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The Shadow Of All Things
When a man in a torn trench coat warns college-student Evelyn Cheng that something evil is coming down the tunnel where their subway train has stalled, she is ready to write him off as crazy until the lights flicker and the terrifying creatures appear.
Through him, Evelyn discovers she is a seer and that a battle between good and evil is raging in New York City among her kind and the mysterious, otherworldly Elyuum, who seek to tighten their grip on the city.
Spanning multiple universes with a sprawling cast of characters, Evelyn and others must stop the Elyuum before they conquer all existence.
Through him, Evelyn discovers she is a seer and that a battle between good and evil is raging in New York City among her kind and the mysterious, otherworldly Elyuum, who seek to tighten their grip on the city.
Spanning multiple universes with a sprawling cast of characters, Evelyn and others must stop the Elyuum before they conquer all existence.
266 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 9, 2016
343 people want to read
About the author
Allen Houston
14 books56 followersAllen Houston is a native Oklahoman who has lived in Japan and Indonesia. He has worked as a journalist at the Dallas Morning News and the New York Post. Allen lives in Brooklyn with his wife, daughters, and a menagerie of animals.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 10, 2016
4.5 out of 5 stars
If Urban Fantasy and Sci-Fi had a baby, that baby would be The Shadow Of All Things. And this little bundle of joy is anything but sugar, spice, and everything nice…which of course I loved! Having this gritty tale take place in New York City was absolute perfection! I couldn’t think of a better backdrop than the city that never sleeps. Honestly everything about this book was grand, the characters, the setting, the plot, and of course the monsters, and their insatiable hunger.
There were quite a few interesting characters, and the POV switched around a lot with chapters. This was very well done and there was never any confusion to what was happening (SO THANKFUL FOR THIS!). It ended up feeling like there was about 4 different stories being told with one common theme, until they all started converging and things really started getting crazy! It was actually pretty brilliant the way this was done, by the end you got the distinct feeling that this new team of “good guys” was starting to form and that their journey was really ony just beginning.
The fantasy element in this book was top notch! There were so many fantastic creatures and beings, good and bad, and I couldn’t get enough of any of them! The Elyuum were a chilling bunch. Houston has a knack for writing such vivid descriptions that you have no problem envisioning every little detail, which can be frightening when he is writing about his monsters. It’s one of the things I love the most about his books! **Side note** If you buy the print version of this book it includes illustrations from Colleen Beauchamp Stiles and you can view 3 of the illustrations that are included in the book, which are AMAZING, on the authors website…http://www.allendhouston.com/allens-b...
All in all this was a unique, exciting and engrossing read that you won’t be able to put down! I am really looking forward to seeing what happens next in this series, the fact that the first book was so great has left me with very high hopes for the following books! Also, I read the ebook, and I can tell you that I plan on purchasing a physical copy of it like today, I need those illustrations!
I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
If Urban Fantasy and Sci-Fi had a baby, that baby would be The Shadow Of All Things. And this little bundle of joy is anything but sugar, spice, and everything nice…which of course I loved! Having this gritty tale take place in New York City was absolute perfection! I couldn’t think of a better backdrop than the city that never sleeps. Honestly everything about this book was grand, the characters, the setting, the plot, and of course the monsters, and their insatiable hunger.
There were quite a few interesting characters, and the POV switched around a lot with chapters. This was very well done and there was never any confusion to what was happening (SO THANKFUL FOR THIS!). It ended up feeling like there was about 4 different stories being told with one common theme, until they all started converging and things really started getting crazy! It was actually pretty brilliant the way this was done, by the end you got the distinct feeling that this new team of “good guys” was starting to form and that their journey was really ony just beginning.
The fantasy element in this book was top notch! There were so many fantastic creatures and beings, good and bad, and I couldn’t get enough of any of them! The Elyuum were a chilling bunch. Houston has a knack for writing such vivid descriptions that you have no problem envisioning every little detail, which can be frightening when he is writing about his monsters. It’s one of the things I love the most about his books! **Side note** If you buy the print version of this book it includes illustrations from Colleen Beauchamp Stiles and you can view 3 of the illustrations that are included in the book, which are AMAZING, on the authors website…http://www.allendhouston.com/allens-b...
All in all this was a unique, exciting and engrossing read that you won’t be able to put down! I am really looking forward to seeing what happens next in this series, the fact that the first book was so great has left me with very high hopes for the following books! Also, I read the ebook, and I can tell you that I plan on purchasing a physical copy of it like today, I need those illustrations!
I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
September 28, 2016
The Shadow of All Things by Allen Houston
Evelyn rides the subway home in New York when a group of strange things invades her car. These time stopping shape-shifters are Elyuum, and they're introduced as being scary as hell. Evelyn is saved by Redmond, an apparent homeless bum that's more than he seems. Redmond tells Evelyn about the interdimensional Elyuum, which have invaded New York and are intent on controlling it. Also, the Elyuum kill seers like Evelyn.
The books splits into several more POVs, which helps build the threat of the Elyuum and make their version of world-domination convincing. The Elyuum and their minions are everywhere, bribing everyone from high-level politicians to cops and street gangs. Pharrell wants to be a nurse but is forced to help his brother traffic drugs. Pharrell witnesses the effects of the Elyuum's drugs and their ability to shape-shift, and he was my favorite character early on in the story. The scenes with Pharrell and Sunny D had real tension and provided nice pops of horror. Neil and Adelaide are at boarding school/prep school, and one of their classmates has been murdered. Neil is a seer, too, and he and Adelaide piece together the mystery of the Elyuum and their whereabouts in New York. I liked the relationship between this pair a lot, and these are the plot lines and perspectives the really move the story. Adelaide gets extra bonus points for being a fencer.
But like a story with lots and lots of character POVs, it does go overboard and drain the tension in certain spots. There's a wholly unnecessary gangster plot that should've gotten introduced in book #2 or had a better payoff in this book. The side plots slowed the story towards the end, and they started to feel more like padding than the actual story. That was a let down because the main plot was really cool, but it's like Houston didn't want to give any major action (only teasers) in this story. It needed more of an awesome climax.
The world building is great. There's the feeling of living in New York, of being part of a huge city. The slow, meandering moments cement this city-living feel. Evelyn, Neil, Redmond, Pharrell, and Adelaide feel like they belong in New York--like they are New York. Even if you're a bit of a big city claustrophobic like I am, the feeling of living with the mass of humanity, integrated into a world with so many different people, comes across in the way this story is told.
Rating: 4 stars. The book slows towards the end, which leaves it ultimately hanging in a weird spot. I understand that it's an ongoing series, but I wanted a little bit more real resolution. Still, that didn't take away from the characters and world building.
Evelyn rides the subway home in New York when a group of strange things invades her car. These time stopping shape-shifters are Elyuum, and they're introduced as being scary as hell. Evelyn is saved by Redmond, an apparent homeless bum that's more than he seems. Redmond tells Evelyn about the interdimensional Elyuum, which have invaded New York and are intent on controlling it. Also, the Elyuum kill seers like Evelyn.
The books splits into several more POVs, which helps build the threat of the Elyuum and make their version of world-domination convincing. The Elyuum and their minions are everywhere, bribing everyone from high-level politicians to cops and street gangs. Pharrell wants to be a nurse but is forced to help his brother traffic drugs. Pharrell witnesses the effects of the Elyuum's drugs and their ability to shape-shift, and he was my favorite character early on in the story. The scenes with Pharrell and Sunny D had real tension and provided nice pops of horror. Neil and Adelaide are at boarding school/prep school, and one of their classmates has been murdered. Neil is a seer, too, and he and Adelaide piece together the mystery of the Elyuum and their whereabouts in New York. I liked the relationship between this pair a lot, and these are the plot lines and perspectives the really move the story. Adelaide gets extra bonus points for being a fencer.
But like a story with lots and lots of character POVs, it does go overboard and drain the tension in certain spots. There's a wholly unnecessary gangster plot that should've gotten introduced in book #2 or had a better payoff in this book. The side plots slowed the story towards the end, and they started to feel more like padding than the actual story. That was a let down because the main plot was really cool, but it's like Houston didn't want to give any major action (only teasers) in this story. It needed more of an awesome climax.
The world building is great. There's the feeling of living in New York, of being part of a huge city. The slow, meandering moments cement this city-living feel. Evelyn, Neil, Redmond, Pharrell, and Adelaide feel like they belong in New York--like they are New York. Even if you're a bit of a big city claustrophobic like I am, the feeling of living with the mass of humanity, integrated into a world with so many different people, comes across in the way this story is told.
Rating: 4 stars. The book slows towards the end, which leaves it ultimately hanging in a weird spot. I understand that it's an ongoing series, but I wanted a little bit more real resolution. Still, that didn't take away from the characters and world building.
August 21, 2016
First I’ll start with the downers because they really pretty minor. I just kept catching things like wrongly-placed commas, incorrect use of further/farther, inconsistent use of toward/s and forward/s, etc. But aside from that it’s pretty well put-together and I didn’t find I was drawn out of the story at all with these little things.
Product placement was a little thick. A lot of brand naming going on. While I think it was done to provide the reader with an easy image it felt more like ad space. Something like this usually sticks out for me in books.
Lastly, I didn’t like where the book ended. The plot that was introduced at the beginning is not resolved by the end of the book, making THE SHADOW OF ALL THINGS mostly set-up. I don’t have a problem with series, of course, but each book in a series should be able to stand somewhat on its own, with elements linking one book to the next. Not be a Part 1. This felt very much like a part one.
With that being said, I didn’t want to fling it across the room when I was done, like I’ve wanted to do with other books that do the same thing. Probably because it didn’t end in the middle of the action and despite the plot not being resolved it didn’t feel like a larger manuscript with a random moment chosen as the chopped section. It ended on people settling into situations, into their circumstances, accepting what was coming. So there was something vaguely resembling a climax but it was kind of a fake-out. I didn’t feel all wound up at the end and left to hang. Let me put it that way.
I absolutely love the world Houston created. Very Cassandra Clare but, you know, good. Throw in some Diviners by Libba Bray and you have yourself a good feel for what this book will offer you. It takes place in the present and the myriad of characters it follows can all see behind the veil, so to speak. They see these horrible creatures that are effectively plotting to take over the world. Or the realm, I should say because SHADOWS deals with multiple dimensions.
New York in Houston’s world has a sort of layering quality. Thing A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC by VE Schwab and her Londons, all the different types layered on top of each other and only people with certain abilities can access the different layers and travel between them. Except in Houston’s world those people are getting eaten by interdimensional creepers that leave skin sacks of their victims in gutters.
There’s really a creepy element to it that burrows in and makes you look around with narrowed eyes. What is REALLY going on around me? Houston gives good ambiance, sets a good scene, and plays with characters well. He flipped around between multiple points of view and he handled them all extremely well. Each scene change flowed into the next seamlessly and each character stuck out as their own entity, none of them blending together at all.
If you’re looking for something part horror, part maybe sci-fi, and all dirty New York you’ll find it in THE SHADOW OF ALL THINGS. I’m looking forward to reading the sequel. Please tell me there’s a sequel . . .
4
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Product placement was a little thick. A lot of brand naming going on. While I think it was done to provide the reader with an easy image it felt more like ad space. Something like this usually sticks out for me in books.
Lastly, I didn’t like where the book ended. The plot that was introduced at the beginning is not resolved by the end of the book, making THE SHADOW OF ALL THINGS mostly set-up. I don’t have a problem with series, of course, but each book in a series should be able to stand somewhat on its own, with elements linking one book to the next. Not be a Part 1. This felt very much like a part one.
With that being said, I didn’t want to fling it across the room when I was done, like I’ve wanted to do with other books that do the same thing. Probably because it didn’t end in the middle of the action and despite the plot not being resolved it didn’t feel like a larger manuscript with a random moment chosen as the chopped section. It ended on people settling into situations, into their circumstances, accepting what was coming. So there was something vaguely resembling a climax but it was kind of a fake-out. I didn’t feel all wound up at the end and left to hang. Let me put it that way.
I absolutely love the world Houston created. Very Cassandra Clare but, you know, good. Throw in some Diviners by Libba Bray and you have yourself a good feel for what this book will offer you. It takes place in the present and the myriad of characters it follows can all see behind the veil, so to speak. They see these horrible creatures that are effectively plotting to take over the world. Or the realm, I should say because SHADOWS deals with multiple dimensions.
New York in Houston’s world has a sort of layering quality. Thing A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC by VE Schwab and her Londons, all the different types layered on top of each other and only people with certain abilities can access the different layers and travel between them. Except in Houston’s world those people are getting eaten by interdimensional creepers that leave skin sacks of their victims in gutters.
There’s really a creepy element to it that burrows in and makes you look around with narrowed eyes. What is REALLY going on around me? Houston gives good ambiance, sets a good scene, and plays with characters well. He flipped around between multiple points of view and he handled them all extremely well. Each scene change flowed into the next seamlessly and each character stuck out as their own entity, none of them blending together at all.
If you’re looking for something part horror, part maybe sci-fi, and all dirty New York you’ll find it in THE SHADOW OF ALL THINGS. I’m looking forward to reading the sequel. Please tell me there’s a sequel . . .
4
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
June 11, 2016
Allen Houston's new novel The Shadow of All Things is a magnet inviting the reader to an intoxicating visit to and encounter with 2015 New York: not the New York that is an outrageously priced seat to a musical in The Shubert Theater, but an immersion with the people of Alphabet City, Washington Heights and Brooklyn. It's also a struggle with and sometimes against the Elyuum, but I choose to leave that as a surprise for you to discover alone. I want to depart from this forum with two promises. You are extremely unlikely to read a better written book than The Shadow of All Things this year, because Allen Houston has a rare talent, a true gift for his craft. Second, you will meet and become deeply involved with the lives of some exceptionally fascinating people.
October 12, 2016
I can say that I loved this book. I love to read books where we get more then one side to things, and the point of views in this book did not change to harshly. I have a hard time with books that change between characters, jumping around when they don't need to do it. The author did not do that with this book. The changes were fluid.
I love when an author can put us into a fantasy world but keep it in a real setting. We are in New York, and not the pretty, glitzy side of New York. We get the real stuff, and I love that. We get to see how the world would look if the paranormal world was laid on top of the world that is already there. And with the way that Allen wrote things, you get a real vision of how it was all happening. I could really picture the world in my mind.
Evelyn is thrown into the world and she does a good job navigating it. She was written wonderfully and you can see that she is real. She is one of those women you read about in books and want to be. The strong, smart ones who know how to get you from point A to point B.
I would highly recommend this book!
I love when an author can put us into a fantasy world but keep it in a real setting. We are in New York, and not the pretty, glitzy side of New York. We get the real stuff, and I love that. We get to see how the world would look if the paranormal world was laid on top of the world that is already there. And with the way that Allen wrote things, you get a real vision of how it was all happening. I could really picture the world in my mind.
Evelyn is thrown into the world and she does a good job navigating it. She was written wonderfully and you can see that she is real. She is one of those women you read about in books and want to be. The strong, smart ones who know how to get you from point A to point B.
I would highly recommend this book!
June 11, 2016
This is the first book in another gripping series by Allen Houston. You follow Evelyn and other well written characters as they battle these Elyuum creatures who want to destroy all the seers and take over. I liked the read and was captured by the author's world and characters. The paranormal aspects were truly unique and I appreciated this aspect since the market is flooded with same old stories with different character names. The read for me was quick, dark, and rousing, in all the good ways. More should read Allen's Books he can write well and with a lot of originality.
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Please visit my site to read more reviews and to enter book giveaways!
February 9, 2021
Fire up the blender, drop a cup of urban fantasy, one of horror, add a dash of magical realism and top off with a tablespoon of cliffhanger. Blend well and savor. This is a quick assessment of the book. I bought it after reading the author's trilogy. This is equally good, a true page turner with an odd and intriguing cast of characters. My only gripe is that there's no sequel that I can find. If there was, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
August 31, 2016
I won this book in a goodreads giveaway
3.5 stars. I definitely enjoyed this book. I had a little bit of trouble getting into it at first because it jumped from character to character a little more often than my personal preference, so I wasn't completely sucked in until a little later, but I also get that it was necessary for how the story was told. A very interesting story full of compelling characters. I loved all the action and the Elyuum were so perfectly creepy. A great start to a series that will leave you dying to know what happens next.
3.5 stars. I definitely enjoyed this book. I had a little bit of trouble getting into it at first because it jumped from character to character a little more often than my personal preference, so I wasn't completely sucked in until a little later, but I also get that it was necessary for how the story was told. A very interesting story full of compelling characters. I loved all the action and the Elyuum were so perfectly creepy. A great start to a series that will leave you dying to know what happens next.
October 4, 2016
Grips you from the start. If you like pace then this spints.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews