A Shadow in Summer : Book One of the Long Price Quartet
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Book Cover
Hardcover
Recommended By
Dave Smyth, WriterDan, and Julie Carter.
Book Details
Written by Daniel Abraham.
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($24.95)
Editorial Review (from Amazon.com)
In this brilliant and original epic fantasy of Machiavellian intrigue and unique magic, Daniel Abraham portrays fully realized women and complex, conflicted men in love, caught between the forces of money and power.The city-state of Saraykeht dominates the Summer Cities: commerce and trade fill the streets. Any desire, however exotic or base, can be satisfied in its soft quarter. The people live and work secure in the knowledge that their city is a bastion of progress in a harsh world. It would be a tragedy if it fell . . . .At the heart of the city+s influence is the poet-sorcerer Heshai and the captive spirit Seedless which he controls. Heshai is at once the linchpin of and the most vulnerable point in Saraykeht+s greatness.Far to the west, the armies of Galt have conquered many lands. To take Saraykeht, they must first destroy its prosperity. Marchat Wilsin, head of Galt+s trading-house in the city, is planning a terrible crime against Heshai and Seedless. If he succeeds, Saraykeht will fall. Amat, House Wilsin+s business manager, her apprentice Liat, and two young men from the farthest reaches of their society stand alone against the dire threat to the city. But in this city of power and intrigue, no one is without secrets. The price they must pay to save Saraykeht may be greater than they can afford . . . .User Reviews (2) Login or create an account to write a review.
Julie Carter thinks this book is Excellent.
Spectacular fantasy fiction with excellent writing, world-building, and some of the best characterization I've seen in years.
WriterDan thinks this book is Excellent.
This book was amazingly good. Very well written. Excellent characterization. Great localized world building. When I first picked it up I thought that it would be a relatively quick read. The text is, however, fairly dense. So, it took a little longer than I had at first thought it would. Unlike most dense written books though, I didn't feel like it was a lengthy book. Abrahams tone is very formal throughout, but easily kept my attention through to the last page. I did have two beefs with the book. The first very minor, was that a number of the times that characters changed their minds, the characters themselves would "surprise themselves" by saying what they were going to do next. I suppose that this is a great way to let the author keep the story line surprising and not have to delve into the thought processes of why individual decisions were made, but I just thought that the method was overused a bit. The second, really concerns the "in-cover summary" of the book. This summary covered, at best, just over a third of the book. So, when I got to the point in the book where the summary had stopped, I was thinking, "Okay, so the story isn't over now?" I think that the summary could have done a much better job of summarizing the book. I would suggest this book to any fantasy reader that can enjoy the intellectual stimulation that accompanies this book. It is by no means action-packed, but is quite well done nonetheless.