Tournaments, Isolated Outposts, and Strange Magic: The Wall of Night Trilogy by Helen Lowe
There are times when I want a quick read. And there are times when I want something edgy and new. And then there are times when I just want to sink back into my chair with a comforting 2,000-page fantasy trilogy, featuring squabbling royal houses, dark forces, river cities, tournaments, honor guards, wind-swept bastions, strange magic, wild lands, isolated outposts, black treachery — and a towering mountain wall that’s the last defense against the ravening hordes.
Helen Lowe’s The Wall of Night trilogy fits the bill nicely. The opening novel, The Heir of Night, won the Gemmell Morningstar Award for Best Fantasy Newcomer, and The Gathering Of The Lost was nominated for the Gemmell Legend Award for the Best Novel. The series wrapped up last year with Daughter of Blood. Here’s the complete publishing deets.
The Heir of Night (466 pages, $7.99 paperback/$2.99 digital, September 28, 2010) — cover by Gregory Bridges
The Gathering of the Lost (672 pages pages, $7.99 paperback/$3.99 digital, March 27, 2012)
Daughter of Blood (768 pages, $7.99 paperback/$4.99 digital, January 26, 2016) — cover by Don Sipley
All three are paperback originals from Harper Voyager; all three are still in print. Here’s the back covers.
[Click the images for bigger versions.]
Helen Lowe is a New Zealand writer. Her previous novel Thornspell (2008) is a YA fantasy.
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Ooh, I’m so glad to see the Wall of Night series featured here, as I adore it and yet haven’t seen that many people talking about it. I particularly love the SF-nal twist to the backstory, and the richness and depth of world and characters. One note though–the series is not a trilogy, but a quartet. I’m eagerly awaiting the final book! (Thankfully, Lowe has a fairly steady release pace, so I don’t anticipate a Rothfuss-style wait.)
> One note though–the series is not a trilogy, but a quartet. I’m eagerly awaiting the final book!
Hi Courtney,
Thanks for the comment, and the correction! I tried to confirm it on Helen’s website, but no luck. Is there some mention somewhere that there’s a fourth book coming? Thanks for the help!
Looks interesting. Downloading a sample. Ta!
Ho Peadar! Glad you have time for leisure reading, what with the demands of being a bestselling novelist. Let us know what you think. (And if you don’t have time to read it, have one of your people do it!
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