Shadowmarch

Shadowmarch

It has been a few years since I first read Mr. Tad Williams's 'Shadowmarch', and similarly to the first time I read Volume 1 of his 'Otherland' series, I was pretty thoroughly infuriated to discover that I had only finished the first leg of a series that had not yet been written. Fortunately, this frustration stemmed directly from my immense enjoyment of the stories, and I was able to forgive, forget, and enjoy them all over again as each installment was eventually released (albeit with similar periods of frustration in between the subsequent volumes).

Fast forward a few years and I find my perusing through one of Powell's fine establishments and what do I spy, but Volume 2 of the series, 'Shadowplay'! Oh, I was so delighted. That gleeful anticipation of rapidly rereading Volume 1 before losing myself in a wholly new tome of content.

Uh, wait second, I already have 'Shadowplay', dammit! Sigh. Yes, I'd completely forgotten having read 600+ pages of pure delight from a favorite author. And now I have two copies.

Fortunately this most recent round of self-induced frustration was soundly alleviated by the remarkably near-following discovery that there was in-fact new content available, but in the form of Volume 3, 'Shadowrise'! And yes, I imagine it is becoming abundantly clear that I do a pretty poor job of keeping track of recent literary developments.

I had thought this third volume would be wrapping up the series, but it seems there may still be a fourth coming to finish it off. However, with this good chunk of the story already on the shelves, I'd like to take some time to write out a post of thoughts for each of the installments. So, without further adieu (beyond the bloody essay it has taken to get to this point), let us talk about 'Shadowmarch'.

Needless to say, the start of this more recent series of Mr. Williams was damn fantastic. Its flavor of fantasy and tone of storytelling is both colorfully inventive, and comfortably approachable. Both die-hard fantasy buffs and casual interest readers will be satisfied by a story with magic and mystery that sparks the imagination, but does not stray too far from our 'practical' expectations of a world in which most folks aren't walking around with a wand or slaying dragons on every mountaintop.

For a large part, 'Shadowmarch' is a story of the challenges of governing a kingdom. Managing nobles, the intrigues of royal succession, assessing threats, gauging truths, finances, loyalty, authority, and so on. It is a day-to-day struggle for folks to find their place, make sense of the greater world, and strive for some measure of happiness amongst it all.

We also witness fantastic variety of character displayed by the many intertwining players and their actions. Innocent and experienced, honorable and desperate, wise and self-entitled. Mr. Williams hints, illustrates, and develops characters in a wonderful manner that establishes a position and role, but does not quickly reveal what final part they will play.

Admittedly, the above mentioned quality is one that most authors likely seek to achieve, but I think Mr. Williams is successful with its use at many levels. For example, while the story is centrally focused around the human society, I really enjoy the hints of demi-human culture that we're treated to as well.

For example, the Funderlings are quite prominently featured, but a great deal of mystery is hinted at in the depths of their tunnels. Then the Rooftoppers, only known in legend, have played a small role thus far, but they clearly have knowledge and history that will have an impact on the shaping of the tale. Similarly, the Skimmers have only been briefly featured, but while they appear on the surface to have only a servile role in the kingdom, they clearly have their own secrets and part to play.

Lastly, the Qar, the mysterious and feared fairy folk whom the kingdom's grandfathers did battle with in the past are the little understood threat that must now be faced. I particularly like Mr. Williams's depictions of these folk, which for all their otherworldly alien-ness, clearly have a culture, history, and code that governs their actions.

I believe I am partly enjoying this tale of fantasy because it does not seem to be following a quite so formulaic hero arc as we saw in the 'Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn' series. I am not sure that it is of quite so many initially disparate starting points as in 'Otherland', but they do not yet seem to have such clearly predictable paths.

For those few that may have made it this far through my ramblings, I may as well admit that this is my first attempt at commenting on a fantasy novel. Despite my love for the genre, I'm not entirely sure what to say, other than whether it was entertaining or not. So, to at least be perfectly solid on that point, 'Shadowmarch' is damn fine entertainment. Mr. Williams's work has yet to disappoint, and I fully encourage folks to check it out.