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Fantasy. Fiction. Literature. Historical Fiction. HTML:For generations the misty Shadowline has marked the boundary between the lands of men and the lost northern lands that are the lair of their inhuman enemies, the ageless Qar. but now that boundary line is moving outward, threatening to engulf the northernmost land in which humans still live—the kingdom of Southmarch.For centuries, the Eddon family has ruled in ancient, forbidding Southmarch Castle, guarding the border against the show more Qar's return, but now this powerful royal line has been dealt a devestating blow. The monarch, King Olin, is being held captive in a distant land, and it falls to his inexperienced heirs to lead their people in a time of growing danger and dread.
It is on the two youngest Eddons that the heaviest burdens fall. The twins Barrick and Briony, who in such evil times have only each other, may lose even that bond as darkness closes over them. As the Qar's power reaches out across their land, will Southmarch Castle, the only home they've ever known, become in fact what it has long been called—Shadowmarch? show less
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It has been way too many years since I picked up a Tad Williams fantasy. I read the books surrounding the Dragonbone Chair back when they came out and I was extremely impressed by the writing quality and character, the slow burn and devoted character building, the inexorable finality of the grand explosion or magical release or bloodshed to come.
He builds slowly, carefully, and with enormous attention to detail.
Therefore, I knew very well what I was getting into here. These are long books and there are a lot of them, and true to modern epic fantasy form, we have a firmly established place and time. We get to know all our main characters, their little squabbles, their personalities, their little strivings.
It requires patience. Even to show more me, it required a lot of patience. I grew bored with long stretches, but nothing is permanent. Battles and magic and the Shadow come to those who wait, as well as long stretches underground, fae creatures, goblins, and a truly wicked scene being set.
Darkness and all the creatures in it will come to reclaim the land. And I mean literal darkness, neverending night, and this is no hyperbole. Tad Williams is setting the stage for an end-all epic scene of destruction and mayhem and horror.
I trust him as I trust few writers. His Otherland SF series was a brilliant romp of the imagination and his fantasy reaches high-brow status while never skimping on the gritty detail.
But again, it requires otherworldly patience. :) The taste of things to come at the end of this huge tome is well worth the wait. I feel like I've grown up with these folks now. I feel like I'm living here, that I love this place. The anticipation of its destruction is truly wicked.
Suffice to say, I can't let this end here. I'm in it for the long haul, and that's sometimes the only thing you can do. :) show less
He builds slowly, carefully, and with enormous attention to detail.
Therefore, I knew very well what I was getting into here. These are long books and there are a lot of them, and true to modern epic fantasy form, we have a firmly established place and time. We get to know all our main characters, their little squabbles, their personalities, their little strivings.
It requires patience. Even to show more me, it required a lot of patience. I grew bored with long stretches, but nothing is permanent. Battles and magic and the Shadow come to those who wait, as well as long stretches underground, fae creatures, goblins, and a truly wicked scene being set.
Darkness and all the creatures in it will come to reclaim the land. And I mean literal darkness, neverending night, and this is no hyperbole. Tad Williams is setting the stage for an end-all epic scene of destruction and mayhem and horror.
I trust him as I trust few writers. His Otherland SF series was a brilliant romp of the imagination and his fantasy reaches high-brow status while never skimping on the gritty detail.
But again, it requires otherworldly patience. :) The taste of things to come at the end of this huge tome is well worth the wait. I feel like I've grown up with these folks now. I feel like I'm living here, that I love this place. The anticipation of its destruction is truly wicked.
Suffice to say, I can't let this end here. I'm in it for the long haul, and that's sometimes the only thing you can do. :) show less
I really enjoyed Williams' Otherland series, so I thought I'd give one of his fantasy works a read. I have to be honest - it took me a little while to really get into the book. I'm not sure exactly what it was, but I feel like I really didn't identify with or really care about the main characters until later on in the book. Once the story got settled and moving, I became more emotionally connected to the characters even though they still came across as a little one-dimensional.
To my surprise, I really liked what Williams did with the immortal Twilight People - instead of being the good and nearly perfect beings like the elves in most fantasy stories, Williams creates a sense of stark beauty and horror around them. They are totally Not show more Human, and the strangeness that accompanies them brings a terrific contrast to the Lords and Ladies of the mortal lands.
While the Twilight People seem evil and terrible, at least from the points of view of the mortals, I couldn't help but feel that there's something bigger going on with them. It was this sense, along with the tragic trials of Captain Ferras Vansen, that kept me pushing deeper into the novel. The ending - unexpected and intense - pushed me into reading the second novel in this series.
This book is more focused on mysteries and political intrigue than the battles and war preparation that involve some of the characters later on. I would have liked to see more focus on that, rather than a constant focus on the "Who Done It?" and the political backstabbing and distrust swirling around the different characters. However, that's just my own opinion - I've always preferred a good battle scene or two over the stress of constant political vigilance. I figure if they wear swords, they should use them. Competently. Sadly, the army that was mustered towards the end of the book was a poor realization of what was claimed earlier on - that Southmarch was the most powerful city in the March Kingdom. Granted, they were missing some key pieces, but still.
Bottom Line: I liked it. Not my favorite book, but entertaining and engaging enough to keep me reading. show less
To my surprise, I really liked what Williams did with the immortal Twilight People - instead of being the good and nearly perfect beings like the elves in most fantasy stories, Williams creates a sense of stark beauty and horror around them. They are totally Not show more Human, and the strangeness that accompanies them brings a terrific contrast to the Lords and Ladies of the mortal lands.
While the Twilight People seem evil and terrible, at least from the points of view of the mortals, I couldn't help but feel that there's something bigger going on with them. It was this sense, along with the tragic trials of Captain Ferras Vansen, that kept me pushing deeper into the novel. The ending - unexpected and intense - pushed me into reading the second novel in this series.
This book is more focused on mysteries and political intrigue than the battles and war preparation that involve some of the characters later on. I would have liked to see more focus on that, rather than a constant focus on the "Who Done It?" and the political backstabbing and distrust swirling around the different characters. However, that's just my own opinion - I've always preferred a good battle scene or two over the stress of constant political vigilance. I figure if they wear swords, they should use them. Competently. Sadly, the army that was mustered towards the end of the book was a poor realization of what was claimed earlier on - that Southmarch was the most powerful city in the March Kingdom. Granted, they were missing some key pieces, but still.
Bottom Line: I liked it. Not my favorite book, but entertaining and engaging enough to keep me reading. show less
After concluding the Memory Sorrow and Thorn trilogy, Tad Williams switched to writing science fiction (Otherland) before this return to fantasy. A new medium may have suggested itself as a solution for not repeating himself, and Shadowmarch first began as a television project. You can see the bones of this in the prelude and opening chapters, with their camera-ready scenes. When that didn't pan out (excuse the pun), he attempted to present it as an pay-per-read online project. Finally, he came back to the published novel format. If he'd known that was coming, I think he might have steered wider of the parallels with MS&T: an ancient castle, a dark threat in the north from an elven-like folk, a storyline centered upon royalty, an show more eccentric scientist - all of these are echoes, and it takes some time for Shadowmarch to establish itself as a unique property. From that point on it delivers a solid if largely traditional fantasy ride.
Briony and Barrick are portrayed very well, the teenage twins at the heart of the story upon whom great responsibility must fall - and they're already royalty, so we're spared the predictable rise to this station. There's also the fun of Shadowmarch being directly on the border of the great evil, rather than placed in the opposite corner of the map. Most welcome is the presenting of this "evil" as having been deeply wronged in the past: as the original inhabitants of this land, their motive is only to reclaim what once was theirs before they were forced from it by sword and flame. I especially like this element, but this too contributes to the resurfacing impression of Shadowmarch as a scaled-back MS&T Redux with a few new twists.
With this series Williams continued to occupy the space between the original Tolkien tradition and the latest gritty genre offerings grounded in realism, exploring the territory he staked out for himself. It can feel like a step back in one sense next to today's fantasy offerings, but on the other it's a nice variant with its benevolent view of humanity that still allows for darker elements. Be patient with this slow-burn series opener, typical of this author, to receive the rich rewards he always delivers later. show less
Briony and Barrick are portrayed very well, the teenage twins at the heart of the story upon whom great responsibility must fall - and they're already royalty, so we're spared the predictable rise to this station. There's also the fun of Shadowmarch being directly on the border of the great evil, rather than placed in the opposite corner of the map. Most welcome is the presenting of this "evil" as having been deeply wronged in the past: as the original inhabitants of this land, their motive is only to reclaim what once was theirs before they were forced from it by sword and flame. I especially like this element, but this too contributes to the resurfacing impression of Shadowmarch as a scaled-back MS&T Redux with a few new twists.
With this series Williams continued to occupy the space between the original Tolkien tradition and the latest gritty genre offerings grounded in realism, exploring the territory he staked out for himself. It can feel like a step back in one sense next to today's fantasy offerings, but on the other it's a nice variant with its benevolent view of humanity that still allows for darker elements. Be patient with this slow-burn series opener, typical of this author, to receive the rich rewards he always delivers later. show less
This was an amazing first book by Tad Williams to a series that I wish would never end. It starts off as if in a normal court life at Shadowmarch Castle, where the twins of the king Briony and Barrick Eddon live. Then questions arise as Kendrick is killed, and as a human boy from beyond the Shadowline is dumped onto Southmarch lands, and the Shadowline itself seems to be moving where the Qar beyond lives. And that’s just the very beginning.
I have seen other reviews that say this book moves slow, but the pace is what I expected from a high fantasy novel. First, Tad Williams introduces the characters and the world, bit by bit. Once in a while hints will be dropped--pay attention! Don't be lulled into complacency. Williams composes a show more subtle song: the rhythm is first begun by bringing to life the ordinary, then it weaves in intrigue, the melody sings murder, mystery, betrayal. And then you get a glimpse of the harmony; there are things here that go together. I never get tired of his writing.
As the book moves along, there will be things you forgot that suddenly comes back up. As surprising as they are, now whole parts begin making sense. But then more questions spring up because Williams isn't done yet, not by far. And it keeps going. You KNOW there's something significant about this little piece or that bit, but you never know enough. It makes you keep reading, wanting more of this world and seeing how everything relates.
It's not just the questions I want answered, or to see how it all plays out--it's also the characters themselves that make this novel compelling. Briony, forced to take over the court and make decisions for the whole of Southmarch, struggling because she's looked down on and fighting against what people think is sociably acceptable. She has to be strong, and hard, but she is also kind-hearted and tries her best to be fair. Vansen, angsting over his forbidden love for Briony (I know, it sounds cheesy and it's done before, yet the way Williams writes him makes him one of my favorite characters). It forces him to go places and do things he’s never done before. Qinnitan—who seems so separate from the others that surround her because she is down-to-earth while everyone else around her is mad, murderously cruel, or dangerously in love. Chert, a normal Funderling, dragged into situations where he has to deal with things greater than himself. I could go on and on about every character… but I’ll let you read it for yourself.
I would highly recommend picking up this book and giving it a chance. The plot is intricate and I see it being continued in the following books. The characters are easy to get attached to. So far there’s nothing too different between this novel and other fantasy novels, but it is nonetheless a fantastic read. The second book builds on this one and gets even better. show less
I have seen other reviews that say this book moves slow, but the pace is what I expected from a high fantasy novel. First, Tad Williams introduces the characters and the world, bit by bit. Once in a while hints will be dropped--pay attention! Don't be lulled into complacency. Williams composes a show more subtle song: the rhythm is first begun by bringing to life the ordinary, then it weaves in intrigue, the melody sings murder, mystery, betrayal. And then you get a glimpse of the harmony; there are things here that go together. I never get tired of his writing.
As the book moves along, there will be things you forgot that suddenly comes back up. As surprising as they are, now whole parts begin making sense. But then more questions spring up because Williams isn't done yet, not by far. And it keeps going. You KNOW there's something significant about this little piece or that bit, but you never know enough. It makes you keep reading, wanting more of this world and seeing how everything relates.
It's not just the questions I want answered, or to see how it all plays out--it's also the characters themselves that make this novel compelling. Briony, forced to take over the court and make decisions for the whole of Southmarch, struggling because she's looked down on and fighting against what people think is sociably acceptable. She has to be strong, and hard, but she is also kind-hearted and tries her best to be fair. Vansen, angsting over his forbidden love for Briony (I know, it sounds cheesy and it's done before, yet the way Williams writes him makes him one of my favorite characters). It forces him to go places and do things he’s never done before. Qinnitan—who seems so separate from the others that surround her because she is down-to-earth while everyone else around her is mad, murderously cruel, or dangerously in love. Chert, a normal Funderling, dragged into situations where he has to deal with things greater than himself. I could go on and on about every character… but I’ll let you read it for yourself.
I would highly recommend picking up this book and giving it a chance. The plot is intricate and I see it being continued in the following books. The characters are easy to get attached to. So far there’s nothing too different between this novel and other fantasy novels, but it is nonetheless a fantastic read. The second book builds on this one and gets even better. show less
I read Book 1 and 2 of this series back when they first came out but then the long wait till the next publication meant I sort of forgot about it (even though I really like Tad Williams as an author and have read a lot of his novels - MS&T is the best but Otherland is pretty amazing too). It's also one of the main reasons why I generally no longer start new series until they are finished.
So while waiting for him to complete his sequel to MS&T which now looks like at least 2022, I decided to read this one, now that it is complete.
I remembered bits and pieces. Do not pick up Tad Williams if you want to be straight into the action and know what is going on - he just doesn't write like that! He is an author who builds up his characters and show more background slowly - hints of this but only hints. Shadowmarch is no different. A slow build of different characters and different races. Five main POV characters give the reader an overview of each strand. I enjoyed it a lot. show less
So while waiting for him to complete his sequel to MS&T which now looks like at least 2022, I decided to read this one, now that it is complete.
I remembered bits and pieces. Do not pick up Tad Williams if you want to be straight into the action and know what is going on - he just doesn't write like that! He is an author who builds up his characters and show more background slowly - hints of this but only hints. Shadowmarch is no different. A slow build of different characters and different races. Five main POV characters give the reader an overview of each strand. I enjoyed it a lot. show less
In principle, there's nothing wrong with playing variations on a theme. But it doesn't really work here, there's too much that has been tried in the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy, and the royal twins almost ruin it. Yes, they are teenagers, they behave like teenagers and their self-centeredness and spoilt brattishness is caught perfectly. It's not enough.
The only reason I stuck with this was because I wanted to know more about Ferris Vansen. Han Solo to Briony's Leia, but without the cockiness.
The only reason I stuck with this was because I wanted to know more about Ferris Vansen. Han Solo to Briony's Leia, but without the cockiness.
Shadowmarch is epic. This first volume almost spans 850 pages in which a powerplay between monarchs is barely started. The scope of Shadowmarch is vast, with the plots spread across continents, rulers and races. Williams cannily crafts a new world, with hints of traditional fantasy and incredible depth. Thankfully, this broad and deep world is not described through tedious flashbacks or history lessons, but through small and frequent hints of the world and culture around the protagonists. The setting aside, the plots themselves are full of twists, emotionally charged and with strong characterisation. The backbone of all these strong elements is the broader good vs. evil story, and here it is well written and emotive. Shadowmarch is show more excellent fantasy fiction. At times it is too wordy, although never boring. Certainly recommended. show less
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Tad Williams Tad Williams grew up in Palo Alto, California. He didn't go off to college after high school, he was more interested in living on his own and supporting himself. Williams therefore began a long string of collectively bad part time jobs. He stacked tiles, made tacos, sold shoes, peddled insurance, collected loans not all at the same show more time and worked at other things in his free moments, such as writing, as well as, several years in a rock band, hosting a radio talk show, making commercial and uncommercial art, acting, and others DAW was the first to publish Williams, accepting "Tailchaser's Song," which became an big success. It never occurred to Williams that his books wold not sell and indeed they have not stopped selling since the beginning. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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- Canonical title
- Shadowmarch
- Original title
- Shadowmarch
- Alternate titles
- Shadowmarch: Volume One
- Original publication date
- 2004
- People/Characters
- Barrick Eddon; Briony Eddon; Ferras Vansen; Kiezel; Flint; Opal (show all 11); Autarch; Olin Eddon; Kendrick Eddon; Chert; Qinnitan
- Important places
- March Kingdoms; Southmarch Castle; Shadowline
- Dedication
- This book is dedicated to my children, Connor Williams and Devon Beale, who as I write this are still small but extremely powerful. They amaze me every day.
Someday, when they are grown and their mother and I have ambl... (show all)ed on to the Fields Beyond, I hope the two of them will be warmed by the knowledge of how fiercely we loved them, and a tiny bit embarrassed by how wickedly they took advantage of it, charming, funny little buggers that they are. - First words
- For almost a thousand years before our Trigonate Era, history was written only in the ancient kingdoms of Xand, the southern continent that was the world's first seat of civilization.
Come away, dreamer, come away. Soon you will witness things that only sleepers and sorcerers can see.
The belling of the hounds was already growing faint in the hollows behind them when he finally pulled up. - Quotations
- Perhaps it really is as the ancients say, he thought. Perhaps a heart was indeed like a piece of dry birchwood, and could only take fire and burn brightly once - that any fire that came after would be only an ember, smaller a... (show all)nd cooler.
It's as if we live on a thousand, thousand different islands in the middle of an ocean, he thought, but with no boats. We can see each other. We can shout to each other. But we can none of us leave our own island and travel t... (show all)o another. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Helpless and weary, all thought of what had just happened to him outside the city gates swept aside, at least for now, Chert sat this way for an hour, calming a terrified child while his wife cried and cried in the other room.
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