The Way of Shadows - Brent Weeks

There are an awful lot of fantasy books and trilogies out there nowadays, and even for fans of the genre in can be difficult to pick the dolphins from the red herrings (so to speak). All tend to have imaginative worlds that have slight twists in terms of their mechanics, but ultimately the way that all of this detail is brought together in the plot and the writing makes and breaks a book. The Way of the Shadows by Brent Weeks is the first book in the Night Angel Trilogy, and I am happy to say that it hits the fantasy nail firmly on the head. "ASSASSINS HAVE TARGETS, BECAUSE THEY DON'T ALWAYS SUCCEED. WETBOYS HAVE DEADERS, BECAUSE WE NEVER FAIL TO ...  Read the complete review

Somebody once said that there are only two plot lines in classic fantasy: an unexpected simpleton (child, beggar, heathen, girl, commoner) saving the world (e.g. Frodo) and a king threatened by the usurper (e.g. Arthur). This is, of course, a major simplification, but still, many, many fantasy novels follow one of those plotlines. The Way of Shadows seems to be an example of the first one. Azoth is a guild rat, grown up in the slums, poverty and fear, beatings and abuse his daily reality. When, in a sudden flash of justified anger he crosses the Fist of his guild, he has to make some hard decisions, quickly. His life is at stake, and the only way out he sees ...  Read the complete review

Whatever I say here, will fall short of the mark. I've read a huge number of books, especially in the fantasy genre, and this ranks up there with the best of them. I'd rate it on a par with the like of Terry Brooks and George RR Martin in terms of scope. It's a brilliant read, and I couldnt put it down. The plot revolves around a 'guild rat' named Azoth, who wants to get out of the life he is trapped in in the slums, so apprentices himself to a Wetboy, 'Durzo Blint'. As Durzo puts it 'Assassins have targets, Wetboys have Deaders... you know why? Because a wetboy never misses.' It comes with the familiar plot twists and turns you expect from this ...  Read the complete review

No matter what I write in this review it will NOT do the book justice. I wont give you any hints, there's more than enough to wet your appetite in the blurb. The book is brilliant, it started out as being something I picked up to get a 3 for 2 offer in Waterstones, this book being the free one. I looked at the back and was vaguely interested so preceded to look at the first couple of paragraphs, what then followed was an length of time somewhere between 10 minutes and half an hour as I was completely hooked. When I finally managed to pull my self away from it to pay for it. I immediately picked up the other two in the series. It took ...  Read the complete review