Watcher of the Dead: Book Four of Sword of Shadows [Hardcover]

J. V. Jones (Author)

Book Description

Series: Sword of Shadows | Publication Date: April 13, 2010

The epic fourth novel of the Sword of Shadows fantasy series

In this powerful saga of redemption and renewal, J. V. Jones brings to vivid life the magnificent tapestry of a world at once desperately fighting for survival against supernatural monsters and rent by internecine warfare. The frozen land at the north of the world was once ruled by a legendary nation of superhuman warriors. But that age has passed, leaving ancient clans to struggle for dominance as supernatural forces beyond their control threaten their very existence.

Amid the chaos of world-changing violence, unlikely heroes emerge. An unwanted warrior, a forsaken woman of power, the betrayed widow of a slain clan chief: these are the heroes rising to claim what has been taken from them and to reshape the world.

In a sharply observed narrative that illuminates these riven lives, Jones has crafted a human drama full of the excitement, suspense, and sheer storytelling power that have made the Sword of Shadows a fantasy series that transcends genre to become a memorable tale of human striving and triumph that speaks to readers as have few others.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The fourth Sword of Shadows volume first synopsizes what has gone before, then jumps into the action. And action-packed is the word for this novel and series. The large cast of individuals and peoples, whose homelands, whether steppe, forest, or mountain, hold danger from ancient magic and current feuds, lives at a time of old truces breaking and sorcerous powers rising. Raif, a clan warrior exiled by treachery; Ash, a woman of power; Raina, widow of a murdered chief; and others continue their quest for safety and justice in a world coming apart. The story should certainly appeal to those who like fast-paced, visual action, especially if they enjoyed its predecessors. --Jay Freeman

Review

“Relentless and powerful. This is damned good stuff.”—Glen Cook, bestselling author of the Black Company series on the Sword of Shadows series

“An atmosphere of rising tension and dark foreboding.”—Library Journal on A Cavern of Black Ice

“A main course of fine ingredients prepared with considerable skill.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review, on A Fortress of Grey Ice

“Outstandingly rendered.” —Booklist on A Sword from Red Ice

“Wonderful…J. V . Jones is a striking writer.” —Robert Jordan

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; First Edition edition (April 13, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765319799
• ISBN-13: 978-0765319791
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #706,779 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars J. V. Jones can stand up to any of today's popular fantasy authors., April 13, 2010

By 

Greg "Reviewer for fantasyliterature com" (North Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Watcher of the Dead: Book Four of Sword of Shadows (Hardcover)

Watcher of the Dead has a momentum that's like watching black clouds grow in mass for a storm you just know will be enormous.

In a world fraught with clan wars and military invasions, the individual power struggles grow even more desperate as the ancient evil called the Endlords opens a breach into existence. Sadaluk No Ears, the Listener for the Ice Trapper people, may never return from a dangerous trek into the frozen wastes. Raif Sevrance, now possessing the sword called Loss, is learning the hard way what it means to be the Watcher of the Dead. Ash March must choose a Sull name, and even though she is finally in the land of her new people, she still finds no safe haven. Raina Blackhail becomes more entrenched in treason against her husband, the chief of the Clan Blackhail. Bram Dhoone begins his training as a member of the Phage, a clandestine group dedicated to defending against the Endlords.

Meanwhile, Angus Lok proves just how dangerous a Phage can be, as he must go rogue to protect his daughter. With the return of the Endlords, Vaylo Bludd, the war-hardened chief of Clan Bludd, may be forced into another treacherous alliance. Little Effie Sevrance discovers that she also has a significant role as she investigates the curse of Clan Grey, who has taken her captive. And the Sull, well, the Sull are just "bad-to-the bone."

J.V. Jones paints a world of wild artic forests, frozen wastelands, snow-capped mountains and -- just south of the Clanholds -- an occasional frontier city. Knowing that I was returning to her world, I felt cold before I even opened the book.

In fact, it's the believability that makes this all so much fun. J.V. Jones knows this world like she's lived there. She's a master with little details and uses them cleverly -- never too much and written in a simple matter-of-fact way. I'd love to know where she gets her inspirations, because it's all so fascinating.

SWORD OF SHADOWS is written in a multi-person point-of-view format, but unlike many fantasy epics that have the occasional "filler" chapters devoted to a character that's not particularly interesting, every SWORD OF SHADOWS character is exciting. Because of this, the reader is eager to start each new chapter. Even their names are flat-out-cool and they're easily pronounceable, which (fantasy authors please take note) makes the reading flow effortlessly.

I've read all of J.V. Jones' books and thoroughly enjoyed each one, but with the SWORD OF SHADOWS she proves that she can stand up to any of today's popular fantasy authors. Watcher of the Dead reinforces my belief that this series should be getting as much notoriety as George R.R. Martin's A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE or Steven Erikson's MALAZAN BOOK OF THE FALLEN.

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Real-time fantasy... and that's no longer for me., January 31, 2011

By 

PlumOse - See all my reviews

This review is from: Watcher of the Dead: Book Four of Sword of Shadows (Hardcover)

I'm torn as to how to review this book. I think I'll have to review it on the basis of the whole series, because each book is so detailed and slow moving in the overall plot that it's not really a singular story.

So I'm going to give it three stars and a lengthy criticism, because this is a series worth reading, but I no longer feel very invested in the story. I don't even look forward to the next book, and I'm genuinely sad about that. I just feel by now, I've been disappointed too much.

If you liked the style of writing and story telling in the past books, it's all still here. There's a sense of poetry to some bits of writing, usually found at the end of chapters (unfortunately often near the end of the books) when a confrontation finally happens, when a character journey finally comes to a point of conflict or action. Angus Lok's meeting with the target he is single-mindedly tracking through the book, or Raif standing up to his captors, or Effie coming back to her temporary home... I read these bits and felt echoes of the first book, which had been a heck of a good read, solid, emotional, and packed with intriguing happenings. Those were the good parts.

Unfortunately, the plot just happens too slowly. It seems to almost happen in real time. I read each character's chapter and am treated to constant reminisces about this-time-or-the-other-time that something happened which relates to the current situation. There are lines describing what material an object is crafted out of. There is too much of this. One character cannot be merely surprised but not show it, no, instead, he shows no surprise, but 'Vertebrae straightened in his spine." Very detailed, very unusual, it would be commendable if only these details were not the sheer priority in each chapter. If each chapters contained more than such details describing the characters eating, walking, thinking, getting dressed, and so on... It is frustrating purely because it has become purely boring. I'm sorry to sound so impatient, but, for example, A Song of Ice and Fire is a series similar in tone and realism, has just as big a cast of characters, and has seen far more movement in plot and character development after three books without the story or characters losing credibility.

I've found this overly careful lethargy and repetition reflected in the series, by now. In A Fortress of Grey Ice, towards the end, Raina eventually resolves that she should start wielding more influence and power in her own clan. In a Sword from Red Ice, Raina eventually resolves that she should start wielding more influence and power in her own clan and takes physical action at the end of the book. In Watcher of the Dead, Raina eventually resolves that she should start wielding more influence and power in her own clan and takes physical action at the end of the book.

In A Fortress of Grey Ice, Ash travels towards the Sull and reflects that she is Sull, she wants to be Sull, but she will always be seen as different by the Sull. In A Sword from Red Ice, Ash travels towards the Sull and reflects that she is Sull, she wants to be Sull, but she will always be seen as different by the Sull. In Watcher of the Dead, Ash travels towards the Sull and reflects that she wants to be Sull, but she will always be seen as different by the Sull...

