Tim Lebbon

Noreela — (2006-2008) Fallen is a prequel and After the War is a collection of two novellas set in the Noreela world. Publisher: Kosar the thief senses that Rafe Baburn is no ordinary boy. After witnessing a madman plunder Rafe's village and murder his parents, Kosar knows the boy needs his help. And now, for a reason he cannot fathom, others are seeking the boy's destruction. Uncertain where to begin, Kosar turns to A'Meer, an ex-lover and Shantasi warrior whose people, unbeknownst to him, have been chosen to safeguard magic's return. A'Meer knows instantly that it is Rafe who bears this miracle of magic. Now Kosar and a band of unexpected allies embark on a battle to protect one special boy. For dark forces are closing in–including the Mages, who have been plotting their own triumphant return.

Dusk and Dawn

For Tim Lebbon, multiple award-winning (Bram Stoker, Tombstone, Shocker, British Fantasy) author of numerous horror/supernatural-themed novels and short stories, the Dusk and Dawn duology marks the writer’s first attempt at a fully realized fantasy world with mixed results.

Before we get into the positives and negatives of the novels, it must be noted that Dawn is a direct sequel to Dusk, so it’s necessary to have read the one before the other, because basically we’re talking about a single story split into two volumes. For this review, I’ll be mainly looking at the duology as a whole.

First, the good: Far and away the most fascinating feature of Dusk and Dawn is the world of Noreela that Mr. Lebbon has fashioned. Rife with strange peoples (Red Monks, Shantasi, fledge miners, Breakers, Cantrass Angels) and even stranger creatures (the Nax, Tumblers, Mimics), Noreela is a character unto itself, defined by its bloody history, unique cultures/locales and a ton of little details (rotwine, rhellin, fodder) that give the world depth and personality. As far as fantasy worlds go, Noreela is among the most imaginative and absorbing that I’ve had the pleasure to explore, so it’s no surprise that I found those parts of the books that focused on Noreela the most interesting. Of course, Noreela is merely the setting for Dusk and Dawn and there is an actual story involved...

In Dusk, Noreela has been absent of magic for 300 years since the end of the Cataclysmic War and the banishment of the Mages. Into this dark and despairing time period, hope enters in the form of an ordinary farm boy named Rafe Baburn. Not surprisingly, there is much more to Rafe than there first seems, and the boy soon becomes caught up in a deadly adventure across Noreela that attracts an unlikely cast of misfits to his cause in saving the world. In other words, your standard fantasy tale right?

Well, that’s where Tim Lebbon comes into play as he makes it an effort to challenge such conventions, as evidenced by the shocking events at the end of Dusk. With Dawn, Mr. Lebbon continues to try and avoid various fantasy pitfalls, and for the most part does just that, though certain events that play out are still fairly predictable. Still, despite a little unevenness, the story that comprises Dusk and Dawn is an exciting one, driven by fast-paced action, inventive sorcery, interesting characters and explosive convergences.

As far as the actual characters of Dusk and Dawn, this is where the results are a bit varied. On the one hand, I loved the eclectic and vast cast of heroes and villains that we’re introduced to, especially since Tim Lebbon does such a magnificent job of establishing the various players, which include a thief (Kosar), a librarian (Alishia), the Shantasi warrior A’Meer Pott, a witch/whore (Hope), a fledge miner (Trey Barossa), a Red Monk (Lucien Malini) and their founder Jossua Elmantoz, and Lenora, a survivor from the Cataclysmic War and lieutenant of the Mages (Angel and S’Hivez). Unfortunately, despite possessing unique backgrounds, the characters' personalities are mostly formulaic with decisions made throughout the books that are never that uncharacteristic. Additionally, with so many different viewpoints involved, their development as the story progresses is stunted, and for the most part I was never emotionally attached to any of the characters, and did not really care what happened to them, no matter how tragic or unexpected the events. Apart from these weaknesses though, the characters are mostly enjoyable to follow, most notably with such personal favorites as Trey or Alishia, while I felt that Lenora’s narrative was the weakest, especially since she was the link to the Mages (main antagonists) who were the most one-dimensional and stereotypical characters in the book.

As a whole the Dusk and Dawn duology was a series that I was more than happy to pick up. Sure, it’s rough around the edges with characters that are difficult to relate to and a story that can be predictable at times, but for anyone who likes their fantasy made of darker and more imaginative material, tinged with horror elements and aimed at adults, then this is it. Best of all, Mr. Lebbon concludes the Dusk and Dawn duology with an ending that leaves room for future exploration into the spellbinding world of Noreela with a couple of standalone prequels and a short story. Personally, I can’t wait to see what Mr. Lebbon comes up with next for the denizens of Noreela. —Robert Thompson

Dusk

After reading about Dusk, I really thought I'd like it better than I did.

Dusk has some good things going for it. The villains were very interesting characters, and a couple of the heroes were too, and the world did have its intrigue. Also, I have to say, Tim Lebbon really knows how to keep the reader guessing. In fact, it was good enough to keep me reading till the end.

On the other hand, I felt kind of lost, or maybe ripped-off. I admit, I do lean more toward heroic fantasy but I can get into something like this too. (I thought Stephen King's Dark Tower was great after all.)

I read fantasy for the same reason that many fantasy readers do — escapism — and I just couldn't lose myself in this story.

Is there some new school of writing out there that says leave it all up to the reader to imagine all the characters, creatures, devices, etc.. for themselves? Because so many new writers seem to be doing this. Lebbon would describe one character's appearance in detail and tell you almost null about another. I spent the whole book trying to put together puzzle pieces of what some of the terrible monsters look like and I couldn't even begin to get a concept of the derelict machines. They are part living, part stone, part mechanical, part magic? I felt like I missed a few pages somewhere. Could we even get a couple words telling us what a disc-sword is? On the other hand, we know what the slums of Noreela City smells like?!

And what's up with the cuss-words and terms from the modern real world? Some dirty sex, cursing, and violence doesn't make an "adult fantasy." If you're looking for so-called "adult fantasy," give George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire a read.

However, Dusk did manage to get 3 stars from me. Some of the character development was superb and I would've quit the book if it wasn't for the parts with edge-of-your-seat action. —Greg Hersom

Fallen

Set 4000 years before the Dusk and Dawn duology, Fallen takes readers back to a different Noreela, one that is still dangerous and familiar due to the inclusion of tumblers, skull ravens, the always mysterious Cantrass Angels, Ventgorian wine, fodder and other familiarities, but this version of the world is not nearly as despairing and still possesses a sense of hope — of potential. In this time period, much of Noreela remains uncharted and is a playground for the Voyagers whose vocation is to discover the undiscovered. For the Voyagers their greatest challenge, their Mt. Everest if you will, is the Great Divide in the south, a vertical cliff that rises miles into the sky and extends from east to west seemingly forever. According to legend, the Great Divide marks the end of the world and no one who has Voyaged there has ever returned. For Voyagers Ramus Rheel and Nomi Hyden — friends as well as competitors — all that changes when they meet a fellow Voyager who has not only survived the Great Divide, but has brought back evidence of an unknown civilization… and a Sleeping God…

Ramus, Nomi, and a group of Serians (hired warriors from Mancoseria who attain adulthood by killing a seethe-gator) start out Voyaging to the Great Divide together, but because of the complex relationship existing between Nomi and Ramus involving hidden feelings and deep betrayals, the party is quickly fractured into two groups who are now competing against each other to be the first to reach the top of the cliff. From here, each Voyager faces their own set of perils and complications as they journey to the Great Divide, but the real danger is what they discover on top of the cliff and the decisions they end up making that impacts the future of Noreela.

Like the author’s previous Noreela stories, Fallen is all about the setting and Tim takes full advantage of the plot to let his imagination roam wild. So as the Voyagers travel from Long Marrakash, across the Pavissa Steppes, into the uncharted lands before the Great Divide, up the cliff, and into the world above the clouds, readers are introduced to all sorts of interesting wildlife and phenomena like squirm-storms that rain down lizards and insects, march wisps, Rokarian traps, gray people who feed on unhappy memories, a place where certain berries and herbs will make you high, and a forgotten race. There’s much more of course, but the joy of reading one of Tim Lebbon’s Noreela tales is discovering what new surprises the author has conjured up.

Character-wise, Fallen features a really small cast — basically the two narrators Ramus and Nomi, the six Serians, and a few minor players — which is helpful because even though the novel is self-contained, Lebbon still has time to fully develop his characters. For instance, each Mancoserian possesses his or her own individual personality while the relationship that the two Voyagers have going on is explored in all of its strange complexity including conflicting feelings of friendship, envy, disappointment, rivalry, and even love, not to mention the lying, treachery, and a fatal disease that allows Ramus to experience Nomi’s nightmares. In short, my only complaint about the characters was one scene between the Voyagers — when the group splits into two — that felt like watching a bad soap opera.

Of the plot, Fallen is essentially a quest novel that takes readers from Point A to Point B. Despite this conventional setup though, the journey itself is fascinating because of Noreela, the story is excellently paced, and the ending is just mind-blowing. Specifically, when Fallen shifts to the top of the Great Divide, Mr. Lebbon really turns up the heat on his characters and forces them down a dark and bloody path toward events that are shocking, tragic, and haunting. In other words, don’t expect any happy endings… And, as a bonus to those who are familiar with Noreela, the book’s finale marks the beginning of the Kang Kang mountain range and The Blurring which is a really nice touch.

I’m a huge fan of Tim Lebbon’s Noreela universe. Not surprisingly, I had pretty high expectations for Fallen and apart from a couple of minor gripes — namely the novel’s simplistic story and certain fantasy conventions — my expectations were met quite satisfactorily. To sum up, Fallen is just another outstanding addition to the Noreela mythos, and every time I visit this terrifying yet fascinating world, the harder it becomes to tear myself away. —Robert Thompson

After the War

In my mind, one of the best things about reading fantasy and science fiction is getting to discover other worlds, and for me it doesn’t get much better than Tim Lebbon’s Noreela. Noreela is a fascinating post-apocalyptic world where machines once operated fueled by magic, where drugs can turn a person into a sex god or allow your spirit to travel from your body, where dangerous creatures like the Nax, Tumblers, and Mimics roam the land, and where stories are just begging to be told. After the War features two novellas set in the unforgettable land of Noreela.”

“Vale of Blood Roses” takes place not long after the end of the Cataclysmic War — about three hundred years before Dusk — and concerns an ex-soldier who receives an unwanted reminder of his bloody past that was best left forgotten. From here, the story cuts between the present and the events fifteen years before when Jakk and three of his fellow soldiers ventured into an impossible valley where machines still worked, blood roses bloomed, and the residents worshipped something they called the heart and mind. Now, because of their actions that fateful day, revenge has come stalking and Jakk must find the valley again if he wants to save his family.

Much like Dusk and Dawn, “Vale of Blood Roses” is a tale of dark fantasy that straddles the boundaries of horror and is at once chilling, mysterious — Where does the vale come from? Why are the machines still working? What is the purpose of the blood roses? What is the heart and mind? — and poignant, examining how war and killing can change a person, living with the choices we make, and how we can never run away from our sins. In short, I loved “Vale of Blood Roses.” It was intense, sated my appetites for both horror and fantasy, was wickedly imaginative, and the somewhat ambiguous ending had me envisioning all sorts of nasty things for poor Jakk.

The novella “The Bajuman” was originally serialized on Lebbon’s Noreela website in 2006 and it offers a different side of Tim Lebbon. In a nutshell, “The Bajuman” is a cross between detective noir and fantasy, which reminded me of Alex Bledsoe’s The Sword-Edged Blonde. For instance, both novels feature ‘private investigators’ existing in a fantasy setting, both are told in a first-person perspective, and both of the protagonists live above a tavern! Of course there are some obvious differences like the fact that Korrin, our hero, is a Bajuman — a group of people who are shunned by the rest of the world for something that supposedly happened 500 years ago.

Besides the prejudice and a darker brand of humor, there’s also Noreela City. Between a brothel that doubles as a depository for information that is stolen from the minds of its clients, an underground city that is home to the lawless, and many other unique distinctions, Noreela City is quite unlike any other place you’ve been to and really gives the novella a dynamic edge. As far as the case, it’s a different spin on kidnapping as Korrin is hired to find a fodder — descendants of an old humanoid race once bred for food who are now considered a forbidden delicacy — before he is eaten. As expected with this type of story, there’s much more to the case than initial appearances and, to complicate matters, Korrin is forced to work with a mercenary who might be the most dangerous threat of all.

I found “The Bajuman” to be a bit formulaic at times, but I thought Korrin offered some really interesting traits as a character, the story was entertaining, and there’s a lot of potential here for an ongoing series which I would definitely be interested in.

Overall, After the War isn’t going to set the world on fire with its two novellas, but as a fan of Mr. Lebbon’s world of Noreela, I really enjoyed myself which is about all anyone can ask for. At the same time, if you’ve never read anything by the author, then I give After the War a glowing recommendation. Not only is it a great introduction to the haunting world of Noreela, but it’s also a tantalizing glimpse into the macabre mind of Tim Lebbon. —Robert Thompson