A Fortress in Shadow: A Chronicle of the Dread Empire

I thought the start was a little slow with the development of El Murid (and to a lesser extent Bragi, Mocker and Haroun), but the story really takes off after that. I may feel that way since the narrative is so compelling, you aren't drawn into the characters backstories as much. Having read a lot of Cook, I can't think of too many other times where he has delved as far into the early years of his characters. Generally the early years are referred to casually, almost as asides. As good as the orignial Dread Empire stories are, the prequels are even better.

Unless I am badly confused, this was originally published as "The Fire in His Hands". My copy was printed in 1984. I am glad to see it reprinted and available, but when I saw the title I thought it was a new book, so I am annoyed that the publisher decided to change the name. I am sure they will sell a few more books to Cook fans that don't recognize it, but it is a slimy trick. If you have not read it, and like strong characters and complex plots, you are in for a treat.

I reread the Dread Empire prequels recently in this omnibus volume, and the only bad thing I can say is that average book size used to be quite a bit shorter (200 pages or so) when Cook was writing much of his stuff in the 80's. This would apply to the shadowline trilogy, the darkwar trilogy, and other stuff as well. Cook provides a fair amount of backstory for Haroun, Bragi Ragnarson, and Mocker as well as introducing El Murid (referred to in third person in the original trilogy) and describing much of the early conflict between Haroun and El Murid and illustrating how Bragi and Mocker came into contact with Haroun. This story tell of the appearance of a fervent religious leader who first takes over his own native areas, and begins to export his crusade into smallern westernized kingdoms. It isn't hard to figure out the archetypes for this conflict are in the near and middle-east in contact with central and western europe in what I best gather to be the early middle ages, but, as in other Cook works which draw heavily on real-world historical situations and cultures, it becomes more backdrop than a story-driving force. Several battles are described, the early role of the Star Rider in the conflict in Hammar al Nakid is illustrated (this isn't a spoiler - it happens on like page 3 or so), and overall you are left wishing there was more. Epic Military Fantasy doesn't get any better than this, in my opinion. I think it is wonderful Night Shade is putting much of Cook's out-of-print work back in print, and cannot recommend this series highly enough.

This book actually is set prior to the first Dread Empire book. It discusses the roots of Bragi, Mocker, and Haroun. In the same tradition of the Dread Empire series, it describes an epic conflict of world scale where the forces of the Western cultures fight the cultures of the MiddleEastern desert tribes. Classic Glen Cook that requires thought to follow the complexity of the storyline and strong character development. The characters are neither good nor bad, rather they are amazingly human and you can see your own actions and decisions in the choices that have been presented. You may need to read the book several times to pick up on many of the nuances missed in a casual read. I have been a fan of Glen Cook for over 20 years. I read these first books as a teenager and enjoyed them. 20 years later I have re-read them and enjoyed them every bit as much as I did the first time. The concepts and situations are timeless and applicable to any generation.