The Shadow Roads: Book Three of the Swans' War

A satisfying finale! This series by Sean Russell is one of the best fantasy reads I've had in ages. It has everything I enjoy in this genre; love, hate, betrayal, friends/enemies in unusual places, unexpected twists and turns and a liberal dose of magic throughout this work. The conclusion to this epic good versus evil struggle ends with a much anticipated and long awaited battle that will, I think, leave most fantasy reader satisfied.(and maybe wishing for more) What separates this trilogy from so many others is the quality of the prose. Russell writes with an impressive descriptive style and is able to give us a range of characters that go from easily likable to just plain despicable(and lots in between). I found this novel hard to put down and often read late into the night. The SINGLE negative (and loss of ½ star) for this book (and the entire series) is the fact that there is no map; a map that would have made following the travels of our heroes so much easier and enjoyable. All in all, a great final installment for this epic fantasy trilogy. Easily recommended for all fantasy lovers. 4 ½ Stars.

Sean Russell is one of the most elegant, descriptive writers of the modern era. His prose and imagery are second to none, and he has an uncanny ability to place the reader within the book, allowing them to "feel" the mood of each scene. With his "Swans' War Trilogy," Russell not only creates a unique fantasy tale full of war, mysticism, and mystery, but he does so with such vivacity that one cannot help but enjoy the ride. The Shadow Roads, the last installment of the "Swans' War Trilogy," brings together all the intricate threads of the previous two books perfectly. The story is both character-driven and story-driven, and there is an urgency within each scene of The Shadow Roads that creates the perfect drama as the conclusion unfolds. Although there is a myriad of characters, all of them have unique characteristics and personalities, making it easy to keep track of them. With Russell, there is never the stale feeling that certain characters are too vial to be killed off. Indeed, he often leaves the reader wondering if his/her favorite character will die in the next scene. The ending is emotional; both triumphant and saddening, and I was left wishing I could linger with some of the characters longer, if only to see how their lives would turn out. The setting is very powerful. In essence, there is the "main world," and then these hidden roads that lead to an alternative land that is layered within the main world. Only a few characters can find these hidden roads, and most of the inhabitants are completely unaware of the others existence. Without leaving any spoilers, let me just say that the two lands are intertwined and the plight of each takes the forefront of the storyline. Overall, the entire trilogy is worth reading. I consider it one of the modern classics. Russell has spun a tale that, with a few exceptions, far surpasses the mediocrity of what many fantasy books have become. I couldn't recommend it more!

The Shadow Roads, Sean Russell's conclusion to his first trilogy is truly wonderful. I was so sad when the book ended, even though I ripped through the last 100 pages in one sitting. I am not going to describe what happens in this story - you can find a summary in lots of places. Instead I will tell you why this is such a great story. Other's have mentioned Russell's incredible prose and ability to describe the world and write believable characters. I agree with this completely and would add how much I love his ability to create such intricate and convoluted plots. Just when you think the story is going to go one direction, it turns on a dime and heads off down another path. For example, at the end of the second book (Isle of Battle), Hafydd, a sorcerer, gets a magical jewel that starts to change him. I was sure this was going to develop into a major change in his character and affect the plot. Instead, Hafydd realizes that this jewel is affecting him and he gives it to another character to study its affects on that character. This is just one example. This book meanders like the river that runs through the story. There is nothing sentimental about the characters and their relationships, just real camaraderie, real anger, real love, real danger, and lots of real action! I only have a few complaints about this particular book. One is that it seems not quite done. I am sure the efforts it takes to make a deadline are difficult, but it is clear to me that this book needed some more work. There are places where the wrong character's name is written by accident (Tam for Carl), and their are places where the plot skips in a jarring way - like there was a sequence that Russell intended to write, but then never did. In spite of these minor annoyances, I am glad the book was released as is. I have been waiting for it for the last two years and when I saw that it was to be released two days after my birthday, I jumped for joy. What a great birthday present! Another complaint I have, is that this book - this series really, has so many characters and so many complicated plot twists, Russell fails to develop them all to a satisfying degree. The first book (The One Kingdom) is most in control, and the most well developed. The second book introduces and/or develops a whole different group of characters, which continue into the third book. There are even few more characters added in this book. Russell has done an amazing job tying it all together. Particularly the end I thought was amazingly successful. However, there is a lot here that feels unresolved, or too simply resolved. It seems like he just bit off more than he could chew, or he needed to chew it a bit longer. I am sure the publishing industry has no patience for that, but I would love to see him refine these books more - especially the second one, but this one too as an extension of the second one. If he could improve the stories at little bit- bring it up one notch, I woul

