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

The Way of Shadows (Night Angel #1)

by Brent Weeks (Goodreads Author)

4.15 of 5 stars 4.15 · rating details · 37,402 ratings · 1,872 reviews

For Durzo Blint, assassination is an art—and he is the city’s most accomplished artist.

For Azoth, survival is precarious. Something you never take for granted. As a guild rat, he’s grown up in the slums, and learned to judge people quickly—and to take risks. Risks like apprenticing himself to Durzo Blint.

But to be accepted, Azoth must turn his back on his old life and emb...more

Kindle Edition, 659 pages

Published October 1st 2008 by Orbit

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

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

Lists with This Book

Fighting Fantasy

7th out of 20 books — 11 voters

Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold

SF/F Spies!

18th out of 53 books — 9 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jul 19, 2012 Nataliya rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of videogame-style fantasy

Recommended to Nataliya by: GR positive reviews

Shelves: 2012-reads, first-in-a-series

A plucky street urchin Azoth wants to be a wetboy (*). Which is basically an assassin on steroids . Minus the unfortunate side effects of acne, neck hump, obesity, testicular atrophy, and man-boobs.

* (These are just some of the images that come up in the internet search for "wetboy".)

Also, call me immature, but when you call your magical artifact ka'kari, despite the mandatory fantasy apostrophe, the "kaka" part inevitably elicits immature giggles from me. Dear writers, please be careful in you

...more

101 likes · like · see review

Mar 29, 2011 Simeon rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: utter-shite, fantasy

The Way of Shadows is so laughably bad, I thought it was satire. Let me give you an example. So, near the end of the book, the protagonist is about to express his love to this girl after like 20 years of pining, and at this point in the story, there's been very little cursing, the violence is PG-13 and badly written, all very YA. So, our protagonist approaches his lady and says to her (this is a direct quote):

"I think you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. And the purest. I'm not asking

...more

47 likes · like · see review

Mar 30, 2013 Jon added it · review of another edition

Recommended to Jon by: Fantasy Book Club December 2009 Selection

Shelves: fiction, fantasy, ebooks, read-in-my-40s, liked-it

3.8 stars Azoth fled back into the shadows once he realized the indomitable assassin Amazon was moving in on his territory. Some clues to his whereabouts might surface in the depths of my blog here: http://bit.ly/14voV2e

40 likes · like · see review

Oct 23, 2011 Carol rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, action, male-lead, video-game-fantasy

Likeable, really, but something made this a hard book to delve into and get lost in the story. Could be the gritty scrabble of life in the mud of the Warrens. Could be that while character building was excellent, the world outside the Warrens lacks details, even as we meet the characters living there. Could be I've read too many stories lately with heroes of questionable ethics, and I need to cleanse my palate with light and fluffy (taking applications for light and fluffy~).

Halfway through. Fou...more

15 likes · like · see review

Dec 10, 2012 Fly rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: all-time-fav-s, 2009-books, the-epic-collection, favorites, 2012

So this book was a pleasant surprise! I left for New York and had only packed one book, thinking I wouldn't be able to read the entire book on my trip...oops. So I had to run to the bookstore to pick out another book to read. The bookstore closed in five minuets and I quickly grabbed the book because of it's interesting looking cover. Read the back, didn't sound too interesting, but noticed a quote from Terry Brooks which made me consider it. I picked it up and put it back down a couple of times...more

24 likes · like · see review

Dec 05, 2011 Colleen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dark-fantasy, sword-and-sorcery

Dec 4, 2011

On this second re-read I think I'd give it a 3. There were just too many parts where I wasn't really into it, and I even started thinking it was more a 2 1/2 - but it picked up a lot at the end, so 3 it is.

Not a lot has changed from my original review, I suppose, except that, perhaps, the slow bits seemed even slower. I will say that I think the parts concerning Durzo and Azoth are definitely the best and most engaging bits.

For a time I was beginning to think that maybe I really just...more

10 likes · like · see review

Dec 08, 2009 Shannon (Giraffe Days) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, 2008

Azoth is a "guild rat", a street urchin and orphan, and a member of a group of guild rats tyrannised over by Rat, a cruel older boy. Azoth and his best friend Jarl look after a mute little girl, Doll Girl, but Azoth dreams of being something more, doing something else, and above all, getting away from Rat.

A chance meeting with the famous Wetboy, Durzo Blint, is an opportunity he won't relinquish: he begs to be Durzo's apprentice, to become a feared Wetboy, Cenaria City's famous professional assa...more Azoth is a "guild rat", a street urchin and orphan, and a member of a group of guild rats tyrannised over by Rat, a cruel older boy. Azoth and his best friend Jarl look after a mute little girl, Doll Girl, but Azoth dreams of being something more, doing something else, and above all, getting away from Rat.

A chance meeting with the famous Wetboy, Durzo Blint, is an opportunity he won't relinquish: he begs to be Durzo's apprentice, to become a feared Wetboy, Cenaria City's famous professional assassins. Durzo won't take him unless he kills Rat, which becomes a matter of revenge when Azoth finds Doll Girl brutally beaten and cut. But killing Rat isn't the only thing Azoth must do: he also has to give up Doll Girl and never see the scarred little girl again, something he can't bring himself to do.

As he grows older and learns the art of assassination in all its many forms, and becomes a skilled fighter, Azoth is given a new identity: Kyler Stern, a young impoverished minor noble. But time is running out for Kyler - and for Cenaria City. He can't become a real Wetboy unless he has the Talent, but Kyler has no conduit, no way of accessing his magical gift, and the enemy kingdom to the north, Khalidor, is plotting its invasion. Kyler must figure out just which side of the fence he really stands on, what he stands for, and decide whether he wants to be the monster he's become.

I know I've done a really poor job of giving a summary, but it's one of those books with many characters, many intrigues, and a lot of fuss. Like George R.R. Martin, Weeks' writing is incredibly plot-driven, which was extremely disappointing. Unlike Martin, though, his story is more interesting and certainly faster-paced: it reads more like a modern-day action movie, or a role-play game, than a novel. This is my main problem with the book. You never get a real chance to get to know the characters and understand their motivations. Sometimes their motivations weren't clear to me at all, or made no sense, or weren't handled well, which can be really frustrating. If you don't understand why a character is doing what they're doing, then the plot tends to fall apart.

That's the other issue with this book: it's all plot. Many of them, but all connected. Which I don't mind, in general, although it does get very busy and, like I said, the characters lose out. It wasn't until the last hundred pages that I realised what was familiar about it: it reminded me of the fantasy story I wrote as a teenager, all plot driven because I didn't know how to handle my characters unless they were constantly moving, and I kept making the plot more and more complicated because I didn't know how to resolve things. But hey, I was young, and I was learning.

There are plenty of successful fantasy stories out there that are plot-driven - in fact, it tends to be a formula. Lord of the Rings, for example. But it's all in the writing, in the prose, the structure, how you develop characters, what you reveal and when etc. Weeks writes like a giddy teenager. His enthusiasm is catching, though, and it's certainly an easy read - though it could have been better edited and proof-read, as there are some awkward, confusing sentences that threw me and too many typos, and he seems to have a blind spot for the word "to", which is often missing. And I think Weeks should have followed Azoth as he killed Rat, rather than reveal it at the end of the book - it would have had better impact and been less confusing. There was no dramatic power added by skimming over such an important scene, though I get what he was trying to do. Oh, and it was more than strange how he became such an ineffectual fighter when faced with a female Wetboy apprentice: reduced to scrabbling on the floor and getting kneed in the groin. You can't tell me on one page that he's a skilled fighter and on the other see him so powerless, and expect me to believe. Though I do like that Kyler often betrayed his youth and inexperience with his mistakes and all: it does make him more realistic. In theory. Mostly I was just disbelieving.

I lied before: my biggest problem with this book is I can't decide whether I liked it, or whether it was just OK. I can't decide if its fast-paced action (granted, nothing really interesting happens until 200 pages in) and somewhat endearing characters (I find myself liking Azoth/Kyler despite how annoyingly slow he can be) outweigh its many flaws - they're the kind of flaws that get in the way of a good fantasy novel. This ambivalence only makes me more annoyed, and I'm still undecided (a negative in itself, as is the inordinately long time it took me to read a book that's so easy to read).

I love these stories about assassins, and fantasy novels that stay in one place, but I didn't get the character development I really need to be satisfied, and the city never made sense to me either. I don't think Weeks had quite as good a handle on his plot-lines as he tried to have. His descriptions of action sequences are clumsy too. Other reviewers, I noted, aside from liking this book a lot more than I did, either compared him to Martin or recommended him to people who like Martin. There's a big difference between George R.R. Martin and Brent Weeks, though: I might actually read the next book in this trilogy, but I can't see myself ever torturing myself with another Song of Ice and Fire book.

And I love the covers of this trilogy.(less)

16 likes · like · see review

view all 11 comments

Shannon (Giraffe Days) Hi Dave - I hope you put all that in your review too!

It's been two years and I don't remember the details clearly, but it's impression on me hasn't ch...more
19 gen. 06:34

Sandra @Dave from the half-bonded to the ka'kari part I gathered that the ka'kari nearly has a magnetic attraction to the ka'karifer, when Kylar touched the...more
23 apr. 09:36

Nov 29, 2011 Seak (Bryce L.) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, fantasy, 650-800-pagers

There are a few authors, Joe Abercrombie included, whose books I've read in large part because everything they've said outside of their novels (on blogs, etc.) has been hilarious and witty and they don't take themselves too seriously. Brent Weeks (or Sussex Months...yes I still think it's funny) is one of those authors.

One of the reasons it's taken me this long to get to this book is because I think the cover is awful. I know cover art doesn't really effect anything and probably shouldn't anyway...more

25 likes · like · see review

Dec 17, 2011 Kevin Xu rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 35-until-becoming-an-aficionados

This book is really slow in the beginning until about 200 pages into the book. Then the speed of the book really picked up with full of action that included killing in painful ways. This book would do really well if it is made into a movie or especially if it is made into a video game. Overall, this is what an assassin should be.

16 likes · like · see review

Sep 16, 2011 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

I actually read this in the omnibus edition, but wanted to give a good rating to each of the individual volumes. I read "these" at a trying time in my life and needed a good absorbing read. I needed "a book" (I think of the trilogy as one book since that's how I read it.) that would not only hold my interest, but would give me, my mind a place to go to get a break from a difficult and draining time. This/these did that. They are good and they remain on my shelf.

http://www.goodreads.com/review/s ...more

7 likes · like · see review

Apr 23, 2013 Andrew O rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

I found this series to have the kind of "well written" and "witty" dialogue that every 12 year old pervert will love, due to it's "well" thought out and "intellectual" nature. However I beseech one to read that series as one will not be surprised in the least by the plot twits, in fact from page 1, a discernible reader will know the basic ending of the story, and thus can praise it for being a well written work of fantasy. The author's characterization of women as being either virgins or whores...more I found this series to have the kind of "well written" and "witty" dialogue that every 12 year old pervert will love, due to it's "well" thought out and "intellectual" nature. However I beseech one to read that series as one will not be surprised in the least by the plot twits, in fact from page 1, a discernible reader will know the basic ending of the story, and thus can praise it for being a well written work of fantasy. The author's characterization of women as being either virgins or whores will astound even the most ignoble character. And one can only marvel at the rate which the lesser characters die off, while the major ones do not.

Seriously though, all I can say is WOW!

This was the MOST overhyped book I have ever read. So many people recommended it to me I expected something really good. What I got was a book that felt like a young adult book that was trying to be adult by swearing and talking about sex, just like a 12 year old boy would do.

While the book was entertaining and had some good concepts, it was deeply flawed in many ways, and really felt like it was targeted to 12-20 year old crowd, or should have been a CW network TV show. It was full of overused tropes and the way side characters all died off was like watching horror movie where everyone gets killed really easily while the hero can miraculously survive. And lastly there where many similarities in this book to the first book of the Mistborn Series, only the Mistborn book was, way, way better.

Now given that this was the authors first book I will give him some slack and say that the battle scenes where well done and the way magic was used was cool, if not fully explained with rules applied to it. I will check out the next book to see if the writing improves (which I heard it does, but from what I heard this was one of the best books ever written too, so what I heard my also be false) and the overall plot does get your interest, the machinations of foreign powers taking over.

For people who have not read The Broken Sword by Paul Anderson, The Black Company, Fritz Leiber, The Chronicles of Amber or the Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon, I recommend all those over this. And if you want a long read, then Game of Thrones and Wheels of Time are both better as well. Unless you are in your late teens or early 20's, then you will probably love this story (less)

4 likes · like · see review

May 28, 2009 Matt rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own-it

What a great debut from a new author. It well exceeded my expectations as I have never really been into the whole assassin type of fantasy. But after hearing so many good things about this series, I decided to pick it up and give it a try. And boy am I glad I did!

Before reading it, I had actually read several reviews that stated that this book dragged at times. At no point in this book did I feel like it was slow and boring. It read like a fun action movie to me.

I would highly recommend this boo...more

10 likes · like · see review

Feb 10, 2010 Stephen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: award-nominee-david-gemmell-legend, award-nominee-compton-crook, multiple-award-nominee, fantasy, assassins, kings-of-badassia, 2006-2010

4.5 stars. Outstanding debut novel in what I would describe as the fantasy "noir" setting (i.e., darker in tone, more adult in theme and characters more "grey" than black and white). This novel is very well written with a detailed, intricate plot, excellent main characters and outstanding world-building.

Nominee: David Gemmell Legend Award (2009)
Nominee: Compton Crook Award (2009)

9 likes · like · see review

May 23, 2010 Erika Badass rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It took me a good bit to get fully into the book. There were a lot of storylines at first. It wasn't as overwhelming as some varying POV (points of view) books can be, but there was just so much information and I didn't understand the names of some of the factions of people, I hate when I don't know how to pronounce something and I found that a lot in this book. I don't know how to say a lot of the Ka'Kari, and La'Sheahdhhdhhehe bla bla bla's.

Politics play a heavy role, it's intriguing when you...more

10 likes · like · see review

Feb 28, 2012 Leslee rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: high-fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book was maddening. I gave it 3 stars because I loved the idea - the plot, the world, the characters, but the development and execution is just nowhere near the level it needs to be to do the world building any justice.

So the basic story follows the adventures of a legendary 'wetboy', which is basically like a magically gifted assassin named Durzo Blint, who reluctantly takes on an apprentice named Azoth. It follows them through the years as they get involved in many plots and political qu...more This book was maddening. I gave it 3 stars because I loved the idea - the plot, the world, the characters, but the development and execution is just nowhere near the level it needs to be to do the world building any justice.

So the basic story follows the adventures of a legendary 'wetboy', which is basically like a magically gifted assassin named Durzo Blint, who reluctantly takes on an apprentice named Azoth. It follows them through the years as they get involved in many plots and political quagmires within and around the kingdom.

Okay. So, some of the characters in this novel, were really well developed. I liked Durzo, I thought he was a great Byronic hero type, and Azoth/Kylar was also fun to follow in his journey. But then the fact that these 2 characters were so well developed just added to how badly one dimensional some of the other characters were. We're supposed to believe Logan Gyre is some sort of wonderful heroic man who is really fated to rule the kingdom and beloved by all but we don't really ever see much of him and when we do he just seems to be a regular Prince Charming type with no other facets whatsoever.

Other characters that seem important drop in and out without any real explanation. We are told numerous times that these relationships they form are supposed to be important but then the book jumps like 5 years into the future without actually showing any of these important bonds so sorry if I don't believe that Solon became an important advisor to both of the Duke Gyres since we only ever see him interact with the younger one once when he's only 14 and the older one barely at all.

This leads me to the whole constant manic of jumping from scene to scene without any real building towards any developments. We're told things all the time without any real foreshadowing or letting us come to understandings of events by showing us through action. If Logan and Kylar are good friends, I want to see them become good friends, not just hear about it. If Serah's a slut, prove it, don't just tell me she is once, mention her there, and then never show her again.

All in all I think that this is a series and author that holds great promise - but the book actually needed another 200 pages to fully flesh out the characters and the world. Once the final battle started it certainly provided enough action, but I didn't really care what happened to anyone except for Kylar and Durzo because everyone else just seemed like background cardboard cutout characters. I'll still read the rest of the trilogy because I'm interested in what happens but I'm not gripping the edge of my seat with excitement.

2 and a half stars for me. (less)

5 likes · like · see review

Oct 01, 2008 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

At first I had trouble with this book. The gaps in the beginning of the story were frustrating. Parts of the story were left out, glossed over or trivialized by the characters. Once I got through the first few chapters it didn't happen, so I thought I was okay. As I got towards the end of the book Weeks brought us back to those events. Wow, what a swerve! Didn't see that one coming. Now I do believe that I am smarter than the average bear, I nailed some of the plots. I thought I had a good grasp...more

4 likes · like · see review

Jul 17, 2010 Michael rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, assassins, 2000s

I finished the first book in the Night Angel Trilogy, The Way of Shadows and I found it a little difficult to get into. I’ve never really read much fantasy, nor do I really read newer books, so this was completely difficult to get into. Not to say it wasn’t an enjoyable book, it just was a fun and pointless book. I know reading is supposed to be fine but normally I read to learn or expand my horizons. So when I read a book for fun, I feel like I’m missing out on something. The book follows the j...more

2 likes · like · see review

Dec 09, 2008 L rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-supernatural

I knew I was not going to like this book, but had to at least try it, since my son passed it along and he was feeding me Thanksgiving dinner. After all, I'm a peace activist; how I possibly like a book in which the protagonist is an assassin, a professional, at that. Of course we meet him as a boy growing up in the slums, who does what he has to do to survive & protect smaller, weaker children. The whole assassin thing begins as a dream of a way out. The book has everything you'd expect from...more

8 likes · like · see review

Oct 14, 2008 Nate rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: those who appreciate fiction

Recommended to Nate by: the author

Shelves: just-read

I'm biased. Let's get that out of the way up front. In fact, Brent and I were in each other's weddings. I read (and enjoyed) an early draft of the book before he'd gotten an agent or publisher. So of course I was elated to be able to go down to Borders and support my friend by buying his book.

But once I opened that portly paperback, none of that mattered: I wasn't reading it for him--I was reading it for me.

When I'm really absorbed in a book, the need to read supersedes all others--whether food,...more

9 likes · like · see review

May 27, 2013 Macoc rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-read-in-the-last-15-yrs

The Way of the Shadows is a fun little story that doesn't color outside the lines too much. It may deserve another half star but i couldn't get past some of the poor editing and some of the word choices the Author made. Near the end of the book Weeks uses the term Sodomites in dialog. Why in a fantasy novel having nothing to do with our own history would anyone know anything about Sodom and Gomorrah? Ok, enough of the rant.

I actually enjoyed the book but it could have been cleaned-up (edited) an...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jul 12, 2012 Michael Ramm rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, debut-works, assassin-thief, favorites, re-read, july2012

Amazing! I have heard many great things said about Brent Weeks' debut novel, and they are all TRUE! I have to admit that I love assassin stories! The tales of Durzo Blint and Kyler Stern do not disappoint. The world of Midcyru is in turmoil and come to find out that Blint and Stern are to play a BIG PART in the outcome. Watching Stern grow up under Blint's tutelage as a wetboy (think assassin with magical powers) shows that with hard work, you still have to bring your A game when it comes to fig...more

3 likes · like · see review

Feb 09, 2011 Derek Schneider rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Brent Weeks has a talent for creating complex and interesting characters that fit perfectly into the brutal and unforgiving world he has created. Durzo Blint being the most interesting. Here's a character that lives by a creed that states life is worthless, thus creating a roadblock for a guilty conscious, yet still struggles with doing the right thing at times when his job is at stake. Durzo is a wetboy, which is like an assassin, only he uses his Talent (magic) to enhance his abilities. Blendi...more

3 likes · like · see review

Mar 09, 2009 Brandi rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2009, fantasy

This book doesn't start very strong. I had a hard time following the book just for the glossed over plot and the mismanaged use of words of which the author doesn't explain the meaning to until about halfway through the book. That is when the book started to pick up and be good, the middle.

However, saying that, he switches to side characters story lines quite suddenly and some of time time I don't even remember who these characters were because they were mentioned briefly so long ago that it tak...more This book doesn't start very strong. I had a hard time following the book just for the glossed over plot and the mismanaged use of words of which the author doesn't explain the meaning to until about halfway through the book. That is when the book started to pick up and be good, the middle.

However, saying that, he switches to side characters story lines quite suddenly and some of time time I don't even remember who these characters were because they were mentioned briefly so long ago that it takes me a few minutes to sort through all that I have read to find a link (the one I was supposed to make initially). First off, I read a lot, I can follow books with twisting plots and many characters, so this had me aggravated. I realized the reason that I kept getting the characters all mixed together in my mind was because not a lot of them are memorable in themselves (we are talking side characters here).

As well, no respectable fantasy novel should be using modern day swear words. This book is so riddled by the S word and F word that every time it is used it reminds me that it is a fictional story written by some regular joe from reality. That makes it hard for me to get involved personally with the characters or even care meaningfully about the story.

The only things that I DO like about this book are the main character (wow one character...) and the actual story (though I still think it was poorly written and needed a lot of rewrites; I don't think it should have gone to print the way it was...).

So in the end I have an amused/hate relationship with this book. I really liked the story, but didn't like the way it was written at all. The swears are just too much for me and made the books 'romantic' moments seem petty and dirty. How can you tell someone you love them and say the word fuck at the same time. Apparently the author doesn't know how woman like to be wooed. It was rather appalling and in extremely poor taste. Swearing in the case quite literally ruined the book for me.(less)

10 likes · like · see review

Mar 02, 2013 Anders rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

This was a positive surprise for me. I picked it up at the airport on my way home for Christmas. It had a quote from Terry Brooks saying: "I was mesmerized from start to finish. Unforgettable characters, a plot that kept me guessing, non-stop action and the kind of in-depth storytelling that makes me admire a writer's work", which helped make my mind up to make the purchase.

I warmed to the story and the characters from the very start. Seldom has the first few chapters of a series been so rivetin...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 26, 2012 Tiyrna Nightschild rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Wonderful book. I couldn't wait to get the second one. Then I read all three of the series in three consecutive nights.

Wonderfully real characters. Heart-wrenching decisions, and people who have to face the cruelties of reality. One of the few books that I could not predict at all, and where I loved the characters so much that I cried for them, because they were too sad, and too strong, and thus is life.

The last book revealed so many twists in the plot; I could not even imagine anything close t...more

2 likes · like · see review

Apr 18, 2012 Deb rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So, "Don't judge a book by it's cover" ... in this case, it was fair for me to. When I was looking to randomly spend some money on a new book or two, I saw this series, but, instead chose Brent Weeks' later effort The Black Prism. Why? Because the covers of this series screamed "Teenage boys' dream" to me ... And, that's how it read to me, too. Granted, I did enjoy it, but it lacked a certain something that I was after.

This is a first novel from an accomplished writer.

It started strong - we met...more So, "Don't judge a book by it's cover" ... in this case, it was fair for me to. When I was looking to randomly spend some money on a new book or two, I saw this series, but, instead chose Brent Weeks' later effort The Black Prism. Why? Because the covers of this series screamed "Teenage boys' dream" to me ... And, that's how it read to me, too. Granted, I did enjoy it, but it lacked a certain something that I was after.

This is a first novel from an accomplished writer.

It started strong - we met our main character, Azoth (later Kylar), and his friends and saw their dismal life. We rooted for Azoth to get out of there, and to get his friends out, too. Great start. I care.
I think the trouble started when Mr Weeks started to get all the twists and turns in there. Twists and turns are great - keep the reader guessing. Only, don't keep the reader guessing so much that they no longer know who to care for because they might actually turn out to be a bad guy ...

I think other reviewers have mentioned this lull. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what it is, but I think it was a growing confusion, or, maybe a stepping-back because I was too busy concetrating on all the dropping hints to stay with the characters. Whatever it was, it was there.

My other gripe would have to be the love story. It was such a huge part of the story, but we never got to know the love interest, Elene, not really, and so, I didn't really care. We knew Kylar found her attractive and "pure", but we didn't know her. If he had had his head turned by another girl, I would have accepted it ... just sayin'. (view spoiler) On a brighter note - now I know that boys do like to read romance just as much as girls.

However, having read Brent Weeks' later novel The Black Prism, I know he has improved as a writer/storyteller. With that in mind, I expect this series to improve as it goes on. So, I will be reading the rest. Question is, do I wait for my order to turn up, or do I need to go get the next book out of the library?(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jan 26, 2013 Kirstine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: assassins-hell-yes, fantasy

I guess there are truths we must all face sooner or later.

One of them is that reading about assassins is not quite as cool as being one. Not that I have ever been one, but I've pretended to be a few on my xbox and that was simply a more satisfying experience than reading this.

With that sad realization out of the way, let me acknowledge that this book is actually very good. The plot is at times a little difficult to follow, but I don't think that's any fault of Brent Weeks, rather myself, as I...more

8 likes · like · see review

May 18, 2012 Scott rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My review is taken from my website at fantasycomesfirst.blogspot.com

First and foremost I have to say that I very much enjoyed this book. To me it seemed very fresh and with characters that you genuinely feel for.

To say that this is a coming of age story wouldn't be a falsehood but it wouldn't really be honest either. This is a story of a young boy thrust into adulthood at a young age and given difficult and impossible choices to make.

The main protagonist is Kylar Stern, a young boy on the street...more

3 likes · like · see review

Aug 09, 2011 Amery Xu rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The cover and the title were what caught my eye in the first place. After reading the attractive blurb, I got excited to read this book. However, this book failed to live up to my expectations. It's still a good read, one of those pass-the-time-novels, just not a "best novel ever". This is one of those novels where you have to just look at the plot and ignore the grammar. I found way too many typos, flipped word placement, and missing words that caused me to wonder what had happened to the edito...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 04, 2011 Dana rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: assassin-hunter, cover-purple, fantasy-epic, male-pov, weapons-and-metal, favorites

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

I loved The Black Prism to an almost manic and unhealthy level. Knowing how highly thought of Weeks' Night Angel books were, I had been saving them like one would a fine wine. Well, the special occasion that I was saving that particular bottle for has arrived and I finished The Way of Shadows last night. It was intoxicating...and 12 hours later I am still drunk. (metaphors...dead horses...beating....much, ya' think?)

The above paragraph is a spectacular example of why the best books tha...more

5 likes · like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Bookaholic Anonymous: Buddy Read - The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks	7	10	12 giu. 14:02
Fantasy Book Club...: * The Way of the Shadows-Finished reading? spoilers ahead!	22	99	20 feb. 13:00
Fantasy Book Club...: The Way of Shadows-First Impressions Planning to Read???? (Mark all Spoilers)	33	97	29 gen. 13:31
Does anyone else picture Momma K as	11	190	10 gen. 23:48
Shadow's Son by Jon Sprunk	20	263	06 gen. 11:01
HELP!!	11	298	30 ott. 03:49

combine
Other Editions (31)

More editions...

Genres

Fantasy

2,648 users

Fantasy > Epic Fantasy

120 users

Fantasy > Magic

95 users

Science Fiction Fantasy

78 users

Adventure

74 users

Fantasy > High Fantasy

65 users

Fantasy > Dark Fantasy

52 users

Epic

46 users

Action

45 users

Adult

45 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Brent Weeks

Brent Weeks was born and raised in Montana. After getting his paper keys from Hillsdale College, Brent had brief stints walking the earth like Caine from Kung Fu, tending bar, and corrupting the youth. (Not at the same time.) He started writing on bar napkins, then on lesson plans, then full time. Eventually, someone paid him for it. Brent lives in Oregon with his wife, Kristi. He doesn’t own cats...more

More about Brent Weeks...

Books by Brent Weeks

The Night Angel Trilogy (Night Angel, #1-3)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About The Way of Shadows

10 trivia questions

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from The Way of Shadows

“Do you know what punishments I've endured for my crimes, my sins? None. I am proof of the absurdity of men's most treasured abstractions. A just universe wouldn't tolerate my existence.” — 149 people liked it

“..because the only kind of love I have to offer is stupid and blind and so deep and powerful that I feel like I'm cracking just to hold it in.” — 84 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: The Way of Shadows
avg rating	preview: The Way of Shadows Goodreads rating: 4.15 (37402 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6070107-the-way-of-shadows?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1360557547l/6070107.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6070107-the-way-of-shadows?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks[/url]

The Way of Shadows (Night Angel #1)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website