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Summary: Is this a pastiche or is it for real?
Review: After reading the first few pages I was convinced this was a send-up of all those pompous, 3-volume, Lord-Of-The-Ring-wannabe fantasy tomes, chock-full of cliches with at least 3 adjectives to any noun ... alas, Friedman is dead serious. Well, I'll grant this: he's created the apotheosis of this genre. Save your money for something better than a nauseating rehash.
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Summary: An absolutely amazing series!
Review: Friedman has createrd a masterpiece with this trilogy, which paints a vivid world with fantastic characters and an absolutely brilliant definition of "magic". Boundries of good and evil are crossed, I found myself cheering for both ends of the spectrum as the two main characters interact. There were some parts that were a bit hard to follow, but overall it all made sense in the end. This series must be read by fans of Sci-Fi or fantasy, who like a healthy dose of darkness.
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Summary: "WHO WILL COMBAT THE NIGHT WHEN THERE IS NO LIGHT???"
Review: This was one of the first books I ever read in which I was rooting for the anti-hero known as Gerald Tarrat, who of course was a dark being of malevolent might appearing at times to be an angel of light. What other character in all of fantasy can bend the will of a priest to use the powers of darkness to combat an even greater darkness in a bitter strife to save all of humanity.
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Summary: An outstanding read.
Review: Friedman's work is a real treat for science- fiction and fantasy fans a like. The plot is complex. Tarrant is a beautiful anti-hero and is often distubind. Friedman creates a new society in intricate detail. Her magic is refreshingly different. The rest of the trilogy only gets better.
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Summary: One of the best Dark Fantasy Novels I've Read.
Review: In one word: Gorgeous. This first book in the series simply had me unable to put it down, which is unusual for me these days. I've gotten tired of the standard 'Naive, reluctant young man/woman/people find out they have to kill the evil Foozle because of some prophecy.' routine in most stories. The heroes in this book are real characters, already quite competent, and the tension comes as much between some conflict between the two main characters as it does with the various enemies they face. The book defies easy categorization. At first glance it's simply a Fantasy novel, but there is more than a small horror and Sci-Fi element to this novel. The magic in this book is wonderful, cohesive, original and a 'natural' consequence of the world the characters live on. If there's a complaint I have, it's that C.S. Friedman seems to repeat things that she's stated before, as if to make sure that we don't forget. In particular, she describes the tension that exists between the two main characters too many times to keep count. That one small complaint aside, this is one of the best books I've read, and in my opinion it outshines the other two in the series.
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Summary: The best supernaural book is existance
Review: THe look on morality and the look on the human mind is extordanay. I am thirsting for more
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Summary: Superbly, stunningly, incredibly good!
Review: Thanks to Ms. Friedman's vision and eloquent prose, we have a window into a completely enrapturing world. Her characters nearly breath themselves into life, so thorough is her details and research. Her take on 'Magic' is refreshing and a bit unsettling at once. If you are looking for one of the best books to surprise yourself with, pick this one up and settle in. It's a great ride.
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Summary: Inspiring setting.
Review: When I read this book I was lost in the realism of the setting.
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Summary: Poetic prose, a bit dragging
Review: Altogehter, a pretty strong effort -- the first book of Friedman's I've read. She writes some elegant prose, which I can certianly appreciate, however I found Black Sun Rising to be about 100 pages longer than it needed to be. Friedman need to take to heart the axiom that cutting is a good thing that makes the remaining work stronger. Tarrant was a treat, though Damien, I felt, was a bit hollow, almost cookie-cutter good-type-rebel. Frankly, my biggest problem with the novel was the premise -- I really don't buy this group of people taking off into the forbidden (?) region and risking each of their lives to help a woman regain a few memories. It seemed a contrived reason for sending the protags off on a quest, and not a convincing one at that. Had Friedman been able to craft a more convincing goal, originally, I would have rated this much higher. All the same, worth the read, though I wasn't inspired to go out and buy the sequel.
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Summary: AWSOME!!
Review: I love this book and this series which I have read so many times that I stopped counting. Gerald begins to warp the definate line between good and evil. I won't compare this series to The Lord of the Rings because it surpasses them. I love this book! A MUST READ!!!
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