with a jaw-dropping finale, and for what it’s worth, such a reaction from me is not a common occurrence.” – Steven Erikson, author of The Malazan Book of the Fallen series
“This is fantasy for grown-ups - and the ending made my jaw drop. This is an excellent book.” – Paul Kearney, author of The Mark of Ran
“Dusk is a deliciously dark and daring fantasy novel, proof of a startling imagination at work.” - Christopher Golden, author of Ararat
“Dusk is dark, twisted and visceral, with a very shocking sting in the tail - the perfect jolt for anyone jaded by the creaking shelves of cuddly, rent-an-elf fantasy.” – Mark Chadbourn, author of The Age of Misrule and The Dark Age
“Tim Lebbon is a master of fantasy and horror, and his visions make for disturbing and compelling reading.” – Douglas Clegg, author of The Priest of Blood
“In Dusk, Tim Lebbon has etched a powerful new version/telling of the traditional magical quest, whose tortured twists and turns will (alternately) disturb and electrify its readers.” – Sarah Ash, author of Prisoner of the Iron Tower
“Tim Lebbon writes with a pen dipped in the dark stuff of nightmare. The world he creates is eerie, brutal and complex, and the story abounds with action and menace.” – K.J. Bishop, the author of The Etched City
"A Riveting Work of Staggering Imagination." - F. Paul Wilson, author of the Repairman Jack series
"As far as fantasy worlds go, Noreela is among the most imaginative & absorbing that I’ve had the pleasure to explore" - Fantasy Book Critic
"Shades of Cook and Erikson here in the book’s violence, Mieville in it’s contemporary weirdness and perhaps most strongly Paul Kearney here, in that combination of horror, decay and squalor, though Lebbon is clearly his own voice." - SFF World
"Dusk is a great read and another reason for me to point to Tim Lebbon as one of the most talented authors working today." - Dread Central
"As 'Dusk' descends on the land in a truly shocking ending, one weirder and more horrifying than any I’ve ever read, all that remains for the reader is an all-encompassing desire to know: what happens next?" - The Agony Column
"...
418 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2006
About the author
Tim Lebbon
297 books1,582 followersI love writing, reading, triathlon, real ale, chocolate, good movies, occasional bad movies, and cake.
I was born in London in 1969, lived in Devon until I was eight, and the next twenty years were spent in Newport. My wife Tracey and I then did a Good Thing and moved back to the country, and we now live in the little village of Goytre in Monmouthshire with our kids Ellie and Daniel. And our dog, Blu, who is the size of a donkey.
I love the countryside ... I do a lot of running and cycling, and live in the best part of the world for that.
I've had loads of books published in the UK, USA, and around the world, including novels, novellas, and collections. I write horror, fantasy, and now thrillers, and I've been writing as a living for over 8 years. I've won quite a few awards for my original fiction, and I've also written tie-in projects for Star Wars, Alien, Hellboy, The Cabin in the Woods, and 30 Days of Night.
A movie's just been made of my short story Pay the Ghost, starring Nicolas Cage and Sarah Wayne Callies. There are other projects in development, too.
I'd love to hear from you!
I was born in London in 1969, lived in Devon until I was eight, and the next twenty years were spent in Newport. My wife Tracey and I then did a Good Thing and moved back to the country, and we now live in the little village of Goytre in Monmouthshire with our kids Ellie and Daniel. And our dog, Blu, who is the size of a donkey.
I love the countryside ... I do a lot of running and cycling, and live in the best part of the world for that.
I've had loads of books published in the UK, USA, and around the world, including novels, novellas, and collections. I write horror, fantasy, and now thrillers, and I've been writing as a living for over 8 years. I've won quite a few awards for my original fiction, and I've also written tie-in projects for Star Wars, Alien, Hellboy, The Cabin in the Woods, and 30 Days of Night.
A movie's just been made of my short story Pay the Ghost, starring Nicolas Cage and Sarah Wayne Callies. There are other projects in development, too.
I'd love to hear from you!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
December 10, 2012
The cover blurb from author Paul Kearney promised that “Dusk Is Fantasy For Grown-Ups… An Excellent Book.” I agree and cannot think of a better topline summary.
For Grown-Ups? Yes. Dusk is chock-full of: explicit gore, adult sexual situations, profane language, alluring drug trips, etc. This book is not for young adults. It is also not for adults looking for a light read.
Is it Fantasy? Yes. A brief summary (minus the “adults-only warning”) would even seem to describe a typical young adult fantasy book:
-Naïve Farm Boy: Rafe is a central character, an orphaned farm boy who singularly holds the keys to bringing hope to Noreela (read “world”). There is a loose prophecy associated with his existence.
-Fellowship: Also, there is a band (a.k.a. obligatory fellowship) of unlikely individuals with unique skill sets that resemble the expected motifs (thanks to Tolkien and Dungeons & Dragons): 1) vulnerable, naive farm boy; 2) a human thief; 3) a Shantasi warrior (read “Elf”); 4) a human witch; 5) a drug-addicted, miner (read “Dwarf”); and lastly another empathetic girl, a human scholar.
-Series Worthy: Lastly, this is the first in a series of Novels (the others: “#2 Dawn” “#3After the War: Two Tales of Noreela” “#4 Fallen” “#5 Island” )
Cliché or not Cliché: But this is not a coming of age novel, nor is it common fantasy fare. It is the first in a series for the horror-fantasy sub-genre that stereotypically works best in short stories, novellas, or single novels. But Dusk works well as a series opener, perhaps because it employs the framework of common fantasy series.
Clarifying “Magic”: Lebbon presents a strange world, Noreela, that has lost its “magic”; but he defines magic differently than what you may expect. This is a problem for some readers since there are many arguably magical things present in this magic-devoid world. This could undermine the conflict in the book (i.e. who cares if Rafe can bring magic back to Noreela if it is still a fantastical place?). The success of the book hinges on a satisfying demonstration of what magical means. So let me clarify to set future readers' expectations:
In Noreela, the baseline magicless assertion still allows for:
-Out-of-body mind trips, telepathy, and mind reading (if you take the drug called fledge, or are a Mage)
-Seeing/sensing wraiths (souls disembodied from their corpses)
-Communing speaking with animals (ravens) is doable with alchemy and practice
-Swords that hunger for blood (these are nearly sentient swords that cannot be sheathed until sated)
-Being butchered alive without being hindered, well beyond the limits of biology and physics (Red Monk capability)
-Living hundreds of years (for some humanoids, Shantasi, Red Monks, and a select undead Krote warrior)
-Creatures like giant-hawks and metallic-tumbleweeds exist
So what does “magic” encompass? What is missing that is so valuable? Magic is akin to the Star War's Force, it being a limitless potential of energy. Here, it is inextricably connected to the land’s health. Without it, humans have turned toward apathetic lifestyles, dependent on drugs, without hope of regaining civility. With magic present, select individuals can horde the power and become a god (a Mage): a mage can heal people, raise the dead for sure…but more impressively a mage can control the flow of rivers, animate stone/metal/vegetation to raise armies of golem-like machines, control the weather and even time (well probably).
