Customer Reviews

Forging of the Shadows

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The Forging of the Shadows is a reasonable read, with some occasional flashes of brilliance, interesting character snaps and diverting plot twists. But the narrative is a little dry and the overall plot is not unique. Fun to read if you like vampires and are not too picky about the storytelling - otherwise skip it.

Imagine my amazement to find an entire fantasy novel taking place in the space of a single night! Johnson manages to cram the general amount of action in an "epic" fantasy taking place over months or years into a single night worth of narrative. The result? Concentrated action and a don't-you-dare-put-me-down book.

The characters are engaging and suitably dark - Lord save me from perfect heroes - and really give the story that added depth.

I loved it.

I first got this book when going on vaction, that night I didn't sleep because the story scared the ... out of me. But then the next day I picked it up again and read for 4 chapters and it was awesome. Oliver Johnson made this book unique, no other book I have read has used flashback and foreshadowing to tell the characters history like this one. I would recomend this book to anyone that loved fantasy.

The Lightbringer trilogy brings in a fresh look at fantasy, concentrating mainly in a city for this book (but promising more in the remaining books). It has all the necessary elements, such as an intriguing history and cast of characters to make this trilogy one to remember. Recommended

I'm a little shocked at the other reviews I'm reading here. This may be the single WORST fantasy book I've ever read, and I've read some lulus. The characters are woefully shallow and unimaginative. The plot is predictable and unbelievable (yes, yes, I know... but I mean even for fantasy). The writing style has all of the polish and elegance of a blow to the head.

As far as 'dark fantasy' is concerned, this story seems to attempt a dark atmosphere simply by portraying shocking scenes, and it overdoes it on this front. One becomes accoustomed to it halfway through, and there's nothing else to hold the book up.

If you want good dark fantasy, try Glenn Cook's Black Company series. I'm filing this one under 'Trash'.

I loved the way the author used flashbacks to fill in the reader on the history of the characters. The characters were really brought to life with that and made the not-so-extordinary plot more interesting then you would think it would be

All of this book takes place over one night, with suspense that will keep you turning pages as fast as you can. It has characters that seem very real and easy to identify with. This is the first of the trilogy, and hopefully the other two books will follow the trend. Indulge yourself, buy it!

This book really pulled me into the story and kept me up until late. I highly recommend this book, and the other two in the series, to any fantasy genre reader.

An excellent story. It kept me mesmerised from the first chapter. I found it well written and compelling reading. Johnson has accomplished what too few writers today can accomplish; through his words he has created an atmosphere that envelopes your mind as you read - dark, ancient and menacing.

I am looking forward to reading the next two books in the trilogy.

Oliver Johnson has done a wonderful job of creating a fantasy world of heroes, villains and vampires. You'll find yourself immersed in the fantastic world along with the very characters themselves. A sweeping story, believable and well envisioned characters and lots of magic and action make Forging of the Shadows a incredible fantasy which more than deserves any praise I can give it