Crown of Shadows

Coldfire Trilogy, Book 3

By: C. S. Friedman

Narrated by: R.C. Bray

More than a millennium after the human race forges an uneasy stalemate against the demonic human-psyche feeders known as the fae, a pain-hungry demon called Calesta declares war on all living beings.

©1995 C.S. Friedman (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Despite opposition by his Patriarch, warrior priest Damien Vryce again seeks the assistance of the immortal sorcerer Gerald Tarrant. While racing against time to prevent the enslavement of their world, the two men find themselves trapped between justice and retribution. Betrayal and loyalty assume ironic forms in this conclusion to Friedman's complex and compelling "Cold Fire Trilogy." The richly detailed setting and strong supporting characters give substance to a tale that explores the consequences of embracing evil in hopes of achieving its redemption." ( Library Journal)

An enjoyable trilogy with a satisfying ending

In a world called Erna seemingly hostile to human dreams and thoughts an unusual story draws to a close. Has the fallen prophet an vampire-like creature of the religion in the one god, the God of Earth and Erna, done enough to be redeemed out of his centuries of hunting women as prey? Will the priest Reverend Damien Canon Vrice done enough to save his friend? How will he choose between his religion and his loyalty to a very dark person?

C.S. Friedman ends a successful trilogy with a good ending. While I thought she was totally against religion - almost like Philip Pullman - she was debating the value of religion throughout the story. I found her approach interesting and refreshing.

R.C. Bray did an excellent job of reading the book. It is very much in the same line as the other two books he read in the trilogy.

If you want a relaxing well put together fantasy story, why not give this trilogy a go?

So I met an author online

Gerald Tarrant is intoxicating and complicated. Damien Vries is to Urna what Jack Reacher is to Georgia. And Kalesta? Lex Luthor would be envious.

Great 3rd installment.

A great conclusion to the trilogy. I wish however there would have been a few more books in the series.

I've Been CROWNED!

Terrific conclusion to the series!
All threads tied nicely and I believe a great resolution for each character!
As usual, Bray's narration was fantastic and every character had their own distinct voice and attitudes.
While I'm a glutton and would love more stories for these characters and within Erna, neither are required for enjoyment of this series!

Great ending to an interesting trilogy :)

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes definitely, its always amazing to see a new word with some pretty interesting concepts and the characters are not bad at all . :)

What was one of the most memorable moments of Crown of Shadows?

I really loved all the book but I think by the end I was speechless , nice twists :)

What does R. C. Bray bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I think that R.C Bray did bring the book to live , he did an awesome job all together ,I hope I will found his work more often in this genre . Thank you R C Bray :)

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

"Sacrifice" maybe or "Don't trust the dead guy" :)

Any additional comments?

Great writing, C S Friedman did a wonderful job with this trilogy hopefully she will add more books in this world :)

Excellent finish!

Skillfully written and wonderfully performed. Bray had real talent in devising didn't voices for each character.

But wait! There's More!

3.5 Originally posted at Fantasy Literature.

Crown of Shadows brings C.S. Friedman’s COLDFIRE trilogy to a close. (This review may contain spoilers for the previous books, which you really must read before beginning Crown of Shadows.)

In the previous book, When True Night Falls, the unlikely allies Reverend Damien Vryce and undead vampire Gerald Tarrant battled their way across hostile foreign countries to combat the evil force that was threatening humanity. Just when they thought they were finished, they were essentially told: “But wait! There’s more!” Now they’re on their way back home where they will — they hope — finally really combat the actual final real ultimate source of evil … which turns out to be Calesta the demon.

Damien and Gerald will once again be called on to travel together to intimidating foreign lands, fight side-by-side, and save each other’s lives. There will again be deadly enemies, powerful illusions, and hostile terrain to overcome. Just when I thought Friedman had put Gerald and Damien through every lethal landscape she could think of, she sends them through a horrible hell inhabited by Gerald’s numerous victims. This part is quite upsetting and makes us question whether or not we really want to see Gerald redeemed.

Meanwhile Calesta has been mustering up his own troops. One of these is the patriarch of Damien’s church. This man has the best of intentions and we even see him calling for unity and tolerance, but he has no idea that his desire to rally his church on a crusade against Gerald is playing right into a demon’s plans. Friedman does a great job with this character, using him to again emphasize the blurriness of the line between good and evil.

Calesta has also dredged up Gerald’s last living descendant, a decadent man named Andrys who is perfectly willing to be Calesta’s pawn. For most of his life he has let hatred and despair drive him, but he also will be changed by his encounters with the other characters in this tale.
Friedman surprised me with this story. With all the emphasis on sacrifice and redemption, I kind of thought I knew how it was going to turn out, but I was wrong. The story is about sacrifice and redemption, but it didn’t go like I expected. Also surprising are the stunning revelations we get about where the demons of Erna came from. I liked this part of the story best.

In audio format Crown of Shadows is only 19 hours long (book 1 was 24 hours and book 2 was 26 hours long) but it is still longer than it needs to be with too much page time spent describing travelling. This is my main complaint about the series. The trilogy could have been condensed to two volumes and it would have been better. Despite the length, though, the COLDFIRE trilogy is an above average epic science fantasy that’s smart and thought-provoking.

it was just ok

What did you love best about Crown of Shadows?

I like that tarrent did get a chance for redemption.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Crown of Shadows?

at the end.........dont want to mess it up for others.

Which scene was your favorite?

in the hunting shop

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

none

Any additional comments?

This series was ok. It could have been better. Everytime someone was close to death Vryce would just heal them or himself. That kind of ruins any suspense.

a powerful conclusion to an incredible story

Stunning worldbuilding and captivating characters and delicious dialogue all add up to a series that's one of my all time favorites. I gladly re read all three books every few years. The prose can be overwrought, and there are a few phrases you might get tired of hearing - "he drew in a deep breath", "he thought he saw a smile on their lips, but he couldn't be sure", "tears, hot tears fell from his eyes", "he vomited as if that physical act alone could rid his body of the terror inside him", the list goes on - but these things are all EASILY forgiven because of just how excellent everything else is and just how surprising yet inevitable the conclusion to the tale feels. There's talk now of the series being developed into a TV show, and when you get a glimpse of how vivid and complex the worldbuilding is in these books, I think you'll agree how exciting that possibility sounds.

Superb story!

Where does Crown of Shadows rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Among the topp ten

What was one of the most memorable moments of Crown of Shadows?

All of it! Its a rollercoaster, that takes you through the whole spektra of emotions.

What does R. C. Bray bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He brings to life a very wide range of distinct of characters and with his tune and modulation he brings sorrow, thrills or action alive.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Hell yeah!

Any additional comments?

Get it! Get it, now!