Shadow Gate: Book Two of Crossroads [Mass Market Paperback]

Kate Elliott (Author)

Book Description

Series: Crossroads | Publication Date: March 31, 2009

The captivating, bestselling Spirit Gate swept readers into the turbulent world of the Hundred, where the peace and order of life under the protection of the immortal Guardians has given way to chaos and violence. In the face of a vast horde of marauders led by a rogue Guardian, the bravery and resourcefulness of a lone eagle-reeve and others who risk their lives for the common good have prevented death and destruction from overwhelming the Hundred.

In Shadow Gate, the enthralling sequel, the source of corruption of the Guardians is still a mystery to the mortals who fight to withstand the forces that have turned against them. And when three new Guardians emerge, a struggle begins among the immortals, with nothing less at stake than the future of the land and its gods.

With all the color, excitement, and narrative power that have made Kate Elliott an enormously popular writer, Shadow Gate weaves a powerful spell of action, romance, and magic that will entrance legions of readers.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this many-layered second installment in the Crossroads fantasy series (after 2007's Spirit Gate), Marit, an eagle-riding reeve, awakens as a spirit three years after her death and slowly realizes she's become one of the nine Guardians, protectors of justice who wield god-given powers. Soon Marit discovers that some of her fellow Guardians lead forces plaguing the land, while others hide or resist. Meanwhile, among the living, war rewrites the social order, and those of different religions and homelands make common cause. Elliott follows Qin soldier Anji and his troubled, lonely wife, Mai; Marit's former lover, reeve marshal Joss; and Kirya, a tribal warrior who sells herself into slavery to protect her brother. Each must balance cultural imperatives with a broader view of justice, and survival with mercy. The cosmology and politics may confuse newcomers, but the human dilemmas grip the reader right through to the abrupt final cliffhanger. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“Elliott’s strengths as a writer are on display in this second Crossroads book.  She brings her characters fully alive with stringent detail and attentive worldbuilding.  Fans of Elliott and new readers alike will find this novel satisfying.—Times Book Reviews

“A fabulous thriller that grips readers from the onset. . . . exhilarating.” —SF Revu

“Crossroads is shaping up to be Kate Elliott’s best work and is highly recommended to both fans of the author and any readers who appreciate fantasy in the vein of Robin Hobb, Jacqueline Carey, and J.V. Jones…” —Fantasy Book Critic

“This promises to be a truly epic fantasy.” —Publishers Weekly on Spirit Gate

“Spirit Gate has kept me up late at night for too many nights in a row, it made me burn dinner once, and it nearly caused a fender-bender when I was thinking about the characters while driving. It’s a big, complex, absorbing book that interfered with my living my daily life while I was reading it, and I blame the author quite bitterly for that.” —Laura Resnick, award-winning author of In Fire Forged on Spirit Gate

“I love this book. Once again Kate Elliott has written a splendid, grand epic that sweeps the reader into this magical world and doesn’t let go even after the very last word on the very last page. I can’t wait for the sequel to see what happens next.” —Dennis L. McKiernan, author of Once Upon a Spring Morn on Spirit Gate

“A treasure for readers who enjoy the journey as much as, or more than, the destination.” —Sci Fi Weekly on Spirit Gate

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 792 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; First Edition edition (March 31, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765349310
• ISBN-13: 978-0765349316
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #755,471 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kate Elliott lives in Hawaii, USA. In addition to the Crossroads series and the Crown of Stars series, she is co-author of THE GOLDEN KEY.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Read, April 15, 2008

By 

Michael McKee "mystic cowboy" (Port Townsend, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shadow Gate (Crossroads, Book 2) (Hardcover)

I spent Sunday devouring this book. The lawn didn't get mowed. Phone calls didn't get answered. But I didn't care. I was totally engrossed in Shadow Gate. I loved Spirit Gate, the first book in this series and the sequel maintains the high, no, very high standards of the first.

Kate Elliott has always been a top fantasy writer and seems to only get better with time.

If you like thrill a minute action stories look elsewhere. The story is complex and nuanced and focused as much on relationships and world building as anything. The world that Elliott has created is rich with widely different cultures. The bad guy, who is mostly in the background is truly evil. If you enjoy complex characters, excellent plotting and enough action and intrigue to keep you reading at the expense of your regular life, give Shadow Gate a try.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worthy Successor, February 15, 2010

By 

N. Simmons - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Shadow Gate: Book Two of Crossroads (Mass Market Paperback)

This work is a worthy successor to Spirit Gate. I will admit I had never even heard of the author before I saw the first book in the series in a bargain sale, but since then I have purchased all three of the Crossroads books so far in print.

Where book one introduces and gives the backgrounds of all of the main characters, book two further fleshes out the main characters and even elevates one of the minor characters in the first book into major character status. One of the things I despised about the first book was that the "main" character for the first forty or so pages is killed off. She returns with a vengeance in book two, though still not as much as I would have liked.

The locations in this book are much more static than in the first. This allows the author to concentrate more on the characters than having them tromp from place to place. In addition to further fleshing out the original characters this work also introduces some new chacters that contribute to the plot and character interactions.

One method that I use to determine whether or not I like a work is whether or not the prose becomes visual while reading. Both this book and is precursor do that.

The one aspect that I did not like about this work was its repetitive descriptions of virgin and child rape. Admittedly, Kirit's experience explains much about how she acts, but this could have been accomplished without being so graphic or detailed. The child situations contribute nothing, and should have been left out completely.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Falling Short of Expectation, June 22, 2009

By 

Through_a_looking_glass - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shadow Gate (Crossroads, Book 2) (Hardcover)

I have read Kate Elliott's Crown of Stars Series. I absolutely loved it. I could not put the books down. If you are looking for a page turner with the same magic and spirit that Elliott wove through the Crown Stars series then you may be disappointed. I was.
This book, like its predecessor, is too wordy. The long drawn-out flowery descriptions and repetitive plot recaps are not very conducive to the plot development. In fact, I found myself skipping past them and picking up when I could discern important plot points.At times I felt that Elliott was just trying to meet a page quota set by her editors.
What I disliked even more was the gratuitous rape. Rape of women and especially of children. Maybe Elliott thought it imperative to repeatedly create scenes where women and young children were violently raped and abused. It certainly motivated me to abhor the perpetrators and admire the strength of the survivors. However, after some time it just made me sick. Due to overuse, these scenes had a snuff feeling to them.
I didn't care to finish the book. Which is unfortunate. After reading her previous series I have a lot of faith that Kate Elliott can deliver a wonderful story. I am just not sure I have the patience or the stomach to see it through. It's unfortunate...really.