Shadow's Edge - Brent Weeks > Reviews (3)

Shadow's Edge by Brent Weeks is the sequel to The Way Of Shadows, and is the second book in the Night Angel Trilogy. I have reviewed The Way of Shadows already and awarded it five stars, and if you've read that review you'll know the book received my highest praise for being easy going, yet immersive, gritty and compelling. Clearly this review is going to give a few things away if you've either never read the first book or are in the middle of reading it, but the information revealed here will be as minor as possible, and thus spoiler free. As with the first review I will not reveal or even hint at major twists and turns in the plot, so even with this review there will be plenty in this book to discover.

"TELL THEM THE NIGHT ANGEL WALKS. TELL THEM JUSTICE HAS COME."

This book picks up one week from the end of The Way of Shadows. A violent and ruthless coup has given the Khalidorians control over Cenaria. The former powerful individuals within Cenarian government have either fled or are being hunted down, and even the once all powerful Sa'kage is struggling to combat the overwhelming power of Cenaria's new rulers.

In the midst of this chaos, Kylar Stern has turned his back on the life of a wetboy in order to start a new life with the woman he loves and his adopted daughter. In order to start that new life he has moved to Caernarvon to make a clean break, using his peerless knowledge of herbs and poisons (gained through countless assassinations) to become a herbalist. Compared to Cenaria this new town is quiet and friendly, and even the local Sa'kage is little more than a band of common thugs. Of course things don't go according to plan, and through the influence of others Kylar is forced to choose between staying with his new family, or returning to Cenaria to help those people that he owes so much to.

As has already been hinted at, Weeks expands the scope of the second book in the trilogy to include numerous other locations beyond the focus of the first book, Cenaria. This was to be expected considering that Cenaria was described in such vivid detail in the first book (plus there is an extensive map in the front of the book of the entire land), but is still welcome and gives a real sense of progression. Personally I found Caernarvon to be a rather uninspiring location compared to Cenaria, but that is somewhat the point as the contrast is made between Kylar's old life as a killer, and is desired new life as a family man. Other locations are given much more vivid descriptions and direction, which keeps in tone with the first book.

"A WOLF MIGHT BECOME A WOLFHOUND, SON, BUT IT WILL NEVER BECOME A LAPDOG."

If you've read my first review you'll know that one of the standout features of this series is the sheer number of characters in it, and continuing this trend Shadow's Edge contains a number of new characters to be weaved into the ever expanding plot. The most prominent of these is Garoth Ursuul, the Godking of the Khalidorians, and essentially the main villain of the piece.

In many ways the first book lacked a standout villain a lot of the time, so having an identifiable villain from the very start of this book is refreshing and helps maintain focus. As a result the moments in the first book where you could become a little lost in the plot are virtually eliminated in this offering.

Other new characters include Sister Ariel of the Chantry, an entirely new organisation of female mages introduced in this book, and The Dark Hunter, a mysterious creature that has almost become legend. Bit part characters in the previous book, including Neph Dada (the Godking's senior Vurdmeister, a sort of mage) and Vi (a female wetboy) are developed into main characters and firmly come into the fore of the plot. These characters are introduced to the reader and developed just as well as characters were in the previous book, and all manage to keep the reader's interest through their respective scenes.

Of course as well as new characters, Weeks also spends some considerable time developing main characters from the previous books, and this is prominent in Kylar Stern and Logan Gyre, the prince and heir proper to the throne of Cenaria. One of the main focuses on this book is on Kylar's inner battle between turning his back on his past life as a wetboy, and trying to adjust to a new and settled family life. This struggle is described in significant detail, worked through interactions with other characters and his personal thoughts, and shows a level of character development not previously seen in the series.

Logan Gyre, on the other hand, faces a quite different battle to stay righteous and noble. He starts the second book where he ended the first; in The Hole, an inescapable prison meant for only the most deranged criminals. This stark contrast to the lifestyle of royalty that he is used to challenges the very fibre of his being, and these sections contain perhaps the most compelling aspect of character development in the book, or indeed any book. In few other novels does a main character's integrity get challenged in such a stark and powerful manner, and for me Logan Gyre's scenes in this book are perhaps the best example of raw and powerful fantasy writing across the entire trilogy.

"HE SMILED RECKLESSLY. "SO, YOU READY TO KILL A GOD?"

In my review of The Way Of Shadows I pointed out numerous standout aspects of the book, including its often very dark content, stunning action sequences, and fast flowing and constantly evolving plot. In the first two of these areas Shadow's Edge very much picks up where the first book left off. Through Godking Ursuul the depraved culture of the Khalidorians is slowly revealed, and some of the scenes involving the demonstration of this culture will shock even the most hardened reader. But once again these terrible but powerful scenes do not undermine the rest of the book, and only serve to add grit and a sharp edge to proceedings. Equally the action sequences remain as stunningly well described as the in the first book, with absolutely no let up in quality.

The third aspect however, namely the free flowing and compelling plot, is an area where, at least initially, the second book does not live up to the dizzy heights of the first. The first section of the book has a heavy focus on Kylar adjusting to his new life, and while this does allow a good level of character development, it lacks the excitement that made the first book such a page turner. Other characters and scenes stay faithful to the formula of the first book and are compelling, but when the main character's scenes are not as interesting this somewhat undermines the whole process.

Fortunately this slow start does not last, and ultimately this slower build up will be appreciated in the climax to the book, which has echoes of the end of the first novel and doesn't disappoint. It also frees up the third book for an excellent climax to the series (the review of the third book will be forthcoming). However, that doesn't change the fact that it makes part of the second book less interesting than the rest of the trilogy, and personally I couldn't shake the lingering feeling that it wasn't necessary for things to move quite that slow at times.

Don't get me wrong, it isn't something that stops the book being worth reading. Overall the book still comes highly recommended, and even if it is not a classic in its own right it is still a very good read, and is a vital part to a trilogy that is very much pushing for classic status. If you have read the first book you will likely already be itching to read this one, but if you're reading this review to determine whether the trilogy as a whole is worth reading, my answer is that it very much that it is.

I am knocking one star off this review because this book does not reach the heights of the other two in the series, but the book still comes highly recommended as an integral part of a trilogy that remains a classic example of the genre.