Scar Night
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| Scar Night | |
 1st edition cover (UK) |
|
| Author | Alan Campbell |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Deepgate Codex |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Tor UK |
| Publication date | 07 July 2006 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 528 (hardcover 1st edition) |
| ISBN | ISBN 9781405090353 (hardcover 1st edition) |
| Followed by | Iron Angel |
Scar Night is a fantasy novel by Alan Campbell. The reviews for this book have ranged from good to great, especially when one takes into consideration that this is Alan Campbell's first published novel. With Scar Night, Alan Campbell's writing career seems to be off to a flying start.
Contents |
[edit] Plot introduction
Scar Night is set in the city of Deepgate, a city of pilgrims and priests to Ulcis, God of Chains and Hoarder of Souls. This first book of a trilogy follows the early adolescense of a young angel, Dill, as he tries to discover his destiny. The last of a three thousand year old line of battle archons, he struggles to adapt to a world that seemingly has no need for his kind anymore. With the help of several unlikely allies, however, he begins to explore his potential to find out what he's really capable of.
[edit] Explanation of the novel's title
The title, Scar Night, refers to the one night in the month when the moon is dark. When the Darkmoon has risen, the people of Deepgate stay inside, behind bolted doors and closed shutters. For three thousand years, every Scar Night an angel/demon named Carnival has killed one of the city's inhabitants, drinking his blood and life energy to sustain herself for another month. After each kill she cuts herself, inflicting serious injury. Both she and her victims therefore are scarred on this night, hence the title.
[edit] Characters in "Scar Night"
(incomplete list)
- Dill: The last descendant of Ulcis' warrior Callis, Dill is one of only two surviving angels, destined to become a temple archon.
- Mr. Nettle: Father of Abigail, a young girl who, before the events of Scar Night, was murdered and completely drained of blood. His mission is simple: get revenge on the person who murdered his daughter.
- Rachel Hael: Daughter of the esteemed General Hael, Rachel is a temple Spine, or assassin, who has yet to be tempered, a process that, if completed successfully, will remove a Spine's emotions, making him/her more effective. She is also Dill's overseer.
- Presbyter Sypes: Dill's mentor, a temple priest, and the keeper of Deepgate's massive codex, or library. And a holder of Deepgate's darkest secrets.
- Carnival: One of the last surviving angels, like Dill. Possessed of an extremely volatile and unstable personality, she must consume one soul once on every Scar Night to survive and inflicts grievous self-torture upon her self as evidenced by the numerous scars that cover her body.
- Devon: Deepgate's arch chemist and Head Poisoner, a mad man consumed by his work who would even become a heartless wretch to complete his research, even though he comes off to be a gentleman. He is slowly dying from the effects of handling the many poisons that he has made.He lost his wife many years ago.
- Adjunct Fogwill: Sypes' assistant, he is extremely suspicious of Devon.
- Mark Hael: Rachel Hael's brother, commander of the aeronauts, he is the person stopping Rachel from being tempered, he and his sister are not on the best terms.
[edit] Publication history
- 2006, UK, Tor UK ISBN 9781405090353, Pub date 07 July 2006, hardcover
- 2006, US, Bantam Spectra ISBN 9780553384161, Pub date December 2006, hardcover
- 2007, UK, Tor UK ISBN 9780330444767, Pub date 04 May 2007, paperback
- 2007, US, Bantam Spectra ISBN 9780553589313, Pub date November 2007, paperback
