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20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Companion to Pillars of the World, January 27, 2003
For those who have read my reviews before this it comes as no surprise that the middle books of any series are not generally my favorites. I like complete stories, ones that have a beginning and a conclusion. Middle volumes usually have neither, concentrating as they do on character and plot development with the first volume setting the stage and the following volumes tying them together in conclusion. Shadows and Light departs from the usual in a most delightful way. Yes it does start up where Pillars left off but with a complete shift in paradigm that brings with it a certain freshness, it's almost as if a totally new story has been layered on top of the old one. The focus in Shadows shifts from Ari and Neall as the main characters to Aiden and Lyrra, the Bard and the Muse. Ari and Neall are still there as are the Inquisitors, Barons, witches and of course the Fae. The story remains the same but the flavor has not. Pillars of the World can stand as an independent work, Shadows can not. To fully enjoy this book reading Pillars is a prerequisite, that will not be a chore but a pleasure. I have thoroughly enjoyed this series so far and heartily recommend it to anyone who enjoys a nice romantic romp through a land of imagination.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
another amazing work, October 3, 2002
It has now been over three years since I first picked up Anne's work. From the start of Daughter of the Blood she sucked me into her worlds. But I think with Shadows and Light she has truly hit her stride. Not as much in the story itself, but in the way she tells her stories. In Shadows and Light, which picks up just after Pillars of the World, the Bard and the Muse set out to convince their Fae kin that the witches are also kin and deserve protection from the Inquisition, which is revaging the land and the women. Trying to convince the fae the east continues to prove futile, so they head for the Western clans, which have been looked down upon by the Fae for some time. They find Morag there, with her sister Morphia, as well as some other unexpected people. And, possibly, a way to save the fae, witches, land, and humans.
I refuse to spoil too much of the story, but it is SO worthwhile! So what if there's no Daemon?
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16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
I felt bludgeoned by her theme, March 6, 2003
Bishop has always rode a fine line between writing a fascinating plot and shoving her "lesson" down her reader's throats. Until this book, I always felt like she did it well. All her books definitely have one common theme, the gradual destruction of the social order in a way which degrades and dehumanizes women. In general, the methods used are fear of a woman's inherent power. It was fascinating in the Black Jewels Trilogy that another woman was at the heart of that corruption, but it is equally as fascinating in Pillars. That is her point and lesson and she has previously woven it into some great plots. This time though, much to my disappointment, I feel as if her point both bludgeoned me, as a reader, and overshadowed the plot and storyline. Maybe because she was too specific in her condemnation. I agreed with her, don't get me wrong. But I didn't want to read a book on the evils of cliterectomies--I can go to class for that. I feel that she was accomplishing more with her generalized demonstrations of the ways that women can be disenfranchised and repressed. It distracted me and irritated me. That aside, I thought that the shift from Ari and Neall to the Muse and the Bard was well done. I think it was a smart decision because while they were the main characters in Pillars, they were ultimately only catalysts and can only take the story so far. I thought that the development of Lyrra and Aiden was a trifle rushed and forced, and this is 10 times true for Falco, but it didn't detract too much from the story for me. This was a good story, but i felt a little like I received a lecture. I would have rather come to the conclusions that I wanted to, rather than have them forced on me by the author. Just a personal preference though.
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