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Summary: Final Fantasy of Books (careful spolier here)
Review: This was a truely good book. I read it over most of the sights on my trip to Washington DC! I liked all the characters and they seemed to be alot like the ones from Final Fantasy 7. Damian was like Cloud, tough but got a good heart. Ciana is like Aeris in that she possesses special abilities. Terrant was kind of like Sephiroth, who was really cool. The mix of fantasy and sci fi makes for a good book and setting. I think that my favorite character was Senzei though he was intelligent but his lust for power was too great. I wish he hadn't taken that Fire. I just ordered both the sequals so I could keep reading!
Rating: 
Summary: Black Sun and Sequels
Review: Friedman has built a complex world with a very original view of magical realms vs science. Not the typical science fighting magic story usually portrayed. Her weakness is in character development and storytelling. The plot is strong, the characters are good, but the telling of the story lacks the quality of authors such as Eddings and Jordan.Good entertainment value and I will probably read it again in a few years.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: Where to start? C.S. Friedman creates the best settings and cultures. She designs great, realistic characters and a flowing plot that pulls you along. A mixture of sci-fi and fantasy, with magic and spring loaded weapons. And,like most of her books, good and evil seems to be hard to define. The characters seem realistic, yet above the norm. Strong, yet they show flaws all the time. Great cover and the best book to start with if you have not 'absorbed' one of her books before.
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Summary: Just a great book, one of my favorite series
Review: This book is fantastic, sort of a Sci-Fi/Fantasy hybrid. You will not be bored for one minute with this book. The characters are interesting, the writing is easy to digest, and it's a somewhat unique twist on a common theme that you usually see in pure fantasy books.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Fantasy World
Review: I had a hard time starting this book. The opening scene, the mostintense in the whole novel, depicts a man sacrificing his wife andchildren. The first time I picked up the novel, that part kind of putme off the whole thing. That the writing had that much of an impact onme speaks well of the writing abilities of the author.
I likedthe idea of a world where an ever-present background force turns oursubconscious thoughts into reality. The world of Erna is a fantasysetting wrapped in a science-fiction premise. The humans on Erna arethe descendants of earth-born colonists who learned early on thattechnology doesn't often work right because of the Fey, the force thatturns human fears into reality. Murphy's Law to the Nth power. But thestory is unquestionably fantasy. Humans "work" the fey aseither Adepts or Sorcerers, and the society seems to mimic medievalearth.
Some of the character development is very detailed. Thecharacter of the Patriarch is at once a threatening force and asympathetic character. I have not read the rest of the trilogy yet,but hope that the character is used more in the next two books. Damiengives us the majority of the point-of-view narration, and hischaracter has a sense of depth that makes the reader want to learnmore about him. Tarrant seems to be Friedman's favorite, as he isportrayed as dark and mysterious, an unapologetic evil that we canunderstand and even hope to see more of. Other characters are not aswell fleshed out, but serve their purposes adequately.
So whyonly three stars?
The book is lacking in several areas, whichdisappointed me after such a promising beginning. The physicaldescriptions are few and far between. When Tarrant appears at an innin the book, we are given a very vague description of him, nothing tocompare him to the other appearance of the character. There's also arace called the Rakh, which evolved from the indiginous felinepredator on Erna, but little description is given to describe themwhen they appear until near the end of the book, and severalcharacters seem unable to recognize them as non-human, despite the furand tail.
Also, the characters seem to have knowledge beyondwhat they could possibly know. Early in the novel, Ciani (the adeptwoman) is attacked by creatures that no one has ever seen in thehuman-occupied lands before. I'm not sure how the characters know thatkilling the creatures will restore her mind (at least in part), howthey know that the creatures are from the North, and how they know thecreatures are returning north. And somehow they manage to follow inthe exact same path across miles and days of travel, even afterthey've left the path and have no means of tracking them. There were acouple other incidents later in the book that fall into the samecategory, but to mention them here would be to give too muchaway.
That said, I did enjoy reading this book. Despite itsflaws, it was interesting enough to keep me reading, and good enoughto get me to want to read the next two books.