For over a century, the Wills and the Renne have fought over who will rule the One Kingdom. Alliances constantly shift as treachery and intrigue are the norm in this 100 plus year old war. Making matters worse, the constant battles have awakened the sons and daughters of the Wyrr, powerful sorcerers who have slept for decades in the Wynnd River. The Wyrr siblings hate each other and unless they can be stopped from fighting one another, the world will be destroyed in a battle to end all battles. Elise Wills and Alaan, host of two of the less belligerent sorcerers join forces to cast out their brother Caibre from Haffydd as he has made a compact with the most malignant sorcerer ever, the darkest of beings, once bound in another realm for the safety of everyone else. Caibre will released this evil from his imprisonment to abet his war efforts; in exchange for that malevolent assistance, the wickedest one will have freedom to experiment with the blackest of magics. The sorcerers battle with magic of pandemic destruction. In a world troubled by constant wars, the two sorcerers team up to fight their brother and by doing so begin to turn towards the light. They are the heroes of THE SHADOW ROADS as they could have joined forces with the sibling to easily conquer and rule the world. Mankind plays a role in the fate of this embattled realm as humanity must turn the swords into plows or else continue to feed the dark. Thos trying to bring peace are the unsung heroes working to end the crisis. Sean Russell has written an enthralling work filled with deep characters in a world on the brink.

Have you ever read a book where the author is so vivid in describing a setting that it affects your mood while reading it? Say you're reading about a festival and the author is so good that you not only feel like you're there, but you feel your spirits rise as the author describes the surroundings? Sean Russell is that kind of author. Unfortunately, it can work against him, too. In The Isle of Battle, a large part of the action takes place in an oppressive swamp, so dank and dreary that it affects the reader as well. That's the only explanation I can think of for why I disliked that book so much. Perhaps I was a bit too harsh on it. I still stand by the review, but perhaps the tone was a bit too critical. What can account for this change? I just finished The Shadow Roads, the final volume in The Swans' War. With one book, Russell has made up for everything that was wrong with The Isle of Battle. The prose is still evocative, but this time the story keeps up with it. While Russell still doesn't give us the story motif that I so loved in The One Kingdom, he also doesn't just pay it lip service as he did in the second book. I was amazed at how good this book was, and it seems all Russell had to do was get the story out of the swamp. War between the Renne and the Wills has exploded with an invasion of the Isle of Battle. While this conflict simmers, however, a war of a different kind is taking place. A war to prevent the specter of Death from washing over the One Kingdom. Three ancient sorcerers, their spirits inhabiting new bodies, have awoken and vie for the power over Death itself in a war that goes back thousands of years, to the formation of the One Kingdom itself. Hafydd, dark knight and the new host for the evil Caibre, is trying to awaken Caibre's father and open the gateway to Death's domain. Caibre's brother and sister, inhabiting bodies of their own, race through the shadowy lands to stop him. If they can't, it won't matter what happens between the two families. There won't be anybody left in the world to worry about it. There are so many things to recommend about The Shadow Roads, but the best thing is still the prose. Russell has a way with description that I have only seen matched by Barbara Hambly, but in a much different way. Hambly describes the everyday surroundings of her characters. Russell concentrates more on the world itself. Russell doesn't just evoke the setting, though. His descriptions of battle scenes are vivid, too. They make you feel like you are there, experiencing everything the character is. The characters are another strong point in The Shadow Roads. They all grow to some extent, and all have three dimensions. The Valemen, who were innocents in The One Kingdom, have grown hardened to the violence that they have been forced into, yet they still contain that kernel of their former selves, sickened by what it is they must do to survive. None of them come through this crucible the same as