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Fall of Light

Fall of Light

Dark FantasyEpic Fantasy
Pages
760
Published
2016
Language
English

Synopsis

The Tiste civil war deepens. Kurald Galain tears itself apart as Hunn Raal's Legion advances against the defenders of Night, and even those who would save the realm cannot agree on whether it is worth saving in the form it has taken. Anomander — still becoming the figure the main series will know as Rake — must hold together an alliance of the unwilling while Draconus is consumed by the consequences of Dragnipur's creation. Fall of Light is longer and heavier than its predecessor, deliberately structured as a text that resists comfort at every turn. It is the second part of an unfinished trilogy: the third volume, Walk in Shadow, remains unpublished. Erikson at his most uncompromising — a novel about civilizational collapse told from inside the collapse, refusing the safety of retrospection.

Prose complexity
7/10

Vibe

DarkComplexAtmosphericPhilosophicalMelancholic
Morally GreyAnti-HeroMultiple POVsCourt IntrigueBetrayalSacrificeSurvival

Genres

Dark Fantasy Epic Fantasy Fantasy High Fantasy

About the author

S
Steven Erikson

Steven Erikson was born Steve Rune Lundin in Toronto in 1959 and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He trained as an archaeologist and anthropologist — completing fieldwork on Indigenous sites in the Canadian Shield — before earning a graduate degree through the Iowa Writers' Workshop. He writes under a pen name adopted to avoid confusion with the American novelist Steve Erickson. The world of the Malazan Book of the Fallen has its origins not in a manuscript but in a tabletop roleplaying campaign....

Characters

AnomanderProtagonist

Tiste Andii lord growing into his role as the Last Son of Darkness — unbending, grief-heavy, and already beyond ordinary mortal understanding.

DraconusProtagonist

The Consort consumed by the sword he created, watching what he built begin to devour everyone it touches.

Hunn RaalAntagonist

The Legion commander pressing his war on Night, drunk on power and increasingly beyond reason.

AndaristSupporting

Anomander's devastated brother, withdrawing from the world even as it most needs him.

Faror HendSupporting

A Tiste warrior of formidable ability trying to hold a line between factions while the world crumbles.

All characters in Fall of Light

Frequently asked questions

  • Is Fall of Light a good starting point for new readers of Steven Erikson?

    Fall of Light is the first book in the Kharkanas Trilogy, which is a prequel series to Erikson's main Malazan Book of the Fallen. While it can be read independently, its deep lore and complex narrative are often more appreciated by readers already familiar with the Malazan universe.

  • Does Fall of Light feature the same narrative style as the Malazan Book of the Fallen?

    This novel maintains Steven Erikson's characteristic multi-perspective narrative and philosophical depth, but it often delves into more introspective and poetic language, focusing heavily on character psychology and the origins of key figures from the Malazan world.

  • Is Fall of Light a complete story?

    No — it ends mid-crisis. The Kharkanas Trilogy is unfinished; the concluding volume, Walk in Shadow, has not yet been published as of 2025.

  • Does Fall of Light resolve its main plotlines?

    Fall of Light is the first installment of a trilogy and concludes with many plot threads still open, setting the stage for the subsequent books in the Kharkanas series. Readers should expect a continuation of the story rather than a full resolution.

  • Is it better or worse than Forge of Darkness?

    Opinions divide. It is longer, denser, and more claustrophobic. Readers who love Forge of Darkness generally persist; those who found the first volume slow may struggle.

  • Who is Olar Ethil?

    A Bonecaster — a shaman of the T'lan Imass — whose appearance connects the Tiste civil war to the Imass' own story. Her role becomes central in the unreleased third volume.

  • What happens to Draconus?