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Shadowfall (Godslayer Chronicles #1)
by
James Clemens (Goodreads Author)
Four millennia have passed since the hundred immortal gods came to Myrillia. Out of chaos they created the Nine Lands, blessed with their Graces and protected from the nightmarish Hinterlands, where rogue gods stalked across a barbarous wilderness. In all this time nothing has disturbed the peace of the Nine Lands.
Until now. For the impossible...the unthinkable...has happe ...more
Until now. For the impossible...the unthinkable...has happe ...more
Mass Market Paperback, 513 pages
Published
November 7th 2006
by Ace
(first published January 1st 2005)
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(showing 1-30)
A man witnesses the murder of a god and is falsely accused of doing the deed. He must prove his innocence and, of course, uncovers a deeper, darker plot.
The setting is that of a world inhabited by gods, substantial beings that people can see and interact with. The chief difference between gods and mortals, other than basic immortality, is that their bodily fluids are magical. ALL their fluids, including "yellow and black bile." In fact, most of the world's technology is based on the utilization ...more
The setting is that of a world inhabited by gods, substantial beings that people can see and interact with. The chief difference between gods and mortals, other than basic immortality, is that their bodily fluids are magical. ALL their fluids, including "yellow and black bile." In fact, most of the world's technology is based on the utilization ...more
There's some really ynteresting world-bylding yn thys, and the idea of the characters ys good. But the karakteryzations themselves are less than full and the plot, while solyd, ysn't extraordynary. The pages dyd blow by, though I would have liked fewer sylly spellyngs. Just styking a y yn your wyrds doesn't make thym fantastikal, okayyyy?
Full review originally at Fantasy Book Critic
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: We begin with Shadowfall, the first chronicle of the Godslayer wherein we are introduced to Tylar De Noche, a fallen shadowknight and also a cripple, broken in mind, body and spirit. After some shady dealings in his past, he has had to pay an exorbitant price that has taken a toll on his life, relationship and mental status. He happens to witness something so bizarre that it basically triggers another painful turn of events that w ...more
In Brief: A decent fantasy novel with a good mystery and an interesting premise.
Shadowfall takes place in a world where the gods are bound to specific lands, and their bodily fluids drive the "magic" of the world. The story follows three different protagonists: a fallen knight who witnesses the murder of a goddess and gets wrapped up in larger events, a young girl who acts as a handmaiden to one of the gods, and another knight dealing with the politics of her order. These three explore different ...more
Shadowfall takes place in a world where the gods are bound to specific lands, and their bodily fluids drive the "magic" of the world. The story follows three different protagonists: a fallen knight who witnesses the murder of a goddess and gets wrapped up in larger events, a young girl who acts as a handmaiden to one of the gods, and another knight dealing with the politics of her order. These three explore different ...more
In Myrillia the gods live between the humans. A hundred of them settled and claimed their land, and made their Grace flow into it. The solitaries live far away, in barbaric land. Then, one day, one of the Hundred is killed. And Tylar de Noche is falsely accused of the slaying of a god.
We follow Tylar in his journey to clean his name. The story starts off very slow, especially since there are a lot of characters introduced pretty early on. The strength of this book is that it ties up all these ch ...more
We follow Tylar in his journey to clean his name. The story starts off very slow, especially since there are a lot of characters introduced pretty early on. The strength of this book is that it ties up all these ch ...more
THIS MY BE A SPOILER BUT I RECOMMEND READING THIS BEFORE YOU TRY THE BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!
(view spoiler) ...more
(view spoiler) ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Aug 08, 2011
Craig Leimkuehler
added it
An excellent book! More people should be reading his books. Great escapist fare.
I just finished reading Shadowfall: Book One in the Godslayer Chronicles, by James Clemens. What a truly dark, foreboding, albeit magical world this book is. At times it was hard to distinguish hero from protagonist by their actions. Just a literary reminder that there is good and evil inside all of us. Which way we 'turn' is a dilemma we face every day. A lot of writers think writing a fantasy story is easy. Come on, it's fantasy. You can make anything up. But, a good writer knows that what you
...more
In a genre fit to bursting with divine wars and magic Knights, Clemens walks familiar territory with the first book in his new series Godslayer. But, with a deft hand, he weaves a tale that has far more originality than is at first apparent.
In the world of Myrillia, the gods walk amongst men. 4,000 years ago, the Heavens were Sundered during the War of the Gods and they fell to the earth. Binding themselves to the land to offset the madness that was falling upon them, the Gods are confined to th ...more
In the world of Myrillia, the gods walk amongst men. 4,000 years ago, the Heavens were Sundered during the War of the Gods and they fell to the earth. Binding themselves to the land to offset the madness that was falling upon them, the Gods are confined to th ...more
Mar 07, 2016
KostasAt
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
epic-fantasy
7.5/10
Before picking up this book I was a bit skeptical because James Clemens is an author that hasn’t been heard a lot in the Fantasy genre, as he usually writes under his second pen name James Rollins for his crime/mystery novels; but I was, somewhat, surprised to find out that he has, actually, created a very interesting world-building even though it has its flaws.
The story focuses mostly on Tylar, a former Shadowknight, who tries to start a new life and try to forget the memories of his deed ...more
Before picking up this book I was a bit skeptical because James Clemens is an author that hasn’t been heard a lot in the Fantasy genre, as he usually writes under his second pen name James Rollins for his crime/mystery novels; but I was, somewhat, surprised to find out that he has, actually, created a very interesting world-building even though it has its flaws.
The story focuses mostly on Tylar, a former Shadowknight, who tries to start a new life and try to forget the memories of his deed ...more
Millenia ago, there was a war between the gods. Something during the war not only shattered the kingdom of the gods, but also shattered the gods themselves. This sundering caused each god’s individual self to separate into three distinct parts—aether, naether and physical.
The physical aspects of the gods landed on Myrillia—crazed by the sundering, the gods wrought havoc among the Myrillians until it was discovered that binding themselves to the land would end their madness. 100 gods chose to bin ...more
The physical aspects of the gods landed on Myrillia—crazed by the sundering, the gods wrought havoc among the Myrillians until it was discovered that binding themselves to the land would end their madness. 100 gods chose to bin ...more
Note: Review I did on Amazon in 06 so it's kinda dated now
After the Sundering, gods fell to the barbaric world of man. Chaos and war reigned for centuries until the gods bonded themselves to the different lands. Then, with their powerful Graces, they bring the world back from the brink, and help mankind to build great cities. Now civilization spreads to all but the Hinterlands, where the crazed, rogue gods rule. But through the years a darkness starts to grow, stirring the winds of war. All-out ...more
After the Sundering, gods fell to the barbaric world of man. Chaos and war reigned for centuries until the gods bonded themselves to the different lands. Then, with their powerful Graces, they bring the world back from the brink, and help mankind to build great cities. Now civilization spreads to all but the Hinterlands, where the crazed, rogue gods rule. But through the years a darkness starts to grow, stirring the winds of war. All-out ...more
As general rules of thumbs go, you can’t do much better than to be wary of fiction that includes the portentous phrase “So it begins”, or variants thereof. Shadowfall has it no less than twice in the first 100 pages.
Here’s the obligatory synopsis: In Myrillia, a world run by a 100 gods, Tylar de Noche is a disgraced Shadowknight (sub-Jedi dudes with fancy cloaks). But when he is witness to the first ever-slaying of one of these gods, a whole load of holy black bile (see below) hits the proverbia ...more
Here’s the obligatory synopsis: In Myrillia, a world run by a 100 gods, Tylar de Noche is a disgraced Shadowknight (sub-Jedi dudes with fancy cloaks). But when he is witness to the first ever-slaying of one of these gods, a whole load of holy black bile (see below) hits the proverbia ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Разница между шедевром и бестселлером.
Как говорится, клин клином. Пара предложений, максимум страница и я смогу расслабиться.
Думаю, я отдаю большее предпочтение Джеймсу Клеменсу, нежели Джеймсу Роллинсу. Здесь, как говорят, всегда выбирает читатель.
Мне сложно судить или комментировать эту работу. Могу сказать, что вчитываешься с самой первой строчки и засиживаешь за столом до самой глубокой ночи, пока не дочитаешь до заветного окончания. Автор создает удивительных героев, которым читатель сопере ...more
My initial reaction to this book was, "Holy shit, I guess I'm going to become a sword-and-sourcery nerd now", instead of sticking mainly to sci-fi (with the exception of Robert E Howard's Conan). My initial reaction was soon quelled by the middle of the book where it seemed that Clemens was beginning to fabricate encounters and recreate encounters for the main character, Tylar, that he had already been through in some of the previous pages. Its ambition became a setback because of the massive am
...more
The main draw of Shadowfall is its distinctive magic system, and rightly so. With the basis of all magic stemming from the bodily humors of gods, Clemens presents a system that I honestly don't think I've ever seen used elsewhere. That said, the rest of it isn't always of the same quality.
There are constantly times when the characters are stymied over the meaning of something, or the significance of a plot development, and as a reader, I was way ahead of them (with the notable exception of the b ...more
There are constantly times when the characters are stymied over the meaning of something, or the significance of a plot development, and as a reader, I was way ahead of them (with the notable exception of the b ...more
It's hard for me to say anything unequivocally good about this fantasy novel. The magic system is strikingly original, but it also leads to some serious "Ewwww" moments, particularly the very last scene of the book. The idea of gods dwelling among humans and granting people the essence of their magic is sort of neat, but the gods themselves seem pretty lame--not well-organized or wise or even clever, but actually pretty stupid or incompetent. Almost every chapter shows off some magical effect of
...more
My sentiments toward Shadowfall are strangely indefinite, because even as my emotions toward it vacillate, I never think its anything but a good book. This, if anything, is its only real flaw, a weak emotional connection to the characters and story. Don't misunderstand, there is an emotional connect, its just slow to form and hampered by a cast of characters that are a little too mellow, that wallow in guilt a little too much. It should be mentioned, that Shadowfall does exhibit one trope of the
...more
So . . . Typically, Swords and Sorcery aren't up my alley. There are definite shining exceptions, and Robert E. Howard's Conan novels were my gateway to all SF. Other notables include Tolkien, Moorcock and Marion Zimmer Bradley's Mists of Avalon. My girlfriend found this for me at a book swap, and I must say it is a gem.
This is a well-wrought pot boiler with a stable setting, good prose, and a tight plot. Clemens covers his tracks, ties up loose ends and the old-timey dialog used in most fantas ...more
This is a well-wrought pot boiler with a stable setting, good prose, and a tight plot. Clemens covers his tracks, ties up loose ends and the old-timey dialog used in most fantas ...more
Average. Typical storyline, very predictable. author does have a nice handling of the story which keeps the reader from being completely bored.
OK, so reviewed a while after I've read the book but, despite a page of notes, most of the characters and plot of Shadowfall have largely passed me by - not a memorable read then and obviously the reason for my 'I did not like it' rating.
Set in a world populated by Gods and mere mortals - none of whose names I can remember though I do recall a crippled Shadowknight, an orphan become handmaiden (Dart?) and a thief - many of whom are 'hands' to the various Gods. Gods who are magical, made all powe ...more
Set in a world populated by Gods and mere mortals - none of whose names I can remember though I do recall a crippled Shadowknight, an orphan become handmaiden (Dart?) and a thief - many of whom are 'hands' to the various Gods. Gods who are magical, made all powe ...more
Having never heard of James Clemens, I admit I was skeptical of picking this book from the shelf. At the end of the night, I'm glad I did. This book is everything I wanted it to be and more.
For the past few days, I've been held at the edge of my seat. I've kept the lights on and continued to read long after I should have been asleep. The tension and action in this novel is nothing short of breathtaking, each new page drawing the reader deeper in.
Clemens does a masterful job of developing his cha ...more
For the past few days, I've been held at the edge of my seat. I've kept the lights on and continued to read long after I should have been asleep. The tension and action in this novel is nothing short of breathtaking, each new page drawing the reader deeper in.
Clemens does a masterful job of developing his cha ...more
Na zijn geweldige serie Verboden & Verbannen te hebben gelezen, kon ik deze serie toch ook niet laten liggen.
In het begin was het verhaal erg vreemd en verwarrend, met allerlei woorden/dingen die pas later werden uitgelegd. (dat gevoel had ik trouwens ook in het begin van V&V)Na 35 pagina's gelezen te hebben, toch weer even weggelegd om in een ander boek te beginnen. Daarna dit boek weer opgepakt voor een nieuwe (betere) poging. Langzaam komt er een beetje structuur en duidelijkheid in h ...more
In het begin was het verhaal erg vreemd en verwarrend, met allerlei woorden/dingen die pas later werden uitgelegd. (dat gevoel had ik trouwens ook in het begin van V&V)Na 35 pagina's gelezen te hebben, toch weer even weggelegd om in een ander boek te beginnen. Daarna dit boek weer opgepakt voor een nieuwe (betere) poging. Langzaam komt er een beetje structuur en duidelijkheid in h ...more
The protagonist of Shadowfall is a disgraced “Shadowknight” who is falsely accused of the murder of a goddess. Since the dying goddess bestowed a blessing on the knight this is taken as proof that he killed the goddess to gain her powers. During the protagonist’s quest to clear his name, he discovers that the ancient war that exiled the gods to his world is starting to heat up again. He also encounters a mysterious secret organization that appears to be running a number of insidious plots. (It
...more
Premier livre que je lis de cet auteur et je ne suis vraiment pas déçue!
De la bonne fantasy avec une originalité, les Dieux sont sur terre et ont chacun leur royaume dont ils bénissent les sujets avec les Grâces contenues dans leurs humeurs (comprendre fluides corporels...). Des dieux faits chairs et os à la place des rois, une idée plutôt sympathique entrainant toute une mythologie qui m'a bien plu.
Les personnages sont pour le moins attachants surtout la petite Fléchette qui a été un grand coup ...more
De la bonne fantasy avec une originalité, les Dieux sont sur terre et ont chacun leur royaume dont ils bénissent les sujets avec les Grâces contenues dans leurs humeurs (comprendre fluides corporels...). Des dieux faits chairs et os à la place des rois, une idée plutôt sympathique entrainant toute une mythologie qui m'a bien plu.
Les personnages sont pour le moins attachants surtout la petite Fléchette qui a été un grand coup ...more
Jul 06, 2016
Jason
added it
This book series has a very creatively setup world, but if you are thin skinned or have a weak stomach, it isn't for you. This isn't the kind of story where the characters don't have biological functions. Quite the opposite, as others have noted.
That said, mostly I am writing this review to suggest you not get started on the series unless a third book is out by the time you get to it. Only 2 of 3(or possibly 5, from one rumor on Amazon) books have been written, and book 2 came out probably a dec ...more
That said, mostly I am writing this review to suggest you not get started on the series unless a third book is out by the time you get to it. Only 2 of 3(or possibly 5, from one rumor on Amazon) books have been written, and book 2 came out probably a dec ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I was excited about starting this book. An unknown author, an unknown title. It also felt good in my hands and smelled like a real book should.
There aren't many books I've had to drag myself through, this was one of them.
I didn't get engaged with the characters, the plot or the world. I could barely tell you their names now.
I think there was too much too soon, characters and gods and Knights and conflict and demons and boats PLUS a character subplot to tackle. Saying that, the side plot was the ...more
There aren't many books I've had to drag myself through, this was one of them.
I didn't get engaged with the characters, the plot or the world. I could barely tell you their names now.
I think there was too much too soon, characters and gods and Knights and conflict and demons and boats PLUS a character subplot to tackle. Saying that, the side plot was the ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What's The Name o...: Humours of the gods [s] | 4 | 68 | Dec 05, 2011 07:58AM |
James Rollins and James Clemens are two of the pen names of American veterinarian Jim Czajkowski (born 1961), author of bestselling fantasy and action-packed adventure-thrillers. He sold his veterinary practice in Sacramento, California, to concentrate full-time on writing.
James is an amateur spelunker and a certified scuba diver. These pastimes provide much fodder for his novels, which are often ...more
More about James Clemens...
James is an amateur spelunker and a certified scuba diver. These pastimes provide much fodder for his novels, which are often ...more
Other Books in the Series
Godslayer Chronicles
(2 books)
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