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, beingsβ¦
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.
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Steven Erickson's Malazan Book of the Fallen series only hints at the empire's distant history, which Esslemont, cocreator of the original world, explores in this dark, powerful novel (first published in the U.K. in 2004) and its planned sequels. On a Shadow Moon night on the Isle of Malaz, dead souls rise and demonlike hounds attack any who dare to leave their homes. Knowing that Emperor Kellanved is prophesied to use the Shadow Moon for his own ends, the emperor's enemies gather on the small island for their own nefarious purposes, starting a plot that spirals into bloody violence. Esslemont nails the feel and flavor of Erickson's books and brings the historical characters to life with a dexterity that will win over even the most skeptical fans. (May)
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Review
β Night of Knives marked the first installment of the shared world we had both envisioned.ββSteven Erikson