Forge of Darkness

Forge of Darkness is the first novel of Steven Erikson's Kharkanas Trilogy, a prequel series that takes place hundreds of thousands of years before his Malazan Book of the Fallen series. It was first published in the UK and US in 2012.
==Publisher's summary==
===UK edition===
It is the Age of Darkness and the ancient land called Kurald Galain — home of the Tiste Andii and ruled over by Mother Dark — is in a perilous state. The great warrior hero, Vatha Urusander, is being championed to take Mother Dark's hand in marriage but her Consort, Lord Draconus, stands in the way of such arrogant ambition. 
As the impending clash between these two rivals sends fissures rippling across the realm and rumours of civil war flare up, so an ancient power emerges from seas once thought to be long dead. None can fathom its true purpose nor comprehend its potential. And in the middle of this seemingly inevitable conflagration stand the First Sons of Darkness — Anomander, Andarist and Silchas Ruin of the Purake Hold — and they are about reshape the world... 
Here begins an epic tale of bitter family feuds, of jealousies and betrayals, of wild magic and unfettered power...and of the forging of a sword.
===US edition===
Forge of Darkness takes readers to Kurald Galain, the Warren of Darkness, and tells an epic tale of a realm whose fate plays a crucial role in the fall of the Malazan Empire. It's a conflicted time in Kurald Galain, the Warren of Darkness, where Mother Dark reigns. But this ancient land was once home to many a power… and even death is not quite eternal. The commoners' great hero, Vatha Urusander, longs for ascendency and Mother Dark's hand in marriage, but she has taken another Consort, Lord Draconus, from the faraway Dracons Hold. The idea of this union sends fissures throughout the realm, and as the rumors of civil war burn through the masses, an ancient power emerges from the long dead seas. Caught in the middle of it all are the Sons of Darkness, Anomander, Andarist, and Silchas Ruin of the Purake Hold.
==Front matter==
===Dedication===
Clare Thomas, with love
===Acknowledgements===
Thank you to my advance readers: Aidan Paul Canavan, Sharon Sasaki, Darren Turpin, William and Hazel Hunter and Baria Ahmed.
===Maps===
File:Central Kharkanas.png|Central Kharkanas
File:Kurald Galain.png|Kurald Galain
File:Thel Akai, Jaghut & Tiste Realms.png|Thel Akai, Jaghut & Tiste Realms
===Tiste Power structure===
File:Kharkanas Power Tree.png|Notable Tiste of Kharkanas
==Editions==
Show other languages
Publisher 	Format/Edition 	First published 	Pages 	ISBN-10 	ISBN-13 	Notes
UK and Commonwealth — Forge of Darkness	UK and Commonwealth — Forge of Darkness	UK and Commonwealth — Forge of Darkness	UK and Commonwealth — Forge of Darkness	UK and Commonwealth — Forge of Darkness	UK and Commonwealth — Forge of Darkness	UK and Commonwealth — Forge of Darkness
PS Publishing 	Hard cover (slipcased, 2 vol) 	2012 	xxx 	1848635257 	978-1848635258 	Signed by EriksonCovers (1, 2) by David Gentry
Bantam 	Hard cover 	31 July 2012 	662 	0593062175 	978-0593062175 	Simultaneous UK & US releaseCover by Steve Stone
Bantam 	Mass market paperback 	xxx 	xxx 	xxx 	xxx 	
United States — Forge of Darkness 	United States — Forge of Darkness 	United States — Forge of Darkness 	United States — Forge of Darkness 	United States — Forge of Darkness 	United States — Forge of Darkness 	United States — Forge of Darkness
Tor 	Hard cover 	Sep 2012 	663 	xxx 	978-0765323569 	Simultaneous UK & US releaseCover by Steve Stone
Tor 	E-book 	Sep 2012 	663 	xxx 	978-1466814189 	
Tor 	Mass market paperback 	April 2018 	809 	xxx 	978-0765363411 	
==Plot summary==
 
::The following summaries contain spoilersPlease access individual chapter summaries via the Chapter infobox
===Prelude===
===The Solitude of This Fire===
===The Proofs of Your Ambition===
===The Forge of Darkness===
==Trivia==
*Steven Erikson says, "Forge of Darkness always struck me as the most traditional fantasy novel I've ever written. I mean [the reader's] initial point of view--disregarding the [framing sequence]--is a young boy. Well, not that young, but young in terms of maturity. A boy in terms of maturity. And it's partly a story of his rite of passage into adulthood. I mean, how more traditional can you get for a fantasy novel?"Kharkanas (and more) with Steven Erikson - Smiley's Podcast - See 1:25:55
*According to Erikson, the writing style of the Kharkanas Trilogy was a nod to Shakespeare and the type of storytelling associated with theater and oral tradition. Forge of Darkness in particular was written so that sentence structure was based on the length of a single breath. Erikson said he was contacted by one of his audio book narrators who absolutely loved reading Forge of Darkness out loud. TSACast podcast see 46:30
*Erikson guesses he began writing Forge of Darkness only about three days after finishing the ten book Malazan Book of the Fallen series. Looking back, he says that "was crazy. I needed a much longer break."Not A TSACast: Fireside Conversations with Steven Erikson and Ian C. Esslemont Ep#5 podcast - See 1:15:00
*One of Erikson's goals for the book was that it be "well enough written that it could earn a World Fantasy Award nomination...[but] I don't think the judges read it."
*Erikson thought his best writing in Forge of Darkness involved Arathan's relationship with his father, Draconus, as well as their encounter with Olar Ethil.Steven Erikson Interview and Discussion of The Kharkanas Trilogy - Books with Banks - See 1:04:30
*On 2 September 2019, Erikson posted a page of his notes from the writing of Forge of Darkness.
==Cover gallery==
FD cover US tor 2012.jpg|United States cover artTor (2012)
PS Publishing Limited Edition Forge of Darkness Volume 1 Cover.jpg|PS Publishing Limited Edition Forge of Darkness Volume 1 Cover<Br/>PS Publishing (2012)
PS Publishing Limited Edition Forge of Darkness Volume 2 Cover.jpg|PS Publishing Limited Edition Forge of Darkness Volume 2 Cover<Br/>PS Publishing (2012)
Forge of Darkness Subterranean Cover.jpg|Subterranean Press cover art (2023)
==Notes and references==
==External links==
Tor.com's Forge of Darkness summary
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