''Night of Knives'' is the

first novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

of the

Novels of the Malazan Empire Ian Cameron Esslemont (born 1962) is a Canadian writer. He was trained and has worked as an archaeologist. He is best known for his series ''Novels of the Malazan Empire'', which is set in the same world as the ''Malazan Book of the Fallen'' epi ...

series by

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

author Ian Esslemont, set after the prologue, but before the main body of ''

Gardens of the Moon ''Gardens of the Moon'' is the first of ten novels in Canadian author Steven Erikson's high fantasy series the ''Malazan Book of the Fallen''. The novel details the various struggles for power on an intercontinental region dominated by the Ma ...

'', the first novel in the ''

Malazan Book of the Fallen ''Malazan Book of the Fallen'' is a series of epic fantasy novels written by the Canadian author Steven Erikson. The series, published by Bantam Books in the U.K. and Tor Books in the U.S., consists of ten volumes, beginning with '' Gardens of ...

''.

Plot summary

''Night of Knives'' takes place in the 24 hours leading up to the night of the "Shadow Moon", a night on which a prophecy promises the return of the Emperor. Kiska is a young and enterprising girl who knows the Malaz City inside out and yearns to escape the dreary island and into the Malazan military. On the other hand, Temper, former bodyguard to Dassem Ultor, the legendary First Sword of the Empire, wants to stay beyond notice of the powers now converging on the city. In the city, the mages of Malaz, much reduced since the cull, now face an almost impossible task as an ancient power draws close.

References

External links

* * 2004 novels Novels of the Malazan Empire High fantasy novels Bantam Books books Tor Books books 2004 debut novels {{2000s-fantasy-novel-stub