The city-state of Saraykeht dominates the Summer Cities. Its wealth is beyond measure; its port is open to all the merchants of the world, and its ...
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Feb 17, 2010
Ceridwen
rated it: 
Regularly, I spend maybe too much time agonizing about star-ratings, because they are dumb and evil and should be abolished. There's a lot in this book to love – a lot – but I cheated on it with no less than three other books, profligate that I am, and usually when I get to cuckolding it is Not A Good Sign. But now, a week or so past when I finally finished this novel, I think the cheating was vital to my enjoyment. (Look at me justify the sluttiness!) No, seriously, this book is weird. It's dif
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Jan 23, 2012
Brian
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Daniel Abraham's first in the Long Price Quartet series feels like a mix of Brandon Sanderson and K. J. Parker. The book contains a unique magic system in the binding of 'andat' by poets. The economic and military impact of these andat, or abstract concepts given form and volition, is well thought out and has a Sanderson sort of feel to it.
The story follows a small group of characters who get caught up in a conspiracy to undermine the power of andat, which is where the Parker element More...
The story follows a small group of characters who get caught up in a conspiracy to undermine the power of andat, which is where the Parker element More...
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Mar 08, 2008
Mary
rated it: 
thoughts about reading sci fi/ fantasy:
I think of fantasy books in three tiers:
Tier 1: These are complete successes. I believe the world completely, the plots zoom along and the I care about the characters as if they were friends. Examples are Tolkien, the Fire and Ice series by George R R Martin, The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon, and Harry Potter.
Tier 2: I can't quite believe in the world, but the plot and characters are good enough to be entertaining.
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I think of fantasy books in three tiers:
Tier 1: These are complete successes. I believe the world completely, the plots zoom along and the I care about the characters as if they were friends. Examples are Tolkien, the Fire and Ice series by George R R Martin, The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon, and Harry Potter.
Tier 2: I can't quite believe in the world, but the plot and characters are good enough to be entertaining.
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Dec 29, 2008
Lightreads
rated it:
The debut (and first in a quartet) from a new voice in fantasy. . . . Which apparently I'm having trouble describing in fifty words or less, meaning it impressed me more than I quite realized. Okay, so skipping to the really interesting bit, poets are people who can express an idea so perfectly in language that they render form and volition out of unbounded power. They create minor gods, not to put too fine a point on it, who play a vital role in the economic and political security of the realm.
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Nov 17, 2011
Shannon
rated it:
When you've read fantasy for as long as I have (I'm 37 and started at 11 with LORD OF THE RINGS and then Zelazny's AMBER SERIES), you get tired of the fact that 90% of fantasy tales revolved around a dumb farm boy who is the missing heir to the kingdom or to long gone magical powers, he has a good heart but can't seem to get the girl, he has to leave home and help the world/nation/kingdom against some Dark Lord, who tends to be archetype and has some old mentor who gives him the sword/magical ta
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Oct 17, 2011
Stephan
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A Shadow in Summer combines the poetic style of Patrick Rothfuss’ Name of the Wind, the romantic tragedy of Katherine Kerr’s Devery and the deep characters and political games of Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire. It is the first in a series of four books, titled The Long Price Quartet, and is the debut novel of Daniel Abraham.
Magic through spirits
Abraham has created a world that feels very alien to our own, yet very similar in some aspects. It has a very Asian feel to it. In this wor More...
Magic through spirits
Abraham has created a world that feels very alien to our own, yet very similar in some aspects. It has a very Asian feel to it. In this wor More...
Sep 05, 2011
Derrick
rated it: 
A loose confederacy of kingdoms keep the rest of the world at bay with the power of Andats. Andats are beings forced into physical form by poets and they have the power of their name. Seedless is the andat in this story. He removes all the seeds from wool, in the blink of an eye. Gives the kingdom a huge economic advantage. He can also remove the living seed from anything. So if another kingdom attacks, he would be used to kill all the unborn babies and destroy all the crops of that particular k
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Feb 21, 2011
Pauline
rated it:
I read this as the first part of a double book - combined with 'A Betrayal in Winter' these are the first two volumes of 'The Long Price' quartet as 'Shadow and Betrayal'. The remaining two volumes, 'An Autumn War' and 'The Price of Spring', are combined into a second double book, 'Seasons of War'.
The central conceit of the book (and the only magic so far) is that after long training, poets are able to write a poem of such power that it can embody (literally) an idea. The idea then takes a More...
The central conceit of the book (and the only magic so far) is that after long training, poets are able to write a poem of such power that it can embody (literally) an idea. The idea then takes a More...
