Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Cadman's Gambit (Shader #1)

by D.P. Prior (Goodreads Author)

4.33 of 5 stars 4.33 · rating details · 24 ratings · 12 reviews

Book 1 of the SHADER series. Dr Ernst Cadman has led a quiet life, but that's how he's wanted it all these hundreds of years. With a secret like his, anonymity and caution are the best friends a man can have. Nothing could tempt him from the safety of his parasitic existence at the heart of the city of Sarum-at least nothing this side of the Abyss. Cadman stakes everything...more

Paperback, 366 pages

Published July 18th 2011 by Createspace (first published August 12th 2010)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Vampire Hunter's Daughter by Jennifer Malone Wright

Best Independent Novels

230th out of 1,923 books — 2,593 voters

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Five Star Fantasy Books

317th out of 844 books — 1,208 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 317)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Sep 16, 2012 D.P. Prior rated it 5 of 5 stars · (Review from the author)

Shelves: fantasy

The exiled scientist Sektis Gandaw has searched for thousands of years for the artifact he needs to unweave all creation. When he finally detects a trace of its power, he sends his flesh-eating minions to claim it.

Pitted against him is the holy knight, Deacon Shader, veteran of the wars against the undead armies of the Liche Lord, and prepared for this task since the day he was born. The only problem is, Shader is done with fighting, and desires only a life of quiet contemplation. At least that’...more

3 likes · like · see review

May 27, 2012 Jake Scholl rated it 4 of 5 stars

NOTE: If you’re a squeamish reader avoid this book. If you’re a fan of George R.R Martin books and like watching “Braveheart”, you’ll love this book.

When searching Amazon for eBooks I am very careful. Especially when it comes to Fantasy & Sci-fi.

When I see a five star review, I take it with a grain of salt. Mainly because sometimes that reviewer is a friend of the writer. Or in some cases, it’s actually the writer that wrote the review.

Also I’m very skeptical with eBooks on bestseller list...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 12, 2012 Melinda Le Baron rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Finally!!! Authors are writing books for people who are literate and have brains and vocabularies. This book is so entirely fabulous that I couldn't add it to my favorites list fast enough. I don't see what all the whinging was about in the other reviews. The vocabulary isn't overly extensive and you don't need a character list to keep track of everyone. From the reviews I expected a cast of thousands and dense, rare vocabulary, not to mention confusion for at least the first 50 pages if not the...more Finally!!! Authors are writing books for people who are literate and have brains and vocabularies. This book is so entirely fabulous that I couldn't add it to my favorites list fast enough. I don't see what all the whinging was about in the other reviews. The vocabulary isn't overly extensive and you don't need a character list to keep track of everyone. From the reviews I expected a cast of thousands and dense, rare vocabulary, not to mention confusion for at least the first 50 pages if not the first half of the book. None of this was true. This is an intelligently written story that does expect you to pay attention. At the same time, it was such a kick to read it that it took less than one day to finish.

The story takes place in post-apocolyptic Australia, where technology and science have been replaced by magic and religion and mythology have combined to create a kind of mythos. A big change is coming and everyone is becoming pulled in - men, Gods, dwarfs, dreamers and the undead. The story switches between first person POV of the different characters who all want something - whether it is to remake the universe in their own image, do the right thing, or be simply left alone - you get yo understand what drives these characters both good and bad. There are no absolutes here, there is a lot of gray area in each character just like real life. This makes the characterization outstanding.

The author also knows his way around the English language and uses it to great effect to craft sentences that add to the mood and the tone of the story. This is no junior wordsmith. On top of that the plot is tight, the pacing good, the ending sharp. What more could a girl ask for but a second book? And I get that too! The last time I read something this intelligent it was either ages ago by Dunnett or Whittemore or more recently by Conklin or Rhine. Thank God for indie authors. This one clearly hasn't sold out to commercialism.

I would recommend this book to anyone who appreciates a well crafted, intelligent story. This one has it in spades. You don't even have like fantasy to love this book, the human interest stories alone are worth it. (less)

4 likes · like · see review

Oct 11, 2011 Rex Jameson rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is the best full-length self-published fantasy I've yet to read. Not because it's perfect, but because it's bold and very well executed (though I do have some issues to bring up later).

If you're looking for a light read, you may be in for a frustrating venture. Luckily, I am not particularly fond of light reading and enjoy a book that was purposefully constructed to make me ponder about deeper themes. I may not completely agree with the perspectives or the seeming lessons on the search for...more This is the best full-length self-published fantasy I've yet to read. Not because it's perfect, but because it's bold and very well executed (though I do have some issues to bring up later).

If you're looking for a light read, you may be in for a frustrating venture. Luckily, I am not particularly fond of light reading and enjoy a book that was purposefully constructed to make me ponder about deeper themes. I may not completely agree with the perspectives or the seeming lessons on the search for immortality and religion in general, but I respect any author who is willing to venture down that path. For those worried about a canned sermon, these themes are presented from several, diametrically opposed viewpoints (though certainly biased in the form of Sektis, Cadman, and others who have tasted immortality in a less than pleasant form).

The book is dense and often times confusing as the perspective of the section can sometimes not come to light until the third paragraph as the setting is solidified. This confusion can be compounded by the varying locales (and worlds) but also when competing perspectives are available within the same setting. The last section of the last chapter was especially jarring to me because of the latter.

I was extremely confused about whether I was seeing the first two or three paragraphs from Shadrak, the Dweller, Shader, or Cadman, and I just kept rereading the paragraphs and this broke up a rather important moment in the book. And when I figured out whose perspective it really was, my mouth sort of dropped because even after rereading the previous three chapters multiple times, I had no idea when or how he got there. One minute he's weak and determined to read an old book to figure out the implications of his actions while drinking a brandy, and the next he's literally transported into the pivotal scene (and he's not Aristodeus).

I'll admit that it is certainly possible that I missed something big here, and this was by no means enough for me to remove a star, but it may be useful for informing a potential reader about the type of work this is. The book is dense. There are a lot of settings, participants, technologies, new words, and intersecting plot lines. It's one of those novels that you could read five to ten times and find something new with each reading. That I am willing to do just that is a testament to the success of the author in writing this book. The author has put a lot of effort into constructing the worlds, settings and characters the story interacts with, and it comes through in the telling.

Definitely a recommended novel. Looking forward to reading the continuation of the series. 5 stars.(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Sep 25, 2011 Robert Duperre rated it 5 of 5 stars

Rating: 5 out of 5

Oh, how much I love the melding of genres. To mix and match different aspects of specific literary tropes and use them to tell a truly original and captivating tale can be a wonderful thing to experience, when executed correctly. It then becomes nothing but a story, allowing the reader to concentrate on the strength of the tale being told rather than if they followed all the requisite “rules” ascribed to said genre – ala, in the case of fantasy, the use of magic, mystical beast...more

2 likes · like · see review

Oct 24, 2011 E.A. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I won this book as a first reads on Goodreads. I was intrigued by the blurb and when the book actually arrived I was excited to get started. It took a little for me to get into it, not because it wasn't interesting, but because there were so many new terms and people. I had a hard time keeping track of everyone and their locations. The more I read, the more I enjoyed and by the end, I didn't get quite so lost and I found the maps incredibly useful.

At times I felt like there was a bit too much p...more

2 likes · like · see review

Oct 11, 2011 Scott rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: blog-reviews

Cadman's Gambit by D.P. Prior is the first book in the Shader series. Taking place about 1000 years in Earth's future only the general landscape of the planet remains unchanged. The story is woven in a complex arc that unwraps itself layer by layer to grant you a fuller understanding of who the characters are and what has happened to the world.

Deacon is the hero, a man of the church, who struggles with his own identity. One who believes in peace, but is himself capable of great violence to prot...more

4 likes · like · see review

Jun 11, 2012 Robert rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shader: Cadman's Gambit is a well written (what i would term 'Hard Fantasy') book, which takes the reader through the gamut of literary experience. It is a multi-path, multi-POV tale, starting what I think is a trilogy of books surrounding the main protagonist, Deacon Shader. 'Shader', as he is referred to in the novel, is a troubled monk come fighting man who struggles to justify his martial ways given his religious teachings.I find it hard to describe the plot, as it is somewhat convoluted, bu...more Shader: Cadman's Gambit is a well written (what i would term 'Hard Fantasy') book, which takes the reader through the gamut of literary experience. It is a multi-path, multi-POV tale, starting what I think is a trilogy of books surrounding the main protagonist, Deacon Shader. 'Shader', as he is referred to in the novel, is a troubled monk come fighting man who struggles to justify his martial ways given his religious teachings.I find it hard to describe the plot, as it is somewhat convoluted, but ultimately Shader becomes an unwilling participant in a much larger struggle of godly and other-worldly protortions which he is not aware of, even though the very core of his struggle resolves around his own demons and the consequences of his past actions. I found the book hard to get into, with many different characters / idioms / places / lands / powers used by the author. It seems like the reader should already know the history etc, as if it were Book 2 of a series. Added to this is a writing style that, while rich and powerful, seems to throw in big words just for the sake of big words. I do this myself as a writer, and am always asking myself if I have crossed the line between too much 'flashiness' over solid, flowing text. I guess that is where the kindle helps out! Long gone are the days of having dictionary at hand to look up unknown words. Two taps and presto! I learned quite a few new words from the author, so I guess that can't be all bad!
Luckily, when the action really kicks into gear, the narrative shifts from adjective-heavy narration to good, solid prose. The characters all mostly well fleshed out, giving them their own uniqueness and imagery in the reader's mind. The exception (to me) was unfortunately that of the main character, Shader. I did not empathize with him or feel like I knew him very well. Sometimes he seems like a young man, while at other times he seemed old, and the only real imagery I got of his appearance was that he wore a hat and he fought with two weapons. Perhaps the descriptions of him were given in parts where I surged with other descriptions and concepts, but i feel his appearance as well as character and motives could have been fleshed out a bit more. I like how certain characters had their unique personalities and quirks, everything from OCD to cowardice to senility.
The concept of the story is entertaining, and the background inference to different cultures was well done and gave scope to the story. I think I will persist with the series, and look forward to seeing how the story evolves.
Well done D.P Prior.(less)

like · see review

Mar 31, 2012 B Throwsnaill rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Cadman's Gambit is an epic tale which follows the exploits of a hero (Deacon Shader) and a villain (Dr. Cadman). Both characters are significant point of view characters, and share the P.O.V. about equally. As I started reading, I struggled to grasp the terminology that was employed. The world(s) in which the story takes place are rich and lovingly detailed, but at times it felt like I was starting a series at Book Two rather than Book One. And I am simply not very good at tracking a lot of new...more

4 likes · like · see review

Sep 05, 2012 Stephanie Cook rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: not-a-favorite, own, sci-fi, fantasy, books-given-to-me-by-the-author, had-high-hopes-but-turned-out-bad

It was readable, but not one I'd read again. Overly complicated storyline. I had such high hopes for this book and some of it was great, but other parts REALLY need work. One of the huge issues I had was with the female characters. They were useless really. They were incredibly objectified. They were portrayed as possessions which is annoying. They other thing was that when there was a problem, such as when Rhiannon was raped and had to face her attacker again, all she ever did was freeze up. I...more It was readable, but not one I'd read again. Overly complicated storyline. I had such high hopes for this book and some of it was great, but other parts REALLY need work. One of the huge issues I had was with the female characters. They were useless really. They were incredibly objectified. They were portrayed as possessions which is annoying. They other thing was that when there was a problem, such as when Rhiannon was raped and had to face her attacker again, all she ever did was freeze up. I can tell you as a woman who has been raped that that is not how most women react. They want to hurt the person who hurt them. Then when you get to the main character Shader, he acts like a bi-polar jerk. He's supposed to be incredibly disciplined soldier, but he overreacts to infuriating stimuli. My husband is a member of the Association of Renaissance Martial Arts, and mentioned that if he had challenged a man to a duel, he would spend the time before the duel in preparation, not uncontrollably beating the man every chance he got. Overall, this was a decent book, and I would read other works from Prior as he clearly has talent and imagination, he just needs some practice and work and I think he could be a really great writer.

The story is set several hundred years after an apocalyptic event, much of our modern technology has been lost, creating a pseudo-medieval society controlled by a new church based in Aeternam, which we know as Rome. Aeternam controls most of the world, with the exception of Sahul, known today as Austrailia. Deacon Shader is an experienced soldier and knight of Aeternam from Britain, who felt extreme disturbance by the horrors of wars he fought for the Holy Templum. As such he fled to Sahul, far from the control of the Ipissimus, the head of the Templum, to a small abbey to devote his life to prayer and Nous, their name for God. But he was unable to let go of the life of a warrior and so returned to Aeternam and won the Sword of the Archon in a tournament, in an attempt to get it out of his system. But unbeknownst to him, these actions were simply preparing him for a journey against an enemy he could never imagine. For across immensity is an ancient enemy, Sektis Gandaw, a genius so intelligent that he has lost his mind and desires to recreate the universe in his own image. All he lacks is the power to do so, which he believes he can get from an artifact known as the Statue of Eingana. This statue has been held in the safekeeping of Elias Wolfe, an ancient hippie who has lived for centuries due to the magic of the statue. These men and many others will be drawn into conflict in the city of Sarum, known today as Perth, that could result in the unweaving of existence. Believe me when I tell you that this doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of the myriad of characters and extremely intricate storyline of Shader.(less)

like · see review

Feb 04, 2012 Ryan Zimmerman Carstairs rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Ryan Zimmerman by: D.P. Prior

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Many apologies for taking so long to review this one. No excuses, but as a matter of explanation I got sidetracked by Christmas and Real Life.

This is a good book. I have a few minor issues with it in some areas, but all in all I liked it and I am looking forward to picking up the sequel.

My biggest problem is the main character is killed at the end of this one, yet he features in the next. I hate resurrection's in general and on principle. It cheapens death in a story, making it just another hill...more Many apologies for taking so long to review this one. No excuses, but as a matter of explanation I got sidetracked by Christmas and Real Life.

This is a good book. I have a few minor issues with it in some areas, but all in all I liked it and I am looking forward to picking up the sequel.

My biggest problem is the main character is killed at the end of this one, yet he features in the next. I hate resurrection's in general and on principle. It cheapens death in a story, making it just another hill to be climbed over. I suspect the author will handle it well and I will enjoy it, but I do have my biases.

I wish there were a character list in the book. Frankly some of the people, especially in the middle of the book (when I was also distracted by Real Life) seemed to blur together. It could have been just me, but I cannot see how it would hurt to have such a listing.

I also wish there were a glossary of terms. I had to look up some words, which is no slam – its a good thing considering I have a damn good and expansive vocabulary (Humble, are I not?). Most I did know, but I needed to remind myself of them.

This book begs for a few illustrations! A better view of the Nousian Monas (the use of this John Dees glyph is inspired IMOP), Dr. Cadman and his undead army, the rows of Kryeh staring blindly into their monitors, and a swarm of wmag (also an inspired creation) - so much screams for a visual.

And lastly, as far as critiques go, the renaming of everything and everywhere on earth. Its unnecessary, distracting, and a little annoying. I could see names changing, and reverting to ancient names in some areas would make a lot of sense (such a Sahul for Australia) – but the Great West? Really?

Enough bitching. I loved the way Decon Shader was described in combat. It was almost casual, and it felt very real. I also liked the Good Doctor and his ghoulish needs – after a recent book where the bad guys said constantly and incessantly they were evil it was a real pleasure to see a more realistic depiction of a bad guy. Not evil, at least not in his decayed mind – simply pragmatic. Thank God!

And lastly you can feel forces moving behind and against everyone, even those with evil plans such as the great Technocrat. He believes he is master of reality, and as soon as he remakes the world it will all be perfection – but its apparent the world and the dream of it is more subtle and and more clever than this immortal Demigod.

My only real struggle here was to decide between a three and a four star rating. I am giving it a four because I am anxious for the sequel, but also because of the stinkers I have recently been subject too.

And yet again I am reminded how new Independent authors, who lack the great publishing houses to support them, are shining far more brightly than the supposed luminaries of the industry and the tired, trite, formula works the Publishers seem to want to excrete upon us. I know, a run-on sentence. Thank God for new, creative talent like Mr. Prior.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jun 15, 2012 Gerald Black rated it 5 of 5 stars

A most entertaining read. The characters have depth and purpose. Plot is well thought out and handled with a deft hand

1 like · like · see review

May 25, 2013 Katha-cat marked it as to-read

May 13, 2013 Rakesh Vadhanan marked it as to-read

May 12, 2013 Stacey marked it as ebook-archive

May 11, 2013 Jieshan Lin marked it as to-read

May 07, 2013 Daniel Beazley marked it as to-read

May 03, 2013 Adriana marked it as purchased · review of another edition

May 02, 2013 Amadeus marked it as to-read

May 01, 2013 Legato Darksummers added it

Shelves: daddy-dark-s-baby-warrior-list

Apr 27, 2013 Carol marked it as to-read

Apr 15, 2013 Josef marked it as to-read

Apr 10, 2013 Jenn marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle

Apr 08, 2013 Kelly marked it as to-read

Apr 07, 2013 Teawench marked it as to-read

Shelves: done, fiction, own, review

Apr 05, 2013 Piotr Święcik marked it as to-read

Apr 22, 2013 Yuli marked it as wish-list

Shelves: fantasy

Mar 31, 2013 Anita marked it as to-read

Shelves: e-books-i-own

Mar 09, 2013 Patremagne marked it as could-be-good

Feb 27, 2013 Jennifer Gilbert marked it as to-read

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Indie Book Club: May Fantasy BotM: Cadman's Gambit	35	28	May 23, 2012 03:30am

combine
Other Editions (2)

Videos About This Book

Add a comment

Genres

Fantasy

15 users

See top shelves...

About D.P. Prior

I was born and bred in the South of England. I trained in mental health before reading drama, classics, and medieval history at UWA. I went on to postgraduate studies in Antonin Artaud and the Theatre of Cruelty, and Theology.

I have worked in the theatre as an actor and technician. I've been a musician (performing with Sergeant Sunshine), a personal trainer, and a playwright.

I currently work full-...more

More about D.P. Prior...

Books by D.P. Prior

The Ant-Man of Malfen (Chronicles of the Nameless Dwarf, #1)

The Nameless Dwarf Omnibus (Chronicles of the Nameless Dwarf, #1-3)

Thanatos Rising (Memoirs of Harry Chesterton, #1)

The Axe of the Dwarf Lords (Chronicles of the Nameless Dwarf, #2)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Cadman's Gambit

2 trivia questions
1 quiz

More quizzes & trivia...

title link	preview: Cadman's Gambit
avg rating	preview: Cadman's Gambit Goodreads rating: 4.33 (24 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://discoverreads.com/book/show/12152983-cadman-s-gambit?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327889309l/12152983.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://discoverreads.com/book/show/12152983-cadman-s-gambit?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Cadman's Gambit by D.P. Prior[/url]

Cadman's Gambit (Shader #1)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website