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Scar Night (Deepgate Codex Trilogy): Bk. 1

Author: Alan Campbell
Publisher: Tor
Category: Book

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Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars

34 reviews
Sales Rank: 4637

Media: Paperback
Edition: New
Pages: 550
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.1 x 1.5

ISBN: 033044476X
EAN: 9780330444767
ASIN: 033044476X

Publication Date: May 4, 2007
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New Book - In Stock - UK Seller - Very Fast Delivery - First Class Customer Service

Also Available In:

•	Hardcover - Scar Night
•	Mass Market Paperback - Scar Night (The Deepgate Codex)
•	Paperback - Scar Night
•	Hardcover - Scar Night (Deepgate Codex)

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Customer Reviews: Read 29 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

Barbarella goes Gothic July 2, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

In a world where the field of fantasy writing is as rich and fertile as it's heyday in the 50's, with luminaries such as Fiest, Martin, Hobb and Eriksons still knocking out the 'hits' and bright new talent seemingly emerging all the time like Lynch, Abercrombie and Rothfuss it gets very hard for a guy to stand out from the crowd.

However in this field of fantasy writing is a corner that is forever Deepgate! A very weird, slightly disturbing gothic fantasy / horror highbred. Very original though the early chapters more than tip a wink to Mervyn Peake.

Picture a city suspended over an abyss by giant chains where the cheap streets are determined not by the expense of the architecture but by how likely they are to tumble into the void! A city menaced every 'scar night' by a fallen she-angel who takes PMT to previously un matched heights. A crazed poisoner out to avenge his dead wife on the whole city and a God who is definately not what the populace hope he is!

A heady brew! Unusually for a book written by a man, the most complex and engaging charactors are female.

The writing style is witty and fast moving and the story if you haven't already realised is incredible far fetched and fantastic, so if you can't suspend belief or find yourself shouting 'oh that's just stupid!' at Dr Who then this book may not be for you. If you just go with the flow, strap yourself in for the ride and see the black humour I think you'll enjoy it I certainly did.

1 out of 5 stars

don't buy June 22, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful

This has to be one of the worst books I've attempted to read in a long time. I found it to be slow, disjointed, and utterly un-finishable.

3 out of 5 stars

Worth a look May 27, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Not the worst book I've ever read and not the best either. The idea of a city suspended by chains over an abyss is an interesting one at first but starts to seem a bit contrived as the book progresses and I generally felt that the story became more and more 'incredible' as it went on. Although some of the characters are quite interesting others aren't quite so well developed or convincing. Another thing that didn't quite sit right was the fact that although Deepgate is supposed to be quite a hard-nosed, bustling metropolis, characters seem perfectly able to wander around after dark unseen and unaccosted. That said, these weren't serious enough to prevent the book from being quite enjoyable. The author has a great imagination and I'll certainly read the next installment.

5 out of 5 stars

Superb April 26, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I would argue that the below reviewer is talking through his hat, but I fear that the world has not yet invented one that would encompass his head.

Still - best not to intrude on private grief, eh?

And yet, and yet - ' ... what began as a Howard-like ...'

'HOWARD-LIKE'? The man's been dead eighty years - if you want Conan the Barbarian-type fantasy stories, or even (Lord help us) "Red Sonja", I'd pick a different writer, and century, than this one.

Bleh. Anyway - now that that particular quibble is as dust beneath my chariot wheels let's move on to the fun stuff!

This is a very, very, very good book. The language is, well, beautiful, the story's gripping, it's certainly dark, but also comedic in places - a tough trick to pull off. And the cliffhanger ending is - frankly - spectacular.

All in all, and as I said, superb. And I see the next one's out, so I'll buy that in - eek! - hardback.

I *never* buy books in hardback!

2 out of 5 stars

An enthralling beginning with a poor end April 11, 2008
2 out of 4 found this review helpful

After reading the raving reviews on many websites, I held very high expectations on this book. Initially, I was not disappointed as the city of Deepgate is quite certainly a place I would like to explore down into its dark alleys and deep into its people's dark hearts.
Unfortunately, what began as a Howard-like description of a corrupted and gloomy world later becomes a cartoon-like adventure, with improbable funambulatory descriptions and a finale that I could only define hasted, childish and totally unsatisfying.
There's many other books out there worth your money more than this.