Reviews for Shadowmancer

The average rating for Shadowmancer based on 2 reviews is 1 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2008-04-13 00:00:00 Martin Beyeler For the longest time, I avoided committing to writing my complete frustration with and bitter disappointment over this book. After all, the author seems like a very nice man (despite his personal views on religion, he has defended Philip Pullman, and had to sell his motorcycle in order to get this book published), and there is a definite audience for this sort of book, made up of people who aren't likely to pay attention to anything I say. At the same time, until very recently I considered this the worst book I had actually finished (that place has now been taken by a romance written by, I kid you not, The Fae Gatekeeper of Dreams), and now its sequels, particularly the seductively named Wormwood, are out there trying to use the same tricks to make me buy them as this one did: namely an atmospheric setting, Yorkshire folklore, and shady characters such as smugglers and the like. Yes, the promise of adventure and magic are held out by this book . . . then snatched away, as the magical creatures, by and large, turn out to be the devil's handiwork. This book, for all its claims to be non-denominational and a great adventure story, is basically a sermon in disguise. The villain, Obadiah Demurral, is a vicar who decides he wants to kill and then become God. He is about as generic as evil guys come, which is one of those things that always sets me off, although for an agent of the devil that is par for the course. What I mean is, I haven't noticed a lot of extremely religious people prying into the motivations of those they cast as foes, and maybe I shouldn't be surprised that Taylor doesn't do so either. Well, all right---but the character is a vicar, and presumably one of the good guys at one time. Shouldn't Taylor, a vicar himself, give him a good reason for switching sides? Heck, even Lucifer gets one, in Milton's Paradise Lost, a work that seems to have inspired this novel. If you have read Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, you know what good religious allegory should be like; namely, that it should be enjoyable by those oblivious to its religious intent. Lewis wrote of mythological creatures just as heroic and "good" as his human characters, and his Christ figure Aslan is primarily identified by the sacrifices he makes. Shadowmancer, less subtly, has a Christ figure who appears as both a king and a shepherd, spouting recognizable New Testament verses. In addition to the supernatural elements that initially drew me to this books, there were characters I definitely wanted to like: Kate, a plucky tomboy, and Raphah, a mysterious boy from Cush (which, as an ancient historian, pleased me greatly) with hidden knowledge and healing powers (notice I didn't say "magical," as it is clear we are to read these as "miraculous" instead). However, their character development is subordinate to the message of the book, that all are worthy of salvation, regardless of gender or race. In closing, let me say that another thing that made me pick up this book was the fact that at one time it had outsold one of the Harry Potter books (not sure which, but whatever one was out in 2003 or so), and I was sure it had to be good. Well, I know now why it outsold Harry Potter; I believe it that everyone who didn't want their children reading Rowling must have bought this one instead.

Review # 2 was written on 2007-06-08 00:00:00 Usiku Wellons Awful on a monumental scale.