Lebbon delivers on his strange promises: For every strange perspective presented, for every conflict of importance, he closes the loop. He does so with bizarre, horrific style, but the motivations and workings of Noreela remain consistent. Read this, and even if you consider yourself a veteran fantasy reader, you will be taken to appealing strange worlds. Below are several excerpts that serve as taste-testers. If you enjoy these terrifying and dreadful appetizers, then you will enjoy Dusk!:
Crazy creatures constantly harass our heroes:
Despair permeates the land of Noreela:
For Grown-Ups? Yes. Dusk is chock-full of: explicit gore, adult sexual situations, profane language, alluring drug trips, etc. This book is not for young adults. It is also not for adults looking for a light read.
Is it Fantasy? Yes. A brief summary (minus the “adults-only warning”) would even seem to describe a typical young adult fantasy book:
-Naïve Farm Boy: Rafe is a central character, an orphaned farm boy who singularly holds the keys to bringing hope to Noreela (read “world”). There is a loose prophecy associated with his existence.
-Fellowship: Also, there is a band (a.k.a. obligatory fellowship) of unlikely individuals with unique skill sets that resemble the expected motifs (thanks to Tolkien and Dungeons & Dragons): 1) vulnerable, naive farm boy; 2) a human thief; 3) a Shantasi warrior (read “Elf”); 4) a human witch; 5) a drug-addicted, miner (read “Dwarf”); and lastly another empathetic girl, a human scholar.
-Series Worthy: Lastly, this is the first in a series of Novels (the others: “#2 Dawn” “#3After the War: Two Tales of Noreela” “#4 Fallen” “#5 Island” )
Cliché or not Cliché: But this is not a coming of age novel, nor is it common fantasy fare. It is the first in a series for the horror-fantasy sub-genre that stereotypically works best in short stories, novellas, or single novels. But Dusk works well as a series opener, perhaps because it employs the framework of common fantasy series.
Clarifying “Magic”: Lebbon presents a strange world, Noreela, that has lost its “magic”; but he defines magic differently than what you may expect. This is a problem for some readers since there are many arguably magical things present in this magic-devoid world. This could undermine the conflict in the book (i.e. who cares if Rafe can bring magic back to Noreela if it is still a fantastical place?). The success of the book hinges on a satisfying demonstration of what magical means. So let me clarify to set future readers' expectations:
In Noreela, the baseline magicless assertion still allows for:
-Out-of-body mind trips, telepathy, and mind reading (if you take the drug called fledge, or are a Mage)
-Seeing/sensing wraiths (souls disembodied from their corpses)
-Communing speaking with animals (ravens) is doable with alchemy and practice
-Swords that hunger for blood (these are nearly sentient swords that cannot be sheathed until sated)
-Being butchered alive without being hindered, well beyond the limits of biology and physics (Red Monk capability)
-Living hundreds of years (for some humanoids, Shantasi, Red Monks, and a select undead Krote warrior)
-Creatures like giant-hawks and metallic-tumbleweeds exist
So what does “magic” encompass? What is missing that is so valuable? Magic is akin to the Star War's Force, it being a limitless potential of energy. Here, it is inextricably connected to the land’s health. Without it, humans have turned toward apathetic lifestyles, dependent on drugs, without hope of regaining civility. With magic present, select individuals can horde the power and become a god (a Mage): a mage can heal people, raise the dead for sure…but more impressively a mage can control the flow of rivers, animate stone/metal/vegetation to raise armies of golem-like machines, control the weather and even time (well probably).
Lebbon delivers on his strange promises: For every strange perspective presented, for every conflict of importance, he closes the loop. He does so with bizarre, horrific style, but the motivations and workings of Noreela remain consistent. Read this, and even if you consider yourself a veteran fantasy reader, you will be taken to appealing strange worlds. Below are several excerpts that serve as taste-testers. If you enjoy these terrifying and dreadful appetizers, then you will enjoy Dusk!:
Crazy creatures constantly harass our heroes:
-“The tumbler left an intermittent bloody track across the cleaned stone square as it rolled. Crushed into its plant-like hide was a second man, dead, pierced by the thing’s many natural spikes and hooks. One arm flipped free as the tumbler rolled, thumping the stone in a rhythm that gave that silent place a grotesque heartbeat.”
-“A shape burst from the opening, a Red Monk, its decidedly feminine mouth wide open in a frozen grimace of agony and shock…its hood was snagged back by a spear of wood, and Kosar could see its bald head, veins standing out like worm-trail, red, leaking where they split the skin. Its eyes were wide and surely sightless, such was the rate of their expansion and the scarlet pooling of blood in their whites…”
Despair permeates the land of Noreela:
-"Few in Noreela had any inclination to even come in [the library] and read a book, let alone await the opportunity to slink in and steal one when her back was turned. Sometimes she wondered whether there was any intellect left in the world where famine also starved the mind, and dust and fading gods ate away at the tenacity of the people… nobody would notice, and if they did they wouldn’t say anything. And if they did it would not matter.”
-“[The machines] were all incorporated in some way, chopped and changed and altered as if those that had used them were frustrated at their lack of animation. The channels were there within these machines, the empty reservoirs and sacs and current routes that had given them the strange life they once lived, but they were dead. Dead as the sand beneath the dweller’s feet, dead as the air they exhaled, dead as the corpse Rafe saw in the gutter in one or two places. There was a fledger, his or her body twisted and ripped from whatever had killed it. There was something else, something that once could have been fodder because of its size, exposed ribs torn back and knotted by the accelerated growth, slabs of flesh and muscle ripped from its wet corpse…"
August 8, 2011
4.5 Stars
This book has everything that I look for in my fantasy novels. Incredibly dark and dirty. Our heroes are not really good guys even though they are the protagonists of this adventure. I have never read anything from Tim Lebbon but I am now a big fan.
