Shadow of the Well of Souls

Watchers at the Well #2

by Jack L. Chalker

Immortal, unchanging, the eternal survivor, Nathan Brazil had tired of his long duty as the guardian of the Well World and had enlisted Mavra Chang, space pilot and adventurer, as his companion and equal, sharing with her the godlike power to control the universe's destiny. Now the Well World is changing, and Brazil and Chang have drifted apart . . . but they must work together one more time to stop a new threat to the Well World -- the greatest threat of all . . . .


From the Paperback edition.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

365 pages, Paperback

First published January 25, 1994

About the author

Besides being a science fiction author, Jack Laurence Chalker was a Baltimore City Schools history teacher in Maryland for a time, a member of the Washington Science Fiction Association, and was involved in the founding of the Baltimore Science Fiction Society. Some of his books said that he was born in Norfolk, Virginia although he later claimed that was a mistake.

He attended all but one of the World Science Fiction Conventions from 1965 until 2004. He published an amateur SF journal, Mirage, from 1960 to 1971 (a Hugo nominee in 1963 for Best Fanzine).

Chalker was married in 1978 and had two sons.

His stated hobbies included esoteric audio, travel, and working on science-fiction convention committees. He had a great interest in ferryboats, and, at his wife's suggestion, their marriage was performed on the Roaring Bull Ferry.

Chalker's awards included the Daedalus Award (1983), The Gold Medal of the West Coast Review of Books (1984), Skylark Award (1985), Hamilton-Brackett Memorial Award (1979), as well as others of varying prestige. He was a nominee for the John W. Campbell Award twice and for the Hugo Award twice. He was posthumously awarded the Phoenix Award by the Southern Fandom Confederation on April 9, 2005.

On September 18, 2003, during Hurricane Isabel, Chalker passed out and was rushed to the hospital with a diagnosis of a heart attack. He was later released, but was severely weakened. On December 6, 2004, he was again rushed to hospital with breathing problems and disorientation, and was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and a collapsed lung. Chalker was hospitalized in critical condition, then upgraded to stable on December 9, though he didn't regain consciousness until December 15. After several more weeks in deteriorating condition and in a persistent vegetative state, with several transfers to different hospitals, he died on February 11, 2005 of kidney failure and sepsis in Bon Secours of Baltimore, Maryland.

Chalker is perhaps best known for his Well World series of novels, the first of which is Midnight at the Well of Souls (Well World, #1).

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one does tend to blur the line between fantasy and sci-fi, as humans from Earth are transformed into aliens and live on a different planet, but the overall story that they must get to the computer at the center of the planet is undeniably sci-fi. "Shadow" is the middle of the three volumes, so the story is far from complete, and that makes it difficult to judge how well I like the books overall. But it's entertaining enough to keep reading. More of a review when I finish "Gods".

[Scott King · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked the first five books in this series. But the constant discussion of gender politics in this one felt interminable and put me off it. And the degradation of characters through drugs and mind control - in one book it's a plot device but when it keeps recurring then it's a theme and not a nice one.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rated SHADOW OF THE WELL OF SOULS three stars because it "ends" with both the main characters so totally stymied. But it doesn't really end, because it's a 3-volume novel. Just be sure that by the time you finish it, you have GODS OF THE WELL OF SOULS ready to complete the adventures of the immortals Nathan Brazil and Mavra Chang.

[Stewart Ireland · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of Chalker's Well World and this is the first book that I've given less than a 4 star rating to. I had to because I really feel this is the weakest Well World book I have read so far. The pacing is so sloooow. The book follows the progress of the two different groups, one led by Nathan Brazil and the other led by Mavra Chang as they race to beat each other to the Avenue where they can enter the Well World computer. Racing across the Well World, through different hexes is a common and fun trope of the Well World books but this time, chapter after chapter is spent with little progress made as most of the pages are taken up by philosophical discussions between the characters around gender and sexuality. Since many of the characters have been changed from male to female or vice versa, and the hex societies they are now part of have different cultures with regards to gender, there are lots (and I mean lots) of debate and pontification on this subject. This is an area which Chalker has covered before in previous books, so clearly it is an area of interest for him, but he really goes all in on it here. Some of it is interesting but it clearly comes at the expense of action and pacing.

Another thing which bothered me a lot in this book is the plot conveniences. On a world where there are 780 different locations where a character can randomly end up, somehow every character is always where it is most convenient for them to be to further the story along. This is an issue which the Well World books have always had, and I chose to accept and/or ignore them in the earlier books, because they weren't so egregious, but this time round it's just TOO unbelievable.

I'll still read the next book because I want to see how this trilogy ends but I'm hoping it improves from this one.

[J'aime Wells]

I especially like the installments of this series which take us to cosmopolitan port cities on Well World, where we get to see how the different sentient species interact in normal times: import/export businesses, the hotel industry, and in this book, illegal drug smuggling.

People being reborn into bodies they didn't choose is obviously a major theme of the Well World series. It's creepy, though, how often Chalker has used that perfectly good theme as a way to punish and humiliate female characters by putting them in unnaturally helpless bodies that are also exaggeratedly feminine (always with huge oversized breasts).

This has now happened to Mavra twice (first the half-mule in the original series, now the meter-tall bird... both with huge human breasts...) and now to Lori (apparently an equine body, but wait, the huge human breasts hanging down behind the forelegs are... practical. It's science!)

(I like many things about the series, but that pattern is problematic.)

[Avery · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m enjoying my reread of this series, but the ending of this one made me cringe/want to toss the book against the wall both times I’ve read it. So, it can’t be a 5 star read for me. I'm ready to start the next one though lol

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just another piece of crap; an absolute waste of time. It can be broken down into poor grammar, sucky plot, and an inept author who suffers from penis envy.

[Lorrie]

Left you hanging. Make sure you have the next one

[Karen-Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Immortal, unchanging, the eternal survivor, Nathan Brazil had tired of his long duty as the guardian of the Well World and had enlisted Mavra Chang, space pilot and adventurer, as his companion and equal, sharing with her the godlike power to control the universe's destiny. Now the Well World is changing, and Brazil and Chang have drifted apart . . . but they must work together one more time to stop a new threat to the Well World -- the greatest threat of all . . . .

[Aaron Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

See "Echos of the Well of Souls".

[Benjamin Plume · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like a lot of middle books in trilogies, there's a sense of this volume being more of a bridge from here to there. Still tight, though.

[Jim Razinha · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with Echoes, the re-read was better...bumping the rating from three to four stars. As another review said, like most middle novel in a trilogy, this is a bridge, but he dd a good job with it.

[Mark Palmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a worthwhile second book in the new series.

[James Hein · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the final trilogy and spends most of the time positioning pieces for the finale.

[Edward Snell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it can't wait to read the next in the series

[Dan Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The continuation of the final Well World story does not disappoint.