Shadows of the Soul

Xena the Merciless #1

by Melissa Good

Author's Note: For years now, Lunacy has been after me to write a Conqueror story. I never was that fond of Armegeddon Now, but Lunacy lives in Miami, and knows where my house is. So – as a compromise, I decided to write a sorta kinda conqueror type story and here it is.

This is the first book in the Xena the Merciless series.

Cover by Calli’s Creations (www.calliscreations.com)

Genres: Lesbian, Fantasy, Lesbian Romance, LGBT, Romance, Queer, Fan Fiction

ebook

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Melissa Good is a full time network engineer and part time writer who lives in Pembroke Pines, Florida with a handful of lizards and a dog. When not traveling for work, or participating in the usual chores she ejects several sets of clamoring voices onto a variety of keyboards and tries to entertain others with them to the best of her ability. She is a prolific author of many published novels and a very well-known author of Xena fan fiction. You can find other info at www.merwolf.com.
Melissa “Missy” Good is the Royal Academy of Bards 2005 Hall of Fame Author and the winner of 2008 Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award.

Reviews

[Sarah Lou P · Rating 5 out of 5]

How many times have I read this book? This is the best conqueror story in the entire fanfiction world. I've read countless of conqueror stories, but this is the only story I always re-read. There was never a dull moment in this book and the rest of the series.

I first read this book in 2010, and when I was done, I wanted more; I needed to read more. Luckily, the second series was uploaded by that time.

I loved how Melissa Good portrayed Xena and Gabrielle's characters; they were so amazing and lovable. This book has almost every genre in it - suspense, romance, action, a little bit of drama, and comedy.

I just wondered about Xena's age, whenever I read the story...

Thanks to Melissa Good for her brilliant talent!

[Astrid · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do love me a good conquerer fic and I honestly can't say how often I read this one over the years. It's very well done and I especially appreciate that Xena doesn't turn into a soft human being just because she's in love She melts... yes. But she stays true to herself. And Gabrielle's personal growth is also believably done.

Now on to part two of the series.

[Maji · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hate conqueror fictions, in which Xena abuses Gabrielle, and then some magic happens, and they fall in love! Missy Good's Xena: The Merciless is totally different. I love the merciless character. She always, from the very beginning treats Gabrielle well and as a human. Additionally she is so humorous, and interesting, and though merciless at some points (especially in the first part), we never see this side of her directed toward Gabrielle. I also like the way Missy used 'merciless', instead of 'conqueror', so totally dissociated her fantastic fiction from that horrendous Hercules scene.
I highly recommend it to any Xena&Gabrielle fan. Even if you hate conqueror fictions, you will find it very different and fascinating. I did.

[Vervada · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never watched Xena: Warrior Princess since I wasn't even born when it was released, but I had read and thoroughly enjoyed books written by Melissa Good before so I decided to give this one a chance. And I am so glad that I did! The characters were complicated and layered, especially Xena, the plot was gripping and the developing relationship kept me glued to the pages. The story was quite dark in places, but there was enough humour and romance to offset it. I don't really know what else to say except that "Shadows of the Soul" really held my attention, I found it extremely entertaining and I can't wait to read the sequel.

[Jackie hoha]

Xena is in 💘 w/ Ares

[Cheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. The first of a series and the entire thing is good. The author is still working on the current story and you can read it as she posts it on her website.

We also discussed it on the Cocktail Hour podcast: http://cocktailhour.us/archives/179

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Conqueror series is a bit disturbing, but Good manages to ground the whole thing in the same core of love that gives strength to her Journey of Soulmates series.