Customer Reviews

The Conqueror's Shadow

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4 star:		(2)
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2 star:		(2)
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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

[...]

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.

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)

Some day, I'm going to learn not to pay full price for every interesting-sounding book that appears on the Amazon horizon. This book was a struggle to finish and I feel that I owe myself a cookie for doing so. Marmell is a Wizards of the Coast author and it shows here. That doesn't mean it's necessarily bad, but it's not that good, either. Frankly, I was hoping for a little bit more.

Where to begin? First off, Corvis Rebaine is just plain not interesting. He's not really a "Dark Hero"; more like someone who uses situational ethics to accomplish his goals, which, most of the time, don't make much sense. He's shallow and one-dimensional and I found myself neither liking nor despising him. Marmell simply didn't create believable characters here. Everyone we're introduced to is a caricature of some fantasy stereotype. Even the ogre supporting character is nothing more than a World of Warcraft creature, and it painfully shows.

The pacing is awkward and we are given too much too early. We don't really see a valid reason for Rebaine's "retirement". The beginning of each chapter relates some unnecessary bit of past history that never left me feeling like I had a clearer picture. This style was obviously only used to bring forward some piece of information to support one of Marmell's many leaps of logic and overused plot devices. Marmell seriously needs to pick up a copy of Diana Wynne Jones "The Tough Guide To Fantasyland" if he really wants to avoid rehashing cliches. It wouldn't hurt him to rent "The Unforgiven" with Clint Eastwood to gain insight into how to create a believable tough guy who struggles with his past.

If the premise of this book interests you and you don't mind the WOTC brand of chapterbook fiction, I recommend waiting until it comes out on paperback, and even then, look for a used copy. Better still though, read something better like Steven Erickson's Malazan Book of the Fallen series or track down a copy of Eve Forward's long and inexplicably out-of-print "Villains By Necessity." As it is, "The Conqueror's Shadow" is a lot like eating a cream puff - tasty-looking on the outside, but full of air and a tiny bit of sweet fluff on the inside.

In Imphallion, Corvis Rebaine led an army that killed anyone in his path. He used his demon ax and Khandra the demon slave and allied with Davro the ogre and Seilloah the witch. They won victory after victory. However, on the verge of total conquest, the Terror of the East as he was called lost and vanished along with a noblewoman Tyannon.

Years later, Audriss the warlord has deployed Corvis' plan for world domination through mass damnation. Corvis has heard of his replacement, but ignores the conquests as he and his wife Tyannon raise their two children Lilander and Mellorin in love and peace. That changes when Audriss' thugs abduct Mellorin, which angers Corviss into action starting with killing those who grabbed his daughter. He gathers his former allies to ironically save Imphallion from the latest warlord.

This is an amusing timely fantasy in which an amoral (except with his family and buddies- demons don't count as pals) antihero and his even less ethical friends save the same realm they almost conquered seventeen years ago from the latest conqueror. The story line is fast-paced, action-packed and though jocular raises questions as to what are true values. Though how middle-aged Corvis retained his warrior skill that he uses immediately remains questionable, he and his partners make the tale as they are sly, slick and will do any stunt to achieve their objectives; his being to return to his family. Fans will appreciate the efforts of Corvis to complete the job and go home.

Harriet Klausner

Ari Marmell has been writing freelance for years, including short stories, co-authored shared-world fiction, and RPG manuals for Wizards of the Coast. THE CONQUEROR'S SHADOW is his first solo novel, and he attempts to shake things up, with a twist on the standard sword and sorcery.

Corvis Rebaine is happily married to a loving and clever wife, Tyannon. He's got two rascally kids. He's living a simple life among small-town villagers. Everything's all peachy keen.

But his sordid past catches up to him when bandits attempt to assault his daughter. However, this is no random attack, its very deliberateness to bring Corvis out of hiding, because he has something everyone would kill to get.

You see, almost twenty years ago Corvis built himself an army of witches, humans, ogres, goblins, et al, with the purpose of conquering Imphallion. But in order to actually succeed he needed a book of spells, hidden deep within the catacombs of one of Imphallion's largest cities. He assaults the city, barely able to hold it while his enemies gather to dig him out, his entire plan hinging on finding that book and using it to conquer Imphallion for good. He finds the book...but he can't use it. All his plans turn to ruin, so he takes a hostage, young noblewoman Tyannon (yep, the one he eventually marries), and escapes, only to abandon his army and any dreams of conquest.

Now, nearly twenty years later, a copycat warlord is tracing Corvis' steps, using his old plans to start a new campaign of destruction, and find the spell book for his own use. So Corvis does the only thing a former evil warlord can do when someone steals his plans and threatens his family: remake his own army and fight back.

The best thing CONQUEROR has going for it is its serious-goofy-dark sense of humor. In fact, this story wouldn't have worked without it. Why? Because no reader would ever believe that Corvis, the Terror of the East, who strung up bodies in his conquered cities, and laid waste to the countryside, would eventually become a sentimental family man. It defies all rational characterization. The entire plot is crazily contrived. Yet the humor allows readers to suspend belief--for the story anyway, characterization is something else, altogether.

CONQUEROR boasts a big cast, but it revolves around the main three: Corvis Rebaine, former warlord, now husband/father trying to protect his own; Davro, ogre, former lieutenant in Corvis' army; and Seilloah, witch. Marmell paints these stock characters with a few goofy twists and even goofier banter. In fact the dialogue between the main characters is often worthy of an eye-roll. Perhaps it's the humorous take on these supposed dark characters that makes them less believable. Perhaps it's the RPG quality to the set-up. Whatever the case, the result was that I wanted to like Corvis, but never really understood his motivations and behavior. It's a nice idea that he repents of his ways and ends up with a happy family life, but it was hard for me to take seriously considering the circumstances. It doesn't help either that I don't believe Tynannon's behavior. I mean, really, the guy marries the girl he kidnaps and Tynannon never contacts the brother she saved from death? Whose life hung in the balance in the first place because of Corvis? Perhaps they deserve each other. Davro's constant griping was like a violin with one string, his characterization about as deep. Seilloah...I still don't know what I was supposed to think of her.

Marmell tries to help us catch up on the history with brief chapter openers that show us scenes from the past--they aren't chronological, but still relevant to chapter events. Between those and the exciting prologue, it's almost too much information too early in the novel. The PoV switches between several characters, frequently within a scene or to a random character who's never used a second time. Marmell also jumps from scene to scene to keep the pacing quick, but it made the narrative hard to follow when it left out gaps of information and plot. And the ending is a contrived mish-mash of events. All of these problems hurts the forward momentum of the story, which is often rocky. And since I seem incapable of writing a review without a petty complaint, here's mine for this novel: Marmell likes his adjectives/adverbs way too much, which makes for unnecessary wordiness and affects the flow of the prose.

The setting is your standard fantasy landscape, but it doesn't get in the way of the storytelling. Marmell's prose carries the plot along well enough, describes the fights without being too flashy, and adds a handful of new ideas to keep readers interested. The magic isn't anything special, it's used inconsistently, and when it is used it's convenient for the plot. This is too bad because the demon-inhabited items could have been more integrated into the story and really added some spice. Also hinted at are the different levels of sorcery ability, which isn't explained in much detail, but at the same time trumped by the special spell book that would allow the use of even 'higher circle' spells independent of ability.

THE CONQUEROR'S SHADOW is fluffy fantasy reading, despite the author's attempts to explore the theme of justifying evil actions for the sake of good intentions. The best audience is probably your teenage son, who won't get stuck on the unbelievability of it, will laugh with the snappy dialogue, and will like the idea of the villain being the 'hero'--plus it's clean enough for parents who like to keep an eye on content.

This book was so much fun to read. I laughed aloud and was on the edge of my seat simultaneously. I'm not normally a fan of dark heroes, but I make a big fat exception for this book: I love Corvis Rebaine. I'll definitely be reading the sequel when it comes out.

As others have written, it's hard to be totally original when you're writing a book about an evil warlord trying to conquer the empire. That said, Marmell's effort is the most enjoyable effort in this genre that I've read in years.

The book has enough plot twists to truly surprise the reader, and these are even more effective because it's easy to assume that the story will go along the "conventional" path. Also, I'll admit that I'm predisposed to sarcastic humor, something which is prevalent throughout the book. It helps that Marmell didn't try to imbue his work with the same deep seriousness of, say, a Robert Jordan or George R.R. Martin story.

Marmell also manages one of the most effective uses of flashbacks that I've seen (despite the annoying typeface used, which was likely a decision of the publisher). Every chapter starts with a flashback that fills in the backstory on one or more characters, a technique that gives us the backstory when we're at a point to really appreciate it. This isn't an easy approach to do well, and in this case it genuinely enriches the storytelling.

Lastly, I have to say that it's refreshing to read a book from the dying genre of "single book with an ending." In a day when most fantasy seems to be "trilogies" that wind up with five or more books, I greatly enjoyed reading a story arc that I could finish in a couple of days!

It's easy to create a villain. It's easy to create a hero. Just give them a noble cause or selfish ambition...right?

Not really.

Corvis Rebaine was the Terror of the East. An unstoppable warlord in armor of black steel and polished bone, he wielded a demonic axe, was advised by a cannibalistic witch and gained power from an imprisoned demon who fed on unsuspecting souls. He ground a nation under his heel with an army of abhuman creatures and amoral mercenaries. The greedy guilds and corrupt nobility could not stand against him.

Then he quit.

He quit being a warlord, left his army behind, and took up farming. He married a pretty girl he just happened to kidnap during his daring escape, had a couple of kids and went about the serious business of not conquering the world.

Though the reader is given a small glimpse as to why Corvis had the sudden desire to change careers, the world he terrorized isn't. Seventeen years later, Corvis' legacy is felt as a new warlord uses Corvis' own lieutenants, weapons and strategies to follow in his footsteps and try to take over the world. Unfortunately, Corvis' daughter is caught in the wake of this new Warlord's campaign.

This was a mistake. To protect his family from Audriss, Corvis once again takes up the mantle and armor of the Terror of the East and goes on a quest to keep Audriss from doing what he tried to do.

Ari Marmell takes the reader on a fast-paced and dynamic journey through Corvis' own attempt to take over the world and his attempts to keep Audriss from doing the same. Skillfully alternating flashbacks with present-day story, Marmell weaves a very compelling story about a very complex and frightening cast of characters.

Corvis Rebaine is a character who isn't good or evil - he's just a man. He's a man with a powerful will, a lot of charisma and better-than-average intelligence. His complicated motivations leave the reader thinking about warlords and tyrants a little differently.

Marmell uses a mix of epic storytelling and dry, sarcastic humor to build his characters; and through his characters, he builds a world. Imphallion isn't all that different from a lot of fantasy worlds. The flavor is a bit different, but the meat is the same. The characters - and WHY they do what they do - set it apart.

Corvis has to reconcile who he was with who he is and he comes face-to-face with the dire consequences of his own actions while trying to protect the world he had (sort of) wanted to save from someone even worse than he had let himself become.

This is a very original take on the fantasy trope of a warrior forced to return to war after finding peace and is the kind of story that takes the dark themes of modern fantasy and combines it with the epic tone that made the fantasy genre what it is - and he does it without sacrificing good storytelling on the altar of doorstop tomes or series that never end.

Corvis Rebaine is a hard character to like but is even harder to hate; he's very visceral and very real and can't be pigeonholed with an archetype or a label. He is a character who is truly unique - which is something that is hard to find after reading fantasy for two decades.

But Marmell delivers something even more than that - he delivers a powerful ending. The to his story is very poignant, very powerful and very true to the characters and tale he created. While it definitely leaves you wanting more, it also drives home just who and what Corvis Rebaine is - no matter if he's conquering the world or farming potatoes.

If you're new to fantasy, this book will spoil you. If you're a long-time fantasy reader, this book is one you shouldn't pass up.

This is a solid fantasy novel. It's got a cast of interesting characters, sarcastic ogre, cannibal witch, imprisoned double dealing demon, and a protaginist in Corvis Rebaine whose motivations are some place between 'would be ruler' and 'would be agent of change.' I found 'The Conqueror's Shadow' to be an entertaining good time. so much so that I have already picked up 'the warlord's legacy' the 2nd novel in this storyline.

If you get a chance, look for Mr. Marmel's 'The Black Crusade.' I found it as a free download. It was supposed to have been a ravenloft dominion novel from WoC before that line was shelved. Interesting novel about 'dark powers' afoot during the First Crusade.