Night of Knives

There is a note at the start of Night of Knives, written by Gardens of the Moon author Steven Erikson, stating categorically that despite being a story set in the same rich universe presented in his series of novels, the work of his colleague Ian C. Esslemont cannot be considered fanfiction. The author states that Esslemont participated in the process of developing the characters and conflicts of that world since its inception. And Erikson goes one step further by describing their books as a dialogue between friends – a dialogue made special by the opportunity for readers to read it. Indeed, in Night of Knives, Esslemont proves to be well-acquainted with the world of the Malazan Empire, never betraying its most fundamental characteristics. The author, however, offers a less rich and complex prose than that of Erikson, faltering at specific points in which his friend usually shines.

Much of the story in Night of Knives takes place in the course of a single night. The setting is the City of Malaz, a small island that once gave birth to the Empire, but, being of no political and economic importance, now lies decadent and forgotten. It is in this old place that the old and imposing warrior Temper decided to take refuge, escaping the persecution commanded by the regent Surly. After many years of exile, however, he identifies a mysterious vessel of the Empire anchoring in the harbor and begins to suspect that his whereabouts have finally been discovered. Meanwhile, a young and extremely nosy rogue, named Kiska, wants more than anything to escape from that island and decides to take advantage of the presence of the new officers to show her value and try to be recruited by them.

Already in the prologue –  which divided into two parts – it is possible to verify that Esslemont maintains several elements of the narrative present in Gardens of the Moon. The prologue follows the captain of the ship Rheni’s Dream struggling to keep his vessel afloat during a massive storm while being surrounded by strange humanoid sea-creatures. The death of ordinary people in the Malazan universe is customarily portrayed as a side effect of the actions of great characters, an idea that the author conveys in the construction of the scene: first, the captain believes that the creatures came because he failed to make the usual sacrifice to satisfy them – since the crew were entirely composed of members of his family – but soon the image of the monsters stretching for several leagues in the ocean is revealed, forming an army marching into the city, completely oblivious to the captain’s torments.

In the second part of the prologue, the reader is presented to a group of characters typical of that world: beings that live in another plane of existence, hold great power – acting as if they were practically deities while talking enigmatically about the future. At this point, however, one of Esslemont’s problems is already visible: the lack of subtlety. While reading Erikson’s books is almost like putting together a puzzle, in which the characteristics of the world and the elements of the plot gradually fall into place, the narrative in Night of Knives is a bit too straightforward, repeatedly giving readers what they need to understand the events of the story.

In a scene at the beginning of the book, for example, Temper talks to a waitress about the ship docked in the city. When the protagonist reflects on the vessel for the first time, he classifies it as a “man-of-war”, already providing enough information for the reader to naturally conclude that it is a warship. However, Esslemont also introduces a memory, in which Temper recalls the chaos and bloodshed caused in the city the last time ships of this type anchored and, not satisfied, even concludes with the following dialogue, in which he basically turns the protagonist into a dictionary: “A man-of-war. Front-line vessel. Built for naval engagements, convoy escort, blockades. Not your usual troop transport or merchant scow.”

Another good example is the first time a group of mercenaries named “The Crimsom Guard” is mentioned. If in Gardens of the Moon their intentions were a bit obscure, here they are revealed to the reader without any reason (“The mercenary company sworn to destroy the Empire. The force that handed Malaz its first major defeat by repulsing the invasion of Stratem, and which now opposed the Empire on four continents“), since the group doesn’t even appear in the story. Exposition in Night of Knives, therefore, is not smooth, telling and showing what might have been only hinted at.

The narrative structure of the book, on the other hand, is excellent. The many elements that make up the events of that fateful night are gradually revealed in the first chapter, situating the reader. The villagers warn both Temper and Kiska that as soon as the sun goes down, a mystical moon will arise, allowing various creatures of the Shadow Realm to wander momentarily through the streets, and advise them to stay indoors – the two obviously don’t believe in local superstitions, which puts them in danger. It doesn’t take long for Temper to understand that, like the captain of Rheni’s Dream, he is not the center of attention and that much superior forces are to decide an old dispute in the city: rumors say that the late founder of the Malazan Empire, Kellanved, will resurface to take advantage of the unique conditions of that night to try to ascend to the Shadow Realm, and that Surly intends to do everything in her power to prevent that and assassinate him.

Several groups, then, gather in the city to guarantee their interests. The narrative follows the Talons, the Claws, the Shadow Cultists and even the army of creatures at sea as they march to the city, each one in pursuit of their own goals, whether they are to defeat Kellanved, to kill Surly, or to claim the Throne of Shadow for themselves. Esslemont works brilliantly with the concept of “convergence of power” presented in Gardens of the Moon, contextualizing each of the parties involved and explaining that the reason for each one being there is somehow precisely because the other is there as well.

Esslemont also intrigues the reader by positioning the two main characters, Temper and Kiska, on opposing sides in the battle. First, the author gives the warrior the post of protagonist by constantly showing his past in detail and by making a parallel between the city and him: both were once important and influential, but now they are only relics of the past. Afterwards, Esslemont focuses on creating clear oppositions between the two characters: while Kiska is young and naive, Temper is old and experienced; if she promises herself never to risk her life to help the people, he does it without hesitation; if, because of his past, Temper is inclined to fight for Kellanved, Kiska repudiates all that the old emperor means, and so prefer to be alongside the also young Surly. There’s a certain scene in which the reader follows the same events from the point of view of both characters, being able to clearly see the difference between their worldviews by the way they understand and judge the events. Esslemont has some fun with this scene, making Kiska believe that the warrior, completely armored and filthy with blood, is a long-extinct monster – although it doesn’t take ten pages for a character to rub the meaning of this analogy in the reader’s face.

The Malazan world, even exposed by Esslemont, remains fascinating by its great number of mysteries and surprises. The army of sea creatures, for example, is constantly prevented entry in the city by a solitary fisherman who uses magic from his songs to block the advance of the riders. A lady who takes care of Kiska also hints at knowing much more than a mere spice merchant should, leaving readers intrigued. Esslemont understands that some elements must remain hidden in the narrative to remain effective – since mysteries are usually far more interesting than their solutions – and constantly insert small puzzles into the story.

In addition, the author gives himself room to develop some of his many secondary characters, with Kellanved and Surly obviously standing out. Both have their characterizations based on the contrast between the image that other characters have of them and how they really appear physically in the narrative (spoilers about their appearances): Kellanved, for example, is described as a great and fearsome emperor, a malignant genocidal being and the greatest mage in Malazan – one of the characters even calls him an ogre – but when he finally appears in the narrative, Kiska sees a small, gray and fragile little man who looks more like a gnome, rests on a cane and giggles a lot – a contrast that actually reinforces the danger that he represents. Meanwhile, Surly, who is constantly seen as an extremely ambitious woman that has always dreamed of the Empire for herself, appears wearing humble clothes and walking barefoot – indicating that her desire is not wealth, but power.

Another character that the author develops well is one of the antagonists of Gardens of the Moon, which here appears protecting one of the main characters, revealing to be more courteous and just than one would have thought, even fighting to save the city. Despite his good deeds, the character’s intentions in performing them are not exactly altruistic, however, making him a more complex figure.

Conducting with a steady hand the chaos that follows during the confrontations, the author only slips up regarding the resolution of a specific conflict, preferring to hide from the reader the final clash involving the sea riders, only informing its result: since the creatures open almost every chapter of the book, there is an expectation for the resolution of their plotline – an expectation that is eventually frustrated. It is true that there are already too many fights during the climax and that one more would hurt the pacing, but the solution arranged by Esslemont remains problematic.

Ian C. Esslemont may not show the same expertise as Steven Erikson when it comes to handling exposition, but he still manages to develop intriguing characters and a well-tied story that rapidly advances to an intense climax. In the end, therefore, Night of Knives remains a fairly competent fantasy novel.

December 24, 2018.

Review originally published in Portuguese on June 20, 2016.