Rating:
Summary: A Magnificent Work
Review: I _hate_ the person who recommended me this book. I had papers to write and deadlines to meet. :-)This book is truly one of a kind. Though the prologue gave me the impression that I wouldn't enjoy the book, that first impression was quickly to be dismissed. In it, we look at a humanity that has suddenly had to deal with magic, and see their own nightmares come true, by force of their own imagination! But more than an interesting setting, the _crucial_ point of this book is the struggle between good and evil in our own hearts, and the little ways which can led us into a position where we see ourselves forced to do things we despise even while in full control of our actions and of free will. The plot of the book serves more as a background to the above than as a foreground story. Nevertheless, it's still a well-thought plot that will keep you turning the pages, even though it lacks unpredictable twists.
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Summary: Incredible! Absolutely amazing!
Review: If I could give this book more then 5 stars I absolutely would! This author, and the Coldfire trilogy in particular was terific! Ms. Friedman uses well thought out and deep characters and an original world and plot to draw readers into the story. Being an avid fantasy/sci-fi reader, I rank C.S. Friedman as one of my favorite authors of all time. All I can say is that anyone who thinks the book or characters were dull and boring should rethink reading fantasy/sci-fi books, since this book is one of the best out there!
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Summary: Beautifully Crafted, Stupendous Characters
Review: I recently rediscovered these books. My friend Chris was going on and on about this book he was reading to our mutual friend Rachael. He was especially talking about this guy Gerald Tarrant, it rang a bell and I took a good look at the cover and it all came back to me. This trilogy is probably the best blend of Science Fiction and Fantasy I have ever seen. I am firm believer in the fact they are two seperate genre's but Ms. Freidman doesn't seem content to "play by the rules." I still get the creeps when I think of Gerald Tarrant, what a GREAT character. He ranks right up there with Darth Vader. Freidman's mastery of her craft has never been more evident than it is in these three books. I highly recommend them to anyone. Don't be intimidated by their size, you'll be surprised how fast you go through them just be prepared for a long trip back when it's over. . .
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Summary: Great writer, original story even if it is quirky
Review: All right so I think CS Friedman is one of the best writers around. I'll even follow her through a novel that starts with a man brutally torturing his wife and children to death (though this scene haunted me through the whole book). This book had two horrible plot flaws that I easily overlooked because I was carried away by the richness of the story. Flaw number 1) Why would a man who was the greatest visionary and religious leader his world had ever known, turn to the dark side simply because some people disagreed with him? Why would preservation of his own life be so important that he would willing sacrifice his soul? I don't know and Friedman simply doesn't give us a clue. Maybe we'll get the answer when we see why Anakan Skywalker chose to become Darth Vadar. Flaw number 2) why would Damien hie off to the hinterlands in the insane hope of getting Ciani's memories back for her? It simply doesn't make sense, especially when he's on a mission from his own prelate. With both of these dutifully pointed out in the final analysis neither of them kept me from being caught up in her story and finding myself riveted to the page.
Rating:
Summary: AMAZING - and this is only the beginning!!!
Review: Oh God, I love these books! I've read the whole trilogy and I've reread it and then reread it again, and it still haunts me! I never tire of it. Some people complained that there wasn't enough depth in the characters and that made me laugh a lot because sure at first you don't know them that well (how can you? this is book one) but as you progress through the trilogy the character development is amazing! Believe me, when you are done with all three, you will know these characters inside out and they will fascinate you, and you'll feel for them. The author does an EXCELLENT job of slowly building up empathy among the readers for main characters Damien Vryce and Gerald Tarrant. At first I thought I could never like Damien because I hate the burly warrior types but he's more complex and solid than I ever guessed and to my surprise I began to treasure his wry humor and to admire his strength. The priestly side of him is a good balance for his warrior skills and rough experience. As for Gerald Tarrant...oh God! You'll fall under his spell instantly even though he's pretty evil, and I mean: EVIL. He fascinates and repells at the same time and he's just too cool for words. He's got so many vices: vanity, arrogance, ruthlessness, but somehow the author already begins in this book to hint at something underneath very complex and far from all bad. Which is why I love the sequel (When True Night Falls) so much. That is the book where the characters have their surfaces rubbed off and you see what they really are like! Gerald Tarrant is amazing and C.S. Friedman is even more amazing for creating him! I wish there were more Tarrants out there (in books I mean) but he's a very original character. Anyway, my message to you is KEEP READING THESE BOOKS and I promise you won't regret it. There are a lot of dark currents and a lot of action but the best is the interaction between hero and anti-hero. With Tarrant around, you don't even need the villain, but then again, if the villain didn't exist, Tarrant wouldn't become the amazing hero he is!
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