Shadowfall

I read the book a year ago, and have been waiting for the second one to come out. It was a really good book. James Clemens cretes an entire new world, an entirely new universe and makes it seem believable with his great story telling. Every detail, every little story in the book ties back to the main theme. What I like most about it is that the reader solves the great mystery right along side the main character.

After the Sundering, gods fell to the barbaric world of man. Chaos and war reigned for centuries until the gods bonded themselves to the different lands. Then, with their powerful Graces, they bring the world back from the brink, and help mankind to build great cities. Now civilization spreads to all but the Hinterlands, where the crazed, rogue gods rule. But through the years a darkness starts to grow, stirring the winds of war. All-out conflict between the gods means a bloody anarchy for man that will be worse then ever before. All hope falls to the Shadowknights; the blessed, elite warriors of the world, but who can the Shadowknights save? They may have been infiltrated so deeply by the same evil that threatens all, that their very core may be rotted. Epic fantasy is my favorite genre, but in the last few years I'd all but given it up. Seems like most everything out there now-a-days, is predictable, too whimsical, low on action and description, and/or magic is as commonplace as a cell-phone. The few good fantasy books that I've come across, the writer runs the story into the ground or they make you wait so long between books that your interest fades Not so with Clemens. His writing moves quickly. The story and setting is unique, the characterization is superb, the action is two-fisted, and, intrigue abounds. While most epics have the formula climatic battle at the end, Clemens sticks a major part or two, right smack in the middle. You'll find yourself surprised when you still have half-book left. Be careful of which character you get attached to. They could get knocked-off so suddenly, you'll find yourself re-reading your last completed sentence; just to be sure you got it right. Also judging by Clemens's other series, he seems to put them out regularly, so you won't die of old-age waiting on the next book. I've already finished the next "Godslayer's Chronicles" book, "Hinterland" and I'm now hunting down his other fantasy series, "The Banned and the Banished." Give "Shadowfell" a go, you'll probably find yourself hooked too.

I must admit I have never been a big fan of fantasy, it has always been a male dominated genre where heroines are only identified by their beauty and cup size. I also found the endless story arcs and lineage lines to be aggravating and distracting. After hearing Clemens Witchfire series praised by several friends, I finally reluctantly picked it up and couldn't put it down, the series just kept getting better. Shadowfall is no different, it's an amazing read. Clemens is a master at world building. I look forward to reading Hinterland and the subsequent novels.

I read this novel on the coat-tails of reading Erikson's Malazan Series first novel and had i not read that this review would be title sophisticated instead of semi-. However in comparison to other generic formulated fantasy this book is excellent, very engrossing, very fast-paced, lots of action. I fully intend to get the second part of the series when it comes out, definitely a novel worth your time and money!

Overall the book was very good, i picked it up in a discount store and i just couldnt stop reading it, it interrupted my readings of Elizabeth Hayden. But the story line if the book was based on 100 gods ruling a land called Myrillia. Basically thier bodily fluids keep the world operating, and shadowknights are the military through out this land. The gods came to connect them selves to the land to stop the madness in thier head, and they connected themselves by blood. So for many centuries Myrillia was peaceful, until one night a god was slain and an innocent man was blamed for it. This is the starting path of the books, by the end you basically get an understanding of Myrillias true past and what has been going on behind the scenes when no one was looking, corruption and darkness underneath the light. And a starting path of a war that was postponned for the centuries of peace in myrillia, and is now started up again from the drakness behind the scenes. i didnt want to go too indepth because there are a lot of details to be mentioned. But what i found really interesting in this book was the way the terms blood seed/menses sweat tears blackbile yellow bile, were used. i havent even read about black and yellow bile since studying the middle ages. Black is poop and yellow is urine. but it was very impressive that the terms werent used falsely. this book was amazing it didnt disappoint me, being that i was a fan of the wi'tch series too. It is a very good read and a very good begining of a great series i look forward to collecting.