Perhaps it isn't fair to do this sort of "versus" thing for these two books. After all, the "Lightbringer" series has not yet finished, with the fourth and probably final novel, The Blood Mirror, due soon, whereas the "Night Angel" trilogy has wrapped, been put in an omnibus, given a prequel, and it's first novel, The Way of Shadows, turned to a graphic novel in adaptation.
I don't want you to think of this as a "which is better" type of scenario. Again, we don't have the whole of the argument here. Rather, I wanted to take this time to look at the two and compare what one has and what the other may lack, or what they share in common. First, they're written by the same author. I'm not comparing it to the "Song of Ice and Fire" or "Shanarra" books or anything (well, Terry Brooks' books have been going on much longer than any of these series anyway), but just works done by the same guy, Brent Weeks.
One thing that draws a thick line between the series is time period. "Night Angel" takes place in a medieval world, a European setting without a doubt. "Lightbringer" is also European, but is more of a 16th/17th Century Europe. There are guns in this world, and feudalism is a commanding force, but there is a coalition of leaders that does not exist in the Medieval times where there is just one king or queen. The time period is important to understand, as things are very different between them.
For one, the women of both stories, while incredibly bold, are also put through incredibly different scenarios. Vi's story is one I find more gripping than Karris White Oak's, yet just as compelling as Teia's story, as they are somewhat similar. In many way, Vi is what could become of Teia. In keeping with the time period remark, for the people on the short end of the stick, it's quite possible that things got even worse. More people had money, yeah, but those people also kept their money and kept to their own families, looking out for only themselves. People like Teia, or even Kip sometimes? They don't get at all what they deserve.
Though, Weeks paints a grim picture of the poor with the Warrens. While there is no scenery as haunting as that (yet) in "Lightbringer" there are several cringe-worthy areas our characters are forced to go to, or at least hear about. The "Night Angel" series seems to be more brutal about its world, it doesn't hold anything back. In Way of Shadows alone we see the highest and lowest parts of society, and sometimes we're gifted with the peaceful middle ground. That brutality brings with it a certain edge that "Lightbringer" does not have. There's no cover-ups and everything is presented for the reader in that moment. There are mysteries about how things work given the nature of wetboys and the Sa'kage, sure, but nothing as intricate as the workings of the Spectrum.
"Night Angel" seems to be more embedded in the bigger elements of fantasy than "Lightbringer" is because of this edge. There's magic and some monsters and magical swords and castles that have to be sieged, but there is not politics or religion like there is in "Lightbringer." Faith is a huge theme in the latter series, and how one goes about their faith or even if there's a point to being religious if it's not doing a person any good.
What both stories do great is handle the humanity and morality of their characters. The selfish ones stand out but do get development. Durzo and Gavin are different men but both have selfish ambitions. Kip and Kylar? Oh boy, totally different...but it works. If Kylar were in Kip's shoes I don't think we'd have half the problems in "Lightbringer" and if Kip were in Kylar's wetboy boots I don't think he'd have lasted with Durzo very long.
One of the weaknesses "Lightbringer" had was sympathy for the characters. I didn't care at all what Kip and Gavin's situations were. Kip was annoying and throwing pity-parties for himself whereas Gavin was king of the world at the start of The Black Prism. Kylar? Instantly sympathize for him. He's a streetrat who digs through, basically, poop for a living to find any sort of money and sticks up for two other people, one a little girl and another a friend who has high hopes and dreams. You can tell he has a strong center of morality about him, but he'll also go an extra step because of his background.
Though, if "Lightbringer" lacks in sympathy it makes up for with development. By the end of The Broken Eye, all primary characters have undergone what feels like years worth of development. Kylar and Logan do have development, but not nearly as much as their "Lightbringer" counterparts. The strong point of "Night Angel" is showing how the characters survive, as well as showing the secondary characters get their shots at redemption.
The thing about "Night Angel" is that, barring three or four people, there are no good guys. Most of the secondary characters could easily be villains in any other story, yet we find ourselves rooting for many of them because they're the best of the worst. It adds an interesting dynamic to the reading experience when you step back and look at another story and realize that a villain there is not nearly as evil as a character who is fighting alongside Kylar or Logan. But is that a bad thing? No, I wouldn't think so. Again, the path of redemption is a long one, and Weeks makes it a thrilling, exciting one.
Both stories share the advantage of having multiple points of view, which allows for input from a good amount of characters. "Night Angel" has more character viewpoints, but some get lost or seem meaningless to a point. Solon, for example, does have a subplot but it isn't nearly as interesting as someone like Momma K. In the "Lightbringer" series, each viewpoint character had a way of influencing the plot, even if they were on the outside. A character like Teia comes to mind, or Liv Danavis, who is hardly near any of the main action.
Both stories also have interesting systems of magic and unique backstories for both their characters and their worlds. It's unclear what the real history of them is for much of their respective stories. Even with "Night Angel" all wrapped up, I still have like no idea what the major backstory or truth is. The varying religions keeps that mystery afloat. The religion in "Lightbringer" is fairly dominant, but developments in the later books make you wonder just what the truth of all of it is. I always enjoy a good mystery in the makings of a world, and seeing them unfold brings both stories up a peg for me.
So far, "Night Angel" is still the better in my opinion, but I can't make a full judgment until The Blood Mirror comes out (expect a review, too). Barring the idea of a complete narrative, I just found myself sucked into the world of Midcryu much quicker and invested in the characters and what they were doing. The political threads, while far fewer, also seemed to hold more weight. The morality of all the characters and how they would teeter the line of good and evil was an interesting aspect.
This is not to take away from "Lightbringer," though. Go out, right now, and get these books. They are fantastic, and easily some of the best modern fantasy we have out right now. I eagerly await both The Blood Mirror, as well as when Weeks finally makes his long-awaited return to Midcryu. I've got a good feeling it's gonna be a good time (for the readers, not the characters, that would be ridiculous).
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