The first volume, Shadowmarch, established a diverse set of characters spread across continents, each with their own story arcs. In Shadowplay these storylines continue their own paths, with a few being connected at the end of the book. This rapid switching between these disparate plots makes for tough reading at times, hindered further by the myriad of new characters added to the mix. Two of the main stories switch from the standard, and expected, genre of high fantasy in to a more chaotic fantasy setting, more akin to Clive Barker than Williams. Readers may find this stretch of disbelief somewhat disconcerting. Unfortunately, one of the main plots is rather dull, with little action occurring after the initial few chapters. Overall Shadowplay bends the series away from traditional fantasy, which most people won't expect. There is still a great start and finish, however the middle is far too long to keep up the interest. ( )

(Amy) Well, it may have taken me a year to get around to reading it, but I enjoyed the second installment every bit as much as the first. I don't actually have an extensive review on tap, I'm afraid - it's been too long since I finished it, and while it's far from a Generic Fantasy Product, it follows the epic fantasy forms closely enough to make a thumbnail sketch of its plot sound absolutely dismal. I promise it's not, though. I loved every minute, and I'm as burned out on the same ol' same ol' versions of epic fantasy as the next gal. Good stuff.
( http://weblog.siliconcerebrate.com/ze... ) ( )

I feel a bit suckered into this series; I hadn't realised that 'Shadowmarch' wasn't a stand-alone book, and this is exactly the kind of doorstop multi-volume fantasy I try to avoid. Life's too short to be dragged into endless Lord of the Rings wannabes. parts of the story are interesting enough, and Tad keeps a lot of balls in the air, but it does feel like a huge paid-by-the-word 'epic' that's painful to slog through without really getting anywhere. ( )

http://www.bookgeeks.co.uk/2008/02/26... ( )

This is the follow on to Shadowmarch, the first book in Tad's latest series. It reveals a bit more behind the reasons for the invasion by the fey, though nothing like a true explanation comes out yet. The characters are just as mch in the dark about what's going on as we are, though the forces behind the plot are slowly being revealed. This is interesting, complex and compelling, as good as Tad's other works. This has the feel that it is right on the edge of disaster, but there is always hope, somewhere. ( )