What with one thing or another it's taken me a little while to get around to reading this third volume in Tad William's Shadowmarch Quartet. Having read the first two volumes almost back to back, I was interested to see what my reaction would be to this series after a break of six months. Would I still be as interested as I'd been previously in William's dark fable? The answer soon came out as a clear yes.
This volume picks up directly where Shadowplay left off. Right from the outset the various protagonists are faced with dire circumstances as the foundations of all they had known previously lay in ruins. Royal twins Briony and Barrick are still separated and completely unaware of each other's fate. Barrick struggles in pursuit of an insane quest in the twilight lands of the faerie Qar with only the ramblings of the rancid raven Skurn for company, and Briony is trapped in a hostile court as the guest of a neighbouring ruler. Meanwhile their homeland remains both besieged by the faeries and under the rule of a tyrannical usurper. As if this wasn't enough, in the Southern city of Hierosol the crazed god emperor of Xis steps up his plans to outdo even his previous conquests. Plans which require access to the mysteries that lay beneath Barrick & Briony's home of Southmarch Castle, and which threaten a war involving not just their realms, but all the human kingdoms, the faeries and the very gods themselves. The all encompassing threat of war, and rapidly converging character narratives lend Shadowrise a greater sense of urgency from the outset, than was present in the previous two books.
The epic scale of this series really becomes apparent in Shadowrise. As the story unfolds, many of the elements begin to coalesce and a large dramatic picture begins to reveal itself. In this series I have been particularly impressed with the way William's has represented the theologies and ideologies of the principal factions. Now we also begin to see more clearly how these different theologies converge into a larger truth than is known to any one group. I have said before of this series, that much of the source material is fairly plain to see for anyone reasonably well read in Ancient History and folklore, as well as contemporary fantasy of course; but it is the skill with which William's brings his epic tale together that I think shows him as a master crafter in his field. This is a tale that has a particularly broad vision. It is not just a tale of questing heroes, or the story of the remaking of a world during a time of cataclysm, though it is those as well. It is a vision of how a patchwork of societies and truths might emerge from a singular point in history, and how over time their origins become lost, disappearing finally into myth, legend and competing ideologies. All themes that have been tackled in fantasy before, but few have William's acute capacity for seeing the big picture in the work, or his skill in bringing the disparate elements together so precisely.
Large ideas can at times dwarf character in fiction. We've all read many stories which revolve around great ideas, but which fall flat when it comes to characterisation. Not so with this series, although the characters conform largely to a number of fantasy archetypes, they are sufficiently rounded and mostly likeable. As Shadowrise progressed I found myself particularly warming to Barrick for perhaps the first time since I began reading the series. The raven Skurn, and the true to type stoic guardsmen Vansen are also favourites.
Shadowrise is the best volume in the Shadowmarch series so far. A truly epic vision that gets right to the heart of the power of mythology and fable, and a sumptuous feast of faerie magic, human politics and ancient secrets. I find myself eagerly awaiting the series conclusion in the soon to be released Shadowheart.
Shadowrise
This volume picks up directly where Shadowplay left off. Right from the outset the various protagonists are faced with dire circumstances as the foundations of all they had known previously lay in ruins. Royal twins Briony and Barrick are still separated and completely unaware of each other's fate. Barrick struggles in pursuit of an insane quest in the twilight lands of the faerie Qar with only the ramblings of the rancid raven Skurn for company, and Briony is trapped in a hostile court as the guest of a neighbouring ruler. Meanwhile their homeland remains both besieged by the faeries and under the rule of a tyrannical usurper. As if this wasn't enough, in the Southern city of Hierosol the crazed god emperor of Xis steps up his plans to outdo even his previous conquests. Plans which require access to the mysteries that lay beneath Barrick & Briony's home of Southmarch Castle, and which threaten a war involving not just their realms, but all the human kingdoms, the faeries and the very gods themselves. The all encompassing threat of war, and rapidly converging character narratives lend Shadowrise a greater sense of urgency from the outset, than was present in the previous two books.
The epic scale of this series really becomes apparent in Shadowrise. As the story unfolds, many of the elements begin to coalesce and a large dramatic picture begins to reveal itself. In this series I have been particularly impressed with the way William's has represented the theologies and ideologies of the principal factions. Now we also begin to see more clearly how these different theologies converge into a larger truth than is known to any one group. I have said before of this series, that much of the source material is fairly plain to see for anyone reasonably well read in Ancient History and folklore, as well as contemporary fantasy of course; but it is the skill with which William's brings his epic tale together that I think shows him as a master crafter in his field. This is a tale that has a particularly broad vision. It is not just a tale of questing heroes, or the story of the remaking of a world during a time of cataclysm, though it is those as well. It is a vision of how a patchwork of societies and truths might emerge from a singular point in history, and how over time their origins become lost, disappearing finally into myth, legend and competing ideologies. All themes that have been tackled in fantasy before, but few have William's acute capacity for seeing the big picture in the work, or his skill in bringing the disparate elements together so precisely.
Large ideas can at times dwarf character in fiction. We've all read many stories which revolve around great ideas, but which fall flat when it comes to characterisation. Not so with this series, although the characters conform largely to a number of fantasy archetypes, they are sufficiently rounded and mostly likeable. As Shadowrise progressed I found myself particularly warming to Barrick for perhaps the first time since I began reading the series. The raven Skurn, and the true to type stoic guardsmen Vansen are also favourites.
Shadowrise is the best volume in the Shadowmarch series so far. A truly epic vision that gets right to the heart of the power of mythology and fable, and a sumptuous feast of faerie magic, human politics and ancient secrets. I find myself eagerly awaiting the series conclusion in the soon to be released Shadowheart.
Shadowrise
by Tad Williams
800pp, published in the UK by Orbit, £7.99
800pp, published in the UK by Orbit, £7.99
Available from The Book Depository
Part 3 of a series. To be followed by: Shadowheart 
Preceded by: Shadowmarch & Shadowplay
4 comments:
I have been loving the "Shadow" books, and I agree that this volume, primarily due to the way the scope of the conflict expands, has been the best so far.
One of the reasons I like Tad's works is he is capable of telling many people's stories but at the same time keep the focus on the overall plot. All too often in multi-character epics I find myself wondering what significance something will have only to find it is pointless in terms of plotting. I never have that worry with Tad's books.
I can't wait till book four is out since that will mean another re-read of the entire set.
I totally agree with your point about Tad never loosing focus, and his deft handling of multiple character perspectives. Like you I'm loving this series.
I really need to re-read this series. I was less than pleased with the first book in the series and only made it half way through the second before my life exploded around me. I've heard this last book was great. Your review was good... thus, it's moving up on my TBR list.
@Sandra - Thanks for your comment :) This series gets better as it develops, although in some aspects I preferred the first to the second book, which slows in the middle a bit. The third is the best so far, and taken together I'm really enjoying the series. Definitely worth another shot if you like Epic Fantasy.
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