Shadowmarch: Shadowmarch: Volume I

At last Williams returns to fantasy!

If you like your fantasy light & fluffy then stick to Terry Pratchett. If you like your fantasy tolkienish where the elves are all good guys with merit badges in archery and the bad guys can be spotted a mile away by their big moustaches and their evil grins, then this book is not for you.

No offense to Tolkien but we have all grown a bit since LOR and while his fantasy could be considered `pure', authors like Tad Williams, Robert Jordan & George Martin are now exploring the darker side of the genre.

For those of you who have read Williams other fantasy books you will immediately recognise a clever combination of the mood of Memory, Sorrow & Thorn and some of the ideas from The War of the Flowers; so much so that I suspect he may have started Shadowmarch before the Flowers book but held it back while he worked on other projects.

The story is written in character sections, telling parts of each characters tale as the story progresses, some people may find this confusing, but I can't see how as he did exactly the same thing in MST and most other authors of `big' fantasy stories use the same method?

To summarize this book has a good, gritty, dark feel to it with believable characters and a strong plot. It's intelligently written to the high standard I've come to expect from Williams. I will say that Williams seems to be obsessed with tunnels! Can't wait for the next book!

(Minor spoilers)

Tad Williams is back with what appears to be the first of at least 3 novels in a pure fantasy series. Well written, as usual, and I can't see how I'm not going to read the series through.

On the positive side:

- many characters (a few of them interesting) that Williams is not afraid to kill off, and a relatively intricate plot. Best of all: He uses the "Old Night"-concept from The War of the Flowers, and this time in a "real" and pure fantasy setting, without rock musicians jumping in dimension gates all the time...

On the negative side:

This is very, very similar to George R.R.Martin's current series. The kingdom in the north, bordering to the extreme north where "Old races" dwell, the old ones' reclaiming of the south, the intrigues at court, including heritage issues, assassinations, heirs on the run, etc. Martin does this better, and the scale of everything appears smaller too. We're talking hundreds, where Martin is talking thousands, and thousands where Martin is talking tens of thousands.

The characters are mostly flat, but this isn't a big issue, since there are quite a lot of them. My most important problem is that they are almost to a man incredibly stupid. It is very hard to identify or feel for the characters when you are grinding your teeth because of their stupidity all the time. This is especially true for the two twins, but unfortunately also for the otherwise likable character Chert.

Suspension of disbelief is very hard at times, when the characters are at their most stupid (bigger SPOILER: soldiers hearing combat sounds when they are on guard, under siege, decide that it is probably not combat they are hearing...)

Nevertheless, this is way better than much of the other fantasy out there, so if you like Williams, this is a sure buy. If you currently are waiting for the next books from George R.R. Martin and Steven Erikson, you may be a little disappointed, but this isn't bad at all.

Tad Williams is a master storyteller, and Shadowmarch will not disappoint!

The story centers around twins thrust into power when their father, the King is kidnapped. Barrick-petulant, moody with a weak constitution and his sister Briony, hot-tempered, feminist and yet very kind. Lots of bad things happen. In fact, very few good things happen. People die, often in creepy and/or grisly fashion. Betrayals and intrigue abound.

Although this is a first volume, it manages to end satisfactorily, and yet leave you aching for more!

The young people of an ill-fated family (complete with wolf banner) are caught between the unnatural beings behind a border to the north and the greedy and evil rulers to the south - I know this has been pointed out, but this is like a watered-down version of Martin's _A Game of Thrones_. The twins had the potential to be likeable, but spent most of the book in childish bickering. Williams has used his plot devises with adequate skill, but the final result doesn't really stand out or amount to anything with strong emotional impact.

Tad Williams is an author that has good books, and then terrible books. He's been like that his entire career. This is one of the terrible ones.

Somewhere around the midway point the book seems to lose momentum, and become plodding and tedious.

Then there are the "ripping off other authors" moments. Everyone from Steven R. Donaldson to George R. R. Martin should get some royalties from Shadowmarch, because Williams has appropriated many of their ideas (and in some cases outright plots!). He also rips himself off, with a scene straight out of "Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn".

Shadowmarch owes its biggest debt to Martin's "Song of Fire and Ice", which is a much superior epic fantasy.

Fans who loved Williams' Otherland series (as I did) will be very disappointed with this meandering, rudderless ship of a tale. Tad's definitely gotten himself in over his head this time, and I for one won't be bothering with "Volume 2".

Other nitpicks:

1) Barrick, the young prince with the crippled arm. Sickly, tortured...it seems Williams liked the character "Raistlin" from Dragonlance so much, he decided to create his own.

2) Princess Briony is supposed to be a "liberated" woman, tough and as good a leader as any man. So what does she do? Becomes instantly infatuated with an enemy agent because he is handsome and debonair. *rolls eyes*

3) Chaven and his mirror are ripoffs of Donaldson's "Mordant's Need" books' themes.

4) The surreal scenes with the Rooftoppers seem like a self-ripoff of the simworlds in "Otherland".

5) George R. R. Martin should have his lawyers look into this entire mess. There is blatant cribbing of Martin's ideas by Williams.

6) Yassammez = Utuk'ku. We've seen this stock character from Williams before.

...and the quality of writing in Shadowmarch just isn't there to compensate for these other shortcomings. The book is boring, on top of everything else. Don't bother with it is my advice.

Having read Robin Hobb's Farseer trilogies and Martin's Song of Fire and Ice, I expected better of Mr. Williams. I am a huge fan of his and every book I had read until now was a milestone for me in every type of fiction. His fantasy and science fiction were excellent and I thoroughly enjoyed The War of the Flowers. Here, it seems he has lost his way. There is not enough character development and the little there is reads like young adult fantasy. I believed Mr. Williams would once again take the notch further up, if not completely outside the box. And if we are supposed to stick with it and see what happens later, well, I must admit that I no longer have the patience for this when book prices are what they are. I don't want a 600+ page prologue. Thanks but no thanks. Maybe next time.

I am an avid reader, mainly of history but sometimes go to the scifi or fantasy level. Shadowmarch looked interesting but the further I got into the book, the less I seemed to be able to read. This book took me well over a month to read, whereas usually I read 2-3 per week. Its "history" was interesting as were the fantasy people that were in the story line. The plot itself was defragmented and as far as I remember none of the character plots ever intersected with another. I realize its the first in an epic but personally I feel somewhere at the least two should have met. For an average person dabbling into the fantasy world I would say this isnt the book for you. But for those who are dye hard fantasy fans then I think that this book would be a great read.

I loved Tad Williams Otherland series, and his War of the Flowers, but the Shadowmarch series could have used some serious editing...pages and pages of description, characters telling stories within stories for pages at a time, central characters doing nothing but getting into trouble, getting away and then getting into trouble over and over again ad nauseum...come on. I know series sell, as do sequels in movies, but this series is never going to be Game of Thrones. Needs much tighter writing.

I like Williams and had high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, until the last 100 pages or so, I was wondering why I even bothered to start reading this. The book really plods a long without getting anywhere. I'm usually patient enough for a set-up, but I thought too much of this book was spent on irrelevant and wasteful precursor. Boring characters at this point, and quite frankly, I'm sick of adolescent protaganists.

Still, it's a 100 times better than Terry Goodkind.

My recommendation: Don't spend your money, borrow it from the library. Shadowmarch had me curious enough to finish the book, but it definitely was not a page-turner. The plot plodded along for all 642 pages and the characters had little depth and were not all that likeable. Quinnitan and Vansen were the likeable exceptions. Barrick could have died and I wouldn't have cared. When you get to the end, the only question answered is "who was the murderer?" Everything else is left unanswered or unresolved for the next book. I'll read the next one because I'm still curious, but I'll get it from the library too.

Tad Williams's "Memory, Sorrow and Thorn" trilogy, written over a decade ago is my favorite finished fantasy saga, (besides "Lord of the Rings" of course). When I heard he was finally returning to similar ground, I was excited. With Shadowmarch, the story and world are intriguing enough, but he seems to be repeating himself. The main plot is very similar to "Memory, Sorrow and Thorn", where an elf-like race that has been terribly wronged in the distant past, seeks bloody revenge on the human lands to the south. I would have enjoyed this more if I had not already read George R.R. Martin's "Song of Ice and Fire" series, which is vastly superior in every way.

I've noticed that many of those who reviewed this book have mentioned that its pacing is a little slow. I agree, 100%. However, this book is the first of the trilogy, and I believe that the first book in an epic trilogy tends to be of a slower pace. I'm fine with that, because I feel that Williams spends this time developing the history of the world he immerses you in. This allows the feeling of being "sucked into" the world he creates for you - you can almost see it, hear it, touch it.

This book was a great introduction into the kingdom of Southmarch and its characters. I look forward to the continuation of the story.

While the first installment of Shadowmarch was a great, well paced fantasy delight, Mr. Williams elevated our expectations by his Memory, Sorrow, Thorn Trilogy. MST had intricate main and sub plot lines and fresh character development, which used complex verisimitude to overpower any type of arthurian or Tolkeinesque archetypes. These characters lived and breathed on the stage of a real life setting. In Shadowmarch, the pace feels a little rushed and the characters seem less developed and less sympathetic than those in MST or even Otherland. While i would have given any other author a four star rating for this well written and intriguing tale, I can only give it three since it came from the fantasy genius Tad Williams.

It becomes painfully obvious almost immediately in this book that the author does not like two of the main characters he portrays. They are whiny spoiled children who hate everyone and have no redeeming qualities or talents whatsoever.

I can only assume he wanted to show "character development" over time. The characters, with few exceptions, are completely unlikeable. The storyline drags like it is stuck in the bog of eternal stench. Yes, it is really that bad. I've read books by or co-authored by, Tad Williams and it is hard for me to believe this is the same writer. I'd give the book zero stars or negative stars but people tend to skip over reviews that appear to not have a rating.

If I could do a complete stranger a favor, it would be to have them not read this book. There is no way I can articulate exactly how pathetic the characters are or how slow and plodding the ridiculous storyline goes. I NEVER quit on a book once I start reading with a very few exceptions. This book is one of them. I suffered through over half of it hoping it would get better but it doesn't. I don't even have the urge to read the ending to see what happened. It is a lousy book by an author who has written far better than this.

No one sets up a series like Williams, another spectacular series by an author that knows about story structure. With so many fantasy authors today that write 1000 page epics where the story and plot go absolutely nowhere, it's refreshing to have an author that knows how to begin and end a story.

What is the big deal with all these fantasy authors writing books about the politics between the warring factions in a fantasy setting? At one point in the book, there is a point at which a character had to either believe in the fantastical, or not change their mind about an innocent person. Guess what? They picked the not change their mind. Why would I want to read a fantasy book about characters that live in a fantasy setting but don't belive in the fantastic? The whole book is about different kingdoms, who married who, and this person is mad at that person so they goto war. Whats the point?

Shadowmarch is an amazing book. It juggles numerous characters and plot-lines without missing a beat or seeming evel a little disjointed.

The characters are well developed and the settings are breathtaking. The tension leading up to the action leaves one at the edge of their seat. I can not wait for the next chapter in this series!

I completely enjoyed reading this book. It's the first Tad Williams I have read, but I think that he is a master with the English language. His style is wonderful, descriptive without being over-written. The characters are very three dimensional, and I found it difficult to decide who was my favorite. This is a great read for "soft core" fantasy readers; those who like a little fantasy but don't want to drown in it. There are a lot of characters and places to keep track of, but each was so distinguishable I had no problem remembering them from chapter to chapter. The plots and subplots are exciting, and I can't wait for the next volume to see what happens.

Tad Williams has written better; I enjoyed the first couple of books of his Otherland series, The War of Flowers was a good book, and the Memory, Sorrow, Thorn series was a respectable bit of fantasy literature. Shadowmarch just feels weak. I had trouble making it through this book, finding it a potent sedative - handy if you have trouble sleeping, but not an endorsement generally.

I was very excited to see Tad Williams returning to heroic fantasy. That is, until I read the book. This is probably my shortest review EVER, because I just don't know what to say about it. Memory, Sorry and Thorn was a masterpiece, and I was hoping for something of the same here. It was a huge letdown. And yes, I agree with another reviewer - it's still better than Terry Goodkind. Then again, almost anything is.

I am not typically a reader of fantasy novels. But I loved this book. It's long at over 600 pages, and I was disappointed when it ended because I wanted more. It's a great book with several different intertwining stories all going on at the same time.

The book is beautifully written, it's intriguing and entertaining, and just really enjoyable.

Having read everything by Tad Williams to date, I have come to the conclusion that he does best with epics, be they fantasy or sci-fi. 2003's _War of the Flowers_ left me a little cold, as did his breakout debut, _Tailchaser_. His Otherland and Memory, Sorrow & Thorn sagas, however, are some of the most satisfying reads you will ever avail yourself of.

I won't rehash the plot; that's been done plenty elsewhere. What I will say is that Williams take familiar elements and does wonders with them. His plotting and pacing are relentless, compelling you to read more in one sitting than is good for you.

The only thing I could have done without was one character's time underground, which reminded me a bit too much of Simon's escape in _The Dragonbone Chair_. But that comes late in the book, and by then you'll be hooked.

If you're looking for some excellent fantasy while waiting for George R.R. Martin's _A Feast for Crows_, this is just the thing.

I actually read this book, or something very close to it, a while back, even before War of the Flowers came out. Tad Williams originally came out with this book on [...] Now, only the first five chapters are there. When I read it, I thought that this series could end up to be the best Williams has written. And that's saying a lot coming from me. I loved Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, and I think that Otherland is one of the best in either the SF or fantasy genres.

In other words, read ShadowMarch. The pacing is better than Dragonbone Chair and the characters are easily as engaging, if not more so.

good writing and characters as always from williams, but a lot of it is the same storyline from the wonderful dragonbone chair series. (elf-types wanting to reclaim old castle of theirs that man now occupies)

still a good read

I absolutely loved Tad Williams' Memory,Sorrow,and Thorn series. When his sci-fi series came out, I eagerly read the first novel, and regretfully concluded that Williams' sci-fi style was not to my taste. When War of the Flowers came out, I bought and read it as well. More mediocrity. Finally, Shadowmarch was released. Surely, when allowed to write in the sub-genre which originally catapulted him to fame, he would once again release a polished and engaging tale. I have never been more wrong. Williams makes the mistake of thinking that the more main characters there are, the better. The result is a book with characters that you never know well enough to actually like. I have concluded, reluctantly, than Williams is something of a hack. If you could buy a "Write-By-Numbers" Kit, this book would be the result.

This is a fantastic new fantasy in the LoTR genre. if you like sword and sorcery fantasy then check out this book. Tad williams has put some thought into this book and has a really fun and serious story line.

Here we have a troubled Northern family with a noble patriarch (held hostage), guarding an unsuspecting world against a eldritch menace on the other side of a mysterious wall. Hmm. Where have I read this before? Or, rather, where have I read a better-written version of this before?

Wait, wait... let me think. It'll come to me...

I just finished reading this book, I feel in love with the chacters and I am already wanting more. This is the best book he has written so far. If you enjoy robert jordan you will love this book. Read it today!

Here we have a troubled Northern family with a noble patriarch (held hostage), guarding an unsuspecting world against a eldritch menace on the other side of a mysterious wall. Hmm. Where have I read this before? Or, rather, where have I read a better-written version of this before?

Wait, wait... let me think. It'll come to me...

I just finished reading this book, I feel in love with the chacters and I am already wanting more. This is the best book he has written so far. If you enjoy robert jordan you will love this book. Read it today!

4 aspect I will judge this story by, Story, Worldbuilding, Characterization and Emotional response.

Story: 3 stars

Characterization:3 stars

Worldbuilding:3 stars

Emotional response: 2 stars