A review by jeremiah_mccoy
Dawn of Night by Paul S. Kemp

3.0

This second book in the series was an improvement. The heroes are still not interesting to me. There are just too many cliches and not enough wit to like them. They are arguably antiheroes, but a good antihero has something about them that you can invest in or enjoy, whether it is wit, or compelling motivation or something. These guys have none of these. What is more, there is exactly one female character in the novel and she is a former whore which the hero must save. There are cardboard characters and pointless narrative wanderings.

So, why do I say I like it. The villains for one. The main villain of the series is introduced here and he is reminiscent of a classic Stan Lee cosmic villain. He could be drawn by Jack Kirby. Also, the villainous city of Skullport is described richly and with some real flourish. The writing overall improved, the pacing is better, and it is in many ways a better novel than the first.