Customer Reviews

Shadowbred (The Twilight War, Book 1)

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Shadowbred by Paul S. Kemp, is the first book in the Twilight Wars trilogy. This book follows the path of a character from a previous trilogy; The Erevis Cale trilogy, the three books in that set are: Twilight Falling, Dawn of Night, and Midnight's Mask. I would encourage anyone who has not read those three books to do so before reading this new book. Otherwise things may not make as much sense, such as characters motivations, some of the backstories etc. They are all very good reads so don't worry, you will enjoy it.

Few authors in the fantasy genre today have solid characters and a solid plot interwoven. Usually it is either really good characters or a really good plot. Mr. Kemp has the ability to weave the two together seamlessly. This allows for a deeper feeling of the book and a better understanding of what is going on. Readers are more able to become invested in the characters as well as caring about what is going on in the story.

The characters in this book are old hat. Some are characters from the first trilogy, Cale, Riven, Mags, etc. While there are now some new characters thrown into the mix for good measure. All of the characters in this book `feels' like a different person. Some books each character is the same except in different skin. Some books have cliché ridden characters as well, not so here. Mr. Kemp also has a way of introducing depth to his characters in ways that are not usually seen in fantasy novels. For instance, Riven and his girls. A great way to show some of the underlying feelings characters has. As well as, Cale's emotional turmoil over a specific event from the last trilogy. Mr. Kemp has created several truly memorable characters.

The plot of this book is not your typical - get a task - get a party - kill something - live happily ever after. There is political intrigue, posturing by nobles, self discovery, and yeah - some killing. I have heard that this series will be what is called a Realms Shaking Event, meaning the outcome of this trilogy will have an impact over all of the Forgotten Realms, I think that RSE is that Sembia is being thrown into a civil war. This war will have consequences that will transcend the entire setting. I am eagerly awaiting the next two books to watch this unfold. Yet, that is not all for this book's plotlines. There are several subplots all expertly woven together to offer seamless transitions. Cale is searching for a friend, Cale has returned to help old friends, and Cale is also trying to keep a promise to another friend, all the time a god, or two, has their hands mixed into the batter to make sure things don't go as planned.

The combination of the great characters and the fantastic storylines make this book a true marvel to read. It challenges the reader to put it down. Mr. Kemp's prose allow for easy reading, and his descriptions are just enough to help me `see' but not enough to bog me down with useless details. Mr. Kemp has proven himself to be one of the Forgotten Realms most talented writers and I can only imagine were his books will go from here.

I do have one criticism about this book though. There are a couple scenes that are done in first person, while the rest of the book is more traditional. I have never been a fan of first person books, or scenes, so when I got to these scenes it was hard for me to read them. It didn't feel right with how the rest of the story flowed. It, at times, jarred me out of reading and I had to really work at reading them. Personally, I hope these scenes are done, but I can also see how others may appreciate them. It just didn't work for me.

Overall, I think this was a fantastic book, and certainly a start to a great trilogy. I would recommend Mr. Kemp's books to anyone who enjoys fantasy. Certainly, fans of the Forgotten Realms will appreciate the lore that he adds for good measure. People thinking about starting to read fantasy, or start reading the Forgotten Realms should really look into Mr. Kemp's earlier works to get a feel. I have no doubt, that if they do, they will keep reading. A very entertaining read.

In Shadowbred, the first book of the Twilight War Trilogy, Sembia is falling into civil war. Erevis Cale returns to Selgaunt, after a year since the events in the Erevis Cale Trilogy, to help House Uskreven and find a friend. He must come to grips with his destiny and his past while rooting out the dark powers behind Sembia's decline.

In this first book, Erevis Cale is back and Paul expertly pulls the reader into the emotional turmoil of the main character. A host of antagonists make there way into this novel, and their descriptions, their personalities, and their little quirks are made so very personable by Paul's ability to clearly set up and describe character.

Paul has woven a marvelous story whose continuity stretches across multiple books (including Realms novels published by other authors) and events, yet is not dependant upon those stories to be enjoyed. Many moments in the book leave one feeling that there is even more going on than what's presented and a sense of almost knowing what those other events are drives one to continue reading - even at odd hours of the night.

The plot is very easy to follow, it's simply laid out, but achieving the plot is what makes this book so outstanding. This is definitely a book in which the path or the journey is the point, not the ending. It ends with one wishing desperately that time travel was available (even now, one day after finishing the novel, I'm fiending to have to the next book!).

