Brent Weeks Books

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Brent Weeks is an American author that writes fantasy fiction. Brent is best known for the ‘Night Angel’ and ‘Lightbringer’ novels. Born in 1977 in Montana, the author went to Whitefish High School and Hillsdale College.

Brent started reading fantasy at a young age. Over the years, the author has experimented with works in different genres. History is particularly alluring to him because it allows him to make awe-inspiring discoveries while simultaneously improving his understanding of the human condition.

Fantasy doesn’t shock Brent because the outlandish elements writers describe occur in fictional realms. They don’t stretch his suspension of disbelief. History is a different animal because the ridiculous characters and events he stumbles across are real. They actually happened, which is why they always boggle the mind.

Brent cannot help but identify concepts in history that inspired modern stories. The most prominent example is Pope Alexander VII, who was basically The Godfather. The author was shocked to discover the similarities between the two stories.

However, despite his passion for history, fantasy is still Brent’s first love. Tolkien sunk his hooks into the author’s imagination when Brent was young. He was frustrated to learn that a novelist as talented as Tolkien had only given the world four novels.

Young Brent tried to read the works of other fantasy novelists, but most of them were so bad that he kept returning to Tolkien until Robert Jordan came along and added some much-needed variety to the author’s reading habits.

One other influential novelist of note is George R. R. Martin. Martin taught Brent the importance of killing or maiming significant characters. The goal was not to shock audiences but, rather, to give them a reason to worry the next time a protagonist was in trouble.

Children are still a challenge for Brent. Many writers present them as angelic creatures with unrivaled intelligence. Orson Scott Card’s work encouraged the author to lean into the naivety real-life children manifest. Outside the fantasy realm, Brent loves Shakespeare because all his characters are conflicted.

The author uses all these lessons and influences to tell the epic fantasy stories that have made him a renowned bestseller.

Interestingly enough, Brent’s foray into the publishing arena was a gamble. The author decided at 13 that he wanted to write fiction for a living. Other fantasy authors that come to that realization at a young age meander through various jobs and careers before returning to the publishing arena.

Brent did the opposite. He knew that publishing was not a practical pursuit. He couldn’t trust the field to put food on his table. And yet, he still made the decision to make writing a priority. Initially, he worked as a bartender and English teacher to make ends meet.

The author speaks fondly of his wife because she agreed with his decision to write full-time once they were married. Brent doesn’t encourage aspiring authors to follow in his footsteps because his approach can lead to disaster unless one has an unbelievably supportive spouse.

Brent Weeks Awards

Brent Weeks has won a Gemmell Award.

Best Brent Weeks Books

The author’s ‘Lightbringer’ series is so popular that each ‘Lightbringer’ book has secured a position on the New York Times Bestseller list. Brent’s best novels include:

The Way of Shadows: Durzo Blint was a master, and assassination was his game. Azoth should have known better than to risk everything by binding his fate to Durzo. But the guild rat had few good options at his disposal. Life in the slums had taught him to take chances, and he had no intention of wasting the one significant opportunity that had come his way.

But joining Durzo as an apprentice meant embracing a new identity and learning to navigate murky waters filled with dangerous political animals and unwieldy magics.

The Black Prism: Many people would kill to walk in Guile’s shoes, not just because of his wit and charm but because of his incredible power. But like any man, the high priest and emperor has plenty of challenges, the most significant being his limited lifespan.

Guile is no fool. He understands that Prisms don’t last. However, his situation is more complex than most because he just made an astounding discovery: a son in a distant kingdom.

When Does The Next Brent Weeks book come out?

Brent Weeks doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is Night Angel Nemesis and was released on April, 25th 2023. It is the newest book in the Night Angel Series.

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