Review: In the Shadow of Kings by Philip C. Quaintrell
Blurb:
ONLY ONE CAN END THE WAR.
HE STANDS BETWEEN TWO WORLDS, A SAVIOUR AND A DESTROYER TO BOTH.
DRAGONS AND AEGRES WILL FALL.
BUT ONE CAN TURN THE TIDE.
One who stands in the shadow of kings. Such has been seen by the doomed. The weight of ten thousand lives and all the realm besides now sits on Joran’s shoulders. So much has already been sacrificed to bring him to the ancient doors of Drakanan, where he might take on the mantle of Dragon Rider and usher in a new age of heroes.
But a time of dragons is not all that has been seen…
The days are shadowed by approaching night. The war to devour all wars has come again. He who lies entombed in the dark will rise and the fires with him. Death cannot hold him.
The Skaramangians hold to this, their fingers pulling the strings of war to hide their dark deeds. In past and present they work towards a future that will reset the world. Evil will be made manifest in that world, and there remains no power in all of Verda capable of preventing it.
And so the few, those who would be heroes, must take the road to madness if they are to prepare for the inevitable war. It is not a road they can all survive…
Review:
Mr. Quaintrell will be referenced as PCQ from here. I like the sound of his initials.
My take is both a warning and a promise to prospective readers. For the very reasons I found this tome of fantasy to be right up my alley may be reasons for others to try something else.
As this is a ‘book two’ that doesn’t mess around and picks up where book one left off, I highly recommend that you read book one. Without the foundation book one sets you will either be mostly lost or not fully appreciate the events and history that unfold in book two.
I found book two to be a party of reveals for the lore PCQ teased and hinted at in book one. Much of book one establishes the characters, their circumstances, and lays out their arcs at various stages of time without delving into very much background. Book two remedies that in spades.
Now for the heart of my warning and promise.
The narrative cycles back and forth with time skips for multiple character points of view throughout the entire tale. Some readers may find this difficult to process and stay immersed in the story. I found the use of this device to be to my tastes while enriching the base of the novel’s lore. I feel that it was successful in advancing the story while adding a mountain of color and filling out many of the character arcs.
There is an abundance of points of view. Any single or pair or characters found within the pages could be the basis for their own novel. PCQ just says the hell with it and throws them all in for 883 pages worth of storytelling. The character arcs are engaging with very little, if any, waste of the reader’s time. I was good with and even pleased when the narrative switched POVs as opposed to being disappointed on having to leave a particular character’s arc for one less well loved.
Between the time skips and multiple POVs employed an author risk losing a reader. PCQ manages to weave these threads in a fashion that is poignant and well timed. There is either important backfill that explains motivation and reasons for how events have unfolded or there is foreshadowing of where the tale may be going. It can be confusing. I felt that it was all handled successfully and was a major part of why I enjoyed reading ‘In the Shadow of Kings’ as much as I did.
This is a high fantasy work that is filled with familiar tropes that do not disappoint.
Fantastical creatures – Dragons & Aegres
Good vs. Evil
Chosen One
Training Moments
Powerful Artifacts – Weapons of Power
The Quest and Side Quests
Book two rewards the readers of book one with windows into the history of the dwarves, the origins of the weapons of power, and explicitly reveals the secrets of the dead gods that are a significant driver of the entire story. Everyone wants to find their bones and master their powers.
The Chosen one doesn’t appear to be very chosen and, in all honesty, is a bit of a letdown for most of book two as far as my expectations and hopes went. But you know PCQ has something up his sleeve and sets up the next evolution for Joran with well-timed foreshadowing and enough to leave you hanging in the best possible way.
Without engaging in a “book report” I’ll give you an idea of some of the lines that PCQ paints within to create this portrait of prose.
The world is built around a multi-race society encompassing dwarves, elf analogs, humans, and sea folk known as the Nimean, as the predominant players. Less prominent are Weavers, an arachnid-based species.
Within the races you will find subdivisions that include:
Dragon Riders who are human bonded with intelligent dragons.
Vahlken who are elves magically transformed into supernatural warriors. The Vahlken, are bonded with and ride Aegres, a bird-based form capable of battling dragons.
Wizards of course.
Various forms of royalty from Kings to Emperors.
Dwarves include the expected divisions of smiths, builders and warriors. Readers are in for a treat with Yanomora and her Warhog, Bludgeon.
The human Spy Master of Erador deserves a mention. PCQ has created an intriguing side character with unique qualities with Galahart.
And more much more.
If you want to tag along with characters that are put through the gauntlet of highs and lows of an epic journey that employs the things that make fantasy familiar while spinning a unique tale, then a visit to the land of Verda with book two of the ‘A Time Of Dragons’ series is for you. But start with book one.
