Black Sun Rising

Coldfire Trilogy, Book 1

De: C. S. Friedman

Narrado por: R.C. Bray

The Coldfire trilogy tells a story of discovery and battle against evil on a planet where a force of nature exists that is capable of reshaping the world in response to psychic stimulus. This terrifying force, much like magic, has the power to prey upon the human mind, drawing forth a person's worst nightmare images or most treasured dreams, and indiscriminately giving them life.

This is the story of two men: one, a warrior priest ready to sacrifice anything and everything for the cause of humanity's progress; the other, a sorcerer who has survived for countless centuries by a total submission to evil. They are absolute enemies who must unite to conquer an evil greater than anything their world has ever known.

©1991 C.S. Friedman (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Slow start but really quite fun

The opening of this book was hard to get through as the setting at first seems alien enough to be difficult to grasp and familiar enough to be generic (it's a post sci-fi fantasy). We immediately meet a character who is committing a heinous act and, with no appreciation for who he is, it's jarring and unpleasant to read. Eventually, the book comes into its own, with the introduction of some very enjoyable characters (although they seem a little flat at first).

The magic system presented is more detailed than much fantasy but doesn't quite achieve a level of detail where the reader can appreciate the limitations/strengths of the magic characters without being told directly about them by the narration. It doesn't have as much detail as the Mistborn series, but that also means that it doesn't get bogged down by that detail the way that I feel that Mistborn was.

By the epilogue, I realized that I had actually grown attached to the characters, as I was smiling and chuckling at their actions.

yes

Friedman's finest fantasy work yet. Comparable to all of the author's works in quality.

I loved it.

Great narrator, captivating story and world. It's the first time I listen to an audio book so I don't have anything to compare it to but I think it is of utmost quality.

Awesome book.

enjoyed the book when I read it about 15 years ago. even better the the Legendary R. C. Bray narrating it.

YA Sci-Fi Fantasy

A solid, almost classic for 11-18 boys. Revisited, in middle-age, the characters are tiring, and the plot is borderline absurd.

Loved the story but the voices….

The voices used outside of the normal conversational voices were exceptionally grating and made parts of the story impossible to listen to. There were many times with the exaggerated R’s and shrill whispering voices where I had to stop listening or fast forward to a different part of the story. It is a real shame they did not consider how awful some voices and pronunciations can be to hear.

I was mistaken

I started reading this book years ago for a book club, and I quickly lost interest. When the rest of the club gave up, I let this become a "DNF". Then I challenged myself to read a book I gave up on. ....back into the cold fire of true night I trudged, dreading what was to come. But I was wrong! I found myself itching to continue my read this time. The book, for some reason, grabbed me. The writing is a little aged, but the character arcs, the steaks, the magic system, and the world building are all really well done, and I'm excited to keep the series going.

A must-read!

Very enjoyable, with relatable characters. A good book for the occultists and those who love the other-worldly.

One of my all-time favorite fantasy/sci-fi series

Excellent juxtaposition of good and evil. What is good and evil and what do you do when evil is required for good.

Amazing listen!

I fell in love with this series back in the 90s and was so thrilled to find it on Audible.

The story is extremely deep, allowing for tremendous character growth. Each of the main’s have a unique voice. And the ending is quite satisfying.

The voice performance is solid, though some of the ancillary characters take some odd choices.

If you are a fan of fantasy this series is a great choice for you!