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Award-winning author Tim Lebbon takes fantasy to new heights in his thrilling new epic as unlikely allies struggle to keep the light of hope burning against a tide of unending darkness...Noreela teeters on the brink of destruction, but at its center pulses a magic grown stroner than ever before. Now the Mages have raised an army of terrifying warriorsand unstoppable war machins. Their the annihilation of all Noreela through a reign of bloodhsed and death unlike any ever imagined.But Noreela's last survivors will not go quietyly into the never-ending darkness. One man will lead a desperate band of rebels, including a witch, a fledge miner, and a dreaming librarian. For an ancient prophecy predicts that the future of magic will emerge in a child still unborn—if only our heroes can stay alive until dawn.From the Trade Paperback edition.
418 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2007
7 people are currently reading
357 people want to read
About the author
Tim Lebbon
294 books1,537 followersI love writing, reading, triathlon, real ale, chocolate, good movies, occasional bad movies, and cake.
I was born in London in 1969, lived in Devon until I was eight, and the next twenty years were spent in Newport. My wife Tracey and I then did a Good Thing and moved back to the country, and we now live in the little village of Goytre in Monmouthshire with our kids Ellie and Daniel. And our dog, Blu, who is the size of a donkey.
I love the countryside ... I do a lot of running and cycling, and live in the best part of the world for that.
I've had loads of books published in the UK, USA, and around the world, including novels, novellas, and collections. I write horror, fantasy, and now thrillers, and I've been writing as a living for over 8 years. I've won quite a few awards for my original fiction, and I've also written tie-in projects for Star Wars, Alien, Hellboy, The Cabin in the Woods, and 30 Days of Night.
A movie's just been made of my short story Pay the Ghost, starring Nicolas Cage and Sarah Wayne Callies. There are other projects in development, too.
I'd love to hear from you!
I was born in London in 1969, lived in Devon until I was eight, and the next twenty years were spent in Newport. My wife Tracey and I then did a Good Thing and moved back to the country, and we now live in the little village of Goytre in Monmouthshire with our kids Ellie and Daniel. And our dog, Blu, who is the size of a donkey.
I love the countryside ... I do a lot of running and cycling, and live in the best part of the world for that.
I've had loads of books published in the UK, USA, and around the world, including novels, novellas, and collections. I write horror, fantasy, and now thrillers, and I've been writing as a living for over 8 years. I've won quite a few awards for my original fiction, and I've also written tie-in projects for Star Wars, Alien, Hellboy, The Cabin in the Woods, and 30 Days of Night.
A movie's just been made of my short story Pay the Ghost, starring Nicolas Cage and Sarah Wayne Callies. There are other projects in development, too.
I'd love to hear from you!
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 16, 2011
4 stars
I am now a Tim Lebbon fan... This is the second book in a very dark, adult oriented, dirty fantasy duology. It is written well, develops characters we can identify with, has a plot that is not all straight lines, and has enough action to keep us from putting it down.
Lebbon is a creative story teller...
"Hope... A voice whispered, but it was like no voice he had ever heard before. It was a breeze through the bare branches of a tree, the wash of foamy waters on the shores of Sordon Sound, the whispered exhaltation of a lover passing seed and giving life. It was the language of the land."
Lebbon does not treat his heroes very well and as a result the book can at times be difficult to get through. The impending doom story line is so heavy that we are often left to wonder if our protagonists are simply going to call it quits. This second book quickly builds up the tension and the sense of urgency. It ties all the threads from the previous book into one giant tapestry that really appears to be about to be burnt up. This book does not give us much more back story as things quickly move into endgame mode. We receive little new information about our heroes, and only a couple of new threads are added in.
One of the coolest lines of the book also pertained to the coolest new character Flage.
"The tumbler came out of the darkness and rolled Jossua Elmantoz into it's hide."
Flage was a very colorful and unique character and the creature that he was is simply awesome...A bad ass tumbler.
I loved the no holds barred writing style of Lebbon, very Abercrombie-esque. I thoroughly enjoyed the blood, the guts, the death scenes, and the killings. Alisha's story line through out this one was really terrific and the burning down of her libraries really worked metaphorically for the purpose of the story and for us the reader. The Red Monks were extremely memorable, I now know what my next Guild Name would be if I were to delve back into an MMO. Kosar ended Jo being so much more than a disgraced thief. Hope remained an enigma through out this whole book, yet without her this book could not have worked.
Great writing, great action, a must read duology for those that like their books leaving them a bit squeamish or disgusted. I really enjoyed this series.
I am now a Tim Lebbon fan... This is the second book in a very dark, adult oriented, dirty fantasy duology. It is written well, develops characters we can identify with, has a plot that is not all straight lines, and has enough action to keep us from putting it down.
Lebbon is a creative story teller...
"Hope... A voice whispered, but it was like no voice he had ever heard before. It was a breeze through the bare branches of a tree, the wash of foamy waters on the shores of Sordon Sound, the whispered exhaltation of a lover passing seed and giving life. It was the language of the land."
Lebbon does not treat his heroes very well and as a result the book can at times be difficult to get through. The impending doom story line is so heavy that we are often left to wonder if our protagonists are simply going to call it quits. This second book quickly builds up the tension and the sense of urgency. It ties all the threads from the previous book into one giant tapestry that really appears to be about to be burnt up. This book does not give us much more back story as things quickly move into endgame mode. We receive little new information about our heroes, and only a couple of new threads are added in.
One of the coolest lines of the book also pertained to the coolest new character Flage.
"The tumbler came out of the darkness and rolled Jossua Elmantoz into it's hide."
Flage was a very colorful and unique character and the creature that he was is simply awesome...A bad ass tumbler.
I loved the no holds barred writing style of Lebbon, very Abercrombie-esque. I thoroughly enjoyed the blood, the guts, the death scenes, and the killings. Alisha's story line through out this one was really terrific and the burning down of her libraries really worked metaphorically for the purpose of the story and for us the reader. The Red Monks were extremely memorable, I now know what my next Guild Name would be if I were to delve back into an MMO. Kosar ended Jo being so much more than a disgraced thief. Hope remained an enigma through out this whole book, yet without her this book could not have worked.
Great writing, great action, a must read duology for those that like their books leaving them a bit squeamish or disgusted. I really enjoyed this series.
February 2, 2009
Dusk by Tim Lebbon
ISBN: 0553383647 Published February 2006
Bantam Spectra 416 pages
The year is the Year of the Black 2208. There has been no magic on the world of Noreela for three centuries. It is a savage place, a post Cataclysmic War environment, where life is nasty, very unpleasant and often short.
The book begins with violence - a graphic and gruesome massacre of men, women and children in a village by a seemingly unstoppable creature, a Red Monk. It is searching for Rafe Baburn, a young man who, though he doesn’t entirely know it, has a destiny, and whose future will affect Noreela. And the return of the Mages also means that magic is returning…..
So starts Tim Lebbon’s first book in his latest fantasy duology. Tim Lebbon is a Bram Stoker Award winning author, as well as the winner of two British Fantasy Awards, a Tombstone Award and a finalist for both the International Horror Guild and the World Fantasy Awards, where he has also been a judge. Dusk is his eighth novel.
That brief resume should tell you that with such a pedigree and track record, this would therefore suggest that Dusk is something special. It is in fact, a horror writer’s take on a fantasy novel, and if you have the stomach for it, it is a memorable read.
The book is a book in two parts. The first half, First Signs of Night, introduces a broad range of characters to the reader. Much of this part of the book deals with the premonitions that show things are changing and that the evil of magic is returning. Prophecies are fulfilled and characters from the past return. A lot of this part of the book deals with Rafe’s attempts to avoid the Red Monks, who are determined to stop the return of the Mages and the magic that they would like to wield. But this is a broader book than that, in that there are other characters introduced which expand the scope of the book. Alishia is a librarian in an enormous library in Noreela City, where (presumably as a result of cultural decay) people do not really read. The destruction of the library leads her to start on a great adventure. This leads her to meet Trey, who is found injured, escaping from the destruction of his previous life, permanently underground mining fledge (a hallucinogenic drug used for recreation and for out of body experiences). There is also Kosar, a criminal determined to do good who, like Rafe, has escaped the Red Monks and now wants to survive with his old friend and lover, A’Meer. A’Meer is a character with a long and complicated past. Hope is an old witch who, seeing the signs, has taken on the responsibility of looking after Rafe, our messiah-like innocent.
On the other side of the coin, the book also deals with the Mages and their allies – outcasts living in exile after their destruction of the world, which led to the loss of magic. Leading their return is Lenora, a psychopathic character given the responsibility of leading an army, the Krotes, clearing the way for the Mages to get revenge and return to a position of power.
The second part of the book, Sunfall, mainly deals with the return of the Mages. Having spent the first part of the book building the world and its characters, this part of the book deals with the way that the Mages return, leaving destruction and carnage in their wake.
