Silver Shadows

I loved this book which continued the wonderful tale of Arilyn Moonblade. Silver Shadows helped give incredible insight into Arilyn's inner turmoil stemming from her half-elven heritage, the moonblade which she wields, and her evolving relationship with Danilo Thann. You also get a rare and interesting glance into the interworkings of the elven royal family on evermeet and their feelings towards both Arilyn and the forest elves living in Fauren. And lets not forget the wonderful Silver Shadows (which I won't spoil for you what they are!) As usual Elaine Cunningham weaves a wonderful story perfect laced with great dialogue, interesting characters, and great action!

The Forest Elves are being framed for attacks on caravans.And if this was'nt bad enough an army of mercenaries are destroying their villaiges & enslaving the elves, those are the lucky ones... Becuase those who don't get enslaved are dead..Arilyn seeks answers about herself & searches for away to keep from binding herself to the Moon Blade but it may cost her everything she's ever wanted & loved..This book is the third of a great series by E. Cunningham.The characters are so well formed that you feel you're right there with them.The series spans 4 books ELFSHADOW,ELFSONG,SILVER SHADOWS, & The DREAM SPHERES.The characters grow & learn more about themselves as you do.This is one of the best series I have read, & I've never seen a story unfold & evolve better than this one..

With "Silver Shadows", Elaine Cunningham once again returns to the forested lands of Faerûn. In her forth tale set within the Forgotten Realms, she reprises the character Arilyn Moonblade taking her far from the familiar territory of Waterdeep. In this tale, we follow Arilyn's journey through Zezasspur, capital city of the tumultuous nation of Tethyr, and into the distinctly fey realms of the sylvan elves of the Tethir forest. Somehow, the Harper must straddle the line between these two starkly conflicting cultures, and find the means to save the elven people of Tethir; all the while struggling to find her own place in both worlds, to neither of which she fully belongs. Mrs. Cunningham is a master of her craft; in my opinion, none among her Faerûnian peers can match her compassion, and objectivity to the elven plight. She also has a talent for developing characters; all too often, the characters within a fantasy novel are merely passengers for the plot, not so for this author. She remarkably balances the expected, with the unexpected, all the while maintaining a compelling story ripe with action, humor and emotion. This was a marvelous book, whether or not you faithfully follow the tales of the Forgotten Realms, this is a must read. However, I suggest you first read "Elfshadow" and then "Elfsong" before you pick this one up; while not necessary, it will only serve to enhance the undercurrents within the story.

I liked this book very much.Arilyn is a great heroine.I also thought that Jill was very funny and not your average gruff dwarf-type.I wasn't so fond of the parts with Hasheth,but overall this is a book I am going to read many times.Elaine Cunnigham is one of the better writers of Realms books.I hope that she will someday write a book telling what happened to Arilyn and Danilo after this.

Silver Shadows is one of the best TSR books, well worth reading. But to get the most out of it, I suggest that you read the two prequels for it first: "Elfshadow" (Harpers 2) and "Elfsong" (Harpers 8). They are essential for understanding the small subplots and undercurrents of "Silver Shadows." Another useful prequel reading for this book is a thirty page story by Elaine Cunningham in the Forgotten Realms anthology "Realms of Valor." This story, called "The Bargain" is directly related to "Silver Shadow" and explains the reasons behind the Harper mission which landed Arilyn Moonblade and Danilo Thann in Zazzespur and their respective introduction to the Assasin's and Wine Merchant's guilds.