Night of Knives

Ian C Esslemont

Contents ( 14)

NIGHT OF KNIVES

A NOVEL OF THE MALAZAN
EMPIRE

Ian C. Esslemont

A Tom Doherty Associates Book

New York

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations,
and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the
author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

NIGHT OF KNIVES: A NOVEL OF THE MALAZAN EMPIRE

Maps © Neil Gower

Previously published in the UK in 2005 by PS Publishing
LLP and in 2007 by Bantam Press, a division of
Transworld Publishers.

A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010

www.tor-forge.com

Tor^® is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Esslemont, Ian C. (Ian Cameron)

Night of knives: a novel of the Malazan Empire / Ian C.
Esslemont.—1st U.S. ed.

p. cm.

“A Tom Doherty Associates book.”

ISBN-13: 978-0-7653-2371-2 (trade pbk.)

ISBN-10: 0-7653-2371-0 (trade pbk.)

ISBN-13: 978-0-7653-2369-9 (hardcover)

ISBN-10: 0-7653-2369-9 (hardcover)

I. Title.

PS3605.S684N54 2009

813'.6—dc22

2009001517

First U.S. Edition: May 2009

Printed in the United States of America

0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

This novel is dedicated to
Steve
who made the world real

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This work’s long journey from conception to print has been full of aid from many unexpected directions. It grew out of a collaboration of many years’ standing with Steven Erikson that continues to be rich and rewarding, creatively and in friendship. To him must go my greatest thanks for our partnership in creating the world of Malaz. I would also like to thank Simon Taylor for his generosity of spirit, William Thompson for his encouragement and editing skills, my agent, John Jarrold, and Gerri Brightwell for her longstanding support and insightful comments. And finally, extraordinary thanks to Peter Crowther for taking a chance on an unknown.

INTRODUCTION

THE WORLD OF MALAZ WAS BORN IN 1982, AND FROM THAT moment onward that world’s history slowly took shape. On summer archaeological digs and winters spent in Victoria, B.C., in the midst of degrees in Creative Writing, in Winnipeg and on Saltspring Island – wherever Ian (Cam) Esslemont and I crossed paths for any length of time. We were co-writers on a number of feature film scripts, and it was clear that our individual creativities were complementary, and during our breaks from writing we gamed in the world of Malaz.

When the notion of writing fiction set in that world was first approached, it seemed obvious that we would divvy up the vast history we had fashioned over the years. And so we did. Since the publication of Gardens of the Moon, I have heard from and read of fans wanting to know about the old empire, the empire of the Emperor, Kellanved, and his cohort, Dancer. And time and again I was asked: will you ever write of those early times in the empire’s history? Or, will you write about The Crimson Guard? And I have always been firm in my reply: no. The reason should now be obvious.