Nightborn

Set before the events of the Coldfire trilogy, this latest novel by C. S. Friedman is a prequel that combines dark fantasy with unsettling science fiction. A colony ship sets its passengers down on a world that looks welcoming at first, but the planet conceals a frightening secret. Before long, the settlers are fighting to stay alive against the fae, a force of nature that feeds on the human mind and turns a person's deepest fears and worst nightmares into reality. Colony Commander Leon Case and Chief Medic Lise Perez are racing to learn how to control the fae before more colonists die. Yet not everyone is willing to wait for their plan, and some of the other settlers have schemes of their own that could pose a greater danger to the colony than the fae. The story is tense and emotionally intense, following a small group of humans trying to survive on an alien world that appears determined to kill them. To make it through, they must rely on both scientific knowledge and mystical traditions. Whether you are discovering the Coldfire universe through this prequel or returning to it as an old favorite, the book serves as an accessible starting point for a genre-blending space fantasy saga.