Customer Reviews

Watcher of the Dead: Book Four of Sword of Shadows

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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*

I will start off by saying that I am a great admirer of J V Jones and this series; I consider it on a level with George R R Martin's " A Song of Fire and Ice", and, in some ways superior. So, this book was eagerly awaited. Unfortunately, I am disappointed. Nothing much happens, and the plot(s) are advanced only by millimeters, if at all. Characterizations are not greatly expanded and, one finds oneself screaming, "Ok, let's just get on with it!" One could very easily skip this volume, pick up volume five, hopefully the concluding book, and not really have missed a beat.
With a publishing industry seeming hell-bent on milking a successful series for everything it can get, one wishes that the publisher and his editors would have had a heart to heart with this very talented writer and urged her to "just get on with it." My advice, get it at the library and save your money, or, just skip it, you won't have missed much.
I wish I didn't have to write this review.

Firstly, this book is good. It is well written and has a good story. The book does what a book is meant to and delivers an emotional experience, but unfortunately for me that experience is boredom. The pacing of this book is far too slow and it truly felt like events were happening at a glacial pace. If you like this style then you'll love this book, but simply, this book more divergent from her previous books than ever, namely The Barbed Coil and The Book of Words trilogy, which were fantastic books.

The highly anticipated first book in this series in which the title does not contain the word ice, follows the events of Sword from Red Ice in much the same manner.

I love this series but I'm afraid that it has fallen into the trap so many other `epic' fantasy authors have in thinking that introducing us to a myriad of characters, a vast amount of landscape and injecting a heavy dose of politics is the way to go.

Watcher of the Dead is better than Sword from Red Ice, but is still bogged down in trying to advance all the characters enough to justify them being part of the story. Angus Lok and Raif stand out as the most enjoyable storylines, as Angus turns against his former allies in search of his family's killer and Raif is captured by a renegade Sull.

Valyo, Effie, Marafice, younger-brother Dhoone, seem pointless, as each character undergoes exactly one plot point throughout the novel.

Raina continues her fight against her husband, and Ash learns more about the Sull, both interesting stories that move far too slowly.

There is a major plot landmark at the end of the novel - something fans would have been waiting for since halfway through book 2 - I must warn you it's a little strange, definitely a bold move from Jones from an writerly perspective and I'm waiting with interest to see what she does with the story next.

Ultimately the plot is moving too sluggishly for me to give rave reviews on each book. I realise that much of this incremental movement is designed to keep us in touch with all the characters and presumably wind up with the most dramatic conclusion imaginable (well here's hoping) but ultimately it makes reading J.V. Jones' books an effort, rather than a pleasure.

If you are far enough into the Sword of Shadows series to reach Watcher of the Dead then you are already a fan of the clans, the Sull and the Phage. You are probably also a patient reader as these novels have been slower in pace than most fantasies, and several years apart in publication. Finally, however, Watcher of the Dead has taken Jones' many fantastically drawn characters from their incessant wandering in Sword From Red Ice, and given them some action. This book is shorter than the others and seems faster paced, perhaps at the expense of the lush narrative Jones' fans have come to love. We are seeing the convergence of events that will finally get us to the point-the battle with the Endlords. It has been a long time coming. As much as I love how the author makes this world come alive and gives us insight into her characters' moods, thoughts and motives, I have been frustrated all along with the action. Each volume so far has promised much only to have the climactic scenes speed by in a strangely cursory fashion, cheating the reader out of the big, complex pay off for all the suspense. I'm worried that such may be the case for the resolution of the entire problem of the Endlords. Without creating any spoilers, let me just say that, aside from some very satisfying moments at the Blackhail Roundhouse, some of the events in this volume are a little too facile in their conclusions. JV Jones is a master at characterization and I suffer through each hiatus between novels waiting to see what happens with the Dog Lord (my favorite), Effie, Raif, Raina and Ash. I hope we are not in for a long wait until the publication of the conclusion of the series, but I hope JV Jones doesn't rush the action and manages to give us a rip-roaring finale.

"Watcher of the Dead" is the 4th book in 'Sword of Shadows' series by J.V.Jones. The book is 444 pages in length.

The gist of this tale (with NO SPOILERS)...In the previous books the main characters had become separated through various reasons...some of their own doing, some not. So in this latest novel we follow the separate adventures of Raif, Ash, Effie, Riana, Vaylo, Angus Lok and Marafice Eye. Great things are about to happen in the land of The Northern Territories, and all tales will be continued in the books to follow.

