![]() ![]() ![]() Fortunately, some of the narratives are engaging like the aforementioned Quinnitan and Chert Blue Quartz, and to some extent Matthias Tinwright or Captain Vansen, but then you have Princess Briony & Prince Barrick who were two of the most annoying & whiny characters that I’ve read in some time. To make matters worse, the characters are very formulaic – for example you have royal twins, a captain of the guard who longs for something beyond his station, a physician who dabbles in the mystical and a poet among others not counting such fantasy tropes as Funderlings (basically dwarves), Rooftoppers (tiny people), and Qar (fairy folk) just to name a few. Sure, some plotlines are interesting to follow like Quinnitan’s arc in the kingdom of Xis or Chert’s fun adventures, not to mention the concept behind the Shadowline/Shadowlands which offers something a bit different, but for the most part “ Shadowmarch” is a boring, overly trite affair, particularly the scenes involving the court intrigues set in Southmarch. First and foremost, the overall story is clichéd, uninspiring and predictable. Unfortunately, there’s a lot more involved in making a great fantasy and I felt that “ Shadowmarch” was sorely lacking in some areas. On the surface, Volume 1 of Shadowmarch has all the makings of a fully realized epic fantasy: maps, appendix, a rich background history, excerpts ( Book of Regret, The Book of the Trigon, Revelations of Nushash) to preface each chapter, a huge cast of characters, races, locales, gods, goddesses and much more to bring the world of Shadowmarch to life. For me, while Tad Williams is a name mentioned prominently in the fantasy world, the Shadowmarch trilogy is my first endeavor into his works, and to be quite honest, I wasn’t all that impressed…at least, not with his new saga’s opening chapter. ![]() “ Shadowplay”, the second volume in the Shadowmarch trilogy, is the latest offering from Tad Williams, probably best known for his Otherland fantasy saga, but also is the author of the Memory, Sorrow & Thorn series as well as various SF/fantasy standalones, short stories, and most recently comic books (Aquaman, The Next). "The Year Of Our War" by Steph Swainston."The Myth Hunters" by Christopher Golden."Lord Of The Silent Kingdom" by Glen Cook.Salvatore signs book deal with Tor (Edited) ![]()
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