This book is definitely fast paced, not necessarily because it is full of action but because everything is so fluid that moving from one chapter to the next becomes timeless. Though, there are parts in the book which are written in first person perspective and it's rather jarring to be carried along on a hypnotic ride through several scenes then suddenly be thrown into this first person narrative. Overall though, the use of it isn't disruptive to the story.

Characters from previous stories, including Erevis, that make an appearance in one shape or another, are depicted just as perfectly as they had been in others, making them akin to a friend you haven't seen or talked to in a year. The new characters - and some of the old ones too - maintain a consistent attitude and personality throughout, and even provide some exciting surprises.

I've been a fan of the Realms since I first started collecting the novels in 1988, and this is definitely one series I'd beseech Mask, the Realms' God of Thieves, to guide me as I gather minions to raid the publishing house for copies of the next two books! I'd love to see Rowling supplanted by devoted Realms, Erevis, and Paul Kemp fans who just NEED the next book.

No question about it, 11 out of 10 stars!

Shadowbred is an excellent addition to Paul S. Kemp's stable of books. As always, Mr. Kemp creates believable characters that tap into the reader's emotional interest. Even character's with bit parts are done so well as to make the reader wish to know more about that particular character's adventures. Old favorites from previous books return along with the new characters in this fast paced beginning to a trilogy, which does nothing but add to the anticipation of the books to follow.

Reader's familiar with Mr. Kemp's books will be pleased with Shadowbred on several levels. The obstacles set against the main character Erevis Cale have grown in proportion to his abilities. The opponents set against Cale are vivid and interesting in themselves, not just fodder or fuel for the forces of good. The story itself is engrossing and the scope is intriguing to those interested in the Forgotten Realms world. Paul Kemp is one of the best writer's Wizards has going without question. This book is highly recommended.

Treachery!

I was minding my business. No, I was. Just perusing through some Forgotten Realms books, wondering what Forgotten Realms was. Breezy little reads, infested with elfs and bearded dwarfs, I thought, though I have played the Shadows of Amn game and Aerie's whinning added winged elfs to my disgust. It was the front cover that caught my attention; the stylised design so artistic I started flicking through the preview. Well, you don't really flick a page you mouse click it and it's not really a mouse . . . Stop rushing me, I'll get to the point eventually.

So I'm reading the prologue and Torm's beard I'm thinking, we got ourselves a cliche hobbit here sans the endless barding, don't we? Some kid excited about skipping stones and good golly a troll attack. Run to mum/mom, fellas, this could get scary. And it was for the kid and his mum/mom, otherwise they wouldn't have been hiding, or were until the troll found them. And while the kid is tossing twigs at it and I'm rolling a saving throw to keep from laughing, the suspense is building to a peak as the troll rears up for the kill---

And a dark man appears out of the shadows, dark sword in hand.

Shadows out, the troll slain. The screams of the villagers, slowly fading. The trolls, now doing the shrieking. And then the silence. The commendable build up of suspense that didn't read as cheesy had even Bane grunting grudging approval. Interest ensnared, I initiated the purchase ritual despite that awful font size all Realms-class books preen themselves with.

I must say I was impressed, very impressed. Kemp dispenses with pretentious prose and pace-slogging descriptions in favour of a no nonsense writing that's pragmatically practical when writing a cast of killers. The irrelevance of whether pragmatically is a word or not aside, Shadowbred is a slick little read of epic adventure. Despite the occasional reference to events of the last trilogy, the book can be read as it is just fine. Villains ranging from calm to homocidially insane, heroes you wouldn't want to meet in a daytime alley, and a talking dog that, ah ... eats shadows.

The Shadovar have recovered a mythallar from the depths of the sea, aspiring to add another upside mountaintop city to their collection. A parasentient battery able to empower magical objects, they need a mind mage to awaken its slumber, and have captured Magadon for the job. Bored teasing Lolth's abdomen, some Shar slut has decided to conquer the world, starting with the merchant cities of Sembia.

Divide from within, conquer from out. Caught between civil war and deceitful allies, the Twilight War begins. Find the book and herald the shadowstorm.

That's a bit of a problem. Guess she forgot Cale's from Sembia.

Get ready to rock.

Enter the Cale. A year ago he was a man. Butler by trade, assassin by profession. Now he's a shade, able to teleport through shadows and heal himself of injuries. But the price has come at an emotional cost to the soul. Erevis is his name; First Chosen of Mask, the deity of thieves. And blaming Mask for the loss of his humanity and best friend, Cale makes for a refreshing hero to read as he fights a war between reverence and resentment.

To find Magadon Cale needs Mask, and with a cataclysm coming Mask needs Cale. On one hand you have Salvatore and his introspective pet drow, who could attack Ao and live to tell the tavern tale. The same swordfights book after book. On the other hand you have Cale, forced to choose between the family he left in Selgaunt and a friend screaming help in his mind.

Because the game has gotten bigger now. Gone are the silly but deadly slaads of the past trilogy. The stakes are higher and Cale is going to need all the help he can get. They're cold, they're assassins, and the lines flow faster than the bodies they sprawl in their wake; and in place of their rival bickering that was classic Kemp, Rivan is back with his signature sneering.

The villains are no less interesting, from the calm and mannered Rivalen, an archmage orchestrating Shar's dark ambitions and apparently 2000yrs old, to Elyril, a sadistic sylph of ruthless amorality sowing political strife. Loyalty is its own reward. Rivalen has murdered his mother to prove his fealty to Shar. Elyril would thank the slut just to be stepped on by her feet. Rivan has finally accepted his second place to Mask. Faced with a siege he cannot repel, Tamlin wars between private ambition and a father's name to live up to. Magadon is losing his sanity within himself. And Cale, his life and humanity flipped over by the deity he trusted, must find that core within himself.

How far would you go to get your friend back?

Shar's own priest, thousands of years old, a shade himself -- bursting through the door, Cale grabs Rivalen by the shirt, shadows sparking violently.

"Where is Magadon!"

The look on Rivalen's face, the sheer chutzpa -- the scene is worth the price of the book alone.

This is Kemp. This is his Cale. This is Shadowbred. And if you're looking for a Realms book that's not saturated with blonde elfs, mindless action and unkillable Drizzt, Mystra's butt cheeks is this the book for you.

The first novel I read by Paul S. Kemp was Resurrection from the War of the Spider Queen series. I thoroughly enjoy that book so I decided to check in on his other works. I picked up Halls of Stormweather and blazed through that book, but the Erevis Cale story really stood out in my mind as my favorite. I decided to continue with the series and as luck would have it the second book, Shadow's Witness, was about Cale also. I absorbed that book in no time. I attempted to continue the series after that but the drive fizzled out after Cale left. It just wasn't the same.
While I was trying to trudge through the Sembia series I heard that a trilogy was coming based all about Erevis Cale! I picked up Twilight Falling and the rest of the books as they came out. That trilogy was the best trilogy I've read so far bar none. Even the Almighty Bob Salvatore would tip his hat to Mr. Kemp.

I figured Mr. Kemp was going to let Cale rest, but now a new trilogy has begun, The Twilight War. Shadowbred does not disappoint either. He brings the usual characters out and resurrects a couple of other characters from the past for this novel. Cale is a staple(or course). Riven doesn't return until later in the book. The book even leads Cale back to his roots in Selgaunt(sp?) at the summons of Tamlin. If this book is any implication to rest of the trilogy, it will be more epic than the last.

Do yourself a favor and pick this up. Paul S. Kemp can weave a story like no other. You might want to read the other books for back-story, but you will enjoy them as much as this book.

I read all 3 books of the trilogy before I wrote this review. Shadowbred, Shadowstorm, and Shadowrealm all score 5 out of 5 and each book is better than the last.

The Twilight War Trilogy takes place after the Erevis Cale Trilogy. I strongly recommend that you read the Erevis Cale Trilogy first. Those are great books as well, and they will give you a really good insight on the characters' backstories and motivations. I gave all 3 of those books 5 of 5 as well. (They average 4.5 - 5 stars here on Amazon.)

All are written by Paul S. Kemp, who is one of the best fantasy writers of this decade. He creates believable fantasy characters with their own motivations, driven by a sense of duty, ambition, or emotion. His setting is amazing and the descriptions actually pull you into the world. The story is full of twists, deception, and betrayal. Epic action sequences featuring dragons, castle sieges, demons, mages, armies, cavalry, and undead keep you turning page after page. If you're looking for great heroic fantasy with a dark twist, all of these books are must reads!

The Twilight War Trilogy begins with dark forces manipulating the leaders of Sembia in an attempt to spark a civil war. Dark agents are in place throughout the government and the forces of good, evil, and even more evil are set on a collision course.

What sets these books apart from every other Fantasy Book is the emotional weight the characters are forced to carry. If you murder for the right reasons, you're still a murderer and that never goes away. As you are reading these books, the plots actually thicken and the emotion builds as you get through the books.

I strongly recommend the Twilight War Trilogy and the Erevis Cale Trilogy for anyone who reads fantasy novels. I'd especially recommend them if you like RA Salvatore or David Gemmell.

About 12 years ago, I read the Dark Elf Trilogy and there's always going to be a special place in my heart for those books. The Twilight War Trilogy has also earned a spot in that same special place.

Note: I lied when I said Paul S. Kemp was one of the best fantasy writers of this decade... he is the best. I was just trying to be nice to the other writers.

I know alot of you who follow R.A.Salvatore are probably thinking to yourselves that if I have read any of the novels by the master of fine fantasy fiction himself, then there is no way I could possibly be serious about the title of this review. Well I am as serious as a heart attack. While reading this novel and the rest of the novels involving Erevis Cale I did, if for only the time it took me to finish said novels, totally forget about the Transitions series that Mr. Salvatore is currently working on. This review, however, isn't about the novels involving Drizzt, so lets get on topic.

Mr. Kemp knows how to create a powerful, evolving main character and surround him with a supporting cast that greatly improve the flow of the story, and do a great job of keeping you interested. Erevis Cale is that character. Although each of the characters in the story are powerful in their own way, Mr. Kemp makes them extremely easily to identify with and become attached to due to their individual character flaws. Whether it is Erevis' attempts at coming to grips with his newfound power, or Drasek Riven's craving for more of it, you will feel as if you have been reading about them for years.

These books are hard to put down. Many authors use different chapters to jump between different settings/events in the storyline, which normally makes it easy to find a stopping point. This is not the case with this series/author. Every chapter ends with something that makes you want to keep reading to find out just how it affects the story in the next chapter.

I picked up this book to give me something else to read while I wait for the next book in the "Transitions" series to come out, and I ended up reading the whole Erevis Cale collection. Now along with Mr. Salvatore and Mr. Knaak, I am adding Mr. Kemp to my list of favorite fantasy fiction authors. Pick this book up and I think you will be as surprised and hooked as I am.

This is yet another in a great series from Paul Kemp. I've been reading his work for years and can compare it to others in the WOTC stable, such as RA Salvatore and others. I really enjoy his style of writing, and he has a way of really portraying the dark side of the Erevis Cale saga. I find that when I read his workm I fly through the books very fast. They're real page turners.

I was worried when I found out that Paul Kemp's next WotC project was categorized as a Realms Shattering Event. I do not really care for such novels and worried that Mr. Kemp's style would be hindered by Wizards need to make as much profit as possible and market this to everyone.

I was wrong to be worried. The mature style of which we have been accustomed to for an "Erevis Cale" novel is still there, as well as is Mr. Kemp's ability to insert new little factoids of Realms trivia.

The plot of the story, the bulk of which is a massive Sharran conspiracy involving the Heartlands, primarily Sembia, moves along nicely. A lot gets done in this, the first part of what will be a three book series, but the plot does not interfere in characterization. Erevis continues to thrill, and Paul does great justice to the characters of Rivalen and Elyril, as well as previous Uskevren characters, particularly Tamlin.

I'd have to say that if you are at all interested in Erevis Cale, Sembia, the Uksevren's or the Shadovar, get this book. If you are looking for something that will change the Realms, this book lies the seeds of that as well, and the next two should capitalize on it beautifully.

And the cliffhanger ending fits quite well, as it builds up for a great opening for the next book, but it doesn't leave you shaking your head.

I, for one, cannot wait for Shadowstorm.

Nevermind that I have loved Erevis Cale since the first series, but the start of this new series was vert well done. The dialouge is fantastic, especially with the characters God figure. It's a good grown up fantasy novel, where the black and white is blurred, and situations are much more compicated then, "The hero in white rushes in a saves the day". Kudos to Paul Kemp for writing for us aging gamers!