The Conqueror's Shadow [Hardcover]

Ari Marmell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 23, 2010

With The Conqueror’s Shadow, Ari Marmell brings a welcome seasoning of wit to the genre, proving that dark fantasy can address the enduring questions of good and evil and still retain a sense of humor. Playful yet intense, sharply sarcastic yet deeply sincere, The Conqueror’s Shadow announces the appearance of a unique talent—and an antihero like no other.

They called him the Terror of the East. His past shrouded in mystery, his identity hidden beneath a suit of enchanted black armor and a skull-like helm, Corvis Rebaine carved a bloody path through Imphallion, aided by Davro, a savage ogre, and Seilloah, a witch with a taste for human flesh. No shield or weapon could stop his demon-forged axe. And no magic could match the spells of his demon slave, Khanda.

Yet just when ultimate victory was in his grasp, Rebaine faltered. His plans of conquest, born from a desire to see Imphallion governed with firmness and honesty, shattered. Amid the chaos of a collapsing army, Rebaine vanished, taking only a single hostage—the young noblewoman Tyannon—to guarantee his escape.

Seventeen years later, Rebaine and Tyannon are married, living in obscurity and raising their children, a daughter and a son. Rebaine has put his past behind him, given up his dreams of conquest. Not even news of Audriss—an upstart warlord following Rebaine’s old path of conquest—can stir the retired warrior to action.
 
Until his daughter is assaulted by Audriss’s goons.

Now, to rescue the country he once tried to conquer, Rebaine once more dons the armor of the Terror of the East and seeks out his former allies. But Davro has become a peaceful farmer. Seilloah has no wish to leave her haunted forest home. And Khanda . . . well, to describe his feelings for his former master as undying hatred would be an understatement.

But even if Rebaine can convince his onetime comrades to join him, he faces a greater challenge: Does he dare to reawaken the part of him that gloried in cruelty, blood, and destruction? With the safety of his family at stake, can he dare not to?
 

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Gaming industry veteran Marmell (Planeswalker: Agents of Artifice) offers a breezy adventure starring retired evil overlord Corvis Rebaine. When Corvis decided love was more important than world domination, a shadowy figure known as Audriss took over his plans, which now endanger Corvis's family. Middle-aged Corvis must strap on his dusty and ill-fitting armor, gather his old allies both mortal and demonic, and save a realm that remembers him only as a malevolent would-be world conqueror. Marmell's prose is competent, and though his characters seem at times more motivated by the needs of the plot than internal consistency, Corvis is charmingly cunning. The result is an amusing adventure pitting an only somewhat amoral sociopath and his legion of morally compromised friends against an army set on conquest and a genuinely evil villain whose ambitions threaten the world itself. (Mar.)
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From Booklist

After numerous role-playing-game novels, Marmell makes his original story debut with a dark sword-and-sorcery novel. Corvis Rebaine once conquered half of Imphallion with brutal efficiency, thereby earning the epithet Terror of the East. The invasion camouflaged his true purpose—locating a powerful spellbook—and when that failed, he abandoned his army. Seventeen years later, he lives anonymously in a quiet backwater with his wife and children. When would-be conqueror Audriss threatens his peaceful life, Corvis revives his Terror of the East persona and uses blackmail, deception, and fear to recruit reluctant comrades. While opposing Audriss, Corvis learns that Audriss is also after the spellbook, and Corvis trusts no one with the book’s power but himself. This action-packed, morally gray fantasy has an intriguingly twisty plot, full of magic and political intrigue. While all the characters are bitingly witty, none are particularly likable, including Corvis, whose self-professed good intentions are overshadowed by unscrupulous, Machiavellian behavior. Still, after an ending worthy of a heist film, Marmell leaves us eager for a sequel. --Krista Hutley

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Spectra; 1 edition (February 23, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553807765
• ISBN-13: 978-0553807769
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.5 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #276,070 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

On March 22, 1974, Ari Marmell was hatched out of an egg laid by a rooster on the night of the full moon. Due a mix-up, he wound up in the infant ward at a hospital in New York, where he was claimed as a (relatively) normal human and taken home. He and his family fled New York barely a year later, either because his father received a job offer in Houston, or because they were chased by angry mobs with pitchforks; reports are unclear.

For the next 27 years, Ari lived in Houston. His father told him bedtime stories when he was in preschool and kindergarten, stories without which he might never have become a writer. He received his first roleplaying game--the red Dungeons & Dragons boxed set--at age 9, and the AD&D Players Handbook followed less than a year later. He spent very little time on class work or studies for the next, oh, 13 years, instead spending his efforts on far more important things like fighting orcs, riding dragons, and rescuing extremely beautiful princesses.

Ari went to college at the University of Houston. He began in the Psychology program, but quickly changed his major to Creative Writing. It was in the first week of class that he met his wife-to-be, who goes by the name of George. (No, it's not short for Georgia, Georgette, Georgiana, or anything else that could possibly make sense.) It was also in college that he wrote his first novel, one that he is now determined will never see the light of day, and charitably calls a "learning experience."

In short, Ari graduated in late '96, married George in March of 1997, honeymooned in New Orleans, worked several jobs he hated for the next several years, and quit the last of them in 2000 due to ongoing health issues. During this time, he wrote four more novels, two of which are actually pretty decent. It was also during this time that he managed to break into the roleplaying industry, having attracted the attention of Justin Achilli (developer of Vampire: The Masquerade) with a project submission inspired by his trip to New Orleans.

He and George moved to Austin in mid-2001 so George could attend graduate school while Ari continued to work as a freelance writer. They live there today, along with a large orange cat named Leloo and a smaller gray cat named Pippin who seems unable to grasp the notion that strings, ribbons, and plastic bags do not make up a viable part of the food chain. His first published novel, Gehenna: The Final Night, appeared on shelves in January of 2004.

Today, Ari is shifting his focus from freelancing to more fiction and novel-writing. His second novel, Agents of Artifice, was released by Wizards of the Coast in February of '09. His third novel, The Conqueror's Shadow, was released by Spectra in February 2010. (This was his first published non-tie-in novel.)

Ari's forthcoming novels include The Warlord's Legacy (Spectra, early 2011), the Goblin Corps (Pyr Books mid- to late 2011), and Household Gods (Pyr Books, 2012). You can learn more about him, and keep up with his news and release schedule, at www.mouseferatu.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Conqueror's Shadow, March 7, 2010

By 

S. Baskin - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Conqueror's Shadow (Hardcover)

When I first picked up The Conqueror's Shadow, I thought it sounded interesting but not that original. Now after reading it I have to say, boy was I wrong. I loved The Conqueror's Shadow! From the fast paced action to the witty and endearing characters The Conqueror's Shadow has it all.

My initial thought that the book would be unoriginal and overly filled with war details was completely wrong. The book is instead filled with strong supporting characters that are both endearing and comical, a strong and fast paced plot, and an ending filled with twists to delight even the most jaded reader.

But what impressed me most about The Conqueror's Shadow, were the flashback sequences interspersed throughout the book and the level of writing Marmell uses to transform Corvis, the Terror of the East into a peaceful and happy husband and father.

I've read a number of fantasy books that have tried to use this same flashback technique, but often it comes across as dull and unnecessary. This is not the case for The Conqueror's Shadow, instead these flashbacks complete the character development necessary to make an evil warlord likable to the reader, as well as show the sequence of events that brought us to the present. These flashbacks round out the protagonist and ultimately giving this book a step up on the majority of books in this genre.

As for Marmell's writing, never before have I read a book that the author is able to so aptly paint the protagonist in such a morally grey area. Corvis is truly a monster of a man, he killed thousands in his war, unleashed the gnomes and other terrifying creatures on the world, and had his demon, Khanda, eat the souls of hundreds of innocent men, women, and children. Yet Marmell has done a remarkable job infusing Corvis with just the right amount of admirable qualities to make him instead into a humble yet flawed man. A man who just wanted to make the world into a better place. Marmell uses these same skills and the flashback sequences mentioned above to illustrate the transformation that causes this monster of a man to become the husband and father we meet at the beginning.

Yet at the end of the day it all comes down to one question. Did I enjoy the book? And I can clearly and easily say, yes, I enjoyed this book.

Marmell's superior righting ability, the fast paced action, and the lovable supporting character make The Conqueror's Shadow a great read and easily something I would recommend to anyone who likes fantasy.

RATING

9 out of 10

[...]

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Original and Compelling, February 2, 2011

By 

Kenneth New (1622 N. Jerrie Blvd Tucson AZ 85712) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Conqueror's Shadow (Mass Market Paperback)

It is seldom that a novel in the fantasy genre strikes me as truly original. The Conqueror's Shadow (by Ari Marmell) grabbed my interest upfront and kept it throughout. I was impressed enough with the book that I felt I needed to read it twice before moving on to another novel if I were to do it justice in recommending it to my friends.

I won't ruin the story by revealing too much of the plot, but I will mention some elements that made it hard for me to put down. The main character is man who was driven to conquer the Kingdom of Imphallion. At least a part of his motivation was a desire to see a strong and just rule for the nation. In his quest he enlists the aid of dark powers and engages in atrocities that chill the bone. In the end, his quest hinged on being able to acquire a magical tome that could overwhelm his enemies. When he failed in this endeavor, he walked away.

What was truly original in this tale was that Corvis Rebaine's attempt to conquer a kingdom took place in the past and is revealed slowly through flashback. We get a chance to sympathize with the character before finding out the full extent of his dark deeds. In the present, another would-be conqueror is following in Rebaine's footsteps, using many of the same allies and methods. Rebaine, who has been living in hiding for seventeen years, comes out of retirement when his family is threatened. Only this time he must find a way to stop the conqueror and save the kingdom.

Much like the character of William Munny in the film Unforgiven, Corvis Rebaine is compelled to take up his old life in order to save his new life. Furthermore, he is seriously afraid that the allure of his old ways will consume him and make truly into the man he used to be - a prospect that would end his new life and destroy his family as surely as his inaction.

As the story progresses, Rebaine must struggle with his past, as well as with his new enemy. He has to save a kingdom that has every reason to wish him dead, and to rise above the temptations that threaten to pull him down into the morass of his former ambition and greed. It's an impossible task for him to fulfill without being tainted by his former self. While the external struggle against his enemy is engrossing in and of itself, it is the internal struggle against himself that drew me in.

In some ways Audriss, the current would-be conqueror of Imphallion, is a dark mirror of Rebaine himself. He was created by Rebaine's campaign of terror and is motivated by some of the same reasons. The real question is: "How much do the high and laudable goals espoused by Rebaine and Audriss have to do with their actions, and to what extent are they covers for their own ambition?"

I cannot recommend this book enough to lovers of the fantasy genre, and I cannot wait to read the sequels.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, definitely worth the time., January 7, 2011

By 

Romteni - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Conqueror's Shadow (Mass Market Paperback)

In short I think its a great book, very interesting and unique. Other reviews go in-depth to tell you whats so great about it, I'm just going to say its worth the time and I really enjoyed it.

Yes I'd recommend it, great plot, great story, amazing ending which definitely leaves you on your toes waiting daily for the sequel (as I have :D)