A cut above
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There is a lot of conflict in this book. You have a grim realisation of life as an urchin in a fantasy world ( Jimmy the Hand meets Bean from Ender's Game ) with our main protagonist becoming an apprentice 'Wetboy' ( uber assassin with magic and a degree in pharmacology - In truth a medieval superhero of dark aspect ) while maintaining a cover of slightly impoverished nobleman. In many respects this world is quite real and a harsh place to be ( observations on Joe Abercrombie are not entirely misplaced ) yet while presenting the world as harsh as it is, the story itself does not entirely follow through ( as it would if Joe Abercrombie had written it ) in its execution and is presented in a relatively lighter tone than the world in which it is set. This slight disparity however does not stand in the way of what is quite an enjoyable tale. The main characters are engaging but again conflict at times with their respective professions ( hard boiled up and coming assassin is really a nice guy, other examples are too spoilery to give but trust me on this ) while the supporting cast can at times be somewhat simple ( manipulative noblewoman, clean cut heir, loyal retainer that hates the king, idiot King ). The action is well paced and constructed with the overall story/plot sufficiently layered and intelligent to raise it above 80% of fantasy novels without descending into the impenetrable murk of A song of Ice and Fire or the Wheel of Time. There are another two books to the series which on the strength of this one I shall certainly be picking up. I have some minor doubts as to where the author wants to bring it next but perhaps that it is a lack of vision on my part and will contribute to making the next two books all the more enjoyable. The prospect of an excellent series is certainly there but it remains to be seen whether the author can follow through with it or fall afoul of ( forgive the football parlance ) second seasonitus. Worth picking up.
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Pleasantly Surprised
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Like the previous reviewer I picked this book up on a whim and was pleasantly surprised..REALLY...this book really surprised me (enough to repeat it twice).
Compared to other books that I've read recently I would say this author has more skill in storytelling than about 85% of fantasy writers out there at the moment(no offence to the Peter V Brett - Painted Man, which I read around the same time ...it was GOOD...but this was BETTER.)
I thought it would be the average 'assassin' fantasy full of clichés, but it has enough twists and turns to be called original in its own right and although the story is not similar to Joe Abercrombie books at all...it has the feel of something he would have wrote if he had slightly less talent.
Definitely better than most fantasy trash books out at the moment... I highly recommend it and will definitely be getting the next instalment.
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FANTASY NOVEL WITH REALISM!
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I picked this book up at random from Borders. Always had a weakness for assassin stories, and I was excited to be able to experience a new series from the beginning as it was being released.
To be perfectly blunt, "The Way of Shadows" is a great concept with some very professional execution. The protagonist is interesting to follow around as he is swept up from the life of a common street rat and into that of a calculating assassin, or "wetboy" (didn't care for the title, sounds funny), whilst under the tutelage of Cenaria's best-of-the-best killer for hire, Durzo Blint.
In stark contrast to the almost YA writing style, this book manages to pick up some very haunting themes including child abuse and prostitution. This makes the characters' ordeal that much more chilling, when they begin to find that the unforgiving life of the city is more of an enemy than anything else they've experienced. You can feel this presence of turmoil pick away at them slowly through the first pages, and then slip away as everyone makes their "escape" from the street life.
As for the assassin's journey, it's more than exceptional. The real drama of the story isn't in the actual killing at all, but in dealing with the very morality of the situation. Watching Kylar hesitate and choke as he attempted to take his first life was heart-stopping in itself.
The only real gripe I had with the book, and it is, unfortunately, a rather large one, is the story structure itself. As the book progresses, it seems that every named character gets their own perspective. I found myself getting absolutely absorbed into Kylar's story, and then, all of a sudden, I'm reading about someone else. This happens soooo many times, and while I understand the author's reasons, as he wanted all the cards to be out on the table, eventually these constant cutaways to (in some instances) throw-away characters becomes very annoying, and actually persuaded me to put the book down for the night a couple times.
These cutaways not only put a damper on the flow, but made the whole story much more complicated. As if to solve this at times, the characters also drift into page-length monologues to explain...everything. If some of these cutaways and monologues had been removed, there would be a much tighter novel in its place. Instead, they sit there and make the 600 or so pages much more intimidating as time goes by.
Now, that may seem like a complete turn-off, but it shouldn't be. This novel is greater than the sum of its parts. Kylar's journey (while interrupted at times) crosses paths with some great and interesting characters who are simply a joy to read about. I'm glad that I only have to wait a month for the next book, and I hope that Mr. Weeks can prove that the land of Midcyru can stand on its own two feet after a promising start.
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