Book review: Night Angel Nemesis by Brent Weeks

Fourteen years after the conclusion of his hugely popular Night Angel trilogy, fantasy author Brent Weeks has returned to the world of Midcryu with the long-awaited sequel Night Angel Nemesis. Nemesis marks the beginning of a new sequence of novels, The Kylar Chronicles, which follow titular assassin Kyler Stern on the next chapter of his dark journey.

We’ve had a chance to read Night Angel Nemesis and are here to give our impressions! We’ll be keeping things spoiler-free for both Nemesis and the original Night Angel trilogy, so continue without fear whether you’ve read any of the series or not.

Can you read Night Angel Nemesis without having read the original trilogy?

While Night Angel Nemesis functions as an immediate sequel to Brent Weeks’ original Night Angel trilogy, the author has said more than once that you can read this latest novel without having read his older works. Night Angel is one of those series I’ve had recommended to me many times over the years, and with Nemesis coming out it felt like time to finally take the plunge. I read both this new book and started in on the old series at the same time.

By and large, I found the claim that Night Angel Nemesis can be read without knowledge of the previous books to be true. I never had to look up information about the previous books in order to understand what was happening. That said, Nemesis turns on a few big mysteries from the original trilogy. There are a ton of references to events and people from those earlier books, so you will get significantly more out of Nemesis if you’re familiar with the original trilogy, even if it’s not strictly necessary. But the events in the novel itself are for the most part easy to follow, with the exception of some of the basic worldbuilding elements which aren’t explained in much detail because it’s assumed readers will already be familiar with them.

In fact, I’d go so far as to say new readers might even have an advantage here. One of the most notable aspects of Night Angel Nemesis is that, stylistically, it is an enormous departure from the original Night Angel trilogy. Those books were dark, brooding medieval fantasies that recalled George R.R. Martin or Joe Abercrombie, told in limited third person with a variety of viewpoint characters. Nemesis, on the other hand, is split between only two characters, with the vast majority of the book being told as a recorded first person account by assassin Kylar Stern about a fateful heist that goes wildly out of control.

It’s established very early on that Kylar is an unreliable narrator. As he relays the story to his ka’kari — an ancient entity which encases him in a powerful, morphable suit capable of great magical feats — Kylar often edits things, changes his mind, or directly addresses the reader. This works in the context of the book since the other viewpoint character is reading Kylar’s account, but it also makes Nemesis a very meta book that has fun with the relationship between author and reader.

Whether you enjoy that or not will largely depend on personal preference. I expect that Night Angel Nemesis will be divisive among longtime fans on account of the different style. On the whole though, I enjoyed this stylistic choice quite a lot. It’s refreshing to see an author be bold enough to try such a big stylistic shift in the same overarching series. Weeks pulls it off quite well, even if it feels slightly self-indulgent at times.

Night Angel Nemesis isn’t your typical fantasy novel

Another element that makes Night Angel Nemesis feel different from Weeks’ other books (and from your typical fantasy novel) is that it’s a heist book. Fantasy heists are nothing new. However, most often when a fantasy book portrays a heist, it feels like…well, like a fantasy book, except that characters are pulling off an Ocean’s Eleven-style job (think Six of Crows). Nemesis flips that; first and foremost, this book feels like a heist novel, complete with crack teams made up of people with different skills, layered maguffins, and cons within cons. Kylar’s tone is extremely conversational, giving the book a modern feel set against fantastical trappings.

While I did wish at times that the fantasy flavor was a little more pronounced, it’s hard to be too upset because the modern flair sets Nemesis apart. Kylar jokes at times that he’s a “super assassin,” and in many ways this book reminded me more of a superhero story or thriller than a fantasy yarn. It shifts a bit back towards dark fantasy in the final leg, but for the most part it feels like a very new take on a well-established world.

As for the writing itself, I think it will divide readers. Kylar is a 20-year-old dude and acts like it; he’s often immature or acts out in cringeworthy ways. This is believable for his character, but it’s easy to imagine how it could turn off some readers. For instance, he constantly objectifies the book’s female characters. And while Weeks does make a point of actively examining this particular flaw of Kylar’s, it’s still frequent and distracting enough that it jarred me out of the story more than once.

On the flip side, Kylar is often hilarious. When he’s not busy describing the body shape of everyone around him, Kylar is cracking jokes aplenty, many times at his own expense. Some work better than others, but on the whole this book made me laugh an awful lot. The casual tone helps. It feels like a story being told to you over a horn of ale at the local tavern.

The plot is also very fast-paced with lots of twists and turns. Of special note is the ending, which is good enough that it elevates the entire story and adds a ton of re-read value. Many of the characters have personalities that pop off the page and leave a lasting impression. I’ll absolutely be wondering about what happens next for Kylar and Vi, and have no doubt I’ll be continuing on in the original Night Angel trilogy and the sequel to Nemesis when the time comes.

Verdict

Night Angel Nemesis is a daring new take on Brent Weeks’ Night Angel world, revealing a very different layer to the series. It’s a fun book that leans heavily on its unreliable narrator to set it apart. It does have some flaws, especially in its portrayal of female characters, but on the whole it’s a raucous adventure of a novel. The Night Angel is back!

Night Angel Nemesis is available now from Orbit, wherever books are sold.

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.

Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels