What do you think?
Rate this book
World of Prime #2
Gold Throne in Shadow
The continuing adventures of Christopher Sinclair, mechanical engineer turned priest of war. Christopher, raised from the dead and promoted to a moderate rank, takes command of the army regiment he trained and equipped. Sent south to an allegedly easy posting, he finds himself in the way of several thousand rabid dog-men. Guns and fortifications turn back the horde, but Christopher has other problems that cannot be solved with mere a wicked assassin; hostile clergymen; dubious allies including a bard, Lalania, with a connection to a mysterious group of scholars; and worst of all his own impolitic tongue. But all of these pale into mere distractions once he discovers the true an invisible, mind-eating horror who plays the kingdom like a puppet-master’s stage. Lalania claims she can help--but will it be enough?
320 pages, Paperback
First published October 13, 2015
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
March 6, 2016
I am so never gonna wrap my head around this magic system and world. We have tael, some have more, you can take it from dead dinosaurs (and others), and if you get enough you go up a rank. Ranks are important when it comes to fighting cos a first rank will so die against a 5th rank. But I am not the only one, the main character Christopher struggled with this world too ;) I am so glad I am not alone.
Right, so Christopher died in the last book, and was resurrected, yes they can do that too. He wants to change this world, I do get that. There are lots of issues with the whole feudal system, rank system and peasants as cannon fodder. At the same time I so did not like when he said that at least the peasants will have guns...yeah, that does not solve everything mister.
Guns, yes, this fantasy world now has guns thanks to his knowledge. Guns against their magic. And the monsters, and the dinosaurs, and the oh I can't tell you that, but we learn some things at the end.
This world is just so weird, in a good way, I think that is the fun part. The world. And now I am thinking of the whole dead can be alive part again, so weird.
It's an interesting story in a strange strange world, and I do wonder what will happen (and if he will die again). And with that new info we get, ohh, intriguing.
Right, so Christopher died in the last book, and was resurrected, yes they can do that too. He wants to change this world, I do get that. There are lots of issues with the whole feudal system, rank system and peasants as cannon fodder. At the same time I so did not like when he said that at least the peasants will have guns...yeah, that does not solve everything mister.
Guns, yes, this fantasy world now has guns thanks to his knowledge. Guns against their magic. And the monsters, and the dinosaurs, and the oh I can't tell you that, but we learn some things at the end.
This world is just so weird, in a good way, I think that is the fun part. The world. And now I am thinking of the whole dead can be alive part again, so weird.
It's an interesting story in a strange strange world, and I do wonder what will happen (and if he will die again). And with that new info we get, ohh, intriguing.
November 16, 2015
I loved the first one, Sword of the Bright Lady, about a mechanical engineer who gets thrown into a mediaeval world and tries to make it better by discovering gunpowder and making rifles and pistols. This starts soon after the end of the first one with Christopher being brought back from the dead by the priests. He comes back with more power and more magic which makes him a bigger target and it is fun to watch him try to surreptitiously social-engineer reforms without getting killed by those he is quietly trying to oust. Very fun to read, great characters, wonderful world building and the magic is cool.
Read
April 14, 2021The continuing adventures of Christopher Sinclair, mechanical engineer turned priest of war.
The end of Sword of the Bright Lady(World Of Prime: Book 1) saw Christopher revived from a rather grisly episode. The beginning of Gold Throne in Shadow has him lamenting the lack of calluses on his shiny new body. All things considered, that may be the least weird thing that has happened to him since he woke up in a strange new world of might and magic.
Given command of the regiment he trained and outfitted, Christopher is sent south to collect tael for the king. Tael is the currency of magic and power. Absorbed, it bestows rank. The larger the amount of tael, the higher the rank. Rank equals power of the magical and political kind. Patrolling the southern border is considered a cushy assignment, which immediately begs the question: what’s wrong with this picture? The answer would be everything or, to be more specific: politicking lords and clergymen, a hostile warlock, charming young women tempting him to break his marriage vows, an assassin and hordes of ulvenmen (think orcs) and their dinosaur mounts.
As always, Christopher is his own worst enemy. Every time he opens his mouth, he unwittingly insults his enemies and allies alike. He is more comfortable with his ability to wield magic in this book, but just as uncomfortable with the power over others these abilities give him. With all the attempts on his life, however, he barely has the time to raise enough tael to keep his head, let alone learn all the rules of the quasi-feudalistic society. His friends tend to be very forgiving – probably because he has the habit of resurrecting them when they die. He’s also making a select few extremely wealthy as he continues to roll out plans for an industrial revolution that will eventually turn the politics of this world upside down. It’s no wonder the nobility don’t like him.
His guns and cannons prove invaluable against the ulvenmen, allowing him to hold the southern border and mine enough tael to make the king very happy. But there is another power out there that reduces the petty politicking amongst the lords and clergy into meaningless babble and this is going to complicate Christopher’s ultimate quest, which is to return home to his own world and his beloved wife.
In my review of Sword Of The Bright Lady, I commented enthusiastically on the fact this world operates somewhat like a table-top role-playing game. Tael is XP (experience points). Defeat enough MOBS (mobile or monster) and you’ll gain enough tael to elevate your rank. You can also loot the corpses of your foes for equipment, some of which will be imbued with magical properties. I love this aspect of these novels. In essence, I often feel as if I’m reading a role-playing adventure. The urge to pick up my dice is grows stronger with every chapter.
But M.C. Planck hasn’t just written a dungeon crawl. Christopher is an unlikely hero – the best sort, in my opinion – and is just as liable to spend his experience on others as himself. He’s not interested in elevating himself to the highest rank in the land. He does not want to sit on any thrones. He just wants to go home. He’s not prepared to leave this world how he found it, however, and therein lays the true conflict of this story. The plight of the unranked in this world offends him. So, the first half of Gold Throne In Shadow sees him continuing to raise the hopes of ordinary men. His efforts to revolutionise this society – the factories and ranks that have nothing to do with tael and power – continue to make him enemies. He’s arming peasants, paying them gold and putting wizards out of business by instructing people how to make ordinary things like paper without resorting to magical recipes.
He’s disrupting the order of things and, while we saw a hint of reprisal toward the end of the first book, the true cost of his actions becomes more clear in this second book, Gold Throne In Shadow, leaving the reader eager for the next chapter in this story.
Reviewed for SFCrowsnest.
The end of Sword of the Bright Lady(World Of Prime: Book 1) saw Christopher revived from a rather grisly episode. The beginning of Gold Throne in Shadow has him lamenting the lack of calluses on his shiny new body. All things considered, that may be the least weird thing that has happened to him since he woke up in a strange new world of might and magic.
Given command of the regiment he trained and outfitted, Christopher is sent south to collect tael for the king. Tael is the currency of magic and power. Absorbed, it bestows rank. The larger the amount of tael, the higher the rank. Rank equals power of the magical and political kind. Patrolling the southern border is considered a cushy assignment, which immediately begs the question: what’s wrong with this picture? The answer would be everything or, to be more specific: politicking lords and clergymen, a hostile warlock, charming young women tempting him to break his marriage vows, an assassin and hordes of ulvenmen (think orcs) and their dinosaur mounts.
As always, Christopher is his own worst enemy. Every time he opens his mouth, he unwittingly insults his enemies and allies alike. He is more comfortable with his ability to wield magic in this book, but just as uncomfortable with the power over others these abilities give him. With all the attempts on his life, however, he barely has the time to raise enough tael to keep his head, let alone learn all the rules of the quasi-feudalistic society. His friends tend to be very forgiving – probably because he has the habit of resurrecting them when they die. He’s also making a select few extremely wealthy as he continues to roll out plans for an industrial revolution that will eventually turn the politics of this world upside down. It’s no wonder the nobility don’t like him.
His guns and cannons prove invaluable against the ulvenmen, allowing him to hold the southern border and mine enough tael to make the king very happy. But there is another power out there that reduces the petty politicking amongst the lords and clergy into meaningless babble and this is going to complicate Christopher’s ultimate quest, which is to return home to his own world and his beloved wife.
In my review of Sword Of The Bright Lady, I commented enthusiastically on the fact this world operates somewhat like a table-top role-playing game. Tael is XP (experience points). Defeat enough MOBS (mobile or monster) and you’ll gain enough tael to elevate your rank. You can also loot the corpses of your foes for equipment, some of which will be imbued with magical properties. I love this aspect of these novels. In essence, I often feel as if I’m reading a role-playing adventure. The urge to pick up my dice is grows stronger with every chapter.
But M.C. Planck hasn’t just written a dungeon crawl. Christopher is an unlikely hero – the best sort, in my opinion – and is just as liable to spend his experience on others as himself. He’s not interested in elevating himself to the highest rank in the land. He does not want to sit on any thrones. He just wants to go home. He’s not prepared to leave this world how he found it, however, and therein lays the true conflict of this story. The plight of the unranked in this world offends him. So, the first half of Gold Throne In Shadow sees him continuing to raise the hopes of ordinary men. His efforts to revolutionise this society – the factories and ranks that have nothing to do with tael and power – continue to make him enemies. He’s arming peasants, paying them gold and putting wizards out of business by instructing people how to make ordinary things like paper without resorting to magical recipes.
He’s disrupting the order of things and, while we saw a hint of reprisal toward the end of the first book, the true cost of his actions becomes more clear in this second book, Gold Throne In Shadow, leaving the reader eager for the next chapter in this story.
Reviewed for SFCrowsnest.
November 30, 2015
is it scifi if it involves bringing technology to a technology-less planet? good times, not quite as fun as the first but i rounded up the 3.5 stars to a four just because i really like the idea, though the moral/ethical repercussions could probably be hashed out a bit more. certainly fun fantasy reading, I sort of read this in three shifts over a span of a month and a half or so. . I hate reviewing later installments in multipart stories since i never really know what to say. Christopher is quickly moving up in rank and continuing to do unbelievable things. He is steadfast in his mission to overturn the caste/feudal system that is in place on this world. Death, ressurection, ulvenmen, , that might have been my favorite part, certainly the most chuckleworthy.
if you like fantasy with unique magic systems, horses, swords, knights etc, and a little humor in your reading then this is a great series to check out!
if you like fantasy with unique magic systems, horses, swords, knights etc, and a little humor in your reading then this is a great series to check out!
December 29, 2015
I liked the first book so much that when I found the sequel was already out I spent the rest of the day reading it as well.
One of the things that I find really annoying in books in when characters act outside of their characterization in efforts to hide a bad plot. While Planck has created a very fanciful world, he has thus far been able to create plausible motives behind the actions of his characters. Not only this, but he has also been able to create character arcs for most his minor characters that explain their motivations and is able to foreshadow events reasonably well.
However, one nitpik that I do have is why hasn't the main character taken the time out to learn everything he can about his peerage. I would think that would appeal to his character quite a bit.
Plotwise, Planck is able to ratchet up the tension and the scope of the action quite well, especially at the end of the novel.
Very fun and I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series.
One of the things that I find really annoying in books in when characters act outside of their characterization in efforts to hide a bad plot. While Planck has created a very fanciful world, he has thus far been able to create plausible motives behind the actions of his characters. Not only this, but he has also been able to create character arcs for most his minor characters that explain their motivations and is able to foreshadow events reasonably well.
However, one nitpik that I do have is why hasn't the main character taken the time out to learn everything he can about his peerage. I would think that would appeal to his character quite a bit.
Plotwise, Planck is able to ratchet up the tension and the scope of the action quite well, especially at the end of the novel.
Very fun and I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series.
March 15, 2018
First i should start by saying that i mostly enjoyed the story. But the main character destroyed the books for me. I was hoping in the second book he would evolve from being the spineless man he was in the first book. But i was sorely disponent in that regard. He lets everyone run him over at every turn. Every time someone say anything or does anything slightly aggressive. He apologize, if the book did not tell me he was a American. I would have been sure he was some sort of satire of a Canadian. I understand that he is a man transplanted from our time into a brutal feudal society. But way he always thinks about trying to spare everyone from death even if they just tried to kill him is just going to far. Even in the middle of combat he will start thinking about. What have ever these brutal wolf men who think of humans as food ever done to him. What right does he have to take they're life and so on.
February 8, 2016
If you like fantasy role-playing games and always wondered what it would be like to throw a few guns and cannons into the mix, you should read this series. While it is grim at times, it is a pretty quick read with plenty of action, a hero that is often perplexed by his predicament but who refuses to give up, and a pretty steady supply of gentle twists to the fantasy and RPG genres.
August 11, 2016
Another great book from M.C. Planck!
Christopher continues to upset the nobles and shake up the people of Prime. This time, he is off to war with the Ulvamen, a race of half men/half- werewolf people. More magic and bigger guns come into play, this time, leading to exciting battles and ending with a great set-up for the next book.
Well done.
Christopher continues to upset the nobles and shake up the people of Prime. This time, he is off to war with the Ulvamen, a race of half men/half- werewolf people. More magic and bigger guns come into play, this time, leading to exciting battles and ending with a great set-up for the next book.
Well done.
November 12, 2015
There's a lot to process in this short novel. There's not as much action, but plenty of politicking, and infighting, and rough situations that erupt because Christopher doesn't know when to stop talking. The plot thickens, and sets the stage for the next book, which I will eagerly await.
March 27, 2016
Well written with good dialog. A good bridge to the next story. Having to advance the capabilities of the local culture reminds me of the The Cross-Time Engineer series by Conrad Stargard.
February 25, 2016
It took awhile before it felt like much of anything happened, but this is a fun series.
August 22, 2016
I like this even more than the last one.
November 4, 2016
Gold Throne in Shadow by M.C. Planck. ★★★
Trigger warning: rape
Gold Throne in Shadow is the sequel to Sword of the Bright Lady and part two of the ongoing series. This is really a series you should read in order, and it’s main catch is that a man from our world is transported into a fantasy world that is eerily similar to a certain tabletop role playing game… If that sounds up your alley, you should try checking out Sword of the Bright Lady. The rest of my review may contain spoilers for the first book.
After his torture and death, Christopher has been revived and plans to continue industrializing this world and up-heaving the social order. He resumes command of his army regiment and is sent south by the king, to a city ruled by a mysterious wizard and located on the edge of a wilderness overrun with dark creatures.
In my review of the first book, I discussed some of the problems I had with it: dubious treatment of gender, shallow secondary characters, and some difficulties with the adaption of RPG mechanics into a novel. Pretty much all of the issues I had remained present.
While the “what would it be like to be transported into a Dungeons and Dragons campaign?” question has a ton of nerd appeal, I think certain areas go unexplored. By the nature of the DnD set up, a lot of potential complexity is flattened. Characters belong to one of nine alignment types that function as a moral compass of sorts. But this is more of a shorthand to help the players make decisions and form a character than something that you usually see with complex characters in most non-gaming fictional works. In the game, you need creatures who are unambiguously “evil” so that your adventurers can kill then and gain skill points without ever having to ponder moral implications. This is something that the series is playing straight, although I have seen the “races of evil” trope subverted in other fantasy series such as Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. So the use of a world based on a gaming set up is both one of the greatest strengths and greatest drawbacks to the series.
After the events of the last book, I honestly expected Christopher to have a lot more mental scarring. Wouldn’t being tortured to the point where he committed suicide have left some sort of trauma? Instead he seems basically unaffected. Even though physical injuries can be easily erased with the use of healing spells, I would expect to see mental injuries even when the physical ones have been washed away with magic.
While it doesn’t quite have thriller level pacing, Gold Throne in Shadow is a book that feels fairly quick to read. I don’t recall ever feeling like it was dragging, although I do think the structure was a bit strange. The battle sequence felt like the climax of the novel, but there was still a good bit of the book left afterwards.
At this point I am planning to read the third book. While I am conflicted over the execution of the series, I find the core idea too compelling to ignore.
Review originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from Pyr in exchange for an honest review.
Trigger warning: rape
Gold Throne in Shadow is the sequel to Sword of the Bright Lady and part two of the ongoing series. This is really a series you should read in order, and it’s main catch is that a man from our world is transported into a fantasy world that is eerily similar to a certain tabletop role playing game… If that sounds up your alley, you should try checking out Sword of the Bright Lady. The rest of my review may contain spoilers for the first book.
After his torture and death, Christopher has been revived and plans to continue industrializing this world and up-heaving the social order. He resumes command of his army regiment and is sent south by the king, to a city ruled by a mysterious wizard and located on the edge of a wilderness overrun with dark creatures.
In my review of the first book, I discussed some of the problems I had with it: dubious treatment of gender, shallow secondary characters, and some difficulties with the adaption of RPG mechanics into a novel. Pretty much all of the issues I had remained present.
While the “what would it be like to be transported into a Dungeons and Dragons campaign?” question has a ton of nerd appeal, I think certain areas go unexplored. By the nature of the DnD set up, a lot of potential complexity is flattened. Characters belong to one of nine alignment types that function as a moral compass of sorts. But this is more of a shorthand to help the players make decisions and form a character than something that you usually see with complex characters in most non-gaming fictional works. In the game, you need creatures who are unambiguously “evil” so that your adventurers can kill then and gain skill points without ever having to ponder moral implications. This is something that the series is playing straight, although I have seen the “races of evil” trope subverted in other fantasy series such as Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. So the use of a world based on a gaming set up is both one of the greatest strengths and greatest drawbacks to the series.
After the events of the last book, I honestly expected Christopher to have a lot more mental scarring. Wouldn’t being tortured to the point where he committed suicide have left some sort of trauma? Instead he seems basically unaffected. Even though physical injuries can be easily erased with the use of healing spells, I would expect to see mental injuries even when the physical ones have been washed away with magic.
While it doesn’t quite have thriller level pacing, Gold Throne in Shadow is a book that feels fairly quick to read. I don’t recall ever feeling like it was dragging, although I do think the structure was a bit strange. The battle sequence felt like the climax of the novel, but there was still a good bit of the book left afterwards.
At this point I am planning to read the third book. While I am conflicted over the execution of the series, I find the core idea too compelling to ignore.
Review originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from Pyr in exchange for an honest review.
July 4, 2019
I think this series improves the more you buy-in to the series. Christopher learns - at the explosive ending - that this world is actually Not that Christopher can do anything about it - yet.
Anyway, this is a shorter book - Christopher is sent to hunt ulven in the Wild. Christopher goes there and builds a fort. There is a huge fight, and Christopher maintains his practice of ensuring his soldiers get sent for resurrection. We also learn that and there is an ongoing hunt for it.
I liked that while this book maintains its single-protagonist plotline, we see characters disappear and reappear (though this is more of a sidequest). We also learn more about the world, including the .
2.5 stars.
Anyway, this is a shorter book - Christopher is sent to hunt ulven in the Wild. Christopher goes there and builds a fort. There is a huge fight, and Christopher maintains his practice of ensuring his soldiers get sent for resurrection. We also learn that and there is an ongoing hunt for it.
I liked that while this book maintains its single-protagonist plotline, we see characters disappear and reappear (though this is more of a sidequest). We also learn more about the world, including the .
2.5 stars.
September 3, 2017
OK so this probably deserves closer to 3.5 stars, but I'm rounding it down a bit. I loved the first book and the second one was great too but everything seems like it fell straight out of a Pathfinder campaign. I keep waiting for Drizzt Do'Urden to show up or something. The magic system is pretty original but the monsters are barely disguised versions of your classic D&D monsters but with cool new names. In addition, the different ranks are exactly like levels of a character, everyone has a particular class, and multiclassing is actively discouraged in universe. Sounds like D&D to me. I guess what I'm getting at is that I would have enjoyed this much more if I knew it was going to be like Pathfinder from the beginning. I was expecting something a bit more original than this. It's still very enjoyable; just not very original.
May 24, 2017
At least as good as the first book with a better ending. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
July 31, 2018
Cruising along and onwards to book 3. Well written narrative
August 18, 2019
Next in series
The interesting take on the world where Dungeons and Dragons rules fun the universe continues, now with added intrigue and higher stakes. Worth a read.
The interesting take on the world where Dungeons and Dragons rules fun the universe continues, now with added intrigue and higher stakes. Worth a read.
January 31, 2020
Excellent
What more van I say... Better and better. The suspense builds. The story continues. The action and intrigue is still non stop.
What more van I say... Better and better. The suspense builds. The story continues. The action and intrigue is still non stop.
March 11, 2020
Great idea for a story and a very enjoyable series to read.
April 9, 2022
Its disappointing to know I won't get to know how it all ends.
December 18, 2015
There's so much I liked in this book, I really wish I could give it a better rating. It's a portal fantasy and what works best for me is Christopher, the guy from our world, negotiating the insanely alien codes and rules of the kingdom he's stuck in, where everything he does raises eyebrows or threatens trouble.
Unfortunately the magic system is a blatant D&D knockoff (one of the earlier editions, probably): memorize spells at the start of the day, go up in level—er rank as a kind of magical process, go up higher by killing monsters (because then you can extract their level-essence and advance your own), raise dead spells are different from resurrection and the big bad for the series are the mind-flayers. The longer it went on the less enjoyable it got.
And outside the politics it was pretty flat. The fight scenes didn't engage me and Christopher has very little personality beyond "reluctant heroic."
Unfortunately the magic system is a blatant D&D knockoff (one of the earlier editions, probably): memorize spells at the start of the day, go up in level—er rank as a kind of magical process, go up higher by killing monsters (because then you can extract their level-essence and advance your own), raise dead spells are different from resurrection and the big bad for the series are the mind-flayers. The longer it went on the less enjoyable it got.
And outside the politics it was pretty flat. The fight scenes didn't engage me and Christopher has very little personality beyond "reluctant heroic."
November 5, 2015
M. C. Planck continues his tale of of Christopher who walked from our world to a world where magic works and huge monsters attack, and promptly brings gun powder and canons to improve the kill rate. In Sword of the Bright Lady (paper) he was so successful protecting the drafted young men from the village he arrived at, that he was tortured to death. But in this world money allows revival. Gold Throne in Shadow ( Trade from Pyr) has his army assigned to a border town. Politics force him to move to a hastily built fort which comes under attack by an army of monsters that outnumbers him fifty to one. Guns and nerves carry the day, but that brings him to the attention of truly evil people, and sets of the next tale. Fun with exciting battle scenes.Review printed by Philadelphia Weekly Press
dnf-not-my-thing
September 26, 2015Considering the previous book ended with the death and resurrection of the hero, the first half of this book is an absolute slog. It was a chore to read this book where very little actually happened. What might be a good simulation of what someone in Christopher's situation would have to go through in trying to put together a regiment doesn't for interesting reading make. It was a chore to keep picking this up, and after a few days, I just couldn't bother.
Very disappointing, given how much I loved the first book.
Very disappointing, given how much I loved the first book.
November 26, 2015
I'm really grooving on this series. I've always enjoyed the concept of introducing science into magic based realities, and visa versa. The author does a good job of character development with the main character, but most of the supporting characters seem to get pigeon holed into too familiar tropes.
All in all the world building takes a good step forward in this book. We're finally being given a glimpse as to the major conflict to come and the reasons behind it.
All in all the world building takes a good step forward in this book. We're finally being given a glimpse as to the major conflict to come and the reasons behind it.
June 24, 2019
Very interesting developments in the world of Prime. I particularly love the segments showcasing life in general for Christopher. The politics were a bit cumbersome off the bat, unless you were moving directly from book 1 to book 2. I did not, and just couldn't remember the minute details necessary.
October 28, 2016
This is a fairly average sequel of a good first book. The novelty of the setting has somewhat faded, and the plot wasn't quite engaging enough to carry through my expectations of an exciting sequel. A lot of the time I felt like the book was just going through the motions, leading the protagonists into problems that seem a bit too mundane and are solved a little bit too easily.
November 25, 2016
Definitely better than the first book but still has some.issues. I don't like that there's minimal ammount of info about his prior life before he appeared in this new world except for minor mentions of his wife.
Also besides brief appearance in the first novel where are the gods?
Anyway I hope third book continues to be better we'll wait and see.
Also besides brief appearance in the first novel where are the gods?
Anyway I hope third book continues to be better we'll wait and see.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 22, 2016
November 28, 2015
March 7, 2020
4 stars. Good continuation. Story still has unique flavor
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews