Carl Bowen

Exalted: A Day Dark as Night — (2004) Publisher: Harmonious Jade is one of the deadliest women in the legendary time that is the Second Age of Man. Chosen by the Unconquered Sun himself, she has been remade into a demigod whose bow can fell whole companies of men. With that exaltation, however, have come echoes of ancient memories and a sense that she must use her gifts for some greater purpose. Chasing these phantasms of a past life and the trail of the demonic cultists who raised and betrayed her, she comes to the trading city of Nexus. There she meets others of her kind. But are they long-lost companions, deadly enemies, or both?

Exalted: A Day Dark as Night: A good book — if you’re into the game.

This is the first book of a series of novels based on the role-playing game Exalted. Exalted takes place in a highly magical world, where gods and spirits are everywhere, and humans can be infused with power by the divine, becoming Exalted. The most powerful of these are chosen by the ruler of the gods, the Unconquered Sun, and these Solar Exalted once ruled, but grew mad with power and were overthrown and imprisoned. Now, they’ve escaped, but to the world at large they’re considered dangerous demons from the distant past.

Our heroine, one such Solar Exalted named Harmonious Jade, is an assassin. While trying to take revenge on a past tormentor, she gets embroiled in a plot that involves both demons and the undead, and their mortal and Exalted servants. What follows is fast-paced, a little confusing at times, but satisfying.

It’s also more than likely completely opaque and only barely readable to those who have not played the RPG, or read one or more of its sourcebooks. It’s quite clear that this novel was not meant to stand on its own — it is either a supporting story for the game, or an advertisement for it, depending on the reader. As a player of the game, I found it useful in giving pointers as to the scales of stories told. Someone interested in the game could get a good impression of how it plays from this book, too.

If I am to name the biggest flaw in Carl Bowen’s writing style, it is that he’s overly enamored with big words — especially big adjectives. This results in some sentences that become almost impossibly convoluted. This especially shows in a sequence near the middle of the book, one which also suffered from looking too much like a dramatization of a roll of the dice by an RPG character.

On the positive side, the book shines in its action sequences, much like the RPG. Here, impossible, magically powered stunts are described in gleeful detail while our heroes fight hungry ghosts, demonic minions and enemy Exalted. While it gets slightly confusing at times (“Wait, where exactly is her left leg now?”) it certainly makes for some spectacular and entertaining fights.

On the whole, I enjoyed A Day Dark As Night. I am, as mentioned, a fan of the game, so that probably biases me, and it also gives me far more background information than is available to someone who isn’t. A reader without this background may be confused and put off by some elements, which are only cursorily explained if at all. But if nothing else, read it for the fights, especially if you like the concept of super-powered heroes in a high-fantasy world. —Gert Sonderby