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Jan 17, 2011
Annmarie
rated it:
This is one of those epic fantasies, with multiple volumes, much politics, intrigue, good world building, and multiple protagonists. It's set in a very Asian-influenced preindustrial fantasy world, where the people communicate not just by words but by elaborate protocol of arm/body movements.
The main protagonist is Otah, an intelligent, brave, compassionate young man whom we meet as a boy enrolled in a brutal school, where younger sons of the wealthy ruling families are sent to remo More...
The main protagonist is Otah, an intelligent, brave, compassionate young man whom we meet as a boy enrolled in a brutal school, where younger sons of the wealthy ruling families are sent to remo More...
Jan 17, 2011
Jeff
rated it:
Okay, had a much longer review that Goodreads managed to eat. Nice.
Long story short, it had a great premise, I loved the non-western basis for the culture described. But as the series wore on, the author's tics began to bug me. "Grammar" does not mean what he seems to think it means, and the inclusion of a gestural language to modulate the tone of the spoken language winds up being a crutch that tells what characters are feeling instead of showing it.
Ultimately, More...
Long story short, it had a great premise, I loved the non-western basis for the culture described. But as the series wore on, the author's tics began to bug me. "Grammar" does not mean what he seems to think it means, and the inclusion of a gestural language to modulate the tone of the spoken language winds up being a crutch that tells what characters are feeling instead of showing it.
Ultimately, More...
Apr 22, 2010
Mark
rated it:
Probably like a number of others, I figured I'd give this a spin based on cover praise from GRRM. As well, I seemed to remember that Daniel Abraham wrote the Jonathan Hive parts of the first book in the latest Wild Cards cycle, and I liked those. I can see where there is potential in this series but not much of it is realized in the opening book. Missing is a big bang to really draw you in. The idea of poets taking intangible ideas and crafting them into corporeal existence and that's what magic
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Mar 09, 2010
Charlotte
rated it:
I read this whole series on vacation last week (thanks, Kindle!) and they were all great fantasy beach reads. The classic fantasy trappings apply: semi-medieval setting, lone iconoclast likable and multi-talented protagonist, strong supporting cast, love interest, etc. All of which, when done well, I love to see repeated in newish ways. The invention at the heart of the series, though, was great: poets are the most powerful people in the world, and when they describe a thought well enough, that
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Jan 12, 2009
J.C.
rated it:
Refreshing Fantasy. Promising Start to a Good Series
A SHADOW IN SUMMER was a wonderful read. It accomplished everything that a first fantasy book should. It introduced an engaging world, created interesting characters that were equally engaging, and completed the story while leaving the door open for the entire world to develop in future volumes.
I sometimes have difficulty starting new fantasy series because sometimes there is simply information overload on the world, the More...
A SHADOW IN SUMMER was a wonderful read. It accomplished everything that a first fantasy book should. It introduced an engaging world, created interesting characters that were equally engaging, and completed the story while leaving the door open for the entire world to develop in future volumes.
I sometimes have difficulty starting new fantasy series because sometimes there is simply information overload on the world, the More...
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Aug 10, 2011
Althea
rated it:
I picked up this book because of the laudatory blurbs from both George R.R. Martin and Connie Willis.
I know Abraham has co-written with Martin before; although this is his first solo novel, it doesn't read like a first effort in any way - it's definitely engaging, above-average fantasy.
The world is a somewhat familiar fantasy scenario with an Asian-ish flavor, but not so much so that it doesn't feel interesting and original. It's set in a kingdom whose power rests on the andat - powerf More...
I know Abraham has co-written with Martin before; although this is his first solo novel, it doesn't read like a first effort in any way - it's definitely engaging, above-average fantasy.
The world is a somewhat familiar fantasy scenario with an Asian-ish flavor, but not so much so that it doesn't feel interesting and original. It's set in a kingdom whose power rests on the andat - powerf More...
Oct 19, 2011
Jeni
rated it:
A Shadow in Summer is the first volume of a four part fantasy series also known collectively as The Long Price Quartet.
The book opens with a prologue that is set in what initially is taken to be a school, but soon is revealed to be more of an exclusive training academy for the male offspring of the ruling classes. The deliberately harsh, cruel regime of this school leads one boy to a difficult decision; the significance of which will become increasingly apparent as the story progresses.
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The book opens with a prologue that is set in what initially is taken to be a school, but soon is revealed to be more of an exclusive training academy for the male offspring of the ruling classes. The deliberately harsh, cruel regime of this school leads one boy to a difficult decision; the significance of which will become increasingly apparent as the story progresses.
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May 18, 2010
Michael
rated it:
"A Shadow in Summer" has been on my to-be-read radar for quite a while now even though I can't quite recall exactly why I put it on the list. But when Jaws Read Too began her Summer of Series program, I looked over at the first installment in the series, sitting on my to be read pile, mocking me mercilessly and decided it was a good time to commit not only to reading the first book, but also the entire "Long Price Quartet" series as well.
So, I pulled the book out More...
So, I pulled the book out More...
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Apr 14, 2011
Shanrina
rated it:
There were a lot of really interesting ideas here, and I really liked some of the characters, including a lot of the really important ones. The worldbuilding was original overall as well. However, I think the writing itself could have used a little more work. Like the phrase "took a pose of X," which I'd wager showed up several times in almost every scene--I like the idea behind it, but since none of these poses are ever described to the reader (and I would have loved to read what some
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Apr 08, 2010
Danica
rated it:
So disappointed, again. I picked up this book because my heroes Connie Willis and George R. R. Martin, hands down my two favorite scifi/fantasists writing today, had been quoted as saying generous things about this series. Obviously the lesson here is to never trust blurbs, ever, even if you think the people writing them have bigger brains than you. I mean, it started out well enough. The first scene with Maati and the andat was hair-raising in its eeriness, and I liked the idea of poetry tr
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Jan 23, 2012
Luciusoso
rated it:
I liked this book, but i liked even more the prospect of finally finding a worth-reading saga
Truth be told, this book is pretty cool but i can't find it in my standards to rate it above 3 stars. Therefore, i just 'liked it'.
Although if you ask me what it lacked to be better, i wouldn't know what to answer. The plot is both original and captivating, with good characters design and very easy to read. In fact (skipping the first part of the book), i enjoyed each POV very much.
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Truth be told, this book is pretty cool but i can't find it in my standards to rate it above 3 stars. Therefore, i just 'liked it'.
Although if you ask me what it lacked to be better, i wouldn't know what to answer. The plot is both original and captivating, with good characters design and very easy to read. In fact (skipping the first part of the book), i enjoyed each POV very much.
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Apr 05, 2011
Eh?Eh!
rated it:
The review that hooked me: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/138...
The review that should've hooked me much earlier: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/695...
I don't think beginning this series with a marathon reading session while sick was the best approach, since fevers make me to skim faster and I missed some intricacies. Illness also makes me so lazy, such that I was unwilling to move even though I'd hunched down into a painful sitting/crouching/fetal position. Despi More...
The review that should've hooked me much earlier: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/695...
I don't think beginning this series with a marathon reading session while sick was the best approach, since fevers make me to skim faster and I missed some intricacies. Illness also makes me so lazy, such that I was unwilling to move even though I'd hunched down into a painful sitting/crouching/fetal position. Despi More...
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Jan 27, 2012
Josh
rated it:
I got this for free with Leviathan Wakes, and was pleasantly surprised. It's a low fantasy (medieval with a variety of humanoid races, but virtually no magic or the like) work that follows three different sets of characters (two of which merge by the end).
The world that's built up is an interesting one. Dragons ruled it in ages past, creating the human races as slaves. The dragons since died out, leaving behind a network of roads and a number of warring human kingdoms. The only mag More...
The world that's built up is an interesting one. Dragons ruled it in ages past, creating the human races as slaves. The dragons since died out, leaving behind a network of roads and a number of warring human kingdoms. The only mag More...
May 28, 2011
Jen
rated it: 
A Shadow in Summer is the first of the Long Price Quartet, and Daniel Abraham’s spectacular first novel. It’s of the genre I’m inclined to call “epic fantasy,” except for most people that means swords and elves and Good Versus Evil, and what I mean by it is just second-world fantasy with a huge cast and extraordinary world-building. And let me tell you, this has it in spades.
It’s hard to say who the main characters are because everyone is important in their own way. There’s Amat, the a More...
It’s hard to say who the main characters are because everyone is important in their own way. There’s Amat, the a More...
May 25, 2011
John
rated it:
Really a 3.5, but I wouldn't recommend this to non-fantasy fans.
A fantasy book with an eastern flair, and a tragic end.
Some people are annoyed with books that introduce fictional cultures and settings. This book is not for them. They'll complain about how that element was stolen from some culture, or how it interrupts the narrative when the author mentions a formal "pose" as a method of communication. And it's true, there are a few moments where it's not quite car More...
A fantasy book with an eastern flair, and a tragic end.
Some people are annoyed with books that introduce fictional cultures and settings. This book is not for them. They'll complain about how that element was stolen from some culture, or how it interrupts the narrative when the author mentions a formal "pose" as a method of communication. And it's true, there are a few moments where it's not quite car More...
Feb 01, 2011
Mark
rated it:
I was sent the omnibus by James Long at Orbit, who thought I might like it. He was wrong – I loved it.
I’m not going to review it (not that I really do reviews that much). You know when you enjoy a book so much, you enjoy the nuances, and you know that none of this can be captured in a write-up? It’s almost pointless. There are so many layers, and none of the reviews I’ve read have seen the same city and characters as I have – which goes to show how much I enjoyed it. This really is a More...
I’m not going to review it (not that I really do reviews that much). You know when you enjoy a book so much, you enjoy the nuances, and you know that none of this can be captured in a write-up? It’s almost pointless. There are so many layers, and none of the reviews I’ve read have seen the same city and characters as I have – which goes to show how much I enjoyed it. This really is a More...
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Jan 05, 2012
Katherine
rated it:
This was a terrific read, hands down.
The premise is hard to recount without sounding like you're either dreaming or dropping acid, and I suppose that's why the cover blurb is so wildly inaccurate and mega-spoilery. If you are able to pick up the book and read it without reading that blurb you'll be in for a huge treat, as the book description spoils what would otherwise be a great twist.
This is a book that will give you a fine several hours of good reading enter More...
The premise is hard to recount without sounding like you're either dreaming or dropping acid, and I suppose that's why the cover blurb is so wildly inaccurate and mega-spoilery. If you are able to pick up the book and read it without reading that blurb you'll be in for a huge treat, as the book description spoils what would otherwise be a great twist.
This is a book that will give you a fine several hours of good reading enter More...
Jan 30, 2010
Petra
rated it:
My first thought while reading this books was that I did not really understand how the magic worked, I got confused with what they called themselfs, poets, and it was not until then end I got a hang on it. I don't really know if the story suffered from it, I guess not, since magic does not have that big part of it, it's more about the characters and it was those that made me like this book. Specially Itani becuase I have a soft spot for the quiet brooding type and he is one of the best when it c
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Aug 20, 2011
Lars J.
rated it:
This will be a short review as I actually finished this book a while back, and it wouldn't be fair trying to outline more than the big pictures given my horrible memory.
I really wanted to give this book more than 3 stars. On a scale of 10 it would have been a strong 7. And the reason I wanted to rate it higher is simple: It is not you ordinary run of the mill fantasy. No any orphan discovering their destiny as kings/magicians/gods. No cheesy love story (but a nice triangle, if you kn More...
I really wanted to give this book more than 3 stars. On a scale of 10 it would have been a strong 7. And the reason I wanted to rate it higher is simple: It is not you ordinary run of the mill fantasy. No any orphan discovering their destiny as kings/magicians/gods. No cheesy love story (but a nice triangle, if you kn More...
Feb 06, 2011
Jacob
rated it:
In her review of the second book in this series, Ceridwen threatened to send the first book to all of her friends for their birthdays. Apparently the Long Price Quartet is just that good? I'm about to find out, because--as luck would have it--my birthday was on Friday and Ceridwen does not make idle threats. Happy Birthday to me!
Happy Birthday to me indeed. This is a good book. This is a really good book. Ignore the three-star rating, that’s just me being old and grouchy--someh More...
Happy Birthday to me indeed. This is a good book. This is a really good book. Ignore the three-star rating, that’s just me being old and grouchy--someh More...
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Jan 27, 2012
Jon
rated it:
It's not a fun book, but it is a beautiful book.
There are pieces of prose in here that are like poetry, and some wonderful ideas as well. And yet, I almost abandoned the book three times, and frequently found myself skimming.
The prologue sets up an interesting world and starts out with an incredible character that I wanted to see again, and this was probably the only thing that kept me going through the first four chapters or so. After that, I was enthralled by the story More...
There are pieces of prose in here that are like poetry, and some wonderful ideas as well. And yet, I almost abandoned the book three times, and frequently found myself skimming.
The prologue sets up an interesting world and starts out with an incredible character that I wanted to see again, and this was probably the only thing that kept me going through the first four chapters or so. After that, I was enthralled by the story More...
Sep 26, 2011
Mai
rated it:
Epic fantasy in an Asian-influenced setting and a magic system that is closely tied to economics and is likened to poetry?
Is all about moral ambiguity and asking tough questions?
Political intrigue that is downright horrifying?
*loveslovesloves*
Is all about moral ambiguity and asking tough questions?
Political intrigue that is downright horrifying?
*loveslovesloves*
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