Book Review – Midnight’s Mask

Author: Paul S. Kemp
Cover Artist: Terese Nielson
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Binding: Paperback
Publication Date: 2005

I am writing this review, just a couple of minutes after finishing the last page of ‘Midnight’s Mask’, book three of Erevis Cale Trilogy. I feel speechless, just astounded, shocked, sad, and pleased. My mind is racing with thousands of unanswered questions. I don’t know where to start talking. This book is just one of a kind.

The story picks off in a very fast pace, giving the reader no chance to even breathe. Starting where it was left off in ‘Dawn of Night’, Riven just betrayed Cale, and allied himself with the Slaadi. It quickly clears out to be all but set up. Using Mag’s special abilities they triggered Riven to betray Cale but not kill him. Let him be allied with the enemy to be able to infiltrate their base. Unfortunately for them, they underestimated the Sojourner’s power and strength in magic, he easily fended them off. Rive yet again betrays Cale and the rest. Cale was forced to escape shadow jumped with Jak and Magadon to safety. This time it was no set up, they didn’t plan this to happen. The Sojourner accepted Riven’s wish to ally with him and sent him along with Azriim and Dolgan to Selgaunt, where they will board a ship with a special compass that will lead them directly above Sakkor, some lost sunken city. In that city they are hoping to plant another Weave tap on Sakkor’s mantle. After some devious planning, they head on and took a ship to hunt that sunken city. Azriim purposely left a trail for Cale to follow which worked wonderfully. Azriim, Dolgan, and Riven were able to escape easily to another ship that was stationed to wait for them but not before leaving Cale with a lot of trouble to worry about. We discover that Riven purposely set the betrayal and secretly made a connection with Mags letting them know his own location and where he is heading.. Cale with some difficulty dealt with the situation around him and was lucky that he landed in a vessel that was filled with Slaves, in which all of them seamen, along with their own Captain. Cale helped those slaves escape, but in return to be able to steer the shop to hopefully be able to follow Azriim. Falling deeper into Mask’s hands Erevis uses his own Shadow jump ability to jump into the Plane of Shadows along with the whole ship. Due to that tasking accomplishment, Cale slowly began to look even more different slowly loosing his own thoughts if it wasn’t for his friends a long his side. They go back to the Material world where Jak summons a few elementals to help move the ship faster towards Traitor’s Isle. We learn in the prologue that in the deep see there is this creature of colossal scale, named Ssessimyth. Not much is known about it except it is feeding of this thing that is called the “Source”. The creature’s constant feeding of the Source’s power left it in a dreamy state filled with content. Ssessimyth sensed the trouble Azriim might be bringing with him and the fact that he is slowly loosing control of the source. The creature slowly becomes agitated and sends a storm at the two ships. The storm failed to let the ships sail a different path, so sending his own minions was his next action. While the two boats were raided with scrags (sea trolls), Azriim with the Riven and Dolgan went into the water and swam to the bottom. Cale and Jak followed those two deep under, tried to intercept them but failed yet again. Azriim successfully set up the Weave tap in which angered Ssessimyth. The colossal creature now lost his connection to the source went into frenzy. We realize then that it was a Kraken. Azriim and his company simply used their teleportation rods to escape. Mags drank a lot of the source energy (as well as something about it) and was able in the last second to transport the whole ship into safety. While Cale used his shadow ability to shadow jump himself and jack to Selgaunt. Yet this is still not the last of their worries, the Sojourner just tapped the last weave tap and is ready to summon his Crown of Flames.

I will purposely stop here, there is much more I have left not mentioned. If you wish to know more then you have to march and get the book yourself and trust me it is money will spent. I do suggest to all who are going to read this book to be sure to put a plastic wrap around you head for it will surely blow your brains out! I’ve never been able to read a book that had me loving all of both the good guys and the villains. As quoted from Paul S. Kemp’s Biography “he practices corporate law in Detroit. Yes, that does make him a tool of “the Man.” Keeping a heel on the throat of common folk is what he does. Helps him write Believable villains” True words if I ever heard them. The villains he creates are not just smart, they are also so real. I just love Azriim’s personality and his weird sense of etiquette. One of the rare novels I’ve seen that didn’t have any of the moments that you wish to skip a small part cause it interrupts a certain scene. Those who “Survive” this book will be seen in another trilogy, starting July of next year.

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