I just do not find this sort of repetition and deliberation a reward for the length of the books, the amount of time spent waiting for them, or the time spent reading them. I'm very sorry about that because I used to feel that JVJ had just the right mixture of action and detail for me- I enjoyed the fun, fast-paced nature of The Book of Words trilogy, and at first I loved the detail and serious nature of the Sword of Shadows. It's just become a sheer displeasure. It's honestly like JVJ is afraid of alienating readers if she makes her plot or characters move too quickly.

Let me toss in a few quibbles here with the realism of the plot in this book, because it feels like JVJ is also compelling certain things to happen, without giving them the generous realism she doles out to her general environmental description.

Would a person really become a kick-ass fighter with a massive heavy two-handed sword if that person is kept entirely drugged, immobile, or locked up, except for random duels where the person usually fights until seriously injured enough to black out?

Why does Ash not give a damn about Raif? Just one time in this book, another Sull mentions him to her and says, mysteriously, that he is sorry about something to do with him (actually, Raif is being heartily and thoroughly tortured at this time). She says, sadly, "He's lonely." That's all? Not going to ask what else this other person knows about Raif's condition? That boy who helped you through a life-threatening journey and asked nothing in return for the entire first book? The boy who the Sull always seemed to dislike for some reason? If these two are meant to fall into each other's arms like soulmates at the end of the series... just the threat of this makes me actually want to AVOID reading the final book.

Why are there a bunch of convenient giant northern snakes in this book which were never mentioned before? (okay, that one's just a cool idea that JVJ forgiveably didn't have 10 years ago...).

How many times are we going to have to read about how Ash thinking how she is rakhar-dan or something, Reach-flesh, and nobody knows what powers she is capable of... etc, etc. I GET IT NOW TELL ME SOMETHING NEW.

Why did we need a lengthy chapter on Raina learning to shoot a bow and ambling round the clan, other than to provide a lengthy metaphor about her becoming more warlike?

Why can Addie and Raif communicate their solidarity and everlasting love for each other in great detail using only their eyes?

What's the point of Effie, other than indulging in the whimsical adventures of a once endearing girl?

What's the point of all this torturous torture befalling all the characters, other than to keep wringing out all the painful events that happened in the first book?

Why should I look forward to anything happening in the next book, when the Endlords unleashing hell, Raina getting even, Ash learning what she can do, and Raif's destiny being explained has been repeatedly promised for every single 'next' book in this series?

Worth reading, but I'm sorry JVJ, I'm not longer a fan.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dead good (yes, that's right. I went there.), April 18, 2010

By 

Gumption Brash (Scotland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Watcher of the Dead: Book Four of Sword of Shadows (Hardcover)

It has to be said that though Jones takes her sweet time in getting a new book off to print, she manages to reward her readers by providing a story that, well, you wouldn't mind reading more than once. Quite a few times in fact. It ticks all the proper story boxes, tension, conflict, peril, intrigue and so forth, but Jones takes this to another level..

So how does she do this?

It's called immersion, which isn't a type of paint by the way, no, what it means is that when you're reading this story, you may suddenly find that you're in a forest somewhere, cold from the snow maybe (she loves snow), or perhaps you twitch involuntarily because you're sure someone shot an arrow at you. Mmm, yes, thanks for the frayed nerves.

And yes, her style often leans towards the verbose, but she manages to do it in a way that you look at those lengthy paragraphs with a smile rather than a frown. Any writer that manages to make the bits-that-readers-skip interesting deserves a round of applause in my...um, book.

On a more serious note, this story does suffer in one notable way: It's incomplete. There are story threads missing. Yep, trust me. Not sure if her cat's eaten them, thinking they were crunchies, or whether the publisher was bemoaning the size of the manuscript...but there is confusion in dem dar hills, so unless you are blithely ignorant of plot, or are a master of the meaning-of-the-matrix-trilogy - and as such - prepared for the mindbending - you are going to be bothered.

Until the next book anyway...

Which is when exactly?

*sigh*