Was not nearly as flushed out as I would have liked. I hope he goes back and does more with the story of Durzo.

Great novella but my lack of rating was selfishness determined on the lack of satiety. Upgrade to a novel on you have yourself a four star piece of literature.

2.5 stars

I'm really disappointed right now because I love this series :(

I loved reading from Durzo's perspective, and I thought the way the story was told captured him well. I'd love to read a longer book of short stories in this vein - snapshots of Durzo in his past lives perhaps. My only problem with this book was that I finished it too quickly, and it's left me pining for a new Brent Weeks novel, which I shall now await with even greater impatience.

A nicely done novella in the world of the "Night Angel" trilogy that serves well to fill in the backstory of Durzo Blint. While largely a tale of assassinations, plenty of them and very cool in their description, I appreciate even more Mr Week's ability to write short crisp scenes that depict much larger themes. It is harder to write short pieces than long ones and this is an example of the short novella done well.

Even though this is a "prequel" to the Night Angel trilogy I would recommend reading the trilogy first. Otherwise you would probably not appreciate what's happening here as much.

I read and re-read Brent Weeks and the Night Angel trilogy years ago, and loved the series for how it took Dark Fantasy to a whole new level. Before Mark Lawrence and the Prince of Thorns, there was Weeks and the Nigh Angel, and reading the novella so many years later focusing on the origin of Durzo Blint (along with the short story of the Night Angel himself) it was fun to back in the world, and to see that for the novella Weeks was trying a new tone, pace and writing style to have it stand apart from the mainline trilogy itself.

I will say, reading it now in 2021, I do wonder if how Weeks writes his female characters is a sign of how he initially views women (though he is known to write female characters in various ways) or if its necessary for the world that he has created. Or, for that matter, the level of coarseness that we see in the book.

Whatever the case, I do recommend reading the Night Angel trilogy first before reading the novella, even though its an origin story. Also, definitely not for the faint of heart.