The Way of Shadows - Brent Weeks

...and even for fans of the genre in can be difficult to pick the dolphins from the red herrings (so to speak). All tend to have imaginative worlds that have slight twists in terms of their mechanics, but ultimately the way that all of this detail is brought together in the plot and the writing makes and breaks a book. The Way of the Shadows by Brent Weeks is the first book in the Night Angel Trilogy, and I am happy to say that it hits the fantasy nail ...
...KILL." ===

The focus of Way of the Shadows is assassins, or, to be more specific, wetboys, who are essentially elite assassins hired to kill the most obscure or difficult targets. It takes place in the city of Cenaria, a place that is distinctly divided into the rich side and the poor side, called the Warrens. On the rich side of the city powerful families jostle for political control of affairs. In the Warrens children and adults ... more

There are an awful lot of fantasy books and trilogies out there nowadays, and even for fans of the genre in can be difficult to pick the dolphins from the red herrings (so to speak). All tend to have imaginative worlds that have slight twists in terms of their mechanics, but ultimately the way that all of this detail is brought together in the plot and the writing makes and breaks a book. The Way of the Shadows by Brent Weeks is the first book in the Night Angel Trilogy, and I am happy to say that it hits the fantasy nail firmly on the head.

"ASSASSINS HAVE TARGETS, BECAUSE THEY DON'T ALWAYS SUCCEED. WETBOYS HAVE DEADERS, BECAUSE WE NEVER FAIL TO KILL."

The focus of Way of the Shadows is assassins, or, to be more specific, wetboys, who are essentially elite assassins hired to kill the most obscure or difficult targets. It takes place in the city of Cenaria, a place that is distinctly divided into the rich side and the poor side, called the Warrens. On the rich side of the city powerful families jostle for political control of affairs. In the Warrens children and adults alike fight desperately to stay alive, let alone make a living. And governing both sides from the shadows is the powerful and mysterious Sa'kage, who operate in a similar way to a fantasy Mafia.

The main character in the book is an orphan called Azoth who, like most children in the Warrens, has joined a gang in order to survive. Also like most children in the Warrens, he has dreams of bigger and better things, and his dream is to become a wetboy. Durzo Blint is renowned as the best wetboy in the world, to the point where he is virtually a living legend, and in a chance meeting Azoth makes his move to become Durzo's apprentice. He then embarks on a new life as Kylar Stern, attempting to follow in his master's footsteps and construct a new life as a trained killer.

Of course the book has more than two main characters. In fact, it has plenty more, and if anything the range of characters in the book is quite staggering. Certainly there are too many characters to list here. In many ways a lot of these characters are stereotypical. For example, one of the main characters, Logan Gyre, is a noble prince who is constantly striving to do what is right and idealistic in an imperfect world. However, due to the world that Weeks creates and, in many ways, the depths that he is willing to descend to (more on this later), even the most potentially mundane of characters are given unexpected edges which keeps them fresh and interesting.

In many ways the range of characters in the book makes things overly complex. Often you will start reading a chapter and struggle to fit in where you've read about a character before as they enter a scene. Yet this depth comes good in the end, and ultimately you appreciate how the sheer number of characters aids both character and plot development, and allows Weeks to develop his stories on many different levels.

"NEVER SPEAK OF THIS. UNDERSTAND? I'VE DONE WORSE THAN KILL CHILDREN."

As hinted at previously, this book is very much for mature audiences only. I would say that the book is dark and gritty, but that doesn't seem to do it justice. Indeed, some of the themes that this book deals with, and in graphic detail, are fairly horrific. Everything from brutal fights and torture to child rape is covered, and that's only in the first fifty pages. By no means does this lower the tone of the book to the point where it becomes farcical, however. Far from it; Weeks uses this powerful imagery and events to make messages hard hitting evoke an emotional response from the reader, and that only serves to further immerse you into the story.

He doesn't just do hard hitting imagery well, either. The action sequences in this book are quite possibly the finest in any fantasy novel that I have ever read. Weeks had an unrivalled ability to keep the imagery of a fight moving quickly in your head whilst describing it in intimate detail. People often watch martial arts film to see impressive fights on the screen. In Way of the Shadows the descriptions of the fight scenes create imagery in your head that easily matches anything that Hollywood has to offer, which is quite an achievement.

"'YOU MIND?' DURZO ASKED, 'WE BOTH KNOW IF I WANTED TO KILL ANYONE IN THERE I COULD, WITH OR WITHOUT WEAPONS.'"

Having just read two paragraphs about how obscene the book can be and how good the fight scenes are, you'd be forgiven for thinking that this book is a shallow novel for action junkies. In fact nothing could be further from the truth. The first third of the novel jumps forward in years at several points as Azoth's progress (as well as that of other characters) is tracked from when he is a child to his later teenage years. Once the plot proper starts more characters and areas are woven into the story, keeping the pace of the initial section whilst also steadily increasing the depth. As mentioned above, the depth of the characters is quite stunning, and Weeks manages to weave all of the above elements together to create a novel flows quickly and immerses the reader whilst twisting and turning. It is a genuine page turner, and one that is simply a joy to read.

At the same time, whilst the book is dark and the number of characters can be overwhelming, it is not an especially taxing book to read. Indeed, I'd say it is probably possible to read the book in one sitting if you were so inclined. The world and plot is built up in a confident and decisive manner, and you'll be more than happy to let the easy writing style lead you through the story to get your fill of entertainment.

It's not perfect. Few books are, and I'm sure that those who wish to closely analyse the book will find things to pick at. But that is rarely the point with books, and especially so with this one. If you're looking for a fantasy novel that will draw you into a rich and compelling world where a satisfying plot unfolds before you, then you can't go wrong with this. Those who find the idea of a novel centred around assassins will also find exactly what they're looking for.

Taken at face value, with the dark nature of the book taken into account, you'd be forgiven for thinking that this book is one for the hardcore fantasy readers. In fact it is more accessible than it seems (demonstrated by the fact that my girlfriend, an ardent fan of Harry Potter and Lemony Snicket, can't stop raving about this book), and will be enjoyed by nearly all fantasy fans, providing they don't mind reading something with a little more grit to it. And when the writing is this entertaining, why should you?

 

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