Helpful Score: 6
This is the third book in the trilogy and does not stand well alone. Most of the characters were fully developed in previous books and much of the plot tension comes from events that took place in the previous two books. While it would be an enjoyable read, one wouldn't get the full effect of the story without having read the previous two novels.
The author has created a fantasy world of great complexity and long history in which to set his story. Its expanse is revealed slowly and is an important adjunct to the plot. Waiting for things to be explained is part of the fun that drives this trilogy.
I highly recommend this for fantasy fans.
The author has created a fantasy world of great complexity and long history in which to set his story. Its expanse is revealed slowly and is an important adjunct to the plot. Waiting for things to be explained is part of the fun that drives this trilogy.
I highly recommend this for fantasy fans.
Helpful Score: 3
I loved this series. Seriously, I fell in love with the characters and was sad to see it end. If you have a chance, check out his website. There is a forum there as well, and Mr. Weeks is known to answer many a posts.
Happy reading!!!
Happy reading!!!
Mark J. (CrazyaboutFantasy) -
Helpful Score: 3
This was a good, though not great, book. I enjoyed the first and second in this trilogy more than this book. I once heard that the hardest part of writing a book is finishing it, and that idea is proven here.
Helpful Score: 2
THE WAY OF SHADOWS is the concluding volume in Brent Weeks' series, the Night Angel trilogy. It begins right where the last novel, SHADOW'S EDGE left off. The Godking is dead, leaving a power gap in both of the neighboring kingdoms, Cenaria and Khalidor. Logan Gyre by all rights should be king of Cenaria, but a usurper has taken the throne, and Logan's unwilling to submit the country to more senseless bloodshed. In Khalidor, the mad prophet Dorian has seized his father's throne, hoping to lead his homeland to peace and civility. Kylar Stern rushes to reinstate Logan and then prevent Dorian from accidentally unleashing an unspeakable evil that threatens to destroy the world.
One of the best things about this book was that the characters really stuck to what they believed. For example, when Kylar finds out that Logan has allowed the throne to pass to a usurper, he does what he believes will rectify the problem despite Logan's express wish that he let things be. Once Logan becomes king, he has to deal with Kylar's very brutal and very public crime of regicide. Even though he wants to protect Kylar, he has no choice but to publicly execute him. Another interesting character was the lady wetboy, Vi. At the end of SHADOW'S EDGE, she and Kylar have been magically bonded against their will. This bond is incredibly powerful, strong enough to even linger beyond the grave. Kylar is especially resentful of the bond because he's in love with Elene. Vi chooses to allow him to further his relationship with Elene, even though she suffers incredible physical discomfort whenever the couple are together.
The thing I'll remember about BEYOND THE SHADOWS a year from now is the theme of consequences for one's actions. Every major character of the story has to deal with their personal consequences on one level or another. For Kylar and Dorian, it's especially apparent. Kylar finds out that the source of his powers as the Night Angel has a very ugly outcome. Every time he chooses to die and be resurrected, someone he's close to will die in his stead. This news rips him up emotionally because he didnt realize why some of his close friends were dying. Dorian, on the other hand, begins to make small sacrifices once he becomes the new Godking. His intentions are always good -- he wants to be a better ruler than the previous. But he slowly begins compromising what he believes in, and he loses his vision of a better land. In the end of the story, he's become just as much of a monster as the previous Godking.
Weeks does a great job of wrapping up the story that he's presented here in the Night Angel Trilogy, and it's easy to see why this series has received the acclaim that it has. Weeks has been signed to another three book deal from Orbit, and it's going to be exciting to see what he does next.
One of the best things about this book was that the characters really stuck to what they believed. For example, when Kylar finds out that Logan has allowed the throne to pass to a usurper, he does what he believes will rectify the problem despite Logan's express wish that he let things be. Once Logan becomes king, he has to deal with Kylar's very brutal and very public crime of regicide. Even though he wants to protect Kylar, he has no choice but to publicly execute him. Another interesting character was the lady wetboy, Vi. At the end of SHADOW'S EDGE, she and Kylar have been magically bonded against their will. This bond is incredibly powerful, strong enough to even linger beyond the grave. Kylar is especially resentful of the bond because he's in love with Elene. Vi chooses to allow him to further his relationship with Elene, even though she suffers incredible physical discomfort whenever the couple are together.
The thing I'll remember about BEYOND THE SHADOWS a year from now is the theme of consequences for one's actions. Every major character of the story has to deal with their personal consequences on one level or another. For Kylar and Dorian, it's especially apparent. Kylar finds out that the source of his powers as the Night Angel has a very ugly outcome. Every time he chooses to die and be resurrected, someone he's close to will die in his stead. This news rips him up emotionally because he didnt realize why some of his close friends were dying. Dorian, on the other hand, begins to make small sacrifices once he becomes the new Godking. His intentions are always good -- he wants to be a better ruler than the previous. But he slowly begins compromising what he believes in, and he loses his vision of a better land. In the end of the story, he's become just as much of a monster as the previous Godking.
Weeks does a great job of wrapping up the story that he's presented here in the Night Angel Trilogy, and it's easy to see why this series has received the acclaim that it has. Weeks has been signed to another three book deal from Orbit, and it's going to be exciting to see what he does next.
Elizabeth B. (Cattriona) -
Helpful Score: 1
Please don't read this trilogy -- you'll weep with frustration for what could have been. The series starts well, the author lays a good back story with interesting characters. Book 2 continues the series, stretching the boundaries of believability a bit, but keeps the reader interested. Book 3 blows all of this hard work into excrement.
The author clearly knows where he wants to go to end things, but doesn't know how to get there, so the finale is filled with clumsy writing, a truckload of "oh, isn't that convenient?" plot elements and awkward similes, things like the Hero's blade slicing into an enemy's guts "like a comb slides through a princess' hair." Puh-leeze.
Having built up this alternative, old-fashioned universe, the author ruins our suspension of disbelief with Biblical allusions (i.e. Daniel 5:27) and references to very recent scientific discoveries (i.e. aspen groves as a single organism).
At times, the author is so lost that he doesn't even try to plausibly explain anything: When the Hero tries to rescue a Heroine, he tells us that the unknown spell holding the heroine will "crush her skull". How do we know this will this is true? "[Hero] didn't question how he knew it, but he did." Well, the readers are questioning when you became magically omnipotent ...
Sadly, the best thing to do with this series (which had a lot of potential) is to never start it. Not recommended.
The author clearly knows where he wants to go to end things, but doesn't know how to get there, so the finale is filled with clumsy writing, a truckload of "oh, isn't that convenient?" plot elements and awkward similes, things like the Hero's blade slicing into an enemy's guts "like a comb slides through a princess' hair." Puh-leeze.
Having built up this alternative, old-fashioned universe, the author ruins our suspension of disbelief with Biblical allusions (i.e. Daniel 5:27) and references to very recent scientific discoveries (i.e. aspen groves as a single organism).
At times, the author is so lost that he doesn't even try to plausibly explain anything: When the Hero tries to rescue a Heroine, he tells us that the unknown spell holding the heroine will "crush her skull". How do we know this will this is true? "[Hero] didn't question how he knew it, but he did." Well, the readers are questioning when you became magically omnipotent ...
Sadly, the best thing to do with this series (which had a lot of potential) is to never start it. Not recommended.
Marita M. (cala-4-lily) - , reviewed Beyond the Shadows (Night Angel, Bk 3) on + 3 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I loved this entire trilogy! The worst part about it was that it ended... I wish it would go on forever. I am new to the sci-fi genre and this was a wonderful trilogy. I can't wait to read Brent Weeks's next series... I hope he finishes soon. I highly recommend to anyone who likes to get sucked into a book and never want to come out. Great read!
Derrick J. (ravensknight) reviewed Beyond the Shadows (Night Angel, Bk 3) on + 178 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
The conclusion. A LOT happens. I'm still confused, to be honest. People pop back up from the dead, have new names, get possessed, get un-possessed, lots of battles, prophecies, etc, etc. Honestly, I felt like I was in a maelstrom reading this book. Just dragged along for the ride. Weeks did such a good job of weaving so much together that I can't pick particular threads to write about, it was all woven so tight. Blint coming back and his ability to still use the little black magic thing was a bit much though.
The reason I only gave it 4 stars instead of 5 was because of the completely unnecessarily large amount of profanity. Over all, this book was devastatingly well written with a fantastic plot. But to interject profanity from the real world, and so much of it, didn't sit well with me at all. Go the Battlestar Galactica route, or better yet, keep it clean. It doesn't add anything at all.
The reason I only gave it 4 stars instead of 5 was because of the completely unnecessarily large amount of profanity. Over all, this book was devastatingly well written with a fantastic plot. But to interject profanity from the real world, and so much of it, didn't sit well with me at all. Go the Battlestar Galactica route, or better yet, keep it clean. It doesn't add anything at all.
Helpful Score: 1
Some of the character development is fantastic, the world-building is outstanding, and Weeks is just plain fun to read! Great trilogy. I am looking forward to reading The Black Prism!! =D Jay Vee
Final book of a well-written sword and sorcery trilogy, this book ties up the loose ends and provides a satisfying conclusion. Recommended.
This is the third and final book in the Night Angel trilogy. It wraps up the series nicely and the multitude of plots are mostly wrapped up neatly. It ended happier than I thought it would given what all of our characters are put through. I listened to this on audio book and it was very well done (please forgive any name/place mis-spellings).
The God King has been defeated but now there are other dangers to Cenaria's kingdom. Kylar wants Logan to accept the Kingship of Cenaria, but Logan wants to uphold his vow to the current Queen. Vi is off to the Chantry to begin her mage training with the Sisters. Elene is on her way to the Chantry to visit Vi and Uly. Basically all of the various kingdoms are perched to attack each other and all of our favorite characters have positions of power throughout the various kingdoms. If I tried to list where everyone was and what they were doing here...this review would turn into a novella.
As in previous novels Weeks does an excellent job keeping the reader engaged with the characters. The characters are life-like and really pull you into the story; they make mistakes, they try their best, sometimes they do good, sometimes they (especially Kylar) make a mess of it all.
The plot was twisted and convoluted and came from a billion different perspectives. It was kind of fun to watch the characters making decisions about their kingdoms without knowing what was happening in other kingdoms. All the secrets come out in the end, but throughout the story so many major decisions are made without characters knowing what is really going on in other parts of the kingdom that it is very ironic. At times this can be a bit annoying because it seems like the characters go off on tangents they don't really need to go down to make the story progress. As with the other books the story is engaging but progresses slowly because of all the different perspectives.
The threesome of Solon, Dorian, and Feir gets a lot more page space in this book. It was good to read about them more. We didn't get to read about Uly much at all; she was talked about in the background but not really present in the story. I missed her.
Weeks has a great writing style to read; very readable with some humor throughout. As with previous books, this is a book for adults. There is a lot of talking about sex, swearing, and many gruesome scenes.
My only big problem with the plot is that the evil that the characters are fighting against is less apparent than it was when they were fighting the God King in the last book. The evil in this book is more sprawling and less concentrated. In fact most of the characters are just trying to hold their kingdoms together and don't even realize that they are dealing with the Goddess Kali until the end of the book. It just makes the end battle a bit less profound.
The book wrapped everything up nicely; although there are some things that point at future stories being set in this world.
Overall this was an excellent conclusion to this series. Weeks weaves a complicated and intriguing story with realistic characters that are very engaging. My only complaints are that the multitude of perspectives the story is told from slows down the progress of the story, the battle the characters were fighting was less about destroying a great evil and more about protecting their individual kingdoms. I did enjoy the way everything was wrapped up. I enjoyed this series enough that I will probably pick up The Black Prism by Brent Weeks at some point. I recommend also reading The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson or The Codex Alera by Jim Butcher if you enjoyed this series.
The God King has been defeated but now there are other dangers to Cenaria's kingdom. Kylar wants Logan to accept the Kingship of Cenaria, but Logan wants to uphold his vow to the current Queen. Vi is off to the Chantry to begin her mage training with the Sisters. Elene is on her way to the Chantry to visit Vi and Uly. Basically all of the various kingdoms are perched to attack each other and all of our favorite characters have positions of power throughout the various kingdoms. If I tried to list where everyone was and what they were doing here...this review would turn into a novella.
As in previous novels Weeks does an excellent job keeping the reader engaged with the characters. The characters are life-like and really pull you into the story; they make mistakes, they try their best, sometimes they do good, sometimes they (especially Kylar) make a mess of it all.
The plot was twisted and convoluted and came from a billion different perspectives. It was kind of fun to watch the characters making decisions about their kingdoms without knowing what was happening in other kingdoms. All the secrets come out in the end, but throughout the story so many major decisions are made without characters knowing what is really going on in other parts of the kingdom that it is very ironic. At times this can be a bit annoying because it seems like the characters go off on tangents they don't really need to go down to make the story progress. As with the other books the story is engaging but progresses slowly because of all the different perspectives.
The threesome of Solon, Dorian, and Feir gets a lot more page space in this book. It was good to read about them more. We didn't get to read about Uly much at all; she was talked about in the background but not really present in the story. I missed her.
Weeks has a great writing style to read; very readable with some humor throughout. As with previous books, this is a book for adults. There is a lot of talking about sex, swearing, and many gruesome scenes.
My only big problem with the plot is that the evil that the characters are fighting against is less apparent than it was when they were fighting the God King in the last book. The evil in this book is more sprawling and less concentrated. In fact most of the characters are just trying to hold their kingdoms together and don't even realize that they are dealing with the Goddess Kali until the end of the book. It just makes the end battle a bit less profound.
The book wrapped everything up nicely; although there are some things that point at future stories being set in this world.
Overall this was an excellent conclusion to this series. Weeks weaves a complicated and intriguing story with realistic characters that are very engaging. My only complaints are that the multitude of perspectives the story is told from slows down the progress of the story, the battle the characters were fighting was less about destroying a great evil and more about protecting their individual kingdoms. I did enjoy the way everything was wrapped up. I enjoyed this series enough that I will probably pick up The Black Prism by Brent Weeks at some point. I recommend also reading The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson or The Codex Alera by Jim Butcher if you enjoyed this series.
This book in the series gets crazy busy and can be hard to follow if your not up to speed from the previous two books. Very good story line though and I liked it.
I didn't want this Trilogy to end!!! As others have noted, you really need to read the entire trilogy and I did read them in order, all at one time.
I feel as though I have lost friends and as though I have learned some true lessons, just by reading and becoming lost in these books. If you are a true fantasy lover, I sincerely believe that you will enjoy these immensely.
The characters, the worlds, the plot...all are terrific! However, the feelings that are evoked during the story and the consequences of actions taken will stay with me long after I've moved on to other stories.
Great job, Mr. Weeks!
I feel as though I have lost friends and as though I have learned some true lessons, just by reading and becoming lost in these books. If you are a true fantasy lover, I sincerely believe that you will enjoy these immensely.
The characters, the worlds, the plot...all are terrific! However, the feelings that are evoked during the story and the consequences of actions taken will stay with me long after I've moved on to other stories.
Great job, Mr. Weeks!
