53 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
disappointing, April 27, 2004
By A Customer
I began reading this book very predisposed to like it, but found it terribly disappointing. Having heard good reviews and comparisons to JK Rowling and Philip Pullman, I plugged on til the end, hoping that it would get better, but it never did. While I could see that some children might find the story exciting because of the constant appearance of smugglers, trap doors, hidden tunnels and sliding wall panels, I can't see why this book could cross over into the adult market. I found the language stilted and cliche-ridden and the Biblical allegories unimaginative and unilluminatingly obvious. It seemed like Taylor was trying to write a Christian book that would appeal to fantasy readers and Tolkien fans, but the brazen allegory would have Tolkien turning in his grave. It starts rather obscurely, with lots of occultic references, and ends like a Pentacostal revival meeting, but with none of its power because of the clumsy writing. Although the two child characters through the story are supposed to grow into good Christians (sorry, followers of Riathamus), their development is forced. Here's an example of a key point in the development of Kate, a main character who has been completely one-dimensional up to this point (and remains so, I think.):
"She had lost all the trust she had in [her father], in fact in everyone. Life with her father had never been easy. It was his drinking that had always been the problem. He would fly into a rage at the slightest thing, shout and scream and then break down in tears. For many years she had thought it was her fault, that in some way she was responsible. Kate could never live up to his expectations, she could never be a child, never play games. Her lot in life was to cook and clean, to sew and mend. These were his demands. He wanted her to be a mother, a servant, but never a daughter. Tonight she had leant that he had been living a double life, and realized that her father had been slowly poisoned by the death of her mother, the guilt, the pain, and now the deception. 'It's not my fault, it's not my fault,' she kept repeating under her breath as she thought of her father and of how he had betrayed her."
Taylor is economical with his character development; he gets it over in one paragraph. The monsters/demons/scary things were also equally unconvincing. Tolkien creates some great monsters, Taylor never even gives them good descriptions or personalities, just piggybacks on what we know of other beasties from other fantasy stories. And evil is equally unconvincing and entirely unattractive. If someone wanted to recommend obviously Christian allegorical books to their kids, there are books out there that are better written. John White's Anthropos books ('The Tower of Geburah', 'The Iron Sceptre', etc ) are at least very readable. And other, not overtly Christian books can get kids thinking without resorting to churchy language and religious cliches, just changing names and adding bogeymen.
I admire Taylor's attempt to make a good, scary story, and he knows which props will appeal to readers, but I think he needs to keep writing and learn to flesh out his characters and create a more subtle and convincing manifestations of both good and evil. I hope he keeps at it.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Shadowmancer, not the best book, but a good read anyway., June 24, 2004
I saw the author in an interview on some morning news program a couple of weeks ago. I thought his book sounded interresting, but proceeded to mostly forget about it.
Two days ago I was in a book store and saw the book on the shelf. The cover artwork caught my eye and I read the information inside the jacket. The information on the jacket reminded me of the interview so I decided to buy the book.
Taylor's Shadowmancer tells the story of three teens who are on a quest to save an artifact that had been stolen and resold. The artifact is purported to have some type of mystical powers.
The story takes the teens through some tense situations where they must defend themselves and the artifact against very powerful spiritual beings and against people who would use the artifact's powers to obtain more power for themselves.
I thought the story was very enjoyable. It was not the best book I have ever read, but it was not one that I gave up half-way through either. If you enjoy books with some adventure mixed with suspense and spiritual warfare, you will probably enjoy this book. If you are offended by any mention of religion or spirituality, this book is probably not for you.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Just Plain Unprofessional, August 8, 2005
While I was reading this book, I couldn't help thinking of all of the good writers out there who have had no luck getting published. Even if you narrow it down to Christian fantasy writers, I'm betting that there are a bunch that have written something better than this. Welcome to the mysterious world of book-buying.
While Shadowmancer is not without potential, the utterly unprofessional writing spoiled any enjoyment I might have had. It's a mystery to me why this book took off the way it did. I have to say I'm thoroughly disappointed.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192250339_.gif){kind=small}
