The Shadow of the Sun (The Way of the Gods, #1) in Mercury Retrograde Press

Nov 12, 2011 Susan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: eternal, really-dig-it, intense, mental-powers, female-lead, mythology, assassin, epic-fantasy

This is high fantasy at it’s best. The book is balanced between action and character introspection. Ellion weaves his swordmanship with magic, creating a deadly force. Yet he is also doubtful about his rightful place in the world, having been a part of a horrible accident, having declared himself unworthy to the world at large. Letitia carries the burden of leading her people, but has not had the guiding hand of her mother during her key development years. The deities also come down from on high ...more

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May 01, 2013 David A. rated it really liked it

I don't usually write book reviews, especially not positive ones. It's a style thing -- I tend to come across too blunt because when I write a review I tend to focus on those things I would fix. I obviously like the story or I wouldn't spend the time and effort needed to write a review at all, so I hope my comments come across as more constructive than negative. I don't leave a review at all unless I think the author might read it, for just that reason, but in this case I'm fairly sure the autho I don't usually write book reviews, especially not positive ones. It's a style thing -- I tend to come across too blunt because when I write a review I tend to focus on those things I would fix. I obviously like the story or I wouldn't spend the time and effort needed to write a review at all, so I hope my comments come across as more constructive than negative. I don't leave a review at all unless I think the author might read it, for just that reason, but in this case I'm fairly sure the author will read it, and much of what I have to say is positive.

"The Shadow of the Sun" is a classic fantasy set in a world based largely on Irish mythology. The male lead (Ellion) is an oversexed royal who is very talented in magic, but who has vowed to avoid magic and has retreated from his position to become a musician -- a harpist, to be exact. It's clear that something happened to make him retreat this way (we are eventually clued in, but not for a good part of the book), but it is a constant frustation to his friends and family. When the ruler of his land is killed, Ellion is presented with the opportunity to play an important role in the succession. His fears from his past drive him not only to decline, but to flee his home country and turn to the land of the mystical danaan (or tanaan, rather) on a quest he trumps up in order to escape.

This turns out to be a mistake, as the Tanaan are being affected by the same situation that his own people are, with an enemy targetting them both. Ellion is, he finds, the only person available to help certain important Tanaan people to survive. Along the way, he is repeatedly being drawn more and more into the temptation to break his oaths and use the very magic he fled his homeland to avoid using in the first place.

Ellion is harrassed throughout the book by undead enemies and seemingly immortal assassins. One of the criticisms I have is that he might be harrassed a bit too much by these guys -- he's attacked over and over again, and almost always by the same undead foes. I found myself craving for a little more variety in his attackers, and a little more respite between attacks so as to allow the story to progress a little faster. Overall, though, it is an enjoyable read. I found myself emotionally invested in several of the characters, and there are a number of mysteries I wanted the answers for. Still want answers for, in some cases -- this is the first book in a series, and some of those questions won't be answered until the sequels.

There are two other problems I had with this book, though, and they both involve character deaths. The first (which you'll know when you see it) is the sudden death of a large number of characters Ellion had been traveling with since early in the book. He'd been with them a long time, by that point, and we were JUST starting to get to know them -- and like them -- when they all died suddenly and unexpectedly. So suddenly I wasn't really sure they'd all been killed like that. Now, characters do need to die, but it's usually best if they either die quickly (as cannon fodder) or after we really get to know them (for emotional impact). I kind of felt as if these characters died in a period that straddled those two moments -- I found myself regretting their deaths, because I wanted to know more about them, but it didn't have the impact I would like.

The other "character death" did involve someone I had become much more attached to, emotionally -- Ellion's harp. Yes, his harp -- he had been lugging that thing around since the first chapter. He found he had gotten it wet at one point, and struggled to save it. It looked like he would, but at the end of the novel he'd neglected it too long and found it molded over and ruined. To me, treating a musical instrument like that is like kicking a puppy or a baby -- even though it's fiction, I'm just horrified this was allowed to happen to this poor harp!

Of course, I think my biggest complaint is that the next book isn't out, yet...
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