Type of bind: Paperback
EAN num: 9781904619932
ISBN number: 1904619932
Label: PS Publishing
Manufacturer: PS Publishing
Page Count: 285
Printing Date: 2006-05
Publishing house: PS Publishing
Sale Popularity Level: 3432677
Studio: PS Publishing
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
It gave the Empire its name, but the tiny island and city of Malaz is now a sleepy, seedy backwater port. However, this night things are a little different. This night its residents are bustling about, barring doors and shuttering windows. Because this night a once-in-a-generation Shadow Moon is due and threatens the good citizens of Malaz with demon hounds and other, darker, beings…
And it was also prophesied that on this night the Emperor Kellanved, missing for all these years, would return. As factions within the greater Empire battle over the imperial throne, the Shadow Moon summons a far more alien and ancient presence for an all-out assault upon the island. Indeed, the cataclysmic events that happen this night will determine the fate of the Malaz and of the entire world beyond.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers -
Ian Esslemont's very first installment has a clear beginning, climax, and conclusion, which many may find refreshing in today's bloated, over-loaded, you-already-showed-it, fantasy tomes (Jordan, Goodkind, etc.; forgive my blasphemy)
"Night of Knives" focuses on the night Emperor Kellanved and Dancer (his head of assassins), were murdered by Kellanved's regent, Surly(later to become Empress Laseen). As the readers of Erikson's books know, Kellanved and Dancer ascended to House Shadow, as Shadowthrone and Cotillion (interestingly, a cotillion is a 1700's French dance; hence Dancer/Cotillion).
The book is only 400 pages, but Esslemont manages to cram a good story in relatively limited space. For those of you who prefer to drown in an 800 page book (myself included), take heart; Esslemort's subsequent book, "Return of the Crimson Guard", is 800+ pages (available in Britain).
Rated by buyers 
-
With this book, Esslemont shows, with plenty of skill, how he and Erikson created this entire world and storyline. His characters are every bit as deep and hard-bitten as Erikson's. The plot is as gripping as Erikson's, with each of the various threads being as difficult to follow as a pack of ADHD puppies. Excellent! Why 4 stars? Personally, I reserve 5 stars for works I find (hope to find) as perfect. No 5 star awards yet.
Rated by buyers -
I enjoyed getting more insight into how a lot of shi* started, esp. as to the importance of Malaz City and the Shadow Moon (sounds kinda cheezy i know, but whatever Shadow makes everything better :P)
I was kinda hoping for more with Kiska since she was pretty cool at first, but just seemed kinda childish/weak towards the end, i guess she was supposed to have learned from all the dangerous experiences she had or something, but it just didnt work for me. I'm sure i would've been like a kid in a candy store in her situation as well, but still...
Sure there's a lot of 'powerful' characters but the point is that the Stormriders made it so that there was need for them... i mean seriously, Stormriders! And they still made a mess of things... What seems to happen a lot with the other author, Erikson's powerful convergences... a lot of lesser characters engage each other and kind of cancel each other out of being involved in the main goings-on. They get tied up while missing the real important stuff, and that pattern seems to continue here.
The fisherman and his blind wife and some other characters could have used some more dimension to them, but I guess they weren't a priority.
It was nice to see more of some old characters including a little bit of the stormriders.
I'll definitely be reading the subsequent one when i get it.
Rated by buyers 
-
Seeing all the glowing reviews, and noticing the author is from my hometown, I thought I'd give it a try. The very very first paragraph embodies all the problems of this book. The writing is simply terrible, from a basic grammatical and technical point of view. Too often you aren't sure what the subject of the sentence is. Too often the story goes into a flashback without making the transition clear.
But I could tolerate that if the story was any good...it isn't. First, the characters are completely shallow, with the feeblest of motivations that take far too long to be explained. Most of the book is spent mysteriously referring to some dark secret the characters have that prevents their full commitment to the situation at hand. When it's finally explained, it's worth a shrug at best.
Second, the plot feels completely arbitrary. Too many conveniently all-powerful nice people show up to save the day and then add more danger...but I finally stopped believing the characters were in any real danger whatsoever. A lot of time is spent describing some completely unstoppable force that is bearing down on the entire physical and metaphysical world, but in the end it just fades away to mist at dawn.
So, sorry hometown boy, but people should give this one a pass.
Rated by buyers -
I live close to the Canadian border, and on a trip to a bookstore there I was pleased to find the MMPB version of this book (US release is TBD).
Esselmont co-created the Malazan world with Steven Erikson. I am here to tell you that Esselmont has the same ability to tell an engaging tale with action, detail, intrigue, etc....just as Erikson.
This book is jam-packed with action and is virtually non-stop from the beginning. The story takes place on the Isle of Malaz, in some of the earlier days of the Malazan Empire (before Surly became Laseen, Empress of the Empire). You'll meet a couple new characters, but will also come across some familiar ones too. The entire book takes place in one night in Malaz City - The Shadow Moon.
If you were curious about how some of the Malazan characters in Gardens of the Moon (Erikson's 1st in his series) got where they were, pick this book up. I highly recommend this book to any Malazan fan out there!
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