What do you think?
Rate this book
Prophecy of the Kings #3
Shadow of the Demon
Astalus has returned bearing good news. He has found an Eldric spell book and, in particular, a spell to summon dragons. The allies march north to confront the Trosgarth's growing might, but the people of Trosgarth have been busy. Warrior priests can now communicate across the battlefield using their shaol, death knights have been resurrected, and in the air grakyn are supported by a new threat—a demon/dragon hybrid. To make matters worse, Astalus discovers that the power that Kaplyn and Vastra recovered so long ago can open a permanent gateway to the demon world. Drachar is finally free and he and all his minions will march from the very depths of hell.
Astalus knows all of this through a demon that has possessed him. The army marches to its fate, unaware of the trap awaiting them. Prince Fiad leads them. Will he be the army's salvation or damnation? The men mutter, uncomfortable in the knowledge that, at the final battle, a king will not lead them against the tides of evil. Drachar is poised, his death knights ready to tear the army apart.
Astalus knows all of this through a demon that has possessed him. The army marches to its fate, unaware of the trap awaiting them. Prince Fiad leads them. Will he be the army's salvation or damnation? The men mutter, uncomfortable in the knowledge that, at the final battle, a king will not lead them against the tides of evil. Drachar is poised, his death knights ready to tear the army apart.
200 pages, Paperback
First published August 28, 2008
1 person is currently reading
267 people want to read
About the author
David Burrows
6 books43 followersDavid Burrows is the author of the award winning fantasy trilogy the Prophecy of the Kings (Gold Award 2010 Readersfavorite.com) and the prequel Drachar's Demons. Prophecy of the Kings was also Book of the Month on SFbooks.com. Sample chapters and reviews can be found at David's website http://davidburrows.org.uk/.
David has lived in Blackpool, Liverpool, Edinburgh and he now resides in the garden of England, Kent. He was a Captain in the TA (2/52 Lowland), an experienced mountain climber and more recently has taken part in Saxon/Viking re-enactment. David's fantasy writing has benefited from these real life experiences: hours slogging up and down mountains and fighting in a shield wall and although never maimed or killed, David has broken bones on several occasions, so the fighting at times has felt very real.
As with most aspiring authors, David's writing is part time, with the plots progressing in the evenings and holidays and also during his wife’s pregnancies. At times David's tales seemed to naturally take the characters into extreme peril, and for months he was left wondering as to their fate. Refusing to rewrite the tale to rescue them he patiently waited before inspiration struck and the story continued at a fast pace to the next cliff-hanger. Suffice to say David's two sons have now grown up and, as the quill dries, are of an age to read and appreciate this work and to develop their own writing. As to the characters in David's tales, they too have grown older and wiser; as to whether they survived the tale, only reading the novel will tell.
David hopes you take time to check out his works and enjoy them.
David has lived in Blackpool, Liverpool, Edinburgh and he now resides in the garden of England, Kent. He was a Captain in the TA (2/52 Lowland), an experienced mountain climber and more recently has taken part in Saxon/Viking re-enactment. David's fantasy writing has benefited from these real life experiences: hours slogging up and down mountains and fighting in a shield wall and although never maimed or killed, David has broken bones on several occasions, so the fighting at times has felt very real.
As with most aspiring authors, David's writing is part time, with the plots progressing in the evenings and holidays and also during his wife’s pregnancies. At times David's tales seemed to naturally take the characters into extreme peril, and for months he was left wondering as to their fate. Refusing to rewrite the tale to rescue them he patiently waited before inspiration struck and the story continued at a fast pace to the next cliff-hanger. Suffice to say David's two sons have now grown up and, as the quill dries, are of an age to read and appreciate this work and to develop their own writing. As to the characters in David's tales, they too have grown older and wiser; as to whether they survived the tale, only reading the novel will tell.
David hopes you take time to check out his works and enjoy them.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 27, 2011
Shadow of the Demon is the final book in the trilogy. An excellent ending to the series, though with some interesting twists one didn't necessarily see coming. The author did a terrific job wrapping up the story. Other reviewers have mentioned similarities to Tolkien's works, and I can see it as well, but the author stayed true to his own books, and kept them on their own course. A thoroughly enjoyable series, and I highly recommend the books.
July 26, 2016
What I liked. The pace continues to be fast but steady for most of the story. There were a few twists I didn't see coming and one I expected but never saw. Ummm, how do I explain that without a spoiler. Well, lets just say that there was possibly an easier way out of the Demon problem only the author did not take it. And I respect him all the more for that. All too often a writer introduced a "convenient" magical solution which solves everything and takes the believability of the tale and tosses it out the nearest window.
Not this time. Every time our heroes got a foot up, the author knocked them back down, dusted them off and then shoved them under the closest bus. It was truly fun to watch and I enjoyed every tension filled minute of it.
What didn't I like. The pace escalated to the point where it felt rushed towards the end. This happens all too often in third books where all of the layers need to be tied up in a set number of pages. In reality it can leave you breathless. This war has to be won or lost, that magical side effect needs to be dealt with, lesser but still uncompleted quests must be resolved. It can get overwhelming as you zig zag back and forth. Not a deal breaker by any means but you do need to really pay attention. There were also a couple of storylines that did not get resolved. More like offshoots of the main story that might have gone somewhere if there had been less going on in the foreground.
My Conclusion. The story ended better than I had hoped without quite being happily ever after. The heroes who remain finish the story with a much brighter future than they started with but all carry the pain of loss and sport the scars of sacrifice. All in all the ending felt just right.
Originally posted @ Dragons, Heroes and Wizards
Not this time. Every time our heroes got a foot up, the author knocked them back down, dusted them off and then shoved them under the closest bus. It was truly fun to watch and I enjoyed every tension filled minute of it.
What didn't I like. The pace escalated to the point where it felt rushed towards the end. This happens all too often in third books where all of the layers need to be tied up in a set number of pages. In reality it can leave you breathless. This war has to be won or lost, that magical side effect needs to be dealt with, lesser but still uncompleted quests must be resolved. It can get overwhelming as you zig zag back and forth. Not a deal breaker by any means but you do need to really pay attention. There were also a couple of storylines that did not get resolved. More like offshoots of the main story that might have gone somewhere if there had been less going on in the foreground.
My Conclusion. The story ended better than I had hoped without quite being happily ever after. The heroes who remain finish the story with a much brighter future than they started with but all carry the pain of loss and sport the scars of sacrifice. All in all the ending felt just right.
Originally posted @ Dragons, Heroes and Wizards
Read
October 4, 2009I am the author. Please check out Prophecyofthekings.com for sample chapters and reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews