Book List
8. Shadowheart by Tad Williams
I literally just finished reading this book a few minutes ago, and felt compelled to write this right away, before the magic wears off. Shadowheart is the 4th of 4 books in the Shadowmarch series, and to call it "epic fantasy" is almost an understatement. The series as a whole is SO vast and all-encompassing that it is mind-boggling to think about just how much I have witnessed (as a reader). But to focus on just this last volume for a minute...
For a 722-page epic of a final volume, Shadowheart seemed like it was going to be a bit of a disappointment. It completely redeemed itself in the final 10 chapters or so, which were a very emotional experience to read. The vast majority of the book is the final battle - as with all epic fantasy "trilogies" (in typical Tad Williams fashion, this series was originally supposed to be a trilogy, but the last volume became too long and was split into two books, making a total of four instead of three), the various groups of characters the books have been following's storylines converge at last in one long, messy battle to save their world (literally). For me, there was a bit too much time spent describing the many battles in exquisite detail, and the book would have been just as good (if not even better) had it been 200 pages shorter without the redundant depictions of battle. In fact, when I was in the middle of the book, it became much like volume 1 (which I was so disappointed with that I almost didn't continue reading the series), in that it got so bogged down, and became so stagnant at times, that I found it hard to maintain interest enough to keep reading. The only thing that made me keep going was that books 2 and 3 did such a good job getting me deeply emotionally involved in the characters and their lives, that I just had to see where they all ended up.
I won't get into the details of the actual plot of the book - because it's the final volume, I don't want to give anything away for those of you who might read it someday - but suffice it to say that it is a grand tale of all of the many different peoples of a world coming together to keep their gods at bay, and thus prevent the utter destruction of the entire world. (And if you do read the book, pay particular attention to the short quotes that begin each chapter - in the end, they weave the entire story together!) We in the "real world" could learn a lot from this story, actually...all those different (VERY different) peoples coming together to fight for their shared world...and in the end, forming alliances that seem like they will last (even among nations that had been bitterly fighting each other for centuries prior to this final battle).
As Tad Williams does so adeptly in all of his books, the personal stories of the characters are wrapped up beautifully, and those who were meant to end up together, of course, do (although it may not be who you were expecting, or in the way you were expecting!). Some of their journeys are so emotional and provocative that I was reduced to sobbing and had to put the book down for a few minutes before my eyes dried enough that I could see the words on the page to keep reading.
I was really struck by the way everything came together at the end, and the whole story became so clearly and neatly woven. I was amazed that something so tightly spun could come out of so much chaos. Tad Williams is always one of my favorite authors, mainly for his brilliant combination of world-building and character development, but I was truly blown away by this master stroke of a series ending! I am so glad that I kept reading after book 1, and kept plodding through the bog that was the middle of this book 4, because I really would have missed out if I had stopped at any point.
So to those who might be interested in reading the Shadowmarch series at some point, I say this: at times, you will really have to motivate yourself to keep reading. Book 1 especially is not very hooking, and you really have to trudge through parts of book 4 as well (unless you are REALLY into reading minute details of battle scene after battle scene that are all pretty much the same). But I promise you, it is SO worth it for the ending! It leaves you feeling very satisfied and with a full heart.
I literally just finished reading this book a few minutes ago, and felt compelled to write this right away, before the magic wears off. Shadowheart is the 4th of 4 books in the Shadowmarch series, and to call it "epic fantasy" is almost an understatement. The series as a whole is SO vast and all-encompassing that it is mind-boggling to think about just how much I have witnessed (as a reader). But to focus on just this last volume for a minute...
For a 722-page epic of a final volume, Shadowheart seemed like it was going to be a bit of a disappointment. It completely redeemed itself in the final 10 chapters or so, which were a very emotional experience to read. The vast majority of the book is the final battle - as with all epic fantasy "trilogies" (in typical Tad Williams fashion, this series was originally supposed to be a trilogy, but the last volume became too long and was split into two books, making a total of four instead of three), the various groups of characters the books have been following's storylines converge at last in one long, messy battle to save their world (literally). For me, there was a bit too much time spent describing the many battles in exquisite detail, and the book would have been just as good (if not even better) had it been 200 pages shorter without the redundant depictions of battle. In fact, when I was in the middle of the book, it became much like volume 1 (which I was so disappointed with that I almost didn't continue reading the series), in that it got so bogged down, and became so stagnant at times, that I found it hard to maintain interest enough to keep reading. The only thing that made me keep going was that books 2 and 3 did such a good job getting me deeply emotionally involved in the characters and their lives, that I just had to see where they all ended up.
I won't get into the details of the actual plot of the book - because it's the final volume, I don't want to give anything away for those of you who might read it someday - but suffice it to say that it is a grand tale of all of the many different peoples of a world coming together to keep their gods at bay, and thus prevent the utter destruction of the entire world. (And if you do read the book, pay particular attention to the short quotes that begin each chapter - in the end, they weave the entire story together!) We in the "real world" could learn a lot from this story, actually...all those different (VERY different) peoples coming together to fight for their shared world...and in the end, forming alliances that seem like they will last (even among nations that had been bitterly fighting each other for centuries prior to this final battle).
As Tad Williams does so adeptly in all of his books, the personal stories of the characters are wrapped up beautifully, and those who were meant to end up together, of course, do (although it may not be who you were expecting, or in the way you were expecting!). Some of their journeys are so emotional and provocative that I was reduced to sobbing and had to put the book down for a few minutes before my eyes dried enough that I could see the words on the page to keep reading.
I was really struck by the way everything came together at the end, and the whole story became so clearly and neatly woven. I was amazed that something so tightly spun could come out of so much chaos. Tad Williams is always one of my favorite authors, mainly for his brilliant combination of world-building and character development, but I was truly blown away by this master stroke of a series ending! I am so glad that I kept reading after book 1, and kept plodding through the bog that was the middle of this book 4, because I really would have missed out if I had stopped at any point.
So to those who might be interested in reading the Shadowmarch series at some point, I say this: at times, you will really have to motivate yourself to keep reading. Book 1 especially is not very hooking, and you really have to trudge through parts of book 4 as well (unless you are REALLY into reading minute details of battle scene after battle scene that are all pretty much the same). But I promise you, it is SO worth it for the ending! It leaves you feeling very satisfied and with a full heart.