Crown of Shadows

The finale of an outstanding trilogy by C.S. Friedman, where a colony ship of humans landed onto world as unlike their native Earth as could be, where the merest thoughts, desires, hatreds, griefs are made manifest by the force later named the "fae". This is a powerful story with memorable characters, a classic struggle good vs. evil, but first one has to define what is the greatest of evils, and what or who is behind it all? This is a series I reread annually. I would consider the 2nd of the series one of the most heart-rending and utterly unforgettable sci-fi/fantasy books you will ever read, but the 1st and 3rd come in right behind it. For lovers of intricately detailed worlds, clear and strongly voiced authors, building momentous action, and deep thoughts to carry away from a pleasurable reading, this is a series for you. Truly, as far beyond a simple vampire novel as you can get. Follow the titantic global struggle against external and internal evil along with Mers. Damien Vryce and Gerald Tarrant, the central characters.

It was with those words that a friend of mine introduced me to C.S. Friedman and the Coldfire Trilogy. At the time, I had no idea what she meant - now I do. Introduced in the Trology's first book, Black Sun Rising, are two characters who are pitted against incredible odds. The first is Damien Kilcannon Vryce, a priest of the Church and Knight of the Flame, who in the first book was a righteous and angst-ridden man who shuddered to think that he would ever work in close quarters with such evil. The second character and perhaps the most memorable is the handsome, vain, intelligent and ice-cold Gerald Tarrant (AKA the Hunter or the Prophet), who nine centuries ago killed his wife and children to forge a pact with the Unnamed Evil, who would sustain his life for eternity. But as the Trilogy goes on, you see both of these characters change; Vryce becomes so inured to the Hunter's presence that things he once would have protested are second nature to accept, and he worries if he's damned his soul beyond redemption. Tarrant suffers a similar change, and apparently from his very rare outbursts, it's not totally of his own will - we lucky readers get to watch as he becomes more and more human. It's touching.In the 3rd book, The Unnamed Evil and the Iezu demons are the focus as Tarrant and Vryce seek a way to destroy their Iezu foe, Calesta. With the help of another Iezu, Karril, who risks everything for friendship, they might just have a ghost of a chance.... But in the meanwhile, another Tarrant is forced to wade through the Hunter's legend in wake of a tragedy that still has him resorting to alchohol and narcotics. A few familiar faces to those who've read the first book of the Trilogy pop up to help him through it, and by the end these characters are as dear to your heart as Vryce and Tarrant. My favourite part of the entire Trilogy, though, is the way that Vryce and Tarrant click. It's like the Odd Couple - two people you'd never expect to work together so well, and yet they can do amazing things if they stop arguing long enough to. Throughout the Trilogy, the witty exchanges the pair have make you laugh out loud, and their fragile something-like-friendship at times has you reaching for the tissues. I stayed up till 3AM to finish this one, and I suspect you will too.

Oh but you utterly cannot skip this most important, conclusive book in the trilogy. It's got wonderful twists, some heart-wrenching scenes, more excitement, some sorrow, and a heck of a lot of surprises. I loved it, truly! Some more great Tarrant-Damien stuff, though there is a new (but known) main character which takes up a few scenes. I was a bit impatient with that character becoz by then I was attached to Damien and Tarrant and just wanted to know what happened to them, who cares about anyone else, but that character is crucial to the ending and stuff, so don't skip his part until you're rereading! :) Anyway, the end of the book is pretty emotional (for the reader) and like someone else said, I was crying AND laughing at the end. Adored it. Adored all of these books actually. So do read it and buy it if you are so lucky as to be able. These books are so easy to reread again and again.P.S.: Has anyone noticed that really cool and hilarious note among the copyright page, which says normally enough at first: this is a work of fiction. any resemblence to characters living or UNDEAD is coincidence (or blah-blah). It cracked me up! Check it out.

Unlike a lot of people, I guess, I didn't like "Black Sun Rising" as much as the other two books, probably because my favorite character, Tarrant, wasn't portrayed as well in the first book. At first all you see is a cold-blooded killer, but by the end of the third book you can clearly see the struggles he goes through to make the difficult choices he faces. Whatever he choses, he knows it will destroy him in the end but he goes on to help Damien and Erna. The changing relationship between the hunter and Damien was also interesting to watch. The ending to "Crown of Shadows" was a bit weird, but i'm glad Tarrant made it. I hope there's a sequel coming out soon.

This book is profound. It has a lot of philosophical meanings, foremost is the war between good and evil. In the end, good triumphs. Gerald Tarrant's immortality has its limits, because in a way he has never really left his humanity. His thirst for knowledge strengthened his will to live, and his sense of honor was his undoing--and his triumph. The Coldfire Trilogy is a book to be well-remembered. A sequel would be highly anticipated.