Spoilers for the Tyranny of the Night I haven't been online for a day or three - I've been reading this book at every spare moment. I hated putting it down. First, since some mail programs don't like lots of spaces before the text, a quick overview: This is three intertwined stories. One following a group that is associated with a variant of the old Norse gods, one a variant of Mameluke society (the slave soldiers of the caliphs), and a variant of a Catharist Perfect. Different terms are used but it basically looking at pagan, Christian (with heavy Gnostic overtones), and Islam belief in a world where the 'gods' are (maybe) manifestations of magical energy collected and given form. Did the creator God create man or did man's vision imposed on this magical energy create all the gods? That's a question that is mentally debated a few times in the book - an labeled a chicken and the egg one. Magical energy flows freely on this world but collects in "wells". There are 7 or 8 major wells in areas where much of the worlds gods / spirits / things that go bump in the night come from, and countless small wellsprings of power (for example, there's one going to where the norse type gods live). These power flows tend to be warmer than the ground around them, and this heat combined with the power movement in the Wells is an important factor in keeping the ice from advancing (holding off an ice age). In 'civilized' areas the various spirits, gods, and powers have all been banished or destroyed - or so it appears. The setting is clearly the Mediterranean area just before the renaissance. Countries have been relabeled, but you can spot Roman (Brothe), the Holy Roman Empire (the Grail Empire), the various Islamic groups, the Italian city states, France, Germany, and the Albigensian area. A translation guide might be worth looking at... But you don't need to know history to read this book - just because Cook borrows heavily on history is no reason you can't treat this as a normal fantasy world. Okay, that should be enough text. Now for some blank lines. To clear the screen before the spoilers. Because reading spoilers can be bad. Very bad. Okay, here's what I think is happening: Normally the Instruments of the Night are spawned, grow in power, then recycle their power into the wells as they are diminished. Some never really go, and this means an inbalance. Also, since the rise of the two big monotheologic groups more and more power has been directed to their views of God - which may be the same being, and possibly the same being as the Deves worship. This is leading to the cooling of the world. It think this is what is directing the plot - this ultra powerful being is working to move the ice back. A bit like the Director? Once there is a weapon that can affect the powerful Instruments this being inspires Else to use it to destroy a bogon - that's where his idea of using silver came from. Now on to some of the mysteries... Who killed Erief? Ask Vidgis about this one... She may have done it at the behest of her gods, but (I think) she gave the murder weapon (a dagger enchanted with his death) to her nephews to 'find' on the missionaries. They had it with them when they we taken to the Sky Fortress, left it there, and that's how it reappeared near the end of the book. What was the force that intervened when Shagot (representing the old gods), Starkden & Masant (representing the powers of magic), and Else (representing Man) battled? I'm of two minds on this. It could Rashal or something in the ring, or it could be the force behind the plot. I'm thinking it wasn't Arlensul - I can't see why it would be. Or more to the point - I can't see why Starkden & Masant survived if it was her. Maybe she would have kept the Godslayer alive to set up her battle with her father, but why did the sorcerers survive unless a factor wanted to see them latter brought down by guns firing iron and silver (driving home the lesson that Else should have learned)? Who was the angel that visited Stewpo? Again, I'm thinking it wasn't Arlensul. She might have wanted the Heroes killed, but she had other plans for that and wouldn't want to be on the field with the 'god killer weapons' being used. To me this is a sign of something pulling the strings in the background. Looking at his past series - how do the wizards of this one stack? Poorly. The most powerful one is 50 and looks 30 - he doesn't look like he'd give One-Eye a run for age, let alone one of the Taken. Their power seems based on sorcery (tapping magic from a magical source) rather than wizardry or personal power. There are grades for sensing / using power, but I doubt that Lady would notice the worse that Rashal could do. Speaking of old books, there's the Bones / Elmo comparison, but since Elmo was the classic 'grizzly old sergeant that survives everything' I think it's more reusing an archetype than borrowing from an old character. Anyhow, those are my thoughts Richard