This book is not for the feint of heart, and it's grisly violence will turn some off. If you cannot deal with innocents being maimed and murdered then you need to stay way from this book. Trey, Kosar, Ameer, and Rafe are all likable protagonists as was Hope. These are not your typical band of brothers out on a quest to save the world. The cast is made up of a disgraced thief, a witch that is also a hoar, a miner that is not a normal human, a farm boy, and a librarian. There stories are all individual and unique, yet they are brought together as the fate of the world unfolds before them. They are faced with the return of magic into their world. They come together as they flee for their lives.
The backstory of each character adds depth to the characters and makes it easier for us to relate with them. The world building involving the tales of the past and the cataclysm of the war with the mages is all top notch. There are plenty of great chase scenes, action, sword fights, and killings. The red monks are truly scary bad ass dudes and the opening chapter of this book will show you just how bad they can be.
Lebbon's writing is colorful and often filled with depth and detail. I really enjoyed his prose.
""Mage shit, it's really here." The tattoos on Hope's face were in flux, shifting and moving as her emotions swat yes from fear to elation, delight to terror. Here was the living future, and the dead past. This boy was more myth than reality, a story so rare that she had never heard it told other than by her own mother and grandmother. Magic is destined to return, they had said, and it will be in a child unbirthed, offspring of the womb of the land in darkest Kang Kang."
This is a fairly fast paced book that had very few flaws to me. There are a few predictable twists that slightly detract from it's excellence. The ending which is not really an ending was a bit too unclimactic to me, it felt like it was forced. The threads of this story did not get the type of ending that I thought they deserved.
Overall, a really fun dark fantasy that Joe Abercrombie would find likable. I will move on to Dawn now as I really want to see how this unfolds... Great Stuff..
This book has everything that I look for in my fantasy novels. Incredibly dark and dirty. Our heroes are not really good guys even though they are the protagonists of this adventure. I have never read anything from Tim Lebbon but I am now a big fan.
This book is not for the feint of heart, and it's grisly violence will turn some off. If you cannot deal with innocents being maimed and murdered then you need to stay way from this book. Trey, Kosar, Ameer, and Rafe are all likable protagonists as was Hope. These are not your typical band of brothers out on a quest to save the world. The cast is made up of a disgraced thief, a witch that is also a hoar, a miner that is not a normal human, a farm boy, and a librarian. There stories are all individual and unique, yet they are brought together as the fate of the world unfolds before them. They are faced with the return of magic into their world. They come together as they flee for their lives.
The backstory of each character adds depth to the characters and makes it easier for us to relate with them. The world building involving the tales of the past and the cataclysm of the war with the mages is all top notch. There are plenty of great chase scenes, action, sword fights, and killings. The red monks are truly scary bad ass dudes and the opening chapter of this book will show you just how bad they can be.
Lebbon's writing is colorful and often filled with depth and detail. I really enjoyed his prose.
""Mage shit, it's really here." The tattoos on Hope's face were in flux, shifting and moving as her emotions swat yes from fear to elation, delight to terror. Here was the living future, and the dead past. This boy was more myth than reality, a story so rare that she had never heard it told other than by her own mother and grandmother. Magic is destined to return, they had said, and it will be in a child unbirthed, offspring of the womb of the land in darkest Kang Kang."
This is a fairly fast paced book that had very few flaws to me. There are a few predictable twists that slightly detract from it's excellence. The ending which is not really an ending was a bit too unclimactic to me, it felt like it was forced. The threads of this story did not get the type of ending that I thought they deserved.
Overall, a really fun dark fantasy that Joe Abercrombie would find likable. I will move on to Dawn now as I really want to see how this unfolds... Great Stuff..
February 11, 2016
I won't lie. It was the cover that got me. I was randomly wandering around my public library and saw this wicked cover and immediately picked up this book. I am glad I did. Dusk starts off a little slow and strange. The world of Noorela is an innovative one and the story does not follow the usual fantasy pace. But once it starts it is very hard to put down. A brief synopsis (no spoilers):
300 years before this story begins there was a great Cataclysmic War where two Mages warped and twisted the natural magic of this land to turn themselves into demigods. helped in their conquests by an army of warriors known as the Krotes and twisted war machines that were magically created and driven the began to conquer. It was only a massive conglomeration of the people of Noorela that were able to turn the tide and defeat the Mages and their army. The Mages and what was left of the Krotes left the land and went up north into the sea and the frozen lands and disappeared. Tens of thousands of people had died and worse, the magic in the land disappeared.
Fast forward to the present and the land is corrupted by the loss of magic and the people have regressed. There is an order known as Red Monks who kill anything that even vaguely resembles magic. Our story starts in a small town where two of the main characters Kosar, a thief, and Rafe, a farmboy, are the only survivors of an assault by a red Monk on their village. The rest of the story is about magic trying to come back into the land through the boy Rafe and the efforts of Kosar and other companions to protect him from the Red Monks. The cast of characters is varied from a Shantassi warrior-woman, to an herbalist/witch and a miner and a librarian who are all on an incredible journey to bring magic back into the land. But, this is no Shannara type light hearted adventure-this is a dark and gritty fantasy world. Oh, did I mention the Mages are still around and have been waiting for 300 years for magic to return? This is the story and more I will not say since it would spoil this interesting tale. One thing-the ending of the first book (Dawn is the 2nd) is not only surprisingly stunning, but it very much leaves the story incomplete thus I shall have to get the second book to see how this ends.
One other note- the concept of the Red Monks is truly original and interesting. They are human, but driven by rage and madness they are nearly superhuman. They fight through pain and fatal wounds and the only real way to destroy them is to either decapitate them or hack them apart. They are powerful and creepy. Well done! One of the cooler fantasy concepts in awhile.
I enjoyed this book and can see why it is a Bram Stoker Award winner for fantasy. If you like dark and violently gritty fantasy this is a great book for you. The characters are memorable and well created, never formulaic.
300 years before this story begins there was a great Cataclysmic War where two Mages warped and twisted the natural magic of this land to turn themselves into demigods. helped in their conquests by an army of warriors known as the Krotes and twisted war machines that were magically created and driven the began to conquer. It was only a massive conglomeration of the people of Noorela that were able to turn the tide and defeat the Mages and their army. The Mages and what was left of the Krotes left the land and went up north into the sea and the frozen lands and disappeared. Tens of thousands of people had died and worse, the magic in the land disappeared.
