Black Sun Rising

Coldfire Trilogy, Book 1

By: C. S. Friedman

Narrated by: R.C. Bray

Length: 23 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

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.

A must-read!

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

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.

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.

A lasting favorite.

This has been a long time favorite of mine, and revisiting it as read by RC Bray has been a pleasure.

As good as I remembered...

I was in high school when this series came out and originally enjoyed the author's willingness to tackle a protagonist with a measure of faith in a higher power. Revisiting Erna has proven to be as rewarding now as it was then, and the narration was top notch. Calesta's voice, in particular, was quite apropos, and the switch between voices for the character in the epilogue was quite well executed. Great read!

Excellent book. My fifth reading.

The antihero, Gerald Tarrant (The Hunter) is the best reason to read this series. C.S Friedman often makes engaging characters for her books. And this one has stuck with me over the years. Not just for Tarrant, but because the world of Erma is a fascinating one. A place colonized by Humans, but having differences in its physical laws. The most unconscious thoughts can have terrible consequences, creating horrors from the Far... The magical force which permeates this world. And so, this book is as much Science Fiction as it is Fantasy. I would love to see even more books, eventually. I even think this could be an amazing starting point for the creation of a computer game!

It's just as nice to have the book read to yourself, as you're going about your tasks. I only have a couple of small quibbles, with the Narrator using inconsistent voices at a couple of spots. It seems to me that he confused The Hunter with Amoril, his apprentice. But other than that, Bray brings the world of Erma to life very well. He switches voices quickly, and without difficulty. I think I was most amazed at how he voiced the crystalline demon, Calesta. Exactly as I had imagined it.

Buy this title. I doubt you'll be disappointed. Except, with the comparatively pallid nature of other books, done by other authors. This book raised the bar for me.