Orbital Drop Way of Shadows

The Way of Shadows for $2.99! This month’s Orbital Drop is THE WAY OF SHADOWS, the first book in Brent Weeks’ bestselling Night Angel Trilogy. It’s just $2.99 through October! Visit The Orbital Drop for details! Happy reading!

REVIEW: The Perfect Shadow by Brent Weeks (Kindle Edition)

The Perfect Shadow by Brent Weeks
Publishing information: Kindle
Publisher: Orbit 1 June 2011
ASIN: B004RQTXDI
Series: Prequel to The Night Angel Trilogy
Copy: Out of Pocket
Reviewer: Tyson

Synopsis: "Discover the origins of Durzo Blint in this original novella set in the world of Brent Weeks' New York Times bestselling Night Angel trilogy.

"I got a bit of prophecy," the old assassin said. "Not enough to be useful, you know. Just glimpses. My wife dead, things like that to keep me up late at night. I had this vision that I was going to be killed by forty men, all at once. But now that you're here, I see they're all you. Durzo Blint."

Durzo Blint? Gaelan had never even heard the name.

***
Gaelan Starfire is a farmer, happy to be a husband and a father; a careful, quiet, simple man. He's also an immortal, peerless in the arts of war. Over the centuries, he's worn many faces to hide his gift, but he is a man ill-fit for obscurity, and all too often he's become a hero, his very names passing into legend: Acaelus Thorne, Yric the Black, Hrothan Steelbender, Tal Drakkan, Rebus Nimble.

But when Gaelan must take a job hunting down the world's finest assassins for the beautiful courtesan-and-crimelord Gwinvere Kirena, what he finds may destroy everything he's ever believed in."

It is no secret that I am a big Brent Weeks fan, in fact his Night Angel trilogy is what got me back into the genre after reading history and military books for years. When his Lighbringer series started up I was not all that impressed as it had a hard time of keeping me interested. So, it was a nice change of pace to return to the world that started this whole love for the genre and blogging thing.

The Perfect Shadow is a prequel to the Night Angel trilogy and it basically tells of Durzo Blint's rise as the infamous assassin in the world. We also learn a bit more about his early life and where the name Durzo Blint actually comes from.

While The Perfect Shadow is a prequel, I couldn't help but wonder if someone who was interested in the series would want to start here. There is a lot of information that only seems to make sense for those who have already read the original series. If I had started with the Novella I think that things would be spoiled once I got to the trilogy. A few things are given away that do not come to light right away as you read the series. With that in mind, I might skip this prequel until you have read the series first. It does not really contain much as far as spoilers, but some relationships are revealed before they are in the books which may or may not ruin the experience.

That aside, The Perfect Shadow was a homecoming of sorts, I enjoyed the story and my only real complaint was that it was far too short and made me wish there were more stories to read about the characters and the world.

Do not have a Kindle? Subterranean Press has it for pre-order. No official release date other than fall. Click here for details.

Story 7
Characters 8
Style 8

Overall 8/10

Orbit Launches Short Fiction

Orbit has started a a new program that will release short fiction by many authors in their stable.

The first scheduled releases have been announced:

Brent Weeks Perfect Shadow (forthcoming)
Jaye Wells Violet Tendencies
Jennifer Rardin Scouting Jasmine
TC McCarthy The Legionnaires 
Mira Grant Apocalypse Senario #683: The Box


The short stories will be available at all major US retailers at first and then branch out to other regions. A newsletter and Facebook link are also available to keep you informed of future releases at the end of the article.

It looks as if eBooks are going to be a big push for Orbit in the coming year and this is a chance to read some quick novellas of some of your favorite authors. I did not see a price for the short stories so, no idea what Orbit will set for the cost of these short stories. With many independent and small publishing firms setting their prices very low it may be interesting to see what happens.

REVIEW: The Black Prism by Brent Weeks

The Black Prism by Brent Weeks
Publishing information: Hardback; 629 pages
Publisher: Orbit; 26 August 2010
ISBN 10: 184149903X
ISBN 13: 9781841499031
Series: Lightbringer #1
Copy Out of pocket
Reviewer: Tyson

Inside the Book: "Power, Strength and riches are his. but the cost is life itself.

Gavin Guile is the Prism, the most powerful man in the world. He is high priest and emperor, a man whose power, wit, and charm are all that preserves a tenuous peace. But Prisms never last, and Guile knows exactly how long he has left to live: Five years to achieve five impossible goals.

But when Guile discovers he has a son, born in a far kingdom after the war that put him in power, he must decide how much he’s willing to pay to protect a secret that could tear his world apart."


It is with a heavy heart that I write this review. I read fantasy in junior high school up through high school and when I hit college, when I found time to read, it was books with more of a historical leanings. It was not until Brent Weeks came out with his Night Angel trilogy that I finally returned to reading fantasy, horror, and science fiction. When Brent Weeks announced that he had a new series coming out I jumped at the chance and placed my pre-order nearly half a year in advance. There have been some detractors to Weeks' first trilogy and I had hoped that The Black Prism would send them away packing, I just do not feel as if this will be the case.

The Black Prism has a interesting magic system. We meet the Prism, an all-powerful magic welder who does his best to keep balance to the various colored magics that are available to use by others ability to detect and manipulate the colors of the visible spectrum. The Prism can use every color while others can use either a single color, two colors or for the very few three colors. Training to become a magic user takes time and money and magic users are held in high esteem and in some cases fear. Each kingdom (based on color) finds someone to finance the training of anyone who shows an affinity towards magic. It is an interesting magic system with a lot of potential.

Training to become a magic user cost money so the social aspects are also quickly established as a work for education caste system is created. It was brought up and force on one of the main characters but the system was not fully developed which I found slightly irritating considering how it is used in the story, I would have liked to have had more background information to fully understand it and its implications.

There are a few points of view that we bounce around to in The Black Prism and I thought they were all very well done. The Prism also known as Gavin Guile, Kip, Liv, and Karris are our main view points and aside from a huge twist that we encounter at the half-way point of the story. Were all rather bland. Their is a lot of background story told throughout the book which does not bog you down, but the book failed to capture my interest. The most interesting characters were supporting characters. Liv's Father General/Master Danavis and the Blackguard Captain, Ironfist. They had a lot of personality and made for an interesting read. I would rather read a story about them and their adventures than about the struggles of the Prism and his charge.

The world featured in The Black Prism is fairly peaceful. Each of the nations represent a certain color in the spectrum and they rule to the best of their ability. One nation has been the focus of The Prism War where Gavin Guile finally secured his place as the Prism has been strangled for all of its riches and resources and it is where a young upstart proclaim himself king. The self-proclaimed king has given shelter to the magic users that have gone beyond their limits with their magic and has "saved" them from the "freeing." The freeing is when magic users have come to the end of their ability to use the colors for magic and now threaten to fracture and go insane from their power usage. They are detected by a halo in their eyes, which also has the become unpredictable and mad. The Prism has the ability to free those who have gone beyond their limits and saves them from themselves. It was an interesting concept that may have some wondering if there was another way to free the magicians.

By all accounts, The Black Prism should be a hit. However, I had a hard time staying with it. I was barely entertained as I read it and longed to read something else up until the last 200 pages were I finally enjoyed the pacing of the novel and had enough action to keep me reading. While I will continue with the series simply because Brent Weeks won me over with the Night Angel trilogy, I did not find this book all that I expected. A lot of open threads are yet to be solved and will be resolved in the next two books.

I do not know whether my expectations were too high or something else entirely, but I was not fond of this book. It was average at best. There is a lot of potential here but sadly and with great regret it never shined.

Plot 7
Characters 6
Style 6

Overall 7/10

Around the Net

BOOK NEWS

Joe Hileman

Free eBook offer. By heading over to Smashwords and entering in the code: QB85B or SW100 before checkout and you can get yourself VRIN: Ten Mortal Gods.

Is Jason Tardin a god? The people of Vrin believe so, and why shouldn't they? After all, he has the power to manipulate the invisible wire structures upon which their world is painted. But, if he IS a god, then why can't he remember? Dreams, virtual reality, and the world between life and death collide in this surreal mystery, where nothing is quite as it seems. 






A.A. Attanasio

Phoenix Picks is doing a free book a month and this months offer is The Last Legends of Earth by A. A. Attanasio. By signing up you will receive a promotional code and can pick up the book for free.

Seven billion years from now, long after the Sun has died and human life itself has become extinct, alien beings reincarnate humanity from our fossilized DNA drifting as debris in the void of deep space. We are reborn to serve as bait in a battle to the death between the Rimstalker, humankind’s reanimator, and the zotl, horrific creatures who feed vampire-like on the suffering of intelligent lifeforms.
The reborn children of Earth are told: “You owe no debt to the being that roused you to this second life. Neither must you expect it to guide you or benefit you in any way.” Yet humans choose sides, as humans will, participating in the titanic struggle between Rimstalker and zotl in ways strange and momentous.






Neil Gaiman


According to SciFi Wire, Neil Gaiman has given up on his vampire novel because he feels the vampire genre is watered down with too many of the bloodsuckers. 

Would you read a big, honking vampire novel from Neil Gaiman? Of course you would! Us too. Unfortunately, we're not going to get the chance. At least not for awhile.

Why? Because, according to an interview in The Independent, Gaiman, whose Graveyard Bookrecently became the first children's book to win the Carnegie Award, has decided there are far too many bloodsuckers out there. In fact, he compared the growth of vampires in books, TV and movies to a cockroach infestation.

"My next big novel was going to have a vampire," said Gaiman about plans for his next book. "Now, I'm probably not. They are everywhere, they're like cockroaches."

Gaiman likely won't write his vampire character until vamps have become a bit less buzzworthy.

"Maybe it's time for this to play out and go away," he said. "It's good sometimes to leave the field fallow. I think some of this stuff is being over-farmed."

As much as we'd like to see what Gaiman would do with a bloodsucker, the record-breaking box office of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse tells us ... we're going to have to wait a while. A very long while.

This is a huge disappointment, but at least he has convictions, which you can not say that about everyone.


Brent Weeks

Brent Weeks has announced his upcoming American tour dates for his new book The Black Prism. I am disappointed as I will be traveling to Seattle a few weeks before the he hits the town and will miss him. However, many of you may get a chance to see him, here is the list so far:

August 25 (on-sale), 7:00 PM PDT

Borders #152
2605 SW Cedar Hills Blvd.
Beaverton OR 97005

August 26, 7:00 PM PDT

University Bookstore
4326 University Way NE
Seattle WA 98122
www.ubookstore.com

August 27,  7:00 PM PDT

Mysterious Galaxy
7051 Claremont Mesa Boulevard
San Diego CA 92111
www.mystgalaxy.com

August 28, 2 PM PDT

Borders #149
100 S. Brand Blvd.
Glendale CA 91204

August 29, 2 PM CDT

Barnes & Noble #2884
7700 West Northwest Highway
Dallas TX 75225

August 30, 7:00 PM PDT

Borderlands
866 Valencia Street
San Francisco CA 94110
www.borderlands-books.com

September 4, 12 noon PDT

Costco #97
13130 SE 84^th Avenue
Clackamas OR 97015

As you can see, the book tour is mostly on the West Coast. So if I’m not visiting anywhere near you and you’re just dying to have me come around, we do have one slot still open. If you haven’t yet voted, you can click the Demand It Now! button on the right and request that I come to your city. Please vote if you live somewhere awesome. (Sorry, North Dakota.)

Comic Book News

Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman has looked the same since for over 70 years. The patriotic Amazon will be sporting a new updated look, complete with pants. While I personally do not care for the new look, the news may just garner some interest and fast track her big screen debut. From Sci Fi Wire:

DC reveals Wonder Woman's new, updated costume

Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski has just taken over the Wonder Woman comic book, along with artists Don Kramer and Michael Babinski, and they've given DC Comics' most famous female superhero a new look—but is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Straczynski, who calls the new look cooked up by DC Comics co-publisher and artist Jim Lee "the first significant change in her appearance since the character debuted in 1941" (not counting the mod look used briefly in the '60s, about which the less said the better), obviously thinks so. As he explains it:

It reflects her origins in both the outside world and the world of Amazons: tough, elegant ... a street-fighter's look which also incorporates elements of her classic design. It reflects the two sides warring for ultimate victory, and underscores the path she must take.

It's a look designed to be taken seriously as a warrior, in partial answer to the many female fans over the years who've asked, "how does she fight in that thing without all her parts falling out?") She can close it up to pass unnoticed ... open it for the freedom to fight...lose the jacket or keep it on...it has pockets (the other fan question, "where does she carry anything in that outfit?", it can be accessorized ... it's a Wonder Woman look designed for the 21st century. The bracelets are still there, but made more colorful, tied on the inside and over the hand, with a script W on each of them that form WW when she holds them side by side ... and if you get hit by one of them, it leaves a W mark. This is a Wonder Woman who signs her work...letting her enemies know that she's getting closer.

But Nikki Finke, who debuted the artwork below over at Deadline today, headlined her story, "DC Comics Has Ruined Wonder Woman!" and goes on to say that "she looks ready for Goth Day at the Sherman Oaks Galleria." And The Awl titled its story in the makeover "DC Comics Starves Wonder Woman, Then Drags Her to Hot Topic."

Spider-man 

It's official! Andrew Garfield IS the new Spider-Man!

From Sci Fi Wire:

Star Trek's Anton Yelchin? Percy Jackson's Logan Lerman? Jumper's Jamie Bell? Sorry those screen tests didn't pan out for you, guys. But after teasing us for months, director Marc Webb and Sony Pictures have FINALLY made up their minds, and the new Spider-Man will be Andrew Garfield, best known for 2009's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.

Here's the studio's official announcement:

After a comprehensive worldwide casting search, Andrew Garfield has been chosen to portray Peter Parker when Spider-Man swings back onto the screen in 3D on July 3, 2012. The new film will begin production in early December directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay by James Vanderbilt. Laura Ziskin and Avi Arad will produce the film from Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios. 

Today's confirmation culminates what has been one of the most eagerly anticipated casting announcements in recent memory. Bloggers, pop culture speculators, and everyday fans have pored over and analyzed every conceivable online rumor in an attempt to discover the identity of the next actor to play Peter Parker. Garfield will immediately begin preparing for the coveted role. 

The Spider-Man franchise is one of the most successful in film history and the three previous motion pictures have collectively grossed more than $2.5 billion in worldwide box office. 

On selecting Garfield, director Marc Webb said, "Though his name may be new to many, those who know this young actor's work understand his extraordinary talents. He has a rare combination of intelligence, wit, and humanity. Mark my words, you will love Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker." 

Commenting on the announcement, Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Matt Tolmach, President of Columbia Pictures said, "Spider-Man is a classic superhero—a young man who balances his responsibility to serve humanity and crush evil with the shyness and normalcy of someone struggling to find himself. The role demands an extraordinary actor. You need someone who can magically transform himself from Peter Parker into Spider-Man. An actor who will depict the vulnerability of youth and the strength and confidence of a legendary figure at the same moment. We have found that actor in Andrew Garfield. From the first time we saw him in the upcoming film The Social Network, to his glorious screen test, which floored all of us, we knew that we had found our new Peter Parker." 

Producer Avi Arad added, "I'm incredibly excited about Andrew Garfield. In the Spider-Man tradition, we were looking for a smart, sensitive, and cool new Peter Parker who can inspire us and make us laugh, cry, and cheer. We believe we have found the perfect choice to take on this role and lead us into the future." 

Producer Laura Ziskin said, "We are thrilled to have Andrew Garfield for this new incarnation of Spider-Man under Marc Webb's direction. We were fortunate enough to meet with a group of fantastically talented young men. In the end, we all agreed that in addition to being an extraordinary actor, Andrew had the right mix of humor, youth, and pathos, along with an underlying sense of strength and power necessary to bring Peter Parker and Spider-Man to life on screen."

The selection of Garfield was revealed at a press event in Cancun, Mexico for international journalists attending a media tour promoting upcoming films from Sony Pictures Entertainment. 

Garfield is fast becoming one of the most respected and sought-after young actors working in the industry today. In a short career, spanning only five years, he has already been directed by, and starred alongside, some of the greatest names and received a BAFTA for a role that won him international praise. 

Garfield most recently worked with director David Fincher on the upcoming film The Social Network. He previously starred for Spike Jonze on his robot love story I'm Here, which premiered at Sundance this year. He plays the lead male opposite Keira Knightley and Carey Mulligan in Mark Romanek's Never Let Me Go, due for release later this year.

Other notable screen credits include Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassusplaying opposite Christopher Plummer, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, Jude Law and the late Heath Ledger, Robert Redford's Lions For Lambs, where he starred alongside Redford, Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep; Revolution Films' "Red Riding Trilogy - 1974" directed by Julian Jarrold, where he lead a stellar cast including Rebecca Hall and David Morrissey, and his unforgettable portrayal of a young ex-con in John Crowley's "Boy A," for which he earned the best actor BAFTA in 2008. 

Garfield's career began in theatre and in 2006 his performances in "Beautiful Thing" (Sound Space/Kit Productions), "The Overwhelming," and "Burn / Chatroom / Citizenship" (Royal National Theatre) won him the Milton Shulman Award for Outstanding Newcomer at the Evening Standard awards and the Jack Tinker Award for Most Promising Newcomer at the Critics Circle Theatre Awards. Other notable theatre credits include "Romeo and Juliet" (Manchester Royal Exchange) and "Kes" (Manchester Royal Exchange), for which he received the Most Promising Newcomer Award at the Manchester Evening News Awards 2004.

Batman
There are a lot of funny tweets out there but Batman Tweets have got to be some of the best. From God_Damn_Batman and Sci Fi Wire:

Hey Pattinson, lessons on real brooding: 1. Comb your hair down, you look retarded. 2. Watch your parents get murdered. 3. Get a cape.

Watch out criminal scum, I'm trying to kick caffeine again. And we all remembered what happened last time, don't we? DON'T WE!!!

Robin's skipping patrols tonight to go see Twilight Eclipse. Unrelated note: Tomorrow's training to include punch-withstanding and wedgies.

Alfred, do you really expect me to peel string cheese wearing these gauntlets? THAT'S WHY I ASKED FOR LUNCHABLES!

Yeah, my parents are dead. What's that you were saying about hating Mondays?

Joker's face: make-up or permanent? Punch Test reveals nothing. Will try Concrete Dragging next.

Hey iPhone developers. Can we get crackin on the "Solving Lame Riddles" App already Thaaaaanks.

Found the Twilight novels under Robin's bed. Thought about mocking him, but considering his life expectancy decided to let him have his fun.

What do you tell a two-bit criminal with two broken arms? "I'm starting on your legs next."

Going to help with the clean up effort in the Gulf. And by "clean up effort" I mean breaking some BP exec's knee caps.

We'll miss you, Jack Bauer. If you ever come out of exile, I've got a pair of green ankle shoes and a yellow cape waiting.

I hate Mother's Day. It's a fake holiday created by greeting card companies and people whose parents aren't murdered.

Hey Tony Stark, there's a "Rich Drunk Douchebags Anonymous" meeting tomorrow. I'll sign you up for a seat. With my fists.

How come no one uses the "The" anymore? I miss the "The."

Arkham is a disgusting, human rights-violating hellhole. It's like my Disneyland.

First day of summer. Maybe I'll open a lemonade stand. Where the lemonade is compound fractures.

You could say my dad made me who I am today. By taking four bullets to the chest in a dirty alley. Happy Father's Day.

Two things criminals should know. 1. I assume you don't have health insurance. 2. I break the most expensive bones first.

How do you beat the Lakers? Send me into Staples Center, alone, and kill the lights. You're welcome, Celtics.

The Batman's Most Wanted: Joker. Ra's al Ghul. Joel Schumacher. Not necessarily in that order.

I brush my teeth with JUSTICE and floss with PAIN.

Was going to stop Joker from interrupting live broadcast of the Tony awards, but since no one is watching anyway decided to just stay home.

There's an art to crashing thru a skylight. Also, landing. Nothing worse than fighting Joker with wedding cake all over your bat-suit.

Saw the A-Team. Would've been better if instead of a "team" it was one man. Dressed like a bat. Who drives a stealth tank.

I'm not saying these World Cup guys aren't in shape, I'd just like to see them play in 50lbs of body armor with limited head motion.

Batcave renovations to include self-surgery station, upgraded armory, and MOTHER EFFING SHARK TANK.

I am Vengeance. I am the Night. I am mildly lactose intolerant.

TWITTER OVER CAPACITY?! DAMMIT. That's the SECOND Batcomputer monitor I've punched through this morning.

Destroyed 5 police cruisers, a tanker truck, a hipster's fixed gear bicycle, and an overpass support beam. All on my commute home.

What do I call my iPhone? The BATiPhone? The iBatPhone? These are the things that keep me up at night. Well that and the face punching.

Raided Penguin's lair while he was watching the Nat'l Spelling Bee. Here's a word you can spell, 

DENTALRECONSTRUCTIVESURGERY

Gordon was blabbing on about his feelings of inadequacy as dad/husband. So I disappeared. Wonder how long he stood there talking to himself?

No Alfred, I DON'T know what PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE means. Why don't you EXPLAIN it to me.

Gordon complaining Batsignal doesn't work on cloudless nights. Hey Commish, my parents are dead. Life sucks don't it?

Movie News

Johnny Depp playing the Doctor in a big-screen Doctor Who movie?

From io9:

It sounds like a ridiculous internet rumor. But Tor.Com claims to have confirmed the casting, and a release date of 2012, with "movie studio sources." (They don't say which studio.) And Russell T. Davies may be the writer.

Update: In case you missed it, we talked to the BBC and they said there's no truth to these rumors.

The original source of this rumor is a site called PubArticles, that Tor.Com describes as an "article mill." The PubArticles post has actually been taken down, so it's impossible to evaluate whether there's any truth to it whatsoever. But Tor.Com quotes from the now-deleted PubArticles post.

Russell T. Davies is quoted as saying, "There will be brand new concepts and the film will be just as adventurous, scary and humorous as the television programme. But none of us working the film will forget what makes the character great and interesting and the long-time fans will not be disappointed because yes, the Daleks make an appearance." And the article adds that the Doctor travels throughout history curing illnesses that have been caused by aliens, including the Bubonic Plague. More details at the link.

The unnamed movie studio sources who were able to confirm to Tor.Com that Johnny Depp will be playing the Doctor in 2012 were unable to confirm any of these story elements, so let's hope that part is pure fabrication. Even with the anonymous confirmation, I'd still take even the Depp casting and release date with a major grain of salt, too. Image via Tor.Com. [Tor.Com]

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 13: 978-1616142018
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