Forge of Darkness

Forge of Darkness is the first novel of Steven Erikson's Kharkanas Trilogy, a prequel series that takes place hundreds of thousands of years before his Malazan Book of the Fallen series. It was first published in the UK and US in 2012.

Publisher's summaryEdit

UK editionEdit

It is the Age of Darkness and the ancient land called Kurald Galain — home of the Tiste Andii and ruled over by Mother Dark — is in a perilous state. The great warrior hero, Vatha Urusander, is being championed to take Mother Dark's hand in marriage but her Consort, Lord Draconus, stands in the way of such arrogant ambition.

As the impending clash between these two rivals sends fissures rippling across the realm and rumours of civil war flare up, so an ancient power emerges from seas once thought to be long dead. None can fathom its true purpose nor comprehend its potential. And in the middle of this seemingly inevitable conflagration stand the First Sons of Darkness — Anomander, Andarist and Silchas Ruin of the Purake Hold — and they are about reshape the world...

Here begins an epic tale of bitter family feuds, of jealousies and betrayals, of wild magic and unfettered power...and of the forging of a sword.

US editionEdit

Forge of Darkness takes readers to Kurald Galain, the Warren of Darkness, and tells an epic tale of a realm whose fate plays a crucial role in the fall of the Malazan Empire. It's a conflicted time in Kurald Galain, the Warren of Darkness, where Mother Dark reigns. But this ancient land was once home to many a power… and even death is not quite eternal. The commoners' great hero, Vatha Urusander, longs for ascendency and Mother Dark's hand in marriage, but she has taken another Consort, Lord Draconus, from the faraway Dracons Hold. The idea of this union sends fissures throughout the realm, and as the rumors of civil war burn through the masses, an ancient power emerges from the long dead seas. Caught in the middle of it all are the Sons of Darkness, Anomander, Andarist, and Silchas Ruin of the Purake Hold.

Front matterEdit

DedicationEdit

Clare Thomas, with love

AcknowledgementsEdit

Thank you to my advance readers: Aidan Paul Canavan, Sharon Sasaki, Darren Turpin, William and Hazel Hunter and Baria Ahmed.

MapsEdit

Central Kharkanas

Kurald Galain

Thel Akai, Jaghut & Tiste Realms

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Tiste Power structureEdit

Notable Tiste of Kharkanas

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Plot summaryEdit

The following summaries contain spoilers
Please access individual chapter summaries via the Chapter infobox

PreludeEdit

In These Gifts the Shapes of AdorationEdit

The Solitude of This FireEdit

The Proofs of Your AmbitionEdit

The Forge of DarknessEdit

TriviaEdit

• According to Erikson, the writing style of the Kharkanas Trilogy was a nod to Shakespeare and the type of storytelling associated with theater and oral tradition. Forge of Darkness in particular was written so that sentence structure was based on the length of a single breath. Erikson said he was contacted by one of his audio book narrators who absolutely loved reading Forge of Darkness out loud.^[1]
• Erikson guesses he began writing Forge of Darkness only about three days after finishing the ten book Malazan Book of the Fallen series. Looking back, he says that "was crazy. I needed a much longer break."^[2]
• One of Erikson's goals for the book was that it be "well enough written that it could earn a World Fantasy Award nomination...[but] I don't think the judges read it."^[2]
• On 2 September 2019, Erikson posted a page of his notes from the writing of Forge of Darkness.

Cover galleryEdit

United States cover art
Tor (2012)

PS Publishing Limited Edition Forge of Darkness Volume 1 Cover
PS Publishing (2012)

PS Publishing Limited Edition Forge of Darkness Volume 2 Cover
PS Publishing (2012)

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Notes and referencesEdit

External linksEdit

Tor.com's Forge of Darkness summary