I read the first J.V.Jones' trilogy, "The Book of Words" (The Baker's Boy etc.) and felt the series really deteriorated noticeably throughout the last book and a half; deteriorated as evidenced by inane dialogues, questionable decision making and too much gratuitous violence. However, in this book as well as the first three installments of this saga, I noticed a perceivable improvement in Jones' writing skills and story-telling technique, especially with dialogue, descriptive prose and maybe above all, pacing and character maturity/development.

Each individual chapter feeds the reader some piece of important information that not only makes us want to keep reading to learn more, but also to see how this will affect what's going to happen in the future. And for any fantasy/adventure lover, what more could you ask for.

One concern...Raif's tale. The latter half of Raif's story was dragged out, IMHO, a little too long. It might have been a tad less repetitive and thus somewhat shorter. That's my only complaint.

There is, for those that care, a basic, general map of The Northern Territories. However, a little more detail on the map, indicating where some of the minor rivers and lakes etc. were located, (that were mentioned throughout the tale), would have been useful.

Conclusion:
A series (now saga) that keeps getting better with each book. J.V.Jones has arrived(!) and is now in the top echelon of fantasy/adventure writers. 1/4 Star off for the minor hiccup with Raif's tale, but otherwise 5 Stars throughout.

R.A.Nicholson

I don't understand why people want this series to end! I sure don't. And I'm not sure why some people say "not much happens". Huh? So WEIRD. Every page, every paragraph, something is happening.

This volume is the saddest. Many of my favorite characters died or...changed. It's just too much. But one realizes in order for the person that lives to continue on in the story, he or she much change, grow harder, etc. Still it's hard when the sweet characters die off. sux.

Everyone "changes" in this one, or transforms into something else. Ash gets a new name and tougher and other things. There's still a certain measure of detachment with her. Raif is No Longer Raif and becomes the title of the book in a rather horrendous but riveting blow-yr-mind way. Bram moves into more interesting adventures. Effie ends up changing at the end, but her story throughout was highly enjoyable for me to read. Raina changes as well and finally gets a set of steel balls. It's like the "transformation volume" or something, of the series.

Marafice Eye has a small part and isn't doing much, 'cept not liking be the surload. I'm waiting for him to bolt.
No word of Crope and Baralis.

Angus is in the story more than before, but his chapters are the least "friendly". He basically does the same thing over and over, not so interesting, until his last chapter where he really gets into his "act".

As far as I'm concerned, this series can go on and on. I drink it all up. :)

This book moves extremely slow, not much happens in what would traditionally be referred to as "plot development," and Jones' writing is increasingly subject to spurious tangents at nearly every turn.

But I can't help it! I give up. I surrender to the power of the Jones. There is no other way I can put it. Her writing, despite all its flaws, has finally hooked me. At some point around page 100 or so I simply stopped caring that the plot wasn't really going anywhere and started enjoying it. All the elements are there for a phenomenal book: interesting characters, fascinating cultures, unique names, mature themes, and consistent character behaviour. The only thing missing is any significant plot movement. Once I realized that it wasn't going to happen, I found myself really enjoying this book in a way that I haven't with any other book for a long time.

Sure, some things happen. But anyone who argues that a lot happens in this book is almost always mistaking their sheer enjoyment of Jones' writing with plot development. The two are not really related; indeed one in no way ensures the other. For an example, look to most any D&D novel written in the past ten years. They generally have a rollicking plot, and major events occur in every chapter. Battles are fought, characters start and complete quests, people die, etc., all in the span of a couple of hundred pages. But for all that the writing is not nearly as enchanting as what you might find in Watcher of the Dead.

For some this will ruin any enjoyment they may have had for this book. To those people I can only say that I completely sympathize. You can read my reviews of the last two books in this series to see how annoyed it used to make me. But I liken these books to the TV series "Lost." After a couple of seasons I got so irritated with the lack of closure that I almost stopped watching it entirely. But what I eventually found was that I just liked watching the characters interact and go about their hellish existence on the island. Even if nothing was ever really resolved, it was still fun to watch Hurley lumber about, or hear Sawyer's latest nickname for another character, or watch Kate do...well, anything really. Once I got to that point I just enjoyed the show for what it was.

I've finally gotten to that point with this book series. I simply don't care anymore if Raina ever grows a pair and starts ruling Blackhail like she was born to do. I don't care if Angus ever tracks down the Maiden. For all I care Vaylo can wander all over the north for the next two books and never do anything more than chat with his warriors and brood a lot. It's all interlaced with Jones' signature writing style and fascinating little tidbits about the cultures and histories she's created. I for one have finally surrendered.