Fast forward to the present and the land is corrupted by the loss of magic and the people have regressed. There is an order known as Red Monks who kill anything that even vaguely resembles magic. Our story starts in a small town where two of the main characters Kosar, a thief, and Rafe, a farmboy, are the only survivors of an assault by a red Monk on their village. The rest of the story is about magic trying to come back into the land through the boy Rafe and the efforts of Kosar and other companions to protect him from the Red Monks. The cast of characters is varied from a Shantassi warrior-woman, to an herbalist/witch and a miner and a librarian who are all on an incredible journey to bring magic back into the land. But, this is no Shannara type light hearted adventure-this is a dark and gritty fantasy world. Oh, did I mention the Mages are still around and have been waiting for 300 years for magic to return? This is the story and more I will not say since it would spoil this interesting tale. One thing-the ending of the first book (Dawn is the 2nd) is not only surprisingly stunning, but it very much leaves the story incomplete thus I shall have to get the second book to see how this ends.
One other note- the concept of the Red Monks is truly original and interesting. They are human, but driven by rage and madness they are nearly superhuman. They fight through pain and fatal wounds and the only real way to destroy them is to either decapitate them or hack them apart. They are powerful and creepy. Well done! One of the cooler fantasy concepts in awhile.
I enjoyed this book and can see why it is a Bram Stoker Award winner for fantasy. If you like dark and violently gritty fantasy this is a great book for you. The characters are memorable and well created, never formulaic.
March 4, 2008
this is one of the very best fantasy books i have ever read in my life. it was beautifully written, completely draws you in and i could not put it down. but i hesitate to recommend it to my lds friends. it is dark. it is creepy. it is graffic. at times it is downright disturbing. this guy writes horror, this time he wrote fantasy.
the opening scene, the bad guy rides into town and slits a little girls throat. he then proceeds to massacre the entire town (written in quite a bit of detail). it gets far worse from there. if you can tolerate really, really dark, read it. it's awesome. if you don't like watching scary movies because you'd rather focus on the happy things in life, stay far far away from this book.
the opening scene, the bad guy rides into town and slits a little girls throat. he then proceeds to massacre the entire town (written in quite a bit of detail). it gets far worse from there. if you can tolerate really, really dark, read it. it's awesome. if you don't like watching scary movies because you'd rather focus on the happy things in life, stay far far away from this book.
March 16, 2012
I loved the characters, the intrigue, and especially the world Lebbon created. Until the mages came in with their utter insanity and in the very end the entire book proves to be pointless. I don't mind main characters dying, but this book seriously has problems.
It's not just the characters dying, either. I didn't buy the plotline. The mages have no power, and yet have control over shades. The land is somehow connected to magic, which has been nonexistent for three centuries, and yet only now has it decided to heave to the drastic extent in which it does. Creatures destroy various parts of the world (especially the mines), but don't really seem to have a purpose. Maybe this was supposed to be explained in later books, but the ending of "Dusk" ensured that I would not be reading the rest of the books.
The ending seemed tacked on to allow for another book, even though such a book was already possible. Instead, I was disgusted by the writing to the extent that I will never read another Lebbon novel again. One was bad enough. While the mages were insane, I had no idea that they were capable of what they did. And I didn't buy that by doing what they did they would gain magic.
This end is obviously written for shock value. His writing style is strong, but the execution of this book was bad and sometimes in very poor taste. The whole reading experienced was ruined by the ending, especially the graphic detail of it.
It's not just the characters dying, either. I didn't buy the plotline. The mages have no power, and yet have control over shades. The land is somehow connected to magic, which has been nonexistent for three centuries, and yet only now has it decided to heave to the drastic extent in which it does. Creatures destroy various parts of the world (especially the mines), but don't really seem to have a purpose. Maybe this was supposed to be explained in later books, but the ending of "Dusk" ensured that I would not be reading the rest of the books.
The ending seemed tacked on to allow for another book, even though such a book was already possible. Instead, I was disgusted by the writing to the extent that I will never read another Lebbon novel again. One was bad enough. While the mages were insane, I had no idea that they were capable of what they did. And I didn't buy that by doing what they did they would gain magic.
This end is obviously written for shock value. His writing style is strong, but the execution of this book was bad and sometimes in very poor taste. The whole reading experienced was ruined by the ending, especially the graphic detail of it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 15, 2019
Dusk is about magic returning to a fantasy land, those who want to control it and a little band of protectors trapped in the middle. It feels like the darker versions of the Scooby Gang, unlikely misfits, caught up together to save the day.
This is dark fantasy and the world is vivid. The characters are slow to appeal, probably because they’re not loveable rascals, which makes pursue the story hard at times. I think the pacing might be off too, as every time I got immersed in a scene it would end, and I’d be pulled into a character’s story that I cared little about; this disrupted the momentum of the book. Mistakes in the text (typos) were too regular and also interrupted my reading groove.
Dusk reminded me of The Winnowing Flame Trilogy by Jen Williams, which is great. I enjoyed this book, but in places I lost interest.
This is dark fantasy and the world is vivid. The characters are slow to appeal, probably because they’re not loveable rascals, which makes pursue the story hard at times. I think the pacing might be off too, as every time I got immersed in a scene it would end, and I’d be pulled into a character’s story that I cared little about; this disrupted the momentum of the book. Mistakes in the text (typos) were too regular and also interrupted my reading groove.
Dusk reminded me of The Winnowing Flame Trilogy by Jen Williams, which is great. I enjoyed this book, but in places I lost interest.
October 24, 2008
It started off awesome but after a few chapters it started to wane. The author didn't keep me interested in the characters nor the world itself. I had no idea where anything was going. It got tougher and tougher to get through. The cover lures you in but in my mind this was a trap. I will not be reading the follow up to this.
October 9, 2009
I picked this up on an impulse from the library off the "October reading" shelf. It has some original fantasy concepts. The author also likes writing about gore. Overall, I wasn't wowed. I'm definitely not putting the next book in the series onto my reading list.
March 10, 2026
Amazing world, characters and story - not so much.
February 10, 2013
Fantasy Review Barn
‘You have heard of Joe Abercrombie, George RR Martin, KJ Parker?’
‘Yes’
‘Sesame Street.’ -- With full apologies to anyone involved in the Princess Bride.
Truly this was a dark, dark book. Immediately turn back if you don’t want your book to start with the slaughter of a town, move on to the slaughter of a village, and follow that up with a journey through a sin filled city. As would be expected the book will follow a couple of dubious personalities, including a branded thief and a self-described whore. Even the plants get in on the action, with nasty carnivorous tumble weeds roaming the land. The last book I read that tried to be this dark was ‘A Dance with Cloaks.’ Unlike that dark outing, I actually enjoyed this book quite a bit.
Magic is gone from Noreela, it disappeared when two lovers corrupted it and did their best to take over the world. Defeated three hundred years prior, they were exiled and exist only in legend. The land itself is wilting away without magic, and the landscape is littered with the corpses of ancient machines that ran on it. But everything changes eventually. The insane red monks, dedicated to eradicating even the memory of magic, scent a new source and begin to move. Rafe, the young man burdened by this development, finds himself racing from the monks and others with a collection travelers of dubious trust worthiness.
This is a book about the journey and what is happening in the world. The strongest influence would appear to be Fellowship of the Ring, thought the mage lovers reminded me a lot of The Black Company. Much of the word count is used to describe action sequences, strange creatures, or the history of the land. The history is fairly compelling, and if not completely unique, at least is a different blend of several influences. The red monks were incredibly interesting, acting in a ring wraith role.
Looking for interesting characters that grow and develop relationships? Eh, this ain’t your book. Most the characters are archetypes more than human, and several in the traveling group could have been left out completely and it wouldn’t have affected the book. I stopped counting the number of times someone referred to Rafe as a “farm boy;” I could never figure out if the author was doing it with tongue in cheek or not. If anyone could be considered a main character it would be the branded thief Kosar. Cliché with his heart of gold, he at least is memorable. Rafe is a vessel, never a character. A librarian exists only to suffer an attack, and a druggie just kind of follows along.
There was one character that I really enjoyed however. Hope, self-described whore and witch, made the book work for me. Maybe it is because she reminded me of Granny Weatherwax (other than the prostitution), but she was smart and capable and fun to read about. Early on she throws a spider at someone that she dyed to a bright color. Why? Because she is a witch and that is the kind of stuff people expect. Her protectiveness of Rafe is at times selfish, at others completely selfless. She is conflicted but hopeful. Unlike most fantasy sex workers, she is not sexualized or glamourized or beautiful. Her history is present, but so is the large amount of information she gleaned from former clients.
There was enough here for me to want to read the next book. The overriding darkness will turn many off, and usually I wish for more from my characters. But something kept me hooked throughout the entire book. Lebbon is pretty good with the language, providing a great vision of his world. Yes, I think I liked it due to a mixture of Hope, the strong visuals, and completely awesome red monks. As would be expected, most questions are left unanswered by the end of the book, though the book titles, “Dusk” and “Dawn,” should provide some clues as to what can be expected next.
3 ½ stars
‘You have heard of Joe Abercrombie, George RR Martin, KJ Parker?’
‘Yes’
‘Sesame Street.’ -- With full apologies to anyone involved in the Princess Bride.
Truly this was a dark, dark book. Immediately turn back if you don’t want your book to start with the slaughter of a town, move on to the slaughter of a village, and follow that up with a journey through a sin filled city. As would be expected the book will follow a couple of dubious personalities, including a branded thief and a self-described whore. Even the plants get in on the action, with nasty carnivorous tumble weeds roaming the land. The last book I read that tried to be this dark was ‘A Dance with Cloaks.’ Unlike that dark outing, I actually enjoyed this book quite a bit.
Magic is gone from Noreela, it disappeared when two lovers corrupted it and did their best to take over the world. Defeated three hundred years prior, they were exiled and exist only in legend. The land itself is wilting away without magic, and the landscape is littered with the corpses of ancient machines that ran on it. But everything changes eventually. The insane red monks, dedicated to eradicating even the memory of magic, scent a new source and begin to move. Rafe, the young man burdened by this development, finds himself racing from the monks and others with a collection travelers of dubious trust worthiness.
This is a book about the journey and what is happening in the world. The strongest influence would appear to be Fellowship of the Ring, thought the mage lovers reminded me a lot of The Black Company. Much of the word count is used to describe action sequences, strange creatures, or the history of the land. The history is fairly compelling, and if not completely unique, at least is a different blend of several influences. The red monks were incredibly interesting, acting in a ring wraith role.
Looking for interesting characters that grow and develop relationships? Eh, this ain’t your book. Most the characters are archetypes more than human, and several in the traveling group could have been left out completely and it wouldn’t have affected the book. I stopped counting the number of times someone referred to Rafe as a “farm boy;” I could never figure out if the author was doing it with tongue in cheek or not. If anyone could be considered a main character it would be the branded thief Kosar. Cliché with his heart of gold, he at least is memorable. Rafe is a vessel, never a character. A librarian exists only to suffer an attack, and a druggie just kind of follows along.
There was one character that I really enjoyed however. Hope, self-described whore and witch, made the book work for me. Maybe it is because she reminded me of Granny Weatherwax (other than the prostitution), but she was smart and capable and fun to read about. Early on she throws a spider at someone that she dyed to a bright color. Why? Because she is a witch and that is the kind of stuff people expect. Her protectiveness of Rafe is at times selfish, at others completely selfless. She is conflicted but hopeful. Unlike most fantasy sex workers, she is not sexualized or glamourized or beautiful. Her history is present, but so is the large amount of information she gleaned from former clients.
There was enough here for me to want to read the next book. The overriding darkness will turn many off, and usually I wish for more from my characters. But something kept me hooked throughout the entire book. Lebbon is pretty good with the language, providing a great vision of his world. Yes, I think I liked it due to a mixture of Hope, the strong visuals, and completely awesome red monks. As would be expected, most questions are left unanswered by the end of the book, though the book titles, “Dusk” and “Dawn,” should provide some clues as to what can be expected next.
3 ½ stars
May 22, 2010
My goal to finish every book I start feels like noble determination some days, and masochism on other. This book placed it squarely in the latter. Despite the interesting genre mashup of horror and fantasy, and the effusive praise from reviewers and other writers I respect plastering the front and back covers, Dusk was almost unreadable. The prose was clunky and amateurish, the characters thin and derivative, and the horror or adult elements were laughably shoehorned into a dull and hackneyed plot. Reading this book made me felt like I was insane, since there was so much good press and reviews. But sanity is not a function of the majority. You're all mad, not me. This book is bad, objectively bad.
The only complaint I could see in the reviews was that it ends to suddenly, on a cliffhanger. I don't care what happens to our two dimensional heroes or our broad and ludicrous villains. By the time I reached that cliff, I was happy to leap off and never look back. Good riddance.
The only complaint I could see in the reviews was that it ends to suddenly, on a cliffhanger. I don't care what happens to our two dimensional heroes or our broad and ludicrous villains. By the time I reached that cliff, I was happy to leap off and never look back. Good riddance.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 8, 2014
Okay, So I'm really sad about this one; why? Because I really liked it. It had everything in it for a really great, epic Sci-Fi novel. The suspense, tension, evil threat bigger than anyone can comprehend, the unlikely group who come together that maybe mankind's last hope. Yeah, it was good...until the end. Now, I'm all for a good twist, but this was a stab and twist to the gut and heart kind of twist. One that leaves a bad taste of blood in your mouth. Some may like that kind of thing, but not me. Here is the thing, I may continue with the series, but it wont be for a very long time, as I need to really get that bad taste out of my mouth.
So I have to read other things first and then decide if weather or not I want to come back to this series. I mean, hell, even Game of thrones didn't do this to me like that, and that book really kills off it's characters that you like. Geesh.
So I have to read other things first and then decide if weather or not I want to come back to this series. I mean, hell, even Game of thrones didn't do this to me like that, and that book really kills off it's characters that you like. Geesh.
February 5, 2008
This is an extremely dark fantasy tale. It was a somewhat difficult read because I had to walk away from it from time to time. I couldn't read more than about 40 pages in one sitting. With that caveat, however, I must say that it is a very *good* book. Tim Lebbon has a talent for bringing the setting to life and for making the characters multi-faceted. In some scenes, you could smell the mud in the streets, see the texture of the stone buildings. Very visual.
If you're looking for happy endings, or rather, endings in which everything is tied up neatly and nicely, you're going to want to take a pass on this one. But if you want something gritty and sometimes hard to digest, but entertaining, nonetheless, give it a try. But don't say I didn't warn you about the darkness! :)
If you're looking for happy endings, or rather, endings in which everything is tied up neatly and nicely, you're going to want to take a pass on this one. But if you want something gritty and sometimes hard to digest, but entertaining, nonetheless, give it a try. But don't say I didn't warn you about the darkness! :)
September 20, 2009
An interesting concept and a few neat ideas weakened by use of the overused "prophecy" motif and a sexual scenes and situations that seemed gratuitious.
August 22, 2010
Gave up on this one. Too slow, too many characters introduced (Chap 11--and there are still new characters coming in left and right). Way too dark and negative for me.
July 26, 2011
Reading this was really a daunting task. Awful most of the time.
May 27, 2024
⭐️4,5
bardzo specyficzny styl pisania, ale widać, że autor totalnie dał się ponieść wyobraźni - i to przez większość książki działa. opisy miejscami szokująco brutalne, w tym świecie nikt i nic nie jest bezpieczne.
bohaterowie nieoczywiści, ale bardzo szybko można się do nich przywiązać (A’Meer my beloved <33)
generalnie trafiłam w końcu na fantasy, które zmusza to skupienia się (ale nie za bardzo) i nie boi się ryzykować.
natychmiast sięgam po 2 cześć
bardzo specyficzny styl pisania, ale widać, że autor totalnie dał się ponieść wyobraźni - i to przez większość książki działa. opisy miejscami szokująco brutalne, w tym świecie nikt i nic nie jest bezpieczne.
bohaterowie nieoczywiści, ale bardzo szybko można się do nich przywiązać (A’Meer my beloved <33)
generalnie trafiłam w końcu na fantasy, które zmusza to skupienia się (ale nie za bardzo) i nie boi się ryzykować.
natychmiast sięgam po 2 cześć
September 22, 2020
Excellent, gritty fantasy from one of the best in the business. Now I have to read the next one in the series...
March 30, 2012
Tim Lebbon's Face was a wonderful horror novel; atmospheric and tense, surreal but immediate. It reminded me of the dream-like quality of a Charles Grant story. So when I learned that he'd written a dark fantasy novel, I was excited.
Dusk lived up to my hopes. A very dark fantasy devoid of elves, dwarves, and kings, this feels more like the setting for King's Dark Tower books than a cliche fantasy story. The background is that magic fled from the world of Noreela about 3 centuries ago, and is trying (against the odds) to make a comeback. Note the word "fled"...the magic is almost alive in this book, and it's scared. It comes back via a teen named Rafe -- which I assumed would quickly get annoying and it never did. In addition to the normal dangers of Noreela (a run-down and decaying world), Rafe has to avoid the mysterious Red Monks who are hunting him, as well as a 3rd group; I don't wanna spoil anything, so I'll leave that vague. Add to that the various personalities and agendas of his companions, and Lebbon's skill becomes apparent. While the overall plot is pretty straight-forward, he manages to juggle all these story threads and keep everything moving very quickly (without getting bogged down or confusing). The book has a hectic pace to it that I thought reflected the constant flight of the heroes very nicely.
The sequel, Dawn, came out this spring, and I'm anxious to read it. Lebbon's also written a few short stories set in Noreela, he's finishing up a novella set here, and has a contract for another novel (not a sequel to the first two).
Add to this his horror novels, and you get a lot of Tim Lebbon in my future.
Dusk lived up to my hopes. A very dark fantasy devoid of elves, dwarves, and kings, this feels more like the setting for King's Dark Tower books than a cliche fantasy story. The background is that magic fled from the world of Noreela about 3 centuries ago, and is trying (against the odds) to make a comeback. Note the word "fled"...the magic is almost alive in this book, and it's scared. It comes back via a teen named Rafe -- which I assumed would quickly get annoying and it never did. In addition to the normal dangers of Noreela (a run-down and decaying world), Rafe has to avoid the mysterious Red Monks who are hunting him, as well as a 3rd group; I don't wanna spoil anything, so I'll leave that vague. Add to that the various personalities and agendas of his companions, and Lebbon's skill becomes apparent. While the overall plot is pretty straight-forward, he manages to juggle all these story threads and keep everything moving very quickly (without getting bogged down or confusing). The book has a hectic pace to it that I thought reflected the constant flight of the heroes very nicely.
The sequel, Dawn, came out this spring, and I'm anxious to read it. Lebbon's also written a few short stories set in Noreela, he's finishing up a novella set here, and has a contract for another novel (not a sequel to the first two).
Add to this his horror novels, and you get a lot of Tim Lebbon in my future.
February 13, 2018
Dusk is a very dark tale. A part of fantasy that frankly this reader is not very accustomed to. But on a whim, I started reading this in the waiting room while my wife was having surgery. In the 7-8 hours I was in the waiting room (by myself I might add), I read roughly 250 pages. I finished the book a few days later and will probably remember it for a lifetime.
The book starts on a grim scenario, and it ends in the same fashion. There might be a glimmer of hope somewhere in the final words of the story but don't tell the author that because he might hack off its head in the beginning of the next one. The ending will shock and scare you and its one of those where I found myself re-reading several times in a fit of "Did I read that right...they did what?!!!"
It is an excellent book, one worth reading and I will be looking for Dawn in short order (maybe after a light and fluffy book in between) even if I'm sufficiently creeped out. It's got chops, in spades and I am eager to see what's next.
The book starts on a grim scenario, and it ends in the same fashion. There might be a glimmer of hope somewhere in the final words of the story but don't tell the author that because he might hack off its head in the beginning of the next one. The ending will shock and scare you and its one of those where I found myself re-reading several times in a fit of "Did I read that right...they did what?!!!"
It is an excellent book, one worth reading and I will be looking for Dawn in short order (maybe after a light and fluffy book in between) even if I'm sufficiently creeped out. It's got chops, in spades and I am eager to see what's next.
June 7, 2021
Dusk is a fantastic tale of dark fantasy!
From the opening chapter, which is one HELL of an opening! Simple, yet effective, tense, terrifying, unsettling, pure action, and fear. I knew what was going to happen in the scene, but it was still horrific, made even more so when you realize how helpless the main character is. I appreciate this so much instead of fantasy opening with long boring political descriptions, throwing a hundred names of things you don't care about yet instead of building them slowly, or just throwing you in the middle of events without anything to grab on to. I haven't been sucked into a fantasy story for as long as I can remember, probably since reading Eye of the World's opening chapter in high school. It's more akin to a the beginning of a horror tale and it's masterfully done.
The main characters are interesting, engaging, have unexpected elements to their personalities despite having the typical fantasy titles, thief, mystic warrior, witch, farmboy, they feel unique, and I found myself sympathizing with them. Kosar, A'meer Alishia, Hope, Trey. Rafe, the only one I think was kind of the weakest was Rafe, and by the second half if I remember he's mostly just sick and carried around. The Red Monks, I'll get to them in a bit, but I think they were enough antagonist for this story on top of the Nax. The other secondary villains just weren't interesting or developed enough (one of two gripes).
I love that the world in this is so immersive. Normally I don't like reading about grimdark hopelessness where death decay and destruction has taken over, but everything here is interesting and fits the horrible, terrifying, nature of the land. Where magic had left it, and wasn't a complete good to begin with. Nothing to me seemed out of place, which is an achievement. Too many fantasy worlds often seem like something or a few things that are super odd or don't seem to fit the world at all. Everything from Machines, and Breakers, to the Nax, wraiths, to fodder, tumblers, to skull ravens, the Tumbling, rhellium, fledge, rotwine, I think, yep, I can picture that existing here. Simple naming for things works beautifully.
Which brings me to the Red Monks. The Red Monks are terrifying and remind me of the Nazgul (the film version) and part Terminator, how their hooded and cause terror as they pass through settlements, how they sniff at the air to hunt, scream to signal, and focused on their one goal above anything. But other than being mindless, they have an intelligent nad human element to them, which surprised me. Even though they're singular focused, there not one dimensional in thought, they even have a strange dark sense of humor. Again a simple use of a typical fantasy creation described used effectively, and this story uses the hell out of them.
Most of the action takes place in and around Pavissi, but some other places are mentioned, Noreela, Kang Kang, Shanti, the islands north, this ice waste that antagonists were banished to or forced to retreat to, so there's more happening outside of the main story. Without getting bogged down in texts of description about the leaders, whose fighting who, the currency system, ec. I think the only ruler I remember is the Duke? I like the details given for each of the 'lands'. One is where the drugs are imported from. One has these dangerous steam vents. Another is a forbidden zone. You get enough descriptions to where it doesn't turn into a 'world of' book.
` The plot is the standard heroes have something that everyone wants and are being chased/hunted for it, except instead of the One Ring its a person or what that person possess', but there are so many little events, secondary characters that appear and have a point of view. And some really tragic, one minor character that starts part 2 has an amazing action scene almost as tense as the opening. Their trek across the land feels never feels like its repeating itself and again described so well you feel like you're with them.
Which brings me to my second gripe. There are a few pages where I felt a character was repeating themselves, 'going on and on about the same feelings/emotions/thoughts' and that got a little weary, it broke the pace for me and was sort of a chore to read. And there are some eye rolling things the characters say (it don't expect ancient language or old english, but this sounds like really modern dialogue/expressions)
SideNote: I see this type of thing in other modern fantasy stories too, I wish it there was less of it and it was more just the characters are confident in their abilities and got on with things ie older heroes like Conan.
What happens in the last act ie the Graveyard, I probably should have saw coming, I didn't think much though at the time, I was just going for the ride, but it makes obvious sense. The finale, I won't spoil it but, yeah I won't spoil it.
There are probably deeper themes to this novel that I haven't picked up on, there seems to me to be commentary on pleasure being all there is to strive for ie rampant drug use, whoring oneself in decaying societies, and apathy except towards the violent/criminal natures. One character is a librarian and laments that the library is always empty.
So the greatest thing for me was how immersive the world and the inhabitants in it were, and the characters and their relationships with each other. Those are prime for reading fantasy for me, else why even read fantasy at all? Again minor gripes, also the parts where it bogged down it almost immediately after picked up again. Each time it felt it was getting dull too much action or description, it redeemed itself in the next scene. And the third act I felt was the weakest. But there's a ton of variety and depth for even a stand alone tale, but I'm sure there will be more stories in this world.
Dusk is pretty amazing, and I give it four and a half out of five stars.
From the opening chapter, which is one HELL of an opening! Simple, yet effective, tense, terrifying, unsettling, pure action, and fear. I knew what was going to happen in the scene, but it was still horrific, made even more so when you realize how helpless the main character is. I appreciate this so much instead of fantasy opening with long boring political descriptions, throwing a hundred names of things you don't care about yet instead of building them slowly, or just throwing you in the middle of events without anything to grab on to. I haven't been sucked into a fantasy story for as long as I can remember, probably since reading Eye of the World's opening chapter in high school. It's more akin to a the beginning of a horror tale and it's masterfully done.
The main characters are interesting, engaging, have unexpected elements to their personalities despite having the typical fantasy titles, thief, mystic warrior, witch, farmboy, they feel unique, and I found myself sympathizing with them. Kosar, A'meer Alishia, Hope, Trey. Rafe, the only one I think was kind of the weakest was Rafe, and by the second half if I remember he's mostly just sick and carried around. The Red Monks, I'll get to them in a bit, but I think they were enough antagonist for this story on top of the Nax. The other secondary villains just weren't interesting or developed enough (one of two gripes).
I love that the world in this is so immersive. Normally I don't like reading about grimdark hopelessness where death decay and destruction has taken over, but everything here is interesting and fits the horrible, terrifying, nature of the land. Where magic had left it, and wasn't a complete good to begin with. Nothing to me seemed out of place, which is an achievement. Too many fantasy worlds often seem like something or a few things that are super odd or don't seem to fit the world at all. Everything from Machines, and Breakers, to the Nax, wraiths, to fodder, tumblers, to skull ravens, the Tumbling, rhellium, fledge, rotwine, I think, yep, I can picture that existing here. Simple naming for things works beautifully.
Which brings me to the Red Monks. The Red Monks are terrifying and remind me of the Nazgul (the film version) and part Terminator, how their hooded and cause terror as they pass through settlements, how they sniff at the air to hunt, scream to signal, and focused on their one goal above anything. But other than being mindless, they have an intelligent nad human element to them, which surprised me. Even though they're singular focused, there not one dimensional in thought, they even have a strange dark sense of humor. Again a simple use of a typical fantasy creation described used effectively, and this story uses the hell out of them.
Most of the action takes place in and around Pavissi, but some other places are mentioned, Noreela, Kang Kang, Shanti, the islands north, this ice waste that antagonists were banished to or forced to retreat to, so there's more happening outside of the main story. Without getting bogged down in texts of description about the leaders, whose fighting who, the currency system, ec. I think the only ruler I remember is the Duke? I like the details given for each of the 'lands'. One is where the drugs are imported from. One has these dangerous steam vents. Another is a forbidden zone. You get enough descriptions to where it doesn't turn into a 'world of' book.
` The plot is the standard heroes have something that everyone wants and are being chased/hunted for it, except instead of the One Ring its a person or what that person possess', but there are so many little events, secondary characters that appear and have a point of view. And some really tragic, one minor character that starts part 2 has an amazing action scene almost as tense as the opening. Their trek across the land feels never feels like its repeating itself and again described so well you feel like you're with them.
Which brings me to my second gripe. There are a few pages where I felt a character was repeating themselves, 'going on and on about the same feelings/emotions/thoughts' and that got a little weary, it broke the pace for me and was sort of a chore to read. And there are some eye rolling things the characters say (it don't expect ancient language or old english, but this sounds like really modern dialogue/expressions)
SideNote: I see this type of thing in other modern fantasy stories too, I wish it there was less of it and it was more just the characters are confident in their abilities and got on with things ie older heroes like Conan.
What happens in the last act ie the Graveyard, I probably should have saw coming, I didn't think much though at the time, I was just going for the ride, but it makes obvious sense. The finale, I won't spoil it but, yeah I won't spoil it.
There are probably deeper themes to this novel that I haven't picked up on, there seems to me to be commentary on pleasure being all there is to strive for ie rampant drug use, whoring oneself in decaying societies, and apathy except towards the violent/criminal natures. One character is a librarian and laments that the library is always empty.
So the greatest thing for me was how immersive the world and the inhabitants in it were, and the characters and their relationships with each other. Those are prime for reading fantasy for me, else why even read fantasy at all? Again minor gripes, also the parts where it bogged down it almost immediately after picked up again. Each time it felt it was getting dull too much action or description, it redeemed itself in the next scene. And the third act I felt was the weakest. But there's a ton of variety and depth for even a stand alone tale, but I'm sure there will be more stories in this world.
Dusk is pretty amazing, and I give it four and a half out of five stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 25, 2014
I liked this book. It's nice to read a fantasy that tends more towards the creepy. Many of the characters weren't as developed as I would have liked. There were only a couple that I really worried about and one of them was missing for much of the book.
Still, a very original and interesting setting. I'll definitely read the sequel.
Still, a very original and interesting setting. I'll definitely read the sequel.
September 29, 2019
This book took a fair amount of time to read, and over the course of the month three were days I barely picked at it, but don't let that put you off. This is a great story with fantastic world building and strong imagination. I tend not to read fantasy series, but I will definitely return to Noreela.
June 13, 2008
An interesting concept and a few neat ideas crippled by a hackneyed plot ("Oh, there's a prophecy!") and an attitude that writing about sex a lot makes your work "mature."
December 11, 2011
Finally a fantasy story for adults, great book!
April 18, 2012
This book was horrible.
First and last time I take book recommendations from people while playing CS:S.
First and last time I take book recommendations from people while playing CS:S.
May 27, 2021
I picked this book up on a whim just because I was looking for something a little more dark. Boy did I hit the jackpot!! I sat in my car and began reading and found myself pulled deep into a story that was both thrilling and impossible to put down. one hour later I forced myself to stop and found the power to go home. I made dinner and then spent the evening rereading the chapters just so I didn't miss anything (as sometimes happens when a story grabs you and won't let go). The mixture of past and present , magic and science were unbelievable. i do not want to give anything away or spoil anything so all I can say is take a chance and read the first book, you will find yourself grabbing the next one and then the next one. Each story has its own individuality that astounded me.
thank you Tim lebbon for renewing my faith that there are original stories still out there to send us all into a world of wonderment.
thank you Tim lebbon for renewing my faith that there are original stories still out there to send us all into a world of wonderment.
November 29, 2021
DNF. Everything about this book felt awful. I understand that this may be firmly planted in the “grimdark” genre, but I’ve read grimdark books before, and none have felt so… gross. It was an unpleasant experience to read, where everything felt befouled and grimy to the point of discomfiture. While I fully understand this was a narrative choice, and in service of the atmosphere Lebbon is creating, perhaps he does so TOO effectively? It isn’t a world I wish to spend time in, further hampered by characters I don’t wish to spend time with. This is further saddening as I’ve read Lebbon before and truly enjoyed his work. He has a mastery of atmosphere that few writers do, and maybe that hindered this book, but sadly I could not finish it.
November 29, 2020
No map and difficult to read.
It began well enough and was interesting, but gradually, I found it difficult to read and nearly did not finish. The overall impression I got was the writing was rushed. There were overly long sentences without the correct use of commas, and there were poor descriptions of objects or beings which made comprehension difficult. Since this is a fantasy novel, a map would certainly have helped. Additionally, a glossary would have aided the reader on beings like mimics, krotes, tumblers etc. I will not continue to the next book.
It began well enough and was interesting, but gradually, I found it difficult to read and nearly did not finish. The overall impression I got was the writing was rushed. There were overly long sentences without the correct use of commas, and there were poor descriptions of objects or beings which made comprehension difficult. Since this is a fantasy novel, a map would certainly have helped. Additionally, a glossary would have aided the reader on beings like mimics, krotes, tumblers etc. I will not continue to the next book.
March 28, 2026
Not sure about this one. Character and world development took up the entire first half of this book, informative yes, but also tedious in what seemed like useless repetition. Yes, this world is dark and decaying....no need to beat the reader over the head with that point. The second half of the book was more about developing the story line....more interesting and engaging. So, even though I wasn't really drawn in, I will finish off this story with the second installment to see what happens to our heroes.
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