Jordan D. (jddennis) - reviewed on 5/4/2009 + 12 more book reviews

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.

Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details