With the July release of The Great Bazaar & Brayan’s Gold, the omnibus edition of Peter V. Brett‘s first two Demon Cycle novellas,  Civilian Reader decided to repost (and revise) their 2011 review of the stories.

A superb, short foray back into the world, I really enjoyed reading about Arlen and his early adventures again. These two stories are perfect for fans who need a fix before the next book’s release.

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The Great Bazaar adds a little more colour to the characters we met in The Painted Man, and fills in some details of times when the narrative of the first novel jumps ahead in time. I was really happy to learn more of Arlen’s time in Krasia, which proved to be such an important and formative experience for him on his journey to become the Painted Man.

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It’s another good story that fills in more detail of Arlen’s formative time learning the Messenger trade, and also fleshes out our impression of the world. Most importantly, it illustrates his single-minded pursuit of anything and any way to take the fight to the demons, not to mention his survival skills. The whole story, I found, was a perfect explanation of who Arlen is and what drives him.

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In both of these short stories, Brett’s skill as a writer shines through. His prose has that superb quality that pulls you right on through the story, whizzing through the pages at an alarming rate. Really engaging, it’s no wonder this series is so popular, and continues to do so well.

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This was a great, short read. Really very highly recommended, this is a must-read for all fans of the series.

Read the rest of the review at Civilian Reader.

For more info about The Great Bazaar & Brayan’s Gold, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story.