For those who read a lot of Fantasy, the plot in that brief introduction above may at first sound a little familiar. However, Tim’s dexterity as a writer is to take those genre concepts and plot elements and turn them into a compelling, if harrowing, read.
I was hooked straight away. It is dark, nasty, and visceral and yet a real page-turner. The characters are well developed, - so good that even when they are not likeable, they are comprehensible. The skill of a good writer is that, whether good or bad, as a reader you want to know what happens to these characters. Lebbon managed this admirably.
Where this book scored for me was is in the way that a horror writer’s sensibilities are given in a Fantasy context. This is best shown in the book’s representation of evil. The Red Monks, for example, are convincingly frightening; horrific, twisted, unstoppable spectres of evil, whose presence was compellingly there throughout the book. (This is also shown in the fabulous cover of the book). The Mages are corrupt megalomaniacs, whose sense of purpose is briefly given, yet clearly expressed. And then there is the Nax, a malevolent intelligence living deep below ground in a Lovecraftian way – unspeakable, nameless evil.
There are points in the book and events that shock and will horrify. It is clearly an adult book, using words and language that are not for those who like their Fantasy as cosy comfort reading. Battle scenes in the second part of the book are given in details, which are both horrifying and engaging. The dreadfulness of war is graphically presented. The force of evil that pervades the whole novel is shown here in its full horror. If I had to find fault, there were places where I felt that the attempts to shock were trying to shock too hard. But the cumulative effect is remarkable.
One of the basic, key themes of this book is redemption, something Kosar seeks, but must work hard to get. The Mages’ return is partly in response to a need for redemption, and the Monks are driven by a need to stop it.
Perhaps the book’s strongest theme is that of decay and decadence – a world run down and clearly on its last legs. Lebbon also manages to create a world which is convincingly corroded. Surprisingly quickly, I found myself revelling in a world of decay and disruption - like Viriconium or New Crobuzon, like Hawkwood’s world, Noreela is a world where life is hard and yet at times rewarding.
I also enjoyed the environment of Lebbon’s creation. There is a use of people, place names and events - a new vocabulary in fact - that is skilfully dripfed into the reader’s reading experience, and which by the end of the book creates this amazing, if depressing, environment. The overall drabness and darkness can be a little overwhelming after a while – I did feel in places that the point that this was a world in decay was rather overemphasised, but it has a purpose. The ending is both effective and jawdropping, cleverly building on the events of earlier in the book.
Overall, Dusk is not a light read, nor paradoxically a particularly pleasant one, in the nicest possible way. It is a good fantasy book with strong horrific tones. I found shades of Cook and Erikson here in the book’s violence, Mieville in it’s contemporary weirdness and perhaps most strongly Paul Kearney here, in that combination of horror, decay and squalor, though Lebbon is clearly his own voice. His proficiency as a writer means that in the end the style of the story wins through to create a book which is imaginative and memorable, and if you can handle it, definitely worth reading.
A very strong book, for those with a strong disposition. I look forward to the sequel in the duology, (Dawn), which is due in 2007. Tim’s website for the book, www.noreela.com gives you a taste of what’s here and is recommended.
ISBN: 0553383647 Published February 2006
Bantam Spectra 416 pages
The year is the Year of the Black 2208. There has been no magic on the world of Noreela for three centuries. It is a savage place, a post Cataclysmic War environment, where life is nasty, very unpleasant and often short.
The book begins with violence - a graphic and gruesome massacre of men, women and children in a village by a seemingly unstoppable creature, a Red Monk. It is searching for Rafe Baburn, a young man who, though he doesn’t entirely know it, has a destiny, and whose future will affect Noreela. And the return of the Mages also means that magic is returning…..
So starts Tim Lebbon’s first book in his latest fantasy duology. Tim Lebbon is a Bram Stoker Award winning author, as well as the winner of two British Fantasy Awards, a Tombstone Award and a finalist for both the International Horror Guild and the World Fantasy Awards, where he has also been a judge. Dusk is his eighth novel.
That brief resume should tell you that with such a pedigree and track record, this would therefore suggest that Dusk is something special. It is in fact, a horror writer’s take on a fantasy novel, and if you have the stomach for it, it is a memorable read.
The book is a book in two parts. The first half, First Signs of Night, introduces a broad range of characters to the reader. Much of this part of the book deals with the premonitions that show things are changing and that the evil of magic is returning. Prophecies are fulfilled and characters from the past return. A lot of this part of the book deals with Rafe’s attempts to avoid the Red Monks, who are determined to stop the return of the Mages and the magic that they would like to wield. But this is a broader book than that, in that there are other characters introduced which expand the scope of the book. Alishia is a librarian in an enormous library in Noreela City, where (presumably as a result of cultural decay) people do not really read. The destruction of the library leads her to start on a great adventure. This leads her to meet Trey, who is found injured, escaping from the destruction of his previous life, permanently underground mining fledge (a hallucinogenic drug used for recreation and for out of body experiences). There is also Kosar, a criminal determined to do good who, like Rafe, has escaped the Red Monks and now wants to survive with his old friend and lover, A’Meer. A’Meer is a character with a long and complicated past. Hope is an old witch who, seeing the signs, has taken on the responsibility of looking after Rafe, our messiah-like innocent.
On the other side of the coin, the book also deals with the Mages and their allies – outcasts living in exile after their destruction of the world, which led to the loss of magic. Leading their return is Lenora, a psychopathic character given the responsibility of leading an army, the Krotes, clearing the way for the Mages to get revenge and return to a position of power.
The second part of the book, Sunfall, mainly deals with the return of the Mages. Having spent the first part of the book building the world and its characters, this part of the book deals with the way that the Mages return, leaving destruction and carnage in their wake.
For those who read a lot of Fantasy, the plot in that brief introduction above may at first sound a little familiar. However, Tim’s dexterity as a writer is to take those genre concepts and plot elements and turn them into a compelling, if harrowing, read.
I was hooked straight away. It is dark, nasty, and visceral and yet a real page-turner. The characters are well developed, - so good that even when they are not likeable, they are comprehensible. The skill of a good writer is that, whether good or bad, as a reader you want to know what happens to these characters. Lebbon managed this admirably.
Where this book scored for me was is in the way that a horror writer’s sensibilities are given in a Fantasy context. This is best shown in the book’s representation of evil. The Red Monks, for example, are convincingly frightening; horrific, twisted, unstoppable spectres of evil, whose presence was compellingly there throughout the book. (This is also shown in the fabulous cover of the book). The Mages are corrupt megalomaniacs, whose sense of purpose is briefly given, yet clearly expressed. And then there is the Nax, a malevolent intelligence living deep below ground in a Lovecraftian way – unspeakable, nameless evil.
There are points in the book and events that shock and will horrify. It is clearly an adult book, using words and language that are not for those who like their Fantasy as cosy comfort reading. Battle scenes in the second part of the book are given in details, which are both horrifying and engaging. The dreadfulness of war is graphically presented. The force of evil that pervades the whole novel is shown here in its full horror. If I had to find fault, there were places where I felt that the attempts to shock were trying to shock too hard. But the cumulative effect is remarkable.
One of the basic, key themes of this book is redemption, something Kosar seeks, but must work hard to get. The Mages’ return is partly in response to a need for redemption, and the Monks are driven by a need to stop it.
Perhaps the book’s strongest theme is that of decay and decadence – a world run down and clearly on its last legs. Lebbon also manages to create a world which is convincingly corroded. Surprisingly quickly, I found myself revelling in a world of decay and disruption - like Viriconium or New Crobuzon, like Hawkwood’s world, Noreela is a world where life is hard and yet at times rewarding.
I also enjoyed the environment of Lebbon’s creation. There is a use of people, place names and events - a new vocabulary in fact - that is skilfully dripfed into the reader’s reading experience, and which by the end of the book creates this amazing, if depressing, environment. The overall drabness and darkness can be a little overwhelming after a while – I did feel in places that the point that this was a world in decay was rather overemphasised, but it has a purpose. The ending is both effective and jawdropping, cleverly building on the events of earlier in the book.
Overall, Dusk is not a light read, nor paradoxically a particularly pleasant one, in the nicest possible way. It is a good fantasy book with strong horrific tones. I found shades of Cook and Erikson here in the book’s violence, Mieville in it’s contemporary weirdness and perhaps most strongly Paul Kearney here, in that combination of horror, decay and squalor, though Lebbon is clearly his own voice. His proficiency as a writer means that in the end the style of the story wins through to create a book which is imaginative and memorable, and if you can handle it, definitely worth reading.
A very strong book, for those with a strong disposition. I look forward to the sequel in the duology, (Dawn), which is due in 2007. Tim’s website for the book, www.noreela.com gives you a taste of what’s here and is recommended.
January 14, 2014
Trying to find my dark ...disturbing dark fantasy read's still searching for the one I just cant remember (d$#@ priest turns from his order and starts using black magic to become a god) Sooo, been re-reading some of the darker novels I remember and happily finding some new dark disturbing new authors out there, Happy =)
Kind of a different review/rant/ ... whatever'
Kind of a different review/rant/ ... whatever'
January 16, 2013
3.5 stars:
As wonderful as I found the dark fantasy of Dusk, I was disappointed by Dawn, and the sad thing is that overall the book was good. There were lots of epic scenes, I loved the characters and how they developed, Lebbon's descriptions were still vivid and engaging...The only thing I can think of was a pacing problem. Where Dusk felt like things kept getting more and more tense, until I could barely stand it, I didn't get that from the sequel. The story had some great, tense scenes, but overall I think it meandered a bit too much. Like Lebbon spent a bit too much time indulging in his exploration of his new world, and lost track of the thread of the story a bit.
Still, if I stop comparing it, Dawn was a good read. I think when it's time to re-read it I'll just start with it instead of reading it as a sequel. I'm still looking forward to his 3 other Noreela books.
As wonderful as I found the dark fantasy of Dusk, I was disappointed by Dawn, and the sad thing is that overall the book was good. There were lots of epic scenes, I loved the characters and how they developed, Lebbon's descriptions were still vivid and engaging...The only thing I can think of was a pacing problem. Where Dusk felt like things kept getting more and more tense, until I could barely stand it, I didn't get that from the sequel. The story had some great, tense scenes, but overall I think it meandered a bit too much. Like Lebbon spent a bit too much time indulging in his exploration of his new world, and lost track of the thread of the story a bit.
Still, if I stop comparing it, Dawn was a good read. I think when it's time to re-read it I'll just start with it instead of reading it as a sequel. I'm still looking forward to his 3 other Noreela books.
March 1, 2010
I liked this series. Dawn literally picks up where Dusk ends. It had a few surprises for me. One being a death of a character I really didn't like but thought was going to be a main person to the end. I couldnt help but think of parallels to Lord of the Rings as the climax got closer. The whole having to go to the dark place in order to restore good. The obsession with the new magic that Hope had. She took on the role of gullom and Sam while Alishia was Frodo. This didnt ruin it but it lessened the impact that the story may have had otherwise. This aside it was a good read. The Library part got a little old. I wish it didnt take up so much of the book. Lebbon could have filled that space with back story of the Mages. Over all I recommend this series.
February 18, 2019
Decente, purtroppo però non così coinvolgente come il primo libro della dilogia – i libri successivi a quel che mi risulta sono stand-alone, completamente indipendenti dai primi.
La parte centrale è particolarmente debole, un’eccessivamente lento spostamento delle varie pedine verso il luogo dello scontro finale, coi vari personaggi che si trovano a dover affrontare i propri demoni, conflitti interiori però troppo prolungati e presto ripetitivi.
Un peccato, dato che Lebbon eccelle nelle scene d’azione, estremamente coinvolgenti e truculente, e il finale è stupendo, anche se un po’ troppo affrettato.
Ad ogni modo, una discreta serie fantasy, con più di qualche tocco horror, prima o poi dovrò recuperare i restanti libri di questa saga.
La parte centrale è particolarmente debole, un’eccessivamente lento spostamento delle varie pedine verso il luogo dello scontro finale, coi vari personaggi che si trovano a dover affrontare i propri demoni, conflitti interiori però troppo prolungati e presto ripetitivi.
Un peccato, dato che Lebbon eccelle nelle scene d’azione, estremamente coinvolgenti e truculente, e il finale è stupendo, anche se un po’ troppo affrettato.
Ad ogni modo, una discreta serie fantasy, con più di qualche tocco horror, prima o poi dovrò recuperare i restanti libri di questa saga.
October 30, 2013
This is the better half of the first book Dusk. While that book was about set up this is all about trying to get to the payoff. Some characters get lost. One character gets a great setup than disappears before the end of the book. Its supposed to be a story about magic returning but by the end I stopped caring about that. The ending is good thats why I rated it higher than Dusk. I treated them both as one book broken in two and rated on that.
February 26, 2008
I enjoyed this series very much and feel like it is a good read for anyone who likes sci-fi fantasy with a different spin.
February 24, 2008
Figured I had to finish the story since I read the first one, but was a bit on the boring side.
August 26, 2008
part 2 which takes up were dusk left off and never skips a beat.
May 18, 2011
Tim Lebbon is just not for me in the end. He's got a fertile, fresh imagination, but the characters and plot just don't quite come together for me.
August 11, 2022
Incredible.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews