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Varjojen marssi 1, lauluja kuusta ja tähdistä

(Shadowmarch #1)

Tad Williams (Goodreads Author),

Auli Hurme-Keränen (Translator)

3.74 · Rating details · 11,316 ratings · 492 reviews

The Finnish version of Tad Williams : Shadowmarch, volume 1 (chapters 1-20).

Jo sukupolvien ajan on sumuinen Varjoraja erottanut toisistaan ihmistenmaat ja menetetyt pohjoiset seudut, joilla asustavat heidän yliluonnolliset vihollisensa, iättömät qarit. Nyt raja on kuitenkin alkanut siirtyä ulommaksi ja uhkaa peittää alleen pohjoisimman maan, jossa ihmisiä vielä asuu - Etel ...more

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Hardcover, 477 pages

Published 2006 by Karisto Oy (first published November 2nd 2004)

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Apr 12, 2020 James Tivendale rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shadowmarch is a slow-burning fantasy epic with fine world-building, interesting characters, and large amounts of political intrigue. It is mostly the groundwork that is set here of what I don't doubt will be a phenomenal series. Introducing the players, the factions, the warring nations, and a potential threat from the fabled Qar, the Twilight People.

It's a traditional high fantasy series that will appeal to fans of Robin Hobb's The Farseer Trilogy, John Gwynne's The Faithful and the Fallen, an Shadowmarch is a slow-burning fantasy epic with fine world-building, interesting characters, and large amounts of political intrigue. It is mostly the groundwork that is set here of what I don't doubt will be a phenomenal series. Introducing the players, the factions, the warring nations, and a potential threat from the fabled Qar, the Twilight People.

It's a traditional high fantasy series that will appeal to fans of Robin Hobb's The Farseer Trilogy, John Gwynne's The Faithful and the Fallen, and Joe Abercrombie's Shattered Seas Trilogy. The Qar are similar to The Others from A Song of Ice and Fire. Whereas White Walkers dwell behind The Wall, The Twilight People reside behind the Shadowline. Humanity pushed them back to The Twilight Lands yet after hundreds of years the Qar have decided that they wish for their lands in Eion back. The closest of which is Southmarch.

"Most dreadful of all, as she lay with her shivering children on the cold ground just outside the murdered town, she could hear the destroyers of everything she had, and they were singing. Their voices were painfully lovely. Darkness claimed her then, but only for a while."

The action in Shadowmarch mainly takes place in, or around Southmarch. The main characters we follow are the Royal twins Barrick and Briony. Their father, King Olin, has been kidnapped and taken to Hierosol and we follow how the twins behave, live and change during his absence. Barrick has a crippled arm and has morbid dreams where shadows haunt his residence. Briony is a young Princess who doesn't wish to be treated like most the other girls, and has to learn how to cope in a man's court where murder, deceit, and betrayal is often the order of the day. These were my two favourite viewpoints. Even in this first entry of the series they develop a fair amount whilst having the fate of Southmarch weighing on their shoulders.

Other point of view perspectives in Southmarch are those of Captain Ferras Vansen, the poet Matty Timwright, and the funderling Chert. Funderlings are this world's equivalent of dwarves and Chert's tale was one of my favourites to follow. Towards the beginning he finds a young child abandoned, only just on the human side of the Shadowline, and takes him in as his foster son. The child is extremely mysterious but likeable, and there is no doubt that he is extremely important to the overall narrative.

"‘But he came . . . he came from . . .’ Chert looked at the boy, who was sucking his fingers and examining the landscape. He lowered his voice. ‘He came from the other side.’"

The other main character that we follow is Qinnitan who is a Sister of the Hive. This is a religious organisation in Great Xis. Xis is ruled by the Autarch - the God-King - and he chooses Qinnitan as one of his wives. The Autarch is power-mad and has been invading the southern regions of Eoin with an intended aim of taking over the entire land. Qinnitan's was the perspective I found least interesting and slightly dull but it gives us an insight into Xis which is completely unlike Southmarch. The conclusion of her tale here was actually pretty exciting and sets her story up to be really interesting in the forthcoming releases.

Unlike the White Walkers in A Song of Ice and Fire, the Twilight People here are presented through a point of view perspective of one of them. Here we have Yasammez - The Scourge of the Shivering Plain - a superpowerful, fairy-like hater of humans who wields a legendary sword.

Shadowmarch slowly builds up this epic and extremely detailed world. It isn't really action-focused at this point. The novel had intriguing moments though such as when Vansen gets lost behind the Shadowline, the Wyvern hunt, uncertainty regarding what happened in Prince Regent Kendrick's room. When reading Shadowmarch I kept overanalysing who the twins can trust and also which of the two mighty threats of Southmarch will materialise first, when, and will they be prepared/ able to cope at all? The ending was fulfilling and was great to see how things wrapped up in this first series entry. At the finale, at least four of the finale make/ are forced to make life-altering choices. I am so intrigued to see where this series will go next with Shadowplay. This novel is so deep and enthralling that, with the horrors currently happening all around us with coronavirus, it was great to immerse myself and escape to this world. Shadowmarch is the impressive first chapter in what may become one of my favourite fantasy series. I can't wait to find out more about what is hidden behind the Shadowline. ...more

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Mar 07, 2018 Bradley rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018-shelf, fantasy, worldbuilding-sf

It has been way too many years since I picked up a Tad Williams fantasy. I read the books surrounding the Dragonbone Chair back when they came out and I was extremely impressed by the writing quality and character, the slow burn and devoted character building, the inexorable finality of the grand explosion or magical release or bloodshed to come.

He builds slowly, carefully, and with enormous attention to detail.

Therefore, I knew very well what I was getting into here. These are long books and th ...more

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Jul 10, 2020 Cynnamon rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: kat-fantasy

This is volume 1 of Tad William’s outstanding Shadowmarch series.

I was a great fan of the Dragonbone Chair and also of Otherland, but with this series Williams takes it to a new level. He definitely has developed since.

As usual with Tad Williams we have extensive worldbuilding and a huge array of characters. Some of the reviewers seem not to be happy with this, I enjoyed it very much, though. Also I did not feel that the story is developing too slow.

I recommend this series from the bottom of my ...more

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Jun 15, 2019 Claudia rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, z-to-a-tad-williams

It took me two weeks to read 200 pages from The Quiet War and I finished this mammoth of more than 800 pages in just one. This says something about how good and gripping is Tad Williams’ writing.

If you’re used to his style, then you’ll know that this book is just a longer prologue for future events. There are a lot of things happening here as well, but the story is just beginning to unfold.

Shadowmarch is, like the Osten Ard Saga, another epic fantasy with a multitude of main characters, all caug ...more

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Feb 26, 2015 Daniel Ionson rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Solid & well-written Fantasy. I decided to go with 4 stars simply because I thought it had some pacing problems. Instead of 800 pages, this felt like a tale that should have been edited down to 550 or so. Barring that, I enjoyed it.

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Jun 14, 2020 Maja Ingrid rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

3,5 stars

The first part in Tad Williams’ Shadowmarch quartet.

Even though the series is published during the 00’s era, Shadowmarch being first published in 2004, this book felt a bit like a 90’s fantasy. Maybe not such a weird thing considering Williams' other fantasy series (Memory, Sorrow and Thorn) began publishing in 1988 and his sci-fi series (Otherlands) were published during the 90’s. Just as Memory, Sorrow and Thorn (I have not read Otherlands so can’t speak on it) read like a classical 3,5 stars

The first part in Tad Williams’ Shadowmarch quartet.

Even though the series is published during the 00’s era, Shadowmarch being first published in 2004, this book felt a bit like a 90’s fantasy. Maybe not such a weird thing considering Williams' other fantasy series (Memory, Sorrow and Thorn) began publishing in 1988 and his sci-fi series (Otherlands) were published during the 90’s. Just as Memory, Sorrow and Thorn (I have not read Otherlands so can’t speak on it) read like a classical fantasy adventure, Shadowmarch does too.

Most of the book is mainly set in the kingdom of Southmarch which is part of the continent Eion. Some characters we follow are in the south, the great Xis which is part of the continent Xand. North of Eion we have the Twilight realms, where the fairy folk resides. Southmarch is located in the north of Eion, separated to the Twilight realms by a barrier called The Shadowline. It doesn’t keep humans out, but most who pass it is not seen again. The Shadowline was created after many years of wars between humans and fairies where the fairies were forced north away from human civilisation.

In the south, Xis and the Xand continent is growing, taking over the south kingdoms of Eion, either by alliances or by force. In more north parts of Eion it’s looked upon with concern. Tension is created when the prince regent is found murdered in his rooms. Meanwhile more disturbances fall upon Southmarch as a human child from across the Shadowline is found, as well that the Shadowline is moving southward and stories of monsters attacking reach the court of Southmarch. Soldiers are sent out to examine the issue and it’s soon clear that the Twilight folks are waking up to take back what was once theirs.

The pacing is slow, slower than it could have been. For a book where the main story was about 750 pages, the story drags quite a bit in my opinion.

I first thought this book would be a dual-POV, with a focus on the twins princess Briony and prince Barrick, but we get a handful of other characters to follow as well: Chert, Qinnitan, Vansen, Matty Tinwright and Yasammez as well as a couple who only get a chapter at most). I disliked how the POVs changed mid-chapters, sometimes several times (though likely it was done with proper paragraph separations). I’m one who prefer when each character has their own chapter as it, for me, makes it easier to follow their story and it feels chopped up when the POV shifts to a character in a completely different place in the middle of a chapter.

I have yet to root completely for the characters. Some of them, like the twins, took some time to like and I’m still not sure if I like them: Barrick is such a broody, angsty little teen, you know in the emo edgelord kind of way. And Williams seem to have a thing for crippled princes (Barrick in this one, Prince Josua in Memory, Sorrow and Thorn). Briony, at the beginning, came across as a “not like other girls” in the way she condescendingly described the other noblewomen during the wyvern-hunt (which she was the only participating woman while the other women watched). She did grow a little when she took the role as regent, though at times she came across older as her 15 years (just a few times). I sort of liked Chert’s and Vansen’s POVs. Chert and his wife are those who found the human child from beyond the Shadowline and that the barrier was moving, and Vansen is a captain who leads the expedition to examine the attacks and the moving shadowline. At first I kept forgetting where Yasammez fit into the story until my brain could anchor her in the plot. I found Qinnitan’s parts mostly boring, mostly because I’m not that fond of harem plots and the escape from said harem (The Seclusion is basically a city for the Autarch’s wives, or wives-to-be, and no man (with a functional penis) is allowed inside).

Also, I would avoid reading the summary for some editions of this book as it gives away very spoilery stuff from this book’s ending. The ending is on a cliffhanger, so best have that in mind before starting this book. ...more

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May 17, 2012 Allison rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Dark Fantasy fans

Shelves: first-in-series, published-2000s, series-complete, tried-not-for-me, fantasy, own-ebook, bleak-or-melancholy

I'm a fan of Tad Williams. I've read his Memory of Sorrow and Thorn series twice, and plan to read Otherland again someday. But this one is just not for me. It's definitely in the category of Dark Fantasy, and I'm not ready to read 2500 pages of bleakness, hopelessness, and madness.

I know when it starts out bad only to get worse, when everything that could go wrong does, and everyone who started out solid begins to fall apart and twist into something else, that it's not going to improve through ...more

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Oct 09, 2010 Jenna rated it it was ok · review of another edition

I had high hopes for this book, after reading and liking The Dragonbone Chair series by the same author. Unfortunately, this book suffered from distracting disconnect and fragmentary storytelling. The book constantly switched between plotlines and characters, often multiple times in a single chapter. Just as I'd start to 'get into' a story I'd find the point of view switched to another character, or another country entirely! Then when I was interested in that story, it would be switched again. I ...more

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May 15, 2007 michael rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: unfinished

Didn't finish. Got about a fifth of the way in and got tired of reading about all kinds of details but not having the story go anywhere. Skipped to end, and discovered that after six hundred some pages, nothing much more happened. Though I imagine there were lots of details. ...more

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Jan 08, 2019 Sotiris Karaiskos rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, high-fantasy

The first part of a series where the well-known writer returns to the spirit of the series that marked him, Memory, Sorrow and Thorn. These things I liked are here, with the plot and the writing style being very close.

The basic story is simple: in a kingdom that does not go through its best days, a threat from the past returns, a defeated race returns to take revenge, bringing chaos and destruction. The duty to deal with them falls on the young sons and the daughter of the king who, without bein The first part of a series where the well-known writer returns to the spirit of the series that marked him, Memory, Sorrow and Thorn. These things I liked are here, with the plot and the writing style being very close.

The basic story is simple: in a kingdom that does not go through its best days, a threat from the past returns, a defeated race returns to take revenge, bringing chaos and destruction. The duty to deal with them falls on the young sons and the daughter of the king who, without being prepared, must discover what is happening and protect their own subjects, persuading their doubters. But the obstacles they have to face are many, as well as the external dangers they have to deal with dangerous political games from within. So we have an interesting mystery and an interesting emotional situation as our heroes try to find the inner power they need in front of what they have to do. Along with all this, somewhere far we have an Oriental story, where her heroine is confronted with the strange habits of a distant country.

All this in a book that introduces us very well into a story that seems to be very great. It gives us a picture of the imaginary world, where it is inhabited by cute creatures and some not so cute, while slowly the writer unfolds the mystery that becomes more and more intense as we go into the book. This unwinding may be slower than it should, as the plot does not go very fast, but this is not necessarily bad. So it's a pretty good first part that prepares the readers for a sequel where they can expect many interesting things.

Το πρώτο μέρος μιας σειράς όπου ο πολύ γνωστός συγγραφέας επιστρέφει στο πνεύμα της σειράς που τον ανέδειξε, της Memory, Sorrow and Thorn. Αυτά τα στοιχεία που μου άρεσαν βρίσκονται εδώ, με την πλοκή και τον τρόπο γραφής να βρίσκονται πολύ κοντά.

Η βασική ιστορία είναι απλή: σε ένα Βασίλειο που δεν περνάει τις καλύτερες μέρες του, μία απειλή από το παρελθόν επιστρέφει, μία ηττημένη φυλή επιστρέφει για να πάρει εκδίκηση, φέρνοντας χάος και καταστροφή. Το καθήκον να τους αντιμετωπίσουν πέφτουν στους στους νεαρούς γιους και τη μία κόρη του βασιλιά που χωρίς να είναι προετοιμασμένοι πρέπει να ανακαλύψουν τι γίνεται και να προστατέψουν τους υπηκόους τους, πείθοντας τους αμφισβητίες τους. Τα εμπόδια, όμως, που έχουν να αντιμετωπίσουν είναι πολλά καθώς εκτός από τους εξωτερικούς κινδύνους έχουν να αντιμετωπίσουν τα επικίνδυνα πολιτικά παιχνίδια εκ των έσω. Έτσι έχουμε μπροστά μας ένα ενδιαφέρον μυστήριο αλλά και μία ενδιαφέρουσα συναισθηματική κατάσταση καθώς οι ήρωες μας προσπαθούν να βρούνε την εσωτερική δύναμη που χρειάζεται μπροστά σε αυτά που έχουν να κάνουν. Παράλληλα με όλα αυτά κάπου μακριά έχουμε μία ανατολίτικη ιστορία, όπου η ηρωίδα της έρχεται αντιμέτωπη με τις περίεργες συνήθειες μιας μακρινής χώρας.

Αυτά σε ένα βιβλίο που μας εισάγει με πολύ καλό τρόπο σε μία ιστορία που φαίνεται να είναι πολύ μεγάλη. Μας δίνει μία εικόνα του φανταστικού κόσμου, όπου κατοικείται από χαριτωμένα πλάσματα και αλλά όχι τόσο χαριτωμένα, ενώ σιγά-σιγά ο συγγραφέας ξετυλίγει το μυστήριο που γίνεται όλο και πιο έντονο όσο προχωράμε στο βιβλίο. Αυτό το ξετύλιγμα ίσως γίνεται περισσότερο αργά από ότι πρέπει καθώς γενικότερα η πλοκή δεν προχωράει πολύ γρήγορα, αλλά αυτό δεν είναι απαραίτητα κακό βέβαια. Οπότε πρόκειται για ένα αρκετά καλό πρώτο μέρος που προετοιμάζει τους αναγνώστες για μία συνέχεια όπου περιμένουν πολλά ενδιαφέροντα πράγματα. ...more

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Nov 08, 2010 Audrey rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is epic fantasy at it's absolute best, but I should also warn you: it is DARK. So if you're not a huge fan of dark epic fantasy, this might not be for you. If you don't mind a little dark, though, I really can't see how you will be disappointed.

What I Have to Say:
Lately, I have been rediscovering epic fantasy, and I don't know how, but I seem to pick only the most amazing books with which to rediscover it. Because that is exactly what Shadowmarch is. Amazing. Tad Williams has constructed a This is epic fantasy at it's absolute best, but I should also warn you: it is DARK. So if you're not a huge fan of dark epic fantasy, this might not be for you. If you don't mind a little dark, though, I really can't see how you will be disappointed.

What I Have to Say:
Lately, I have been rediscovering epic fantasy, and I don't know how, but I seem to pick only the most amazing books with which to rediscover it. Because that is exactly what Shadowmarch is. Amazing. Tad Williams has constructed a creative, intelligent, solid piece of dark epic fantasy, and I'm a fan

What I most liked about Shadowmarch is that it is far more than just an epic fantasy. It is full of complexities. He takes familiar ideas and familiar things and turns them into SO much more - making you wonder why any other author would ever even try with similar ideas. Tad Williams has already done it and done it so well that it seems there's no point. (though I will admit: there were some things reminiscent of the Fraggles and the Borrowers, and I would be dreadfully sad if those didn't exist). It starts off so easily that, despite the length, you'll be halfway through before you know it and wondering where all the time went. I recently reviewed Acacia by David Anthony Durham, and in that book I was impressed with the parallels to the different countries we find in our world today; they were obivous without seeming forced or lacking in creativity. While, in Shadowmarch, the parallels to our world seemed to focus more on already dead civilizations, I was even more impressed with Tad William's way of making his story seem relevant while still allowing it to remain 100% fantasy.

I feel like I could turn this review into something almost as long as the book itself, but it seems kind of pointless as I gather it has already been done a thousand times before, and it would just give away too much. I almost think it is best to go into this book blind for ultimate enjoyment. So, to finish, there was just one small thing that I didn't love about the book, and that was that, with one minor exception, I didn't actually connect to any of the characters. They all seemed like they were only STARTING to be developed, and, since the book was so long, it seems like it could have taken a bit more time to help us empathize with the characters. But then, there are more books to the series, and I'm figuring by the end, I will either love or hate all of them. BEcause of this, though, it does occasionally feel SLIGHTLY slow moving towards the middle.

Shadowmarch is one powerful bang of a book, and fans of dark epic fantasy will absolutely NOT be disappointed. This book is definitely worth the time it takes to read it and more! If you know my reviews, you know that I don't give 5 stars lightly, and this book is definitely worth all 5 of them! ...more

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Jan 07, 2010 Mickey Hoffman rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is the first of a trilogy. Tad Williams is the best writer of fantasy or Science Fiction today. That's my opinion. He is a master of invention and description. If you haven't read his "Otherland" books, you could start there. Anyhow, Shadowmarch is a fantasy novel and the cast of characters is vast and incredibly seductive. The plot, as usual with his writing, is intricate to the extreme and keeps you turning the pages. If there were 6 stars for his books, I'd give them. ...more

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Feb 15, 2011 Paul rated it it was ok · review of another edition

The middle of the book is intriguing. The first and last quarters are not that great. I don't really like any of the characters; I think Tad's verisimilitude lapses get worse as the book goes on, the bit about Yasammez and the mirror in particular; there is no reason for Quinnitan to be in this book at all; and she contributes to the choppy, nauseating flipping between viewpoints. Worst of all, as the last half of the book grinds on you realize that Tad is NOT going to give you all, or even any, ...more

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Apr 22, 2017 Eric Smith rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: epic-fantasy

I would say this was actually a 3.5. This is good and enjoyable and like a lot of epic fantasy takes a bit of time to get moving. I like most of the characters and where the plot is going and see quite a bit of potential for the story to really take off in the next book but for one reason or another I just couldn't get my normal reading momentum going on this particular book. I am still looking forward to reading the next because I still do not see where the story is going which I do like so I a ...more

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Jan 31, 2008 Chris rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

I was about six hundred pages into this book - roughly 75% - when I looked again at the back of the book and noticed the word that I so horribly feared: TRILOGY.

I like Tad Williams. I think he's a lot of fun, and creates fascinating worlds that are well-built, deeply historical and full of complicated characters. But his stories are so. Damn. Long. They require a huge investment of time and energy, and by the end of this book I was mentally editing out passages that could have made it a lot shor I was about six hundred pages into this book - roughly 75% - when I looked again at the back of the book and noticed the word that I so horribly feared: TRILOGY.

I like Tad Williams. I think he's a lot of fun, and creates fascinating worlds that are well-built, deeply historical and full of complicated characters. But his stories are so. Damn. Long. They require a huge investment of time and energy, and by the end of this book I was mentally editing out passages that could have made it a lot shorter. This book is the reason why I've only read two books so far this month.

Like his Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series, this is an Epic Fantasy, spreading across half a world. The formerly great kingdom of Southmarch is at the northern edge of the world (there's an explanation for that at the beginning), the first target for the very angry armies of the Twilight People, long-term target for the Autarch, a southern god-king who is intent on spreading his rule to the north. King Olin of Southmarch is a prisoner, being held for an exorbitant ransom, which much be met by his children, who are all teenagers. At least, those children who manage to not die, get crippled or go crazy.

Here's the thing: the whole story of Southmarch is enough for a book, facing the invasion of the Faerie army. But no, Tad doesn't want things to be that simple. We have one of the thousand queens of the Autarch trying to escape her matrimonial prison, a Funderling (kind of like a Dwarf, but without all the martial aspects) who gets pulled into the plots of the shadowy folk, unfulfilled romances, demon servants, magic mirrors, underground labyrinths.... There's just too damn much going on here.

His previous mega-trilogies, Memory, Sorrow and Thorn and Otherland were long and sweeping, but held together tightly. There may have been dozens of seemingly unconnected characters, but they got connected right quick, and the overall story had an arc you could latch onto for a fun ride. This one is, after 800-someodd pages, still four different stories with minimal connectivity between the major characters. Who are, by and large, not very interesting. They're kind of archetypal end-times high fantasy characters: the princess who wishes she could get as much respect as a man, the prince who goes mad with jealousy and bitterness, the court physician looking into Things Man Was Not Meant to Know, the valiant guard captain in love with the princess, the insane god-king and his innocent young "wife" who is very surprised to find out that being married to the absolute ruler of the land isn't quite as much fun as she would have thought.

Tad has done better than this, and hopefully can pull himself together in the future. I'm not sure I'll be following this particular trilogy to the end.... ...more

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Jul 19, 2009 Cassy rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction-scifi-fantasy-paranormal, physical-own, 2009

I liked “Shadowmarch”, but I wasn’t crazy about it.

Here’s why it earned the three stars: (1) Williams writes beautifully and descriptively. I love when he described a full moon as the top of a skull looming in the sky. He really knows how to place the reader in a setting. (2) Williams is astonishingly creative. I thought the whole concept of the Shadowline has great. (3) His opening storyline with the Qar returning a mysterious boy back to the humans for some unknown yet war-sparking reason rea I liked “Shadowmarch”, but I wasn’t crazy about it.

Here’s why it earned the three stars: (1) Williams writes beautifully and descriptively. I love when he described a full moon as the top of a skull looming in the sky. He really knows how to place the reader in a setting. (2) Williams is astonishingly creative. I thought the whole concept of the Shadowline has great. (3) His opening storyline with the Qar returning a mysterious boy back to the humans for some unknown yet war-sparking reason really piqued my interest. (4) The last third of the book was exciting and had me staying up late at night. (5) I really enjoyed the two storylines based around Ferras Vansen and Qinnitan. (6) His character development is quite good. A handful of the characters are very likable and endearing: Ferras Vansen, Qinnitan, Chert, and even Briony. And even when I was not so enamored with a character, he made them complex enough that I couldn’t flat out hate them. In particular, I found Barrick’s character whiny and self-indulgent, but Williams also gave me glimmers of Barrick’s intelligence and several understandable reasons for his sullenness.

Here’s why I withheld those last two stars: (1) The first two-thirds of the book were slow. I had a hard time pushing through. (2) He definitely could have beefed up the romance factor. He had two sets of potential lovers, but left both storylines unrequited. (3) The main villains of his story are the immortal Qar. Aside for their shared hatred of people and preference for dark skies, his descriptions of the Qar are very board. For example, one might resemble a beautiful woman while another looks like a hairy box. I had lots of unanswered questions about their abilities, their appearance, their history and such. I cannot decide if it is scarier to let the reader paint their own picture of the Qar, colored with their own personal fears, or if I just needed more specific descriptions. (4) He gave the history of his world in an introduction before the story begins. It read like a history textbook (albeit a juicy one). I felt like I should have been taking notes. I would appreciated if he had woven the history of the world into the actual story. (My husband fiercely disagrees with me here, but I stand by my opinion.) (5) The storyline based in Xis, a separate empire, never really tied into the several storylines based in the Shadowmarch. (6) The ending. Oh, the ending! It left so many questions unanswered! Sure, he solved one mystery, but it wasn’t the one I was really curious about.

In the end, I enjoyed the book, but it all felt like a lead-up to the next book. And I was indecisive about continuing the series until I found the sequel, “Shadowplay” for half price at my local used bookstore and thought “What the heck? I am curious to see what happens”.
...more

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Oct 29, 2015 Elwen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 01_bookshelf, fantasy-epic, series-1st, 04_audio-book, _moved-in-2015

Everything you could wish for in an epic fantasy, this one has it all. Multiple POVs, interesting characters, different folks with juicy politics, immense worldbuilding, lurking danger and most important a sense of wonder on every corner. During all those 800 pages I never get bored and enjoyed every beautiful written word. Yes it's slow sometimes and most things are just placed into position, but there is so much going on and it ends with a bang that throws me immediately to book #2 to dive in ...more

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Feb 19, 2011 Mike (the Paladin) rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Another library book...straight to the head of the "currently reading" list.

This is the first book/series by Mr. Williams I've read since his Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn trilogy ( The Dragonbone Chair, Stone of Farewell, and To Green Angel Tower ) which I liked very much. I have his Otherland books on my shelves but haven't gotten to them...long term "to be reads". I truly hope that they are better than this series.

About chapter 5 it became apparent to me I wasn't going to be able to ingest enough ...more

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Nov 09, 2014 Justin hight rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Excellent old schoolschool fantasy.as with most Tad Williams books the first few chapters are mostly about character development and setting up the story. Many young readers now are used to comicbook fast paced novels and have a hard time with tad .I this k his fantasy books are rich and perfectly paced.this is no exception. Another great fantasy series from one of my favorite fantasy writers.

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Jul 14, 2010 Lo rated it it was ok · review of another edition

First of all, I hate when authors write with "you"-perspective. "You travel across the land and notice its blue waters and chrystal clear waters" etc. No, I don't, you can't make me! So I was reading the beginning of the book with gritted teeth, determined to at least get past the couple first chapters. Luckily the point of view changed.

It was quite a job to get the book read. There were so many people in so many different places and too much of nothing important. It just kept going on and on an ...more

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Feb 01, 2009 Jeremy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shadowmarch is a slow burning ember of a novel but its warmth is consistent throughout. Williams is often critisized for the slow starts to his novels. My only experience with Williams prior to Shadowmarch is The Dragonbone Chair and I have yet to finish Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn due to that same criticism. After reading Shadowmarch I know I will go back and rectify this gross error in judgement, but first I must finish this series because what starts as an ember will no doubt grow to burn with ...more

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Nov 29, 2018 Edward Rathke rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

This book reminds me of what I dislike about Williams' writing, but also what I enjoy about it. There's a depth to everything, and a texture to the world. Southmarch castle feels lived in is what I mean. It's not just a place on a map or a place where characters happen to be, but a place with its own history and weight.

That's what Williams does so well, I think. Making this unreal place as real as any ancient place one only reads about. And this is true of all the settings in the novel, even tho This book reminds me of what I dislike about Williams' writing, but also what I enjoy about it. There's a depth to everything, and a texture to the world. Southmarch castle feels lived in is what I mean. It's not just a place on a map or a place where characters happen to be, but a place with its own history and weight.

That's what Williams does so well, I think. Making this unreal place as real as any ancient place one only reads about. And this is true of all the settings in the novel, even those more surreal ones.

The characters, too, are well drawn--better than in the first volumes of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn--and carry their own history and desires around with them. Even those who we never really trust, like Chaven or Brone or even Shaso. There's a sense that these characters live beyond the page, rather than just arrive to move the plot this way and that.

So I suppose my issue with the book is my general issue with Williams' writing, at times. He meanders so often. This will depend on the reader, of course, because sometimes his meandering is quite good. Even sections of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn have the good kind of meandering, where we're inhabiting a world. Chert's chapters are much like that. But then there are other kinds of meanderings--some of them quite notable in Otherland and Memory, Shadow, and Thorn--where characters are just kind of...inside themselves. This, really, comes down to the character. This is fine when we're in Chert's head, but it's much less pleasant to be in Briony or Barrick's heads, especially the somewhat manufactured and hard to believe strife that rises between them. I think it's something many people struggle with when writing close siblings, especially twins--they need a fracture in the relationship, but sometimes this is at the expense of the closeness already established, leading to misunderstandings that are just ridiculously allowed to fester and grow.

Anyrate, the novel, as a whole, is good enough. Williams tends to be a slow starter so I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt here. There are about 2,500 more pages in this series, so I suppose I'll discover by the end of the next book whether it's worth it or not. But I like where things have ended.

The novel begins a bit fractured and has become more fractured, but in a useful way, I think. ...more

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Oct 09, 2009 Don rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Tad Williams's first novel "Tailchaser's Song" was the first book I was ever sent to review (for the defunct Fantasy Review, back in the mid-'80s) and I was so lucky; it was such a great book! Then I discovered he was writing another book, a trilogy! called "Sorrow, Memory, and Thorn" (I think that's the right order), which was also a great book, even greater because it went on for hundreds and hundreds of pages! The 4-book "Outland" series I had to drop during the first book, because it just go ...more

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Jun 19, 2014 Jeffery Moulton rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: epic-fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, war

I really like Tad Williams' writing style. I can't say exactly what it is, but I really enjoy how he puts words together. Also, he has some impressive ideas for stories. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean that everything he writes is golden. He has a tendency to drag things out and his characters are often less-than-likeable and on occasion, he is a bit disjointed while telling various threads of a story that have yet to come together. Shadowmarch, unfortunately, is a good example of all of his st ...more

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Jan 30, 2008 Crazy Uncle Ryan rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: abandoned-series

This is the first book in the second series of Tad Williams that I have read. One of the things that distinguish Tad Williams’ books is that they are rather long. Another thing that I have noticed about his stories is that they tend to include numerous groups of characters who are having their own adventures. It takes a while for the reader to see how the stories of the various groups of people relate to each other. This is actually a strength in that it makes you want to keep reading to find ou ...more

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Jan 01, 2010 Ilirwen rated it liked it · review of another edition

I've read other books by Tad williams that I liked more, so I expected more from this book and now I'm a little disappointed. The story just failed to grip me fully. It's just too 'ordinary' to me. Maybe it isn't the book's fault, maybe it's me. I have found myself preferring urban fantasy and other 'different' fantasy, in the past couple of years.

None of the characters are really likable. I can't identify with or fall in love with anyone. The only character I sort of like is the young Captain ...more

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Jun 22, 2017 Gina K rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: dnf, fantasy-and-magic

I'm sorry I couldn't finish this. It had been on my shelves for months. Far, far too slow when considering the sheer length of the book (or perhaps I am just an impatient reader...), and up to the point that I stopped reading (around a fifth of the way through) it just felt the plot wasn't really going anywhere at all.
A bit disappointing really. It just wasn't my thing. That's not to say, though, that it isn't a book worth trying. I'm sure a more patient reader than myself would find all the li ...more

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Jun 13, 2010 Evilynn rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, fantasy

I was leery picking up another Tad Williams brick of a book after reading Otherland and being thoroughly disgusted by the last 15 pages (it made me mad enough to give the books away). I found Shadowmarch to be an okay high fantasy read, but the character I liked the best, Qinnitan, was obviously the least used POV in the book. I found the Funderlings to be too stereotypically good natured dwarfish, and there was rather a lot of them in the book. The Rooftoppers reminded me of nothing so much as ...more

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Aug 20, 2012 Michelle Sedai of the Brown Ajah rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reads, 2012-favorites

This book takes a while to get going, in a sense the first book is like a very long prologue to the rest of the series; but this is not to say that nothing happens. There are some wonderful descriptions of creatures from behind the Shadowline, which I LOVELOVELOVE, and there is intrigue in the court. Tad Williams really stood out to me after this; as the second book I read by him, I realized he wasn't just getting a high rating out of me the last time just because I love cats (I read Tailchaser' ...more

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Jun 04, 2015 Kristobelle rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015

Reread-A host of singular shining threads interweaved to create a book that is part of a grand tapestry of a series.

A commitment to the long haul is the only way to approach this saga, impatience will do it no justice and the beauty will stay hidden as you fidget for immediate closure.

Heed this and you will find yourself wrapped in an unforgettable world that truly embodies the notion of Epic fantasy.

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About Tad Williams

Tad Williams

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Tad Williams is a California-based fantasy superstar. His genre-creating (and genre-busting) books have sold tens of millions worldwide, in twenty-five languages. His considerable output of epic fantasy and science fiction book-series, stories of all kinds, urban fantasy novels, comics, scripts, etc., have strongly influenced a generation of writers: the ‘Otherland’ epic relaunches June 2018 as an ...more