Senin, 21 Juni 2010

REVIEW: Shadow's Son by Jon Sprunk

Shadow's Son by Jon Sprunk
Publishing Information: Paperback; 279 pages
Publisher: Pyr 8 June 2010
ISBN 10: 1616142014
ISBN 13978-1616142018
Series- Book 1
Copy: Out of Pocket
Reviewer: Tyson

Back of Book "In the holy city of Othir, treachery and corruption lurk at the end of every street, just the place for a freelance assassin with no loyalties and few scruples. 

Caim makes his living on the edge of a blade, but when a routine job goes south, he is thrust into the middle of an insidious plot. Pitted against crooked lawmen, rival killers, and sorcery from the Other Side, his only allies are Josephine, the socialite daughter of his last victim, and Kit, a guardian spirit no one else can see. But in this fight for his life, Caim only trusts his knives and his instincts, but they won't be enough when his quest for justice leads him from Othir's hazardous back alleys to its shining corridors of power. To unmask a conspiracy at the heart of the empire, he must claim his birthright as the Shadow's Son...."


I am a sucker for a great assassin story and Shadow's Son delivers. Lots of great action with some well-developed characters in a believable society made for a very fast and entertaining read.

When we first are introduced to Caim, we see a very skilled assassin and quickly learn that he is unlike other people or other assassins for that matter. Caim has a guardian spirit named Kit, who comes and goes as she sees fit or when she is having a tantrum (which is often). He also seems to be able to call upon the shadows when the need arises. The character of Caim is interesting and by the end of the novel we still do not know the extent of Caim's abilities. 

The supporting characters and villains are also well developed. At first, Josephine was a little to much to handle as she came off as a brat but through the story she develops into a very strong woman. The villains (which I will not spoil who they are) are also well thought out and even their goals switch and are hidden from the reader until just the right time. 

The world of Shadow's Son is similar to ours, only trapped in between  a Victorian and Middle Ages era. The majority of people do not believe in fairies or the Other Side, while a few do believe in its existence. We are led to believe that there are sorcerers and magicians but the magic is kept at a minimum. In fact, only two characters show any ability. There is a bit of political intrigue but not a whole lot.

My one complaint with Shadow's Son was that late in the book there is a rape scene and while it is very short (only a few sentences and later one line that refers back to it), I thought it was unnecessary and did not do anything to advance the story. While I realise that life in the world Sprunk has created is not always fair this particular scene could have been removed or edited and it would not have affected the overall story. But I do have to say that this is a very minor issue.

Shadow's Son is just under 280 pages and Sprunk does a great job of world and character building while not bogging you down with infodumps. The action is well done and the story moves at a break-neck speed. Sprunk shows you write a great debut novel and comes out swinging with a great story of love, death, and magic.

If you are looking for a book dealing with assassins look no further than Shadow's Son. The character of Caim reminds me of Brent Weeks' Night Angel Trilogy or David Gemmell, if he wrote about assassins. Jon Sprunk is now on my must read list. Great debut novel.

Plot  8
Characters  8
Style  8.5

Overall  8.5/10

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