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The Shattered World #1
The Shattered World
Centuries after the Necromancer had shattered the world and a group of wizards had bound the fragments together, there arises a new cult of magicians who want to resurrect the Necromancer to restore the slowly crumbling world
413 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1984
4 people are currently reading
247 people want to read
About the author
Michael Reaves
130 books213 followersMichael Reaves is an Emmy Award-winning television writer and screenwriter whose many credits include Star Trek: The Next Generation, Twilight Zone, Batman: The Animated Series, and Gargoyles. His novels include the New York Times bestseller STAR WARS: Darth Maul- Shadowhunter and STAR WARS: Death Star. He and Neil Gaiman cowrote Interworld. Reaves has also written short fiction, comic books, and background dialogue for a Megadeth video. He lives in California.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 7, 2022
Probably nearer 3 and a half stars than 4, but close enough to be rounded up.
If I told you this story concerned a thief hired to steal a magical McGuffin, would you be interested or would you yawn and look for something else?
If I told you this thief was a shapeshifting werebear living in a world that had been shattered a thousand years ago by magic and now the fragments are in orbit around each other, each one supported by a magical runestone would you be interested?
If I told you this book has one of the most imaginative settings I’ve ever read and although I read it originally during the last century (yes, I’m that old), it stuck in my head strongly enough that when I saw it in a second hand bookshop years later I remembered it and snatched it up would you be interested?
I first read this book when I was getting into fantasy, and wondered if maybe I would find it less impressive this time around. Although some elements of the plot may not be so original (thief steals magical runestone and is hunted from fragment to fragment by the original owner, a powerful sorcerer, his lover, and her angry husband), it still remained a delight to read and the imaginative elements struck as hard as they had the first time. Like a cloakfighter: a martial artist who use his garment as a weapon, the dragons and the dragonhunting ships that fly in the abyss between the world-fragments (who, incidentally, have been so successful dragons are almost extinct) – along with the vampires of course.
It reminded me of the better TSR Forgotten Realms novels: a quickly moving plot with plenty of action. The items the characters use are also like something from a D&D campaign: a flute carved from a unicorn’s horn, a strip of basilisk hide that can be used as a saw, the dragonhunters vessels that are made entirely of the bones and tanned hide of their prey (because obviously, the only thing that can withstand a dragon’s fire is a dragon).
It’s pitched pretty strongly at the sword and sorcery end of the market; if you’re looking for brilliant prose and finely nuanced characters, this book probably isn’t the book for you. If, however, you’d like a fast moving tale with plenty of action in a refreshingly imaginative setting, you might appreciate this book. I don’t know if this book is still easily available (it was last printed in 1986, seemingly) but you may spot it in a second hand book shop or online (I believe there are currently a few copies available on a certain online marketplace).
If I told you this story concerned a thief hired to steal a magical McGuffin, would you be interested or would you yawn and look for something else?
If I told you this thief was a shapeshifting werebear living in a world that had been shattered a thousand years ago by magic and now the fragments are in orbit around each other, each one supported by a magical runestone would you be interested?
If I told you this book has one of the most imaginative settings I’ve ever read and although I read it originally during the last century (yes, I’m that old), it stuck in my head strongly enough that when I saw it in a second hand bookshop years later I remembered it and snatched it up would you be interested?
I first read this book when I was getting into fantasy, and wondered if maybe I would find it less impressive this time around. Although some elements of the plot may not be so original (thief steals magical runestone and is hunted from fragment to fragment by the original owner, a powerful sorcerer, his lover, and her angry husband), it still remained a delight to read and the imaginative elements struck as hard as they had the first time. Like a cloakfighter: a martial artist who use his garment as a weapon, the dragons and the dragonhunting ships that fly in the abyss between the world-fragments (who, incidentally, have been so successful dragons are almost extinct) – along with the vampires of course.
It reminded me of the better TSR Forgotten Realms novels: a quickly moving plot with plenty of action. The items the characters use are also like something from a D&D campaign: a flute carved from a unicorn’s horn, a strip of basilisk hide that can be used as a saw, the dragonhunters vessels that are made entirely of the bones and tanned hide of their prey (because obviously, the only thing that can withstand a dragon’s fire is a dragon).
It’s pitched pretty strongly at the sword and sorcery end of the market; if you’re looking for brilliant prose and finely nuanced characters, this book probably isn’t the book for you. If, however, you’d like a fast moving tale with plenty of action in a refreshingly imaginative setting, you might appreciate this book. I don’t know if this book is still easily available (it was last printed in 1986, seemingly) but you may spot it in a second hand book shop or online (I believe there are currently a few copies available on a certain online marketplace).
August 14, 2016
A re-read for me. This has been one of my favorite books for years. Now that I'm writing and doing critiques, it lost a little of the glow. I will say that despite breaking almost every rule given to writers (infodump, filter words, etc), the imagination, world-building, and flawed characters make up for it.
My wish is that someone, someday would make this into a graphic novel.
My wish is that someone, someday would make this into a graphic novel.
December 9, 2011
One of my favorite books and, after rereading it for the first time in something over a decade, I'm happy to find that it still holds up.
A thousand years ago, the world was broken in a great cataclysm; now people live on the fragments, flying between them in ships made of the skin & bone of dragons. The book follows the interweaving stories of a thief, a couple of wizards, and various others as events are set in motion that will take them on perilous journeys to the far reaches of the world with far-reaching consequences.
Thoroughly absorbing and highly recommended.
A thousand years ago, the world was broken in a great cataclysm; now people live on the fragments, flying between them in ships made of the skin & bone of dragons. The book follows the interweaving stories of a thief, a couple of wizards, and various others as events are set in motion that will take them on perilous journeys to the far reaches of the world with far-reaching consequences.
Thoroughly absorbing and highly recommended.
December 7, 2007
Once again, this is a book that I read when I was very young. Nostalgia may be affecting the rating I gave this book.
Another book I may have to read again, I remember *loving* this book.
Another book I may have to read again, I remember *loving* this book.
July 31, 2010
I have the cover art for this hanging in my bedroom. I just found out there is a sequel. Guess where I'm headed...amazon...oh, amazon...
July 24, 2021
The world got shattered, best get to fixing it.
A fun adventure epic that takes our protagonists through some truly awe-inspiring vistas and dank hallways that doesn't seem to know what a lull in excitement is.
I did quite enjoy the book and the overall story Reaves was trying to tell but it felt like each new scene didn't really need the pages of exposition that we got. I feel like I would've enjoyed the journey of the protagonists more if the reader experienced the world with them rather than the Reaves holding up his hand before each chapter to let us know some totally irrelevant history lesson about where we've just landed.
I get world-building can be engrossing and build upon a reader's experience but I much prefer it when our protagonist has a reason to learn these things rather than the reader getting exposited at.
The ending did stick the landing for me which gives this potential for a future re-read sometime.
A fun adventure epic that takes our protagonists through some truly awe-inspiring vistas and dank hallways that doesn't seem to know what a lull in excitement is.
I did quite enjoy the book and the overall story Reaves was trying to tell but it felt like each new scene didn't really need the pages of exposition that we got. I feel like I would've enjoyed the journey of the protagonists more if the reader experienced the world with them rather than the Reaves holding up his hand before each chapter to let us know some totally irrelevant history lesson about where we've just landed.
I get world-building can be engrossing and build upon a reader's experience but I much prefer it when our protagonist has a reason to learn these things rather than the reader getting exposited at.
The ending did stick the landing for me which gives this potential for a future re-read sometime.
November 28, 2019
I feel like the best way I can describe "The Shattered World" is that it's what I imagine being drooled on feels like. The story is akin to a badly run D&D campaign with a railroaded plot, the characters describe their characters instead of showing it, there's forced romance from chapter 2, and it's really badly written in such a slow pace that you want it to be over with. Not something I would recommend in other words.
March 14, 2018
I was pleasantly surprised about this novel. I picked it up on a whim at a library book sale and judging by its back description it did not sound very interesting. I ended up immensely enjoying The Shattered World because of its complex characters, setting, and constant development for the main characters. It was an exciting adventure to delve into and I am glad I took my chance on it.
January 27, 2020
I can't decide how much I like this. The characters have solid depth, there is an excellent sense of place (this shattered universe is definitely one of the more unique fantasy settings I've experienced in a while,) and yet this often was a slog to read. I can't really pinpoint what it was, but I just felt like the pace could have been quicker.
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October 23, 2025Paperback edition of "The Shattered World" - First Baen printing
April 6, 2019
'The Shattered World' has an interesting premise: that a thousand years ago the Earth was violently broken into many fragments that are kept by magic in complex orbits within an all-encompassing ball of air. People live on the fragments in medieval conditions. The story is cinematic, with sorcerers vying with enchantresses, martial arts specialists of an original kind, dragonships pursuing dragons through the abyss between fragments, and a whole slew of mythical creatures ranging from werebears and dryads to gryphons and manticores. All of this is told in language that does not condescend to the reader; in fact, I had to consult the dictionary to discover the meanings of some dozens of words used to describe the details of medieval ships and architecture and alchemy. This highly original book begs to be made into a movie.
In fact, that may have been what Michael Reaves thought, too. The book was among the last that he wrote before committing nearly all his attention to writing for Hollywood, including several books in the Stars Wars series. Like Eric Nylund with 'Signal to Noise' and 'A Signal Shattered', Reaves' 'Shattered World' shows what a talented author could do when he wasn't working to develop someone else's ideas.
In fact, that may have been what Michael Reaves thought, too. The book was among the last that he wrote before committing nearly all his attention to writing for Hollywood, including several books in the Stars Wars series. Like Eric Nylund with 'Signal to Noise' and 'A Signal Shattered', Reaves' 'Shattered World' shows what a talented author could do when he wasn't working to develop someone else's ideas.
May 7, 2012
Normally, quest fantasies have the characters trying to save the village or region or their world. With multiple worlds orbiting each other, I found this fantasy novel that much more compelling. I look forward to reading the sequel, The Burning Realm.
January 4, 2016
There is a literary edge to this pulp adventure. I really like it. The joy and the frustration is the self absorption of the flawed characters as they bound through world shattering events.
August 23, 2012
My favorite fantasy novel of all time. I think this would make a really great movie.
August 5, 2022
This is a masterpiece of pulp fantasy, full of wild ideas and improbable mental pictures. There's no one in the world who shouldn't read it.
April 15, 2017
A cool world idea with a serviceable plot hampered by 2-dimensional, seen-em-before characters. Honestly, this book really didn't hold my interest that well and I had to struggle to finish it.
=The world idea was *awesome.* A world that had been broken into fragments in the past, each fragment kept alive, aloft and moving by a magical Runestone imbued with an "ectenic" force, with travel between each fragment possible by magical dragonships. The motif of "shattering" was worked into the narrative in a variety of ways, and we saw that it had affected the inhabitants' superstitions and religious beliefs in plausible ways, which added a bit of complexity and realism.
-The plot was also serviceable if nothing great, involving a sorceress who served a religious order dedicated to reforming the fragments, whose attempt to steal a runestone keeping a single large fragment aloft touches off a chain reaction of events leading to the possible destruction of the largest fragment and the reawakening of the Necromancer, the dreaded figure who is held responsible for shattering the world.
-However, the characters are all stock figures that have been seen a million times before and can be summed up in a trite phrase or two. Pandrogas is the Aloof Sorcerer; Ardatha is the Sorceress, Amber is the Acolyte, Beorn is the Thief, and so on. They're not original, they're not interesting and I just don't care. Reeves attempts to add some complexity by giving each character perhaps one additional trait -- Pandrogas, for example, is beset with doubts, and he and Amber are involved in an adulterous relationship that each one regrets -- but it comes off as emo and soap-operaish. (I really, truly, deeply did not care about Pandrogas's boring relationship with Amber and their tedious feelings of regret at betraying Amber's husband Tahryndar; that's one plotline I could have seen a *lot* less of.) Probably the most interesting character (and that's not saying much) was Beorn, the thief who is also a were-bear, but again there was really nothing very fresh there; his struggle with the bear maybe gave him 2.5 dimensions instead of two.
I would like to read more works set in this world, but only if they had fresher, more original characters. I guess there's a sequel to this I may check out sometime and see if it's any more interesting ....
=The world idea was *awesome.* A world that had been broken into fragments in the past, each fragment kept alive, aloft and moving by a magical Runestone imbued with an "ectenic" force, with travel between each fragment possible by magical dragonships. The motif of "shattering" was worked into the narrative in a variety of ways, and we saw that it had affected the inhabitants' superstitions and religious beliefs in plausible ways, which added a bit of complexity and realism.
-The plot was also serviceable if nothing great, involving a sorceress who served a religious order dedicated to reforming the fragments, whose attempt to steal a runestone keeping a single large fragment aloft touches off a chain reaction of events leading to the possible destruction of the largest fragment and the reawakening of the Necromancer, the dreaded figure who is held responsible for shattering the world.
-However, the characters are all stock figures that have been seen a million times before and can be summed up in a trite phrase or two. Pandrogas is the Aloof Sorcerer; Ardatha is the Sorceress, Amber is the Acolyte, Beorn is the Thief, and so on. They're not original, they're not interesting and I just don't care. Reeves attempts to add some complexity by giving each character perhaps one additional trait -- Pandrogas, for example, is beset with doubts, and he and Amber are involved in an adulterous relationship that each one regrets -- but it comes off as emo and soap-operaish. (I really, truly, deeply did not care about Pandrogas's boring relationship with Amber and their tedious feelings of regret at betraying Amber's husband Tahryndar; that's one plotline I could have seen a *lot* less of.) Probably the most interesting character (and that's not saying much) was Beorn, the thief who is also a were-bear, but again there was really nothing very fresh there; his struggle with the bear maybe gave him 2.5 dimensions instead of two.
I would like to read more works set in this world, but only if they had fresher, more original characters. I guess there's a sequel to this I may check out sometime and see if it's any more interesting ....
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews