The Return of Nightfall by Mickey Zucker Reichert
Mickey Zucker Reichert's The Legend of Nightfall is my favorite of her books, and one of my favorite novels period. In it, we meet Sudian, a thief and assassin known as Nightfall. Nightfall is a jaded cynic firmly convinced he's among the most evil things to walk the earth. Since losing his sole friend and father figure, Dyfian, years ago, Nightfall has only trusted one person with any of his secrets, including his name: the love of his life, Kelryn, a dancer and former prostitute who is his sole weakness. A bit of a romantic at heart, Nightfall is utterly besotted with Kelryn and tends to think of her in flowery terms, a startling contrast to his coldness in all other regards.
Nightfall has plied his trade for 20 years in half a dozen countries, with a different civilian identity in each. He is amazingly successful at his job, but, as always happens, he was eventually found out and thrown in the dungeons of Alyndar. Normally, this would have led to a quick execution, but the king has a problem. His older son, Leyne, is everything he could ask for: handsome, intelligent, a stateman with a good head on his shoulders, a leader of men on both the battlefield and in politics, etc. But his younger son, Edward? A naive idealist who sees the world through the thinkest rose colored glasses known to man. Edward, or Ned, is on the fast track to crossing the wrong person and either getting himself killed or sending his country into war. Not fond of either option, the king makes a deal with Nightfall: "Nightfall" must die, but Sudian can live if he will agree to protect and guide Edward, but only after having a compulsion spell cast on him to make him obey Ned and be utterly loyal to him. In addition, Nightfall must somehow contrived to get Ned respected and landed, and most importantly, keep him in one piece and not pissing anyone off, all the while without clueing Ned in to what kind of person he really is. If he fails in any of this, he dies. As the only option is death right then and there, Nightfall agrees.
While Ned is by far too honest, noble and forthright to be allowed to live, he actually manages to not make you want to punch him in the face, as most such young men in fantasy(ERAGON!) tend to do...a few smacks upside the head, sure, but no desire to shatter his nose and ruin his pretty profile.
What follows is a grand, swashbuckling adventure with Nightfall and Ned-and soon, Kelryn- eventually saving the kingdom and Ned himself becoming king, with Nightfall refinding his soul along the way.
The Return of Nightfall takes place shortly after Legend, where Sudian-now supporting Ned out of choice and loyalty and happily engaged to Kelryn and theoretically having left Nightfall behind forever-is only recently healed from the injuries he sustained in Legend, and has taken to literally scaling the castle walls out of boredom. After the events in Legend, Ned had Sudian declared his chancellor and advisor, a position Sudian does not want, but has too much loyalty to Ned to refuse. Things change, however, when Ned is kidnapped on a diplomatic mission and Sudian-called away to fulfill a past debt-is the only survivor of Ned's party. On returning to Alyndar, Sudian finds that, in Ned's absence, he is effectively the regent of Alyndar, a position he hates, especially as all he wants to do is set out and look for Ned. And to make things worse, the Alyndar High Council believes that Sudian himself is behind the attack, and soon has him declared a traitor and slated for execution. Not about to die-at all, much less for a crime he didn't commit-or lose the best chance there is to find Ned-himself-Sudian escapes and pretty much literally tears the world apart to find Ned.
The Legend of Nightfall is about redemption, and a man with no chance at it having it forced on him, and then seeking it, because of the trust of someone who believes in it. The Return of Nightfall explores whether or not that redemption can be maintained when the redeeming influences-Ned and Kelryn-are taken from the redeemed, and what's more important: an oath(to leave Nightfall and his past behind him and simply be Sudian, Ned's loyal friend and advisor and Kelryn's husband) or the life and safety of the one the oath was made to when both are unattainable in tandem, as well as the question of how far a man can be pushed before reverting to what he "truly" is, and whether or not that truly is him anymore.
I have but one problem with this book, and that's the minimal presence of Ned and Kelryn. While regular appearances of either would have been counterproductive to the plot, Sudian's interactions with the two were a vital part of Legend. They do, of course, remain the driving influences of his life and his sole motivations in what he does, but Kelryn, still completely worthy and capable of standing at Sudian's side, only appears a few brief times after the first leg of the book, and Ned, much matured but still a hopeless idealist, only appears at the beginning and end. However, as I said, the book is about whether or not Sudian, who has never believed himself worthy of either one, can remain who he became without them, and as such, I'm ok with it. I just missed having more of them.
I shall leave off with this exchange of when Sudian finally finds and rescues Ned. Because it amused me and, I think, is a good indicator of the relationship between the two:
N: "I'm not going back to Alyndar without my advisor. You tracked me over at least half the world, and only the Holy Father knows what you suffered to find me."
S: "You want me...I'm still your? I traveled the world to find King Edward Nargol of Alyndar. I have no idea who you are."
N: "I am King Edward Nargol of Alyndar."
S: "No. King Edward is a grand and glorious man who lives by immutable law and rigid scruples. King Edward would never associate with a lying, thieving, murdering demon."
N: "A wise man once told me the world has gray. That sometimes it's necessary to stretch one's honor, one's ethics, if the end result is a far greater good."
S: "Who told you that?"
N: "You did, you simpering moron."
S: "Ah. So I'm a wise moron."
Also, as I know this matters a fair bit to several on the f-list when it comes to fantasy: The magic is pretty much limited to the fact that in this world, some people are born with a talent(in Sudian's case, the ability to control his weight) and sorcerers are people who murder them to steal the talent for their own. Beyond that, it's simply a wellcrafted faux medieval world.
Nightfall has plied his trade for 20 years in half a dozen countries, with a different civilian identity in each. He is amazingly successful at his job, but, as always happens, he was eventually found out and thrown in the dungeons of Alyndar. Normally, this would have led to a quick execution, but the king has a problem. His older son, Leyne, is everything he could ask for: handsome, intelligent, a stateman with a good head on his shoulders, a leader of men on both the battlefield and in politics, etc. But his younger son, Edward? A naive idealist who sees the world through the thinkest rose colored glasses known to man. Edward, or Ned, is on the fast track to crossing the wrong person and either getting himself killed or sending his country into war. Not fond of either option, the king makes a deal with Nightfall: "Nightfall" must die, but Sudian can live if he will agree to protect and guide Edward, but only after having a compulsion spell cast on him to make him obey Ned and be utterly loyal to him. In addition, Nightfall must somehow contrived to get Ned respected and landed, and most importantly, keep him in one piece and not pissing anyone off, all the while without clueing Ned in to what kind of person he really is. If he fails in any of this, he dies. As the only option is death right then and there, Nightfall agrees.
While Ned is by far too honest, noble and forthright to be allowed to live, he actually manages to not make you want to punch him in the face, as most such young men in fantasy(ERAGON!) tend to do...a few smacks upside the head, sure, but no desire to shatter his nose and ruin his pretty profile.
What follows is a grand, swashbuckling adventure with Nightfall and Ned-and soon, Kelryn- eventually saving the kingdom and Ned himself becoming king, with Nightfall refinding his soul along the way.
The Return of Nightfall takes place shortly after Legend, where Sudian-now supporting Ned out of choice and loyalty and happily engaged to Kelryn and theoretically having left Nightfall behind forever-is only recently healed from the injuries he sustained in Legend, and has taken to literally scaling the castle walls out of boredom. After the events in Legend, Ned had Sudian declared his chancellor and advisor, a position Sudian does not want, but has too much loyalty to Ned to refuse. Things change, however, when Ned is kidnapped on a diplomatic mission and Sudian-called away to fulfill a past debt-is the only survivor of Ned's party. On returning to Alyndar, Sudian finds that, in Ned's absence, he is effectively the regent of Alyndar, a position he hates, especially as all he wants to do is set out and look for Ned. And to make things worse, the Alyndar High Council believes that Sudian himself is behind the attack, and soon has him declared a traitor and slated for execution. Not about to die-at all, much less for a crime he didn't commit-or lose the best chance there is to find Ned-himself-Sudian escapes and pretty much literally tears the world apart to find Ned.
The Legend of Nightfall is about redemption, and a man with no chance at it having it forced on him, and then seeking it, because of the trust of someone who believes in it. The Return of Nightfall explores whether or not that redemption can be maintained when the redeeming influences-Ned and Kelryn-are taken from the redeemed, and what's more important: an oath(to leave Nightfall and his past behind him and simply be Sudian, Ned's loyal friend and advisor and Kelryn's husband) or the life and safety of the one the oath was made to when both are unattainable in tandem, as well as the question of how far a man can be pushed before reverting to what he "truly" is, and whether or not that truly is him anymore.
I have but one problem with this book, and that's the minimal presence of Ned and Kelryn. While regular appearances of either would have been counterproductive to the plot, Sudian's interactions with the two were a vital part of Legend. They do, of course, remain the driving influences of his life and his sole motivations in what he does, but Kelryn, still completely worthy and capable of standing at Sudian's side, only appears a few brief times after the first leg of the book, and Ned, much matured but still a hopeless idealist, only appears at the beginning and end. However, as I said, the book is about whether or not Sudian, who has never believed himself worthy of either one, can remain who he became without them, and as such, I'm ok with it. I just missed having more of them.
I shall leave off with this exchange of when Sudian finally finds and rescues Ned. Because it amused me and, I think, is a good indicator of the relationship between the two:
N: "I'm not going back to Alyndar without my advisor. You tracked me over at least half the world, and only the Holy Father knows what you suffered to find me."
S: "You want me...I'm still your? I traveled the world to find King Edward Nargol of Alyndar. I have no idea who you are."
N: "I am King Edward Nargol of Alyndar."
S: "No. King Edward is a grand and glorious man who lives by immutable law and rigid scruples. King Edward would never associate with a lying, thieving, murdering demon."
N: "A wise man once told me the world has gray. That sometimes it's necessary to stretch one's honor, one's ethics, if the end result is a far greater good."
S: "Who told you that?"
N: "You did, you simpering moron."
S: "Ah. So I'm a wise moron."
Also, as I know this matters a fair bit to several on the f-list when it comes to fantasy: The magic is pretty much limited to the fact that in this world, some people are born with a talent(in Sudian's case, the ability to control his weight) and sorcerers are people who murder them to steal the talent for their own. Beyond that, it's simply a wellcrafted faux medieval world.