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Shadowrun Novels #6
Never Trust an Elf
WHO UNDERSTANDS THE WAYS OF ELVES AND DRAGONS?
Some say that the dragons are the most powerful beings on Earth. Certain elves disagree with that belief in the strongest, most violent terms.
An ork of the Seattle ghetto, Kham usually worries about more mundane problems. Day-to-day existence in the now magically active world of 2053 is tough enough. But all that is about to change.
Drawn into a dangerous game of political and magical confrontation, Kham not only learns to never deal with a dragon - he also discovers that trusting an elf may leave you dead...
Some say that the dragons are the most powerful beings on Earth. Certain elves disagree with that belief in the strongest, most violent terms.
An ork of the Seattle ghetto, Kham usually worries about more mundane problems. Day-to-day existence in the now magically active world of 2053 is tough enough. But all that is about to change.
Drawn into a dangerous game of political and magical confrontation, Kham not only learns to never deal with a dragon - he also discovers that trusting an elf may leave you dead...
288 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 4, 1992
About the author
Robert N. Charrette
36 books57 followersCredited on some German editions as "Robert N. Charette".
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 15 reviews
March 12, 2022
Crown the wise, harness the talented, and cherish the lucky.
Being another book written by the original series writer Charrette, the plot revolves around Kham, who played a significant role in the third book, and the narrative also includes many references to other characters, including Verner/Twist, Dodger, Laverty etc.
Overall it was a solid book as one could expect from Charrette in terms of how Shadowrun lore was integrated to the narrative, but the plot itself was not that appealing. I believe the monomyth component, which is central to these works, was not well thought out and fell short of my expectations.
Being another book written by the original series writer Charrette, the plot revolves around Kham, who played a significant role in the third book, and the narrative also includes many references to other characters, including Verner/Twist, Dodger, Laverty etc.
Overall it was a solid book as one could expect from Charrette in terms of how Shadowrun lore was integrated to the narrative, but the plot itself was not that appealing. I believe the monomyth component, which is central to these works, was not well thought out and fell short of my expectations.
July 23, 2017
#24in48
I'm missing several books in the series, but I'm definitely going to reread these.
I'm missing several books in the series, but I'm definitely going to reread these.
June 17, 2026
A very enjoyable Kham story. It did drag a bit and didn’t keep me as drawn in as other books have, but it was well written with a lot of background being added to the ShadowRun universe. That it took me longer to read this one was likely more on me than the writing though.
There was a lot of background expansion for the Orks, some for the Elves and even a bit for the Dragons. I really liked the Underground and the lifestyle the Orks had created for themselves within it. It also explained more about spike babies and that this sixth magical cycle is just that, a cycle of rebirth and change for the earth.
Finding out that Harry was much older than Kham but didn’t look it, due to the fact the Harry was changed only after magic was reintroduced was a poignant story line. That Orks burn strong but quickly in their lives was saddening, but an understandable condition of the various changes to the world as magic is growing and impacting the various races.
That elves have been around and took advantage of the mana spikes to continue growing their race was understandable. It would be interesting if there was another story written about unintended births of other races that may have been spike induced. Not all spikes would have been controlled or known about. Though those would likely be sad stories it would flesh the universe out even further. That in our own world we have children born with dwarfism, some so extreme with their physical changes that it makes you wonder if this fictional rendition of their world couldn’t somehow overlap with the real world.
The dragons must have been in a form of hibernation with the lowered mana available to them and only now that magic is growing can they be out and about again. As magic continues to wax, it will be interesting to see how the authors handle the dragons in the future, as they retain all their past knowledge and can likely utilize it in ways that any of the other races may not know of yet. At the same point though, dragons may be stunted in their thinking, that as it was done previously it only can be done the same now, where other races might be able to envision new uses and concepts the dragons might not consider. The great dragons that may have existed in the past, do they require a larger amount of magic in the world to come out of their hibernation? Would be a fun exploration of the ShadowRun universe to find that the dragons available now are only the beginning and we could expect entirely new older dragons with even more disparate thinking than the current ones in this sixth world.
The crossover using Neko and Kham is what really made the story fun for me. The cameos of Dodger, Laverty and Sally Tsung added more depth but I’m glad that it was kept to these main two people as the counter points to tell the story. Hopefully this isn’t the last we see of their friendship and interaction. Due to their differing races and length of their respective lifespans, future stories could include Kham’s family line as they interact with this unique human friend, Neko.
Definitely recommend this book for anyone that enjoys ShadowRun gaming or its novels. It’s a good solid story that allows the reader to see how life would be like within this world of magic and technology. Though fantasy, the realism factor of the ShadowRun universe is what makes all of these novels so enjoyable.
There was a lot of background expansion for the Orks, some for the Elves and even a bit for the Dragons. I really liked the Underground and the lifestyle the Orks had created for themselves within it. It also explained more about spike babies and that this sixth magical cycle is just that, a cycle of rebirth and change for the earth.
Finding out that Harry was much older than Kham but didn’t look it, due to the fact the Harry was changed only after magic was reintroduced was a poignant story line. That Orks burn strong but quickly in their lives was saddening, but an understandable condition of the various changes to the world as magic is growing and impacting the various races.
That elves have been around and took advantage of the mana spikes to continue growing their race was understandable. It would be interesting if there was another story written about unintended births of other races that may have been spike induced. Not all spikes would have been controlled or known about. Though those would likely be sad stories it would flesh the universe out even further. That in our own world we have children born with dwarfism, some so extreme with their physical changes that it makes you wonder if this fictional rendition of their world couldn’t somehow overlap with the real world.
The dragons must have been in a form of hibernation with the lowered mana available to them and only now that magic is growing can they be out and about again. As magic continues to wax, it will be interesting to see how the authors handle the dragons in the future, as they retain all their past knowledge and can likely utilize it in ways that any of the other races may not know of yet. At the same point though, dragons may be stunted in their thinking, that as it was done previously it only can be done the same now, where other races might be able to envision new uses and concepts the dragons might not consider. The great dragons that may have existed in the past, do they require a larger amount of magic in the world to come out of their hibernation? Would be a fun exploration of the ShadowRun universe to find that the dragons available now are only the beginning and we could expect entirely new older dragons with even more disparate thinking than the current ones in this sixth world.
The crossover using Neko and Kham is what really made the story fun for me. The cameos of Dodger, Laverty and Sally Tsung added more depth but I’m glad that it was kept to these main two people as the counter points to tell the story. Hopefully this isn’t the last we see of their friendship and interaction. Due to their differing races and length of their respective lifespans, future stories could include Kham’s family line as they interact with this unique human friend, Neko.
Definitely recommend this book for anyone that enjoys ShadowRun gaming or its novels. It’s a good solid story that allows the reader to see how life would be like within this world of magic and technology. Though fantasy, the realism factor of the ShadowRun universe is what makes all of these novels so enjoyable.
May 23, 2020
Most of the Shadowrun novels I have read (#1-#6) are good for atmospherics and worldbuilding but bad on character and narrative. The plot in this novel didn't make any sense at all. Let me *try* to summarize it. Kham is hired by an elven Mr. Johnson for mission to get a treasure, a magical crystal. The mission is a success and the elven Johnson gets his crystal. After the run, the Johnson tries to kill Kham (for unexplained reasons but Kham speculates he didn't want any witnesses). Kham, distraught by this betrayal, decides he wants be immortal like an elf, and so he goes after the traitorous elven Johnson's crystal that he speculates gives elves immortality. Kham steals the crystal from the elves after many fights. Then, Kham is attacked by another group, the enemy of the elven Johnson which is led by a dragon; for some reason Kham gives them the crystal. Then, the original elven Mr. Johnson--who, remember, tried to murder Kham--demands that Kham help him get the crystal back because dragons shouldn't have the crystal (I guess). For complicated reasons, Kham agrees to befriend the elven Johnson again. Kham gets the crystal back from the dragon and gives it to the elf. The elf doesn't say anything; he just flies away. The dragon, then, captures Kham, and asks, "Why did you betray me?" Kham doesn't have much of a response other than, "Umm, you're a dragon and the elf said dragons shouldn't have the crystal." The dragon then scolds Kham and says, no, the crystal is originally a "dragon magic crystal" and that Kham was stupid to have trusted the elf. The dragon then asks Kham to betray the elven Johnson and get the crystal back. Kham agrees. At this point, let's summarize: Kham has been betrayed by the elven Johnson, he has betrayed the dragon, and then he decides to betray the elf. Betrayals all around. Honestly, it doesn't make any sense. In the end, everyone dies except Kham and his friend Neko. The crystal is destroyed. If you like Shadowrun, read this just for the atmophere, the fictional tech, the unique mix-up of fantasy and cyberpunk, but don't expect a cohesive story. It reads like a fever dream.
January 18, 2020
I almost really liked this book.
To preface my review my thoughts on the original secrets of power trilogy was the first two were fun, albeit not the best writing. The third was kind of weak.
I think in a lot of ways this book was better than any of them. I enjoyed the the world and culture building. The last third, although contrived, was just fun and action packed. The ending kind of killed it for me. I liked all the twists but whatever message the last chapter was trying to convey just didn’t click.
The books short comings are the mediocre writing like the originals, the fact the plot is fairly contrived, and I think the descriptions are a bit lacking.
I also could have really lived without the Orc kids killing a cat to eat.
Side note. It’s funny how the amazingly dreadful Bright stole some stuff from this. Pretty beat for beat.
Overall it’s a fun book though. I was happy to see familiar characters from the original trilogy. I just wish there had been more of Sally & Ghost. Also Kham is a much better protagonist than Sam Verner. Neko was kind of weak, but fortunately most of the POV was Kham.
3.5
To preface my review my thoughts on the original secrets of power trilogy was the first two were fun, albeit not the best writing. The third was kind of weak.
I think in a lot of ways this book was better than any of them. I enjoyed the the world and culture building. The last third, although contrived, was just fun and action packed. The ending kind of killed it for me. I liked all the twists but whatever message the last chapter was trying to convey just didn’t click.
The books short comings are the mediocre writing like the originals, the fact the plot is fairly contrived, and I think the descriptions are a bit lacking.
I also could have really lived without the Orc kids killing a cat to eat.
Side note. It’s funny how the amazingly dreadful Bright stole some stuff from this. Pretty beat for beat.
Overall it’s a fun book though. I was happy to see familiar characters from the original trilogy. I just wish there had been more of Sally & Ghost. Also Kham is a much better protagonist than Sam Verner. Neko was kind of weak, but fortunately most of the POV was Kham.
3.5
September 4, 2017
old school Shadowrun. I read it in my youth while RPG'ing Shadowrun (one of the early versions of the game) and loved picking up immersive novels for the setting. It's a different experience picking up the novels again as an adult when many years have passed since I last read the books. Still a fun read.
January 26, 2018
Not a bad Shadowrun book but it helps if you have read the first 3 in the series. It does work as a one off however and it took me a bit to realize who the protagonist was since I hadn't read the first 3 shadow run books in almost 30 years. A decent entry into the lore of Shadowrun and if you like the setting its worth a visit.
August 21, 2022
High fantasy and cyberpunk go well together
August 12, 2023
Really liked this story. Yes, there are some strange holes in the story but still enjoyable. Shadowrun meets Terminators LOL
April 24, 2025
Another enjoyable book in the series. Some interesting info revealed herein, chummer, if you’re in for some biz.
June 23, 2025
Hard to put down off the beginning. Kham is kind of an interesting character. Gets jacked up quit a bit.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 4, 2017
Another Shadowrun book. I honestly don't remember much about it asides from the fact that it covers more of the adventures of Dodger and Kham. I remember liking it, but not much else. Another RPG pulp read.
June 28, 2011
Not the best in the series, but decent. Kham was introduced in Never Deal With a Dragon and was a minor role player. Neko was a frustrating character that could have had more depth. This story was on the cusp of being better than it was.
January 28, 2015
why can't I quit you?
Displaying 1 - 14 of 15 reviews