Spoiler-free book guide
Night of Knives
Book 1 of 6 in Novels of the Malazan Empire · by Ian C. Esslemont
How it opens
On Malaz Isle, the old soldier Temper stands guard at Mock's Hold, where a nameless Imperial official and her Claw bodyguards have taken over the keep. A Shadow Moon is predicted for this night, and old Rengel warns that the souls of the dead come out under one. Kiska, who has been brushed aside by the Claws, follows a man from a message cutter to the abandoned E'Karial manor and watches him meet an old man in its ruined garden. At Coop's Hanged Man Inn, Corinn and a man with a Bridgeburner tattoo who names himself Sergeant Ash hold Temper prisoner while their armed band goes out into the night.
Who you meet early
- TemperTemper is a scarred old veteran soldier of Malaz City who drinks at Coop's tavern, the Hanged Man.
- CorinnCorinn [Kor-inn] was a half-Napan cadre mage of the Bridgeburners.
- Ash
- CoopCoop is the proprietor of the Hanged Man Inn, a tavern where he manages operations and frequently deals with intoxicated patrons.
- TrenechTrenech [Tren-nech] was a resident and regular at the Hanged Man Inn in Malaz City.
- Faro BalkatFaro Balkat was a resident of and regular at the Hanged Man Inn in Malaz City.
- RengelRengel [Rehn-gl] was an old sail-maker and retired marine living at the bottom of Cormorant Road in Malaz City.
Where it sits
Night of Knives is the first of 6 books in Novels of the Malazan Empire. Start here.
Next · Book 2
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