Book Review: ShadowBane by Cal Logan

An epic story of epic proportions!

Whoa, what a tale. I truly don’t know where to begin with this.

ShadowBane follows the story of Shura and Jin, two Shikõken siblings – divine-blooded humans – who make their living hunting demons for the various kings and rulers of Tanikoku. Armed with katanas, axes, guns and net-cannons, they have nothing but each other, and the company of their Euran friend Wallace, a squire of sorts, and Feng, an actual tiger, as they roam the land, trying to kill first what’s trying to kill them.

Shura’s motivated by trying to prove herself, by overcoming the odds together with her brother, defeating the demons once and for all, and restoring their family’s name and honor. Jin… well, he’s motivated by more tangible things. Like food, whiskey, and whores. As long as he gets to kill things and be left alone, he’s happy.

The whole thing reads like a grimdark Japanese-inspired fantasy version of Supernatural – and it’s absolutely magnificent.

This is Logan’s debut novel and I’ve got to say, he has an incredible way with words. Every sentence feels like it’s incredible carefully planned and structured – which says a lot considering this book’s length – and everything that is said and told seems to have purpose. In one sense, it’s a bit of a struggle to read, because you’re afraid you’re going to miss some important detail if you don’t pick up on every little word, every little nuance in the way things are said, but it’s also incredibly beautiful.

Logan is also a master world builder. I can’t remember the last fantasy novel I read that had such detailed, vibrant world, with so many lands, regions, towns, country sides, rivers, mountains, people and places. For some people (read: me) it’s actually incredibly exhausting, because I find it very hard to keep track and keep things separate in my mind – especially since this is Japanese-inspired and I struggle with a lot of names being difficult to pronounce and looking similar on the page – but of course, it’s also incredibly well-executed and impressive. If you’re the kind of fantasy reader who loves to get lost in a world that will just swallow you up, this is definitely your cup of tea.

What I struggled with the most however, was the action. I love a good action scene, don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing cooler than seeing a well-written, expertly choreographed sword fight jump out at you from the page. The problem with this is just that there’s so incredibly many, and that they’re incredibly long. Shura and Jin do a lot of fighting, and I mean a lot. And it often goes on for a long while, which, while cool and exciting at the start of the book, gets a bit much toward the middle, and at times a little boring toward the end. I found it much more exciting to hear about the quarrels between them, their hopes and dreams, their troubled pasts, what they think about the future. I found myself thinking I wanted to know more about Jin as a person, rather than read another 18 pages of him lobbing the head of yet another demon. I’m exaggerating of course, but you get my drift.

Of course, the fighting is also really well-written, so if you pick up fantasy books for violent, bloody carnage, then ShadowBane is going to be right up your alley. Don’t even question it.

But the story is great, the build up to the rest of the series is exciting and Logan has created an impressive world with his debut. If you’re into epic fantasies, if you like Japanese-inspired worlds, and you’re partial to katana-swinging, demon-hunting demigod-siblings then this is the one book you’ve waited for your whole life. No doubt about it.

What have you been reading this autumn? A cool new debut? Working your way through a classic? Stuck in a rut with reading? Let me know in the comments! I love to hear about what other people are reading, and who knows, maybe I can recommend something?

As always, I’d appreciate it immensely if you’d care to check out my books! f you’re into crime thrillers, I’d recommend my The Columbus Archives series, starting with The Consequence of Loyalty. If you prefer psychological horror, then go for At The Gate. There’s also short stories and anthologies if you prefer fantasy, sci-fi, or speculative fiction.

You can find all my novels and short stories right here.

Trey Stone’s Books

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