C.S. Friedman’s Coldfire Trilogy is a groundbreaking saga that seamlessly blends elements of Science Fiction, Horror, and Fantasy. Because of that, many stories can be told fitting into those genres, which leads to Nightborn: Coldfire Rising, a prequel novella chronicling humanity’s first encounter with the Fae. I am a big fan of the trilogy.
A prequel to the lauded Coldfire trilogy, Friedman’s latest novel mixes the best of dark fantasy and chilling sci-fi.
A ship full of colonists arrive on a seemingly hospitable planet, only to discover that it harbors a terrifying secret. Soon the settlers find themselves caught up in a desperate battle for survival against the fae, a natural force with the power to prey upon the human mind itself, bringing a person’s greatest fears and darkest nightmares to life.
As Colony Commander Leon Case and Chief Medic Lise Perez struggle to find a way to control the fae before more people die, other settlers have ideas of their own…and they may prove more of a threat to colony than the fae itself.
Nightborn: Coldfire Rising is a tale that blends sci-fi, fantasy, and horror, suspenseful and emotionally intense, as a handful of humans struggle to survive on an alien world that seems determined to kill them. In the end they will have to draw upon both scientific knowledge and mystical traditions to save themselves.
Whether you’re just discovering the Coldfire universe through this prequel or returning to it as a classic favorite, Nightborn: Coldfire Rising is the perfect entry point to this unique, genre-blending space fantasy epic.
Humanity has left Earth, searching for new worlds that will be able to sustain life. After many years of futile search, years longer than the ship was built to sustain, a planet is found. Atmospheric readings check out and the life on the planet seems minimal, so the colonists make planetfall and begin settling into their new home, Erna.
Strange things begin happening, people die under strange circumstances. As more of the colonists perish, they colonists try not to venture out into their new homeworld alone. But people keep dying and it seems their fears are physically manifesting. As if some unknown force can read people’s thoughts. Nobody wants to equate the power to magic, but something beyond their scientific understanding is at work on this strange new world, a world they have no choice but to call home especially since they have no way of leaving the world.
What a treat this story is, both for readers unfamiliar with The Coldfire Trilogy and longtime fans like myself. It provides a view into how the world was established, the historical events come to life. For new readers, it is a fascinating colonization and first contact story. There’s as much science fiction in this story as there is horror and Friedman is an absolute master at weaving those elements together perfectly. The thought of a person’s innermost fears coming to life is terrifying, there’s an overall unease and discomfort throughout the story that was palpable. That discomfort leads to a sense of panic and desperation for these people of science to look to other ways of understanding the world. Old ways from Earth that focus on sacrifice. It leads to a dark path.
Nighborn is a perfect return to the world of The Coldfire Trilogy. Sometimes writers/storytellers will go back to the “before times” of a story they wrote and the results can be mixed, at best. Friedman’s results are anything but mixed, it is an unqualified success. So much so that I’m in the midst of a re-read of The Coldfire Trilogy as an audiobook.
This book also includes the short tale, Dominion, featuring Gerald Tarrant the main antagonist(?), villain protagonist(?) of The Coldfire Trilogy. Dominion was originally released in a very limited run and as an audiobook, but provides some more insight into Tarrant as well as one of the haunted forests of Erna. Also drawn to that forest is a woman named Faith. This is a very short tale, but Friedman conveys a great sense of place with the story and balances details and teases about who and what Tarrant is. When I read it a few years ago, it was a nice revisit with Tarrant and this time, it just reminded me again of how much I wanted to revisit the original trilogy. In that sense, Tarrant is an intriguing character and this story, as well as Nightborn are great companions that show Erna as it initially was when humans arrived and how humans have evolved to live on the world. A great teaser for new readers and a welcome return for longtime fans and readers.
Highly Recommended
© 2023 Rob H. Bedford
Hardcover | 330 pages
July 2023 | Published by DAW books
https://www.csfriedman.com/
https://www.csfriedman.com/nightborn-coldfire-rising/
Review copy courtesy of the publisher
