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Overview
With their father and brother taken from them, the royal Eddon twins Barrick and Briony have done their best to hold the kingdom together. But now Barrick has been captured in a failed war against the immortal Twilight People, and Briony has been forced to flee the castle.
Everywhere in the north the fierce Twilight People, led by the ageless warrior- witch Yasammez, hold sway. Old magics are stirring beneath the ancient castle and behind the Shadowline, and the machinations of gods, fairies, and mortals threaten to spread devastation across the entire world.
Synopsis
With their father and brother taken from them, the royal Eddon twins Barrick and Briony have done their best to hold the kingdom together. But now Barrick has been captured in a failed war against the immortal Twilight People and Briony has been forced to flee the castle. Old magics are stirring beneath the ancient castle and behind the Shadowline, and the machinations of gods, fairies, and mortals threaten to spread devastation across the entire world.
Publishers Weekly
While juggling a complex epic fantasy plot may be child's play for veteran word-wizard Williams (Otherland), the bewildered star players of the fine second volume in his Shadowmarch trilogy must deal with a very adult world being transformed by war, magic, secrets and a weird, powerful scrying-mirror. Back in Southmarch, Hendon Tolly has usurped the throne, while King Olin's held in captivity in Hierosol. Olin's young twins, Princess Briony and Prince Barrick Eddon, struggle to survive in exile on separate but equally perilous paths. Barrick's trapped behind the Shadowline with Capt. Ferras Vansen; Gyir the Storm Lantern, a formidable, faceless fairy; and Skurn, a quirky talking raven. Briony's helped by a forest demigoddess and winds up with a band of endangered traveling thespians. Though the pace lags at times, bestseller Williams once again delivers a sweeping spellbinder full of mystical wonder. Author tour. (Mar.)
Copyright 2007 Reed Business InformationEditorials
From Barnes & Noble
The Barnes & Noble ReviewThe title of Morgan Spurlock's 2004 documentary Super Size Me could easily be the tagline for the latest epic fantasy saga from Tad Williams (Tailchaser's Song, the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn saga, et al.). The Shadowmarch trilogy -- which is set in a sprawling, surreal realm being irrevocably altered by political upheaval, invading mythical monstrosities, and the awakening of a long-dormant magic -- is essentially the story of Barrick and Briony, royal twins who, as their world crumbles around them, must somehow survive long enough to understand the shadowy mysteries that shroud their family, their kingdom, and the much-historied land over which they've ruled. As armies of demonic Twilight People plague the northern reaches of the March Kingdoms and an insane god-king plots invasion from the south, prince Barrick and his twin sister embark on separate but equally perilous journeys to somehow reclaim their kingdom -- and fulfill their extraordinary destinies.
Williams said in an interview with Barnes & Noble.com that one of the things he enjoyed most about writing "big books" was the opportunity to create complex worlds and bring depth to realms like Shadowmarch by viewing them through the eyes of many different characters. In Shadowplay (and in the trilogy's first volume, Shadowmarch), Williams does just that, creating an endlessly fascinating and magic-filled realm filled with a profusion of memorable characters and just as many intriguing plots and subplots. Fantasy fans who enjoy their story lines super-sized (Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, Jordan's Wheel of Time, Goodkind's Sword of Truth, et al.) will thoroughly enjoy Williams's shelf-bending saga -- arguably his most accomplished work to date. Double quarter-pounder with cheese and 42-ounce soda not included. Paul Goat Allen
Publishers Weekly
While juggling a complex epic fantasy plot may be child's play for veteran word-wizard Williams (Otherland), the bewildered star players of the fine second volume in his Shadowmarch trilogy must deal with a very adult world being transformed by war, magic, secrets and a weird, powerful scrying-mirror. Back in Southmarch, Hendon Tolly has usurped the throne, while King Olin's held in captivity in Hierosol. Olin's young twins, Princess Briony and Prince Barrick Eddon, struggle to survive in exile on separate but equally perilous paths. Barrick's trapped behind the Shadowline with Capt. Ferras Vansen; Gyir the Storm Lantern, a formidable, faceless fairy; and Skurn, a quirky talking raven. Briony's helped by a forest demigoddess and winds up with a band of endangered traveling thespians. Though the pace lags at times, bestseller Williams once again delivers a sweeping spellbinder full of mystical wonder. Author tour. (Mar.)
Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information