Shadowplay

tad williams has done it again. another late night page turner. not as action packed so far in comparison to his other series the dragonbone chair though. he will really have to step his game up in the third (maybe fourth) enstallment of the series. i expect nothing less from williams.

This is a really long book and even voracious readers will need some time to go through it. Hey, I like that about a good book! Thankfully there was little in the way of refreshing readers' memories by having characters do over-long reminiscing or recounting to other characters about what has passed before, because that can get so boring. When the author feels you might need reminding about something, he handles it more gracefully than most. Still, you might want to re-read Shadowmarch just for the pleasure. My only quibble so far is that the pace of Shadowplay sometimes bogs down, but Williams' fine writing and the introduction of new characters (Skurn!) helps make up for that. I'm glad this is a trilogy and not longer.... I'm eager to read the last one!

I read the first book in this trilogy and enjoyed it, but sometimes the second book in a trilogy falls flat. Not so with this, it was even better! What a feat. Very entertaining, great plot lines and character development. Also, a good balance of some characters in "traveling" mode and others progressing in plot from one general location. Many Fantasy books overdo the travelling from one place to another. Also, in these long books, I often spend time flipping through the pages of filler, conversations and other types that just go nowhere. Not with this one. I enjoyed every page. I was truly sorry when it ended.

I find book 2 to be better written then book 1, maybe because the characters' trials have made them more sympathetic and interesting. There is still a lot of mystery left and some things made a little clearer. Which makes the anticipation of 3 all the more exciting!

The wonderful pleasure in reading Tad Williams books is in knowing the characters, all with such complexity and depth, with the stamps of their many fantastic cultures, and to see them develop and unfold and weave into each other's destinies. What a feat, and what a feast for the reader! Even characters one can't help but want to slap into shape a bit will get under your skin, so that you will somehow want them to survive. And the villians are the most enigmatic, repulsive and deeply mystical creatures yet. When compared to the Dragonbone series, it seems these Sidhi had a similiar origin on the same fantasy planet but a different, darker evolutionary pathway. It was a wonderful read, over too soon, and as Williams does, we are left with many questions and worries about our beloved characters, and unquenched apprehension about the unstoppable tyrannies and simmering betrayals to come. I hope he doesn't take too long with that next one...