Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Tor Books (1989), Edition: 1st, 375 pages
Description
The City of Qushmarrah is uneasy under the rule of the Herodians--short, balding men whose armies would never have conquered the city had not the great and evil wizard Narkar been killed and sealed in his citadel; had not the savage nomad Datars turned coat and sided with the invaders; had not some traitor opened the fortress to them. Not many would welcome the return of the old religion, the bloody return of wizardry... but there are some patriots who would accept the return of the devil they know, if it meant the return of independence. InThe Tower of Fear, Glen Cook weaves a complex and intriguing fantasy adventure.
User reviews
LibraryThing member saltmanz
Following a slow-ish start, this book has completely blown me away. I love Cook's Black Company stuff (the only other Cook books that I've read) and this might be even better. Cook shows that he's the master of the "gray" character, filling the book with multiple, overlapping POVs from all factions
The plot revolves around the middle-east-flavored city of Qushmarrah, formerly ruled by the dark lord Gorloch and his sorceror Nakar, now occupied by the monotheistic Herodians and their mercenary Dartar tribes. Throw in an underground Qushmarrahan rebellion called The Living, who seek independence for their city; and Nakar's widow, intent on resurrecting her deceased husband. Then put a carpenter and his family smack in the middle of all of it.
All of this in a standalone novel under 400 pages. Wow.
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involved. Barring one or two characters who are just plain jerks, there are no real bad guys here; just men and women doing what they feel they need to for a cause that they feel is just.The plot revolves around the middle-east-flavored city of Qushmarrah, formerly ruled by the dark lord Gorloch and his sorceror Nakar, now occupied by the monotheistic Herodians and their mercenary Dartar tribes. Throw in an underground Qushmarrahan rebellion called The Living, who seek independence for their city; and Nakar's widow, intent on resurrecting her deceased husband. Then put a carpenter and his family smack in the middle of all of it.
All of this in a standalone novel under 400 pages. Wow.
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LibraryThing member iayork
Another Excellent Book by Cook: "Tower of Fear" is yet another excellent book by Glen Cook. It's very well-written, exciting, and suspenseful. Unfortunately, as with almost all of Cook's books, this one is hard to find (i.e., it appears to be out of print). I don't know why publishers don't
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re-print these books. Outside of the Black Company books, almost none of them are now available. I know that the SFBC publishes 3 (or 4, now) books which consolidate the Garrett series (another excellent series). But, these older works, which I read decades ago (and believe are all excellent) have just vanished. If you can grab a copy of this book, do so. I rate it at 5 stars out of 5. Show Less
LibraryThing member JeremyPreacher
I can see how this guy's military fiction would work well. He's not all that deft at relationships or dialogue, but quite good at setting up characters with compelling motivations and putting them in dynamic situations. This one was a not super easy to get into, but with a little patience it turned
I don't know that I'm going to rush right out and read everything else he's ever written, but I will keep an eye out for the first Black Company novel.
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into a nice tense political novel. I did appreciate the handling of the antihero-assassin character - not many folks can handle that balance without making the character either completely unlikeable or just plain over-the-top.I don't know that I'm going to rush right out and read everything else he's ever written, but I will keep an eye out for the first Black Company novel.
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LibraryThing member clong
This offers a well constructed plot, an interesting setting, and a diverse cast of well-rounded, many shades-of-grey characters (the vast majority of whom are fighting for what they think is right in a morally complicated world). And while I can't really say that I particularly liked Azel, I give
Having said all that, this in the end felt to me a bit formulaic and not nearly as funny or as satisfying as Cook at his best.
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Cook credit for creating an amoral antihero who constantly tests whether the ends justify the means.Having said all that, this in the end felt to me a bit formulaic and not nearly as funny or as satisfying as Cook at his best.
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LibraryThing member krazykiwi
Very Cook in the typically grey morality. I liked it well enough, but the plot is very twisty and there are approximately 427 characters to keep track of, some with multiple names depending who's talking to them, and others with multiple names because they are playing shadow games between
I actually found when I stopped worrying too much about the characters and just concentrated on keeping track of the plot, I did a lot better.
I think I need to let this one settle a little, and then re-read it. And I think I'll probably like it even better.
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factions.I actually found when I stopped worrying too much about the characters and just concentrated on keeping track of the plot, I did a lot better.
I think I need to let this one settle a little, and then re-read it. And I think I'll probably like it even better.
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LibraryThing member Karlstar
I enjoyed the characters and the different feel of this novel. It isn't a Black Company novel, or Dread Empire, but a new world with new characters. Good, Cook-style fantasy.
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1994
Physical description
375 p.; 6.45 inches
ISBN
031293